They say the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Here’s how some Columbia institutions are oiling the machine.  

To say that politics were tumultuous during 2024 would be an understatement. Even the most politically engaged people, regardless of party or ideological alignment, are taking a break from the constant cycle of often unbelievable news.  

However, for many Columbia entities, working with governmental bodies isn’t something they can turn off like a tap. Their operations depend on legislative action for funding, control, and general survival. So, even as the political pendulum swings wildly, the Columbia Chamber of Commerce, Boone County Commission, Columbia Public Schools, and Daniel Boone Regional Library have set their legislative agendas. And although they all have unique goals, they share some common ground. Here’s what they’re focused on for 2025.  

Funding 

Of course, everyone’s concerned about funding. But legislative funding concerns aren’t always about the entity itself. For example, the Chamber’s and County Commission’s priorities include funding support for the University of Missouri. Matt McCormick, Chamber president, says that higher education is the area’s top economic driver, which means the core funding of the University of Missouri and Moberly Area Community College is critical. They not only drive innovation, research, and entrepreneurship, but those institutions also provide the workforce and training necessary to sustain local businesses.  

CPS also relies on state funding for its operations. Among the school district’s legislative priorities is the full funding of Missouri’s school foundation formula, which determines how much each school district receives from state coffers. At issue is the adequacy target portion of the formula, which the state uses to determine the per-student dollar amount it will provide. This target in the foundation formula as written in 2006-2007 should be adjusted annually for inflation but has been frozen for years instead. 

For CPS, that means of loss of more than $5 million for the current school year; funding the district sorely needs.  

As for DBRL, Mitzi St. John, public relations director, says the library supports the legislative priorities of the Missouri Library Association. MLA tracks legislation that could affect library funding, such as property taxes and tax incentives for economic development. To hedge their bets against losses in those areas, MLA supports legislation that would allow its member libraries like DBRL to obtain funding from alternative sources of revenue, such as local and online sales taxes.  

Funding issues aren’t always direct. The county commission is vigilant about legislation that results in unfunded mandates where the county would have to pay for services without compensation. For example, Kip Kendrick, presiding commissioner, says county officials are trying to work with the state to address the cost of people in jail deemed mentally unfit for trial. Kendrick says the Department of Mental Health needs to work with counties to find solutions to stem the cost of keeping those individuals in county jails.   

For CPS, fighting private school tax credits and school vouchers is critical. If the state provides funding for those, public schools lose money. Plus, there’s the new threat of eligibility in Boone County for charter schools, which was included in a teacher compensation bill passed last session. State Representative David Tyson Smith (D-Columbia) has filed two bills in response. One would repeal the recent provision and the other would put the issue before a vote of Boone County residents. 

You can bet that CPS will be watching both.  

Childcare and Early Childhood Education 

Entities approach the education and well-being of children from two sides. One focuses on the children themselves, such as CPS’s support for full funding of top-notch early childhood education for those who want to pursue it. It also advocates for early childhood transportation and universal free school breakfasts and lunches for all students.  

Approaching from the other side is the Chamber and County Commission under the umbrella of workforce development.  

“When we talk to our members about workforce development, childcare seems to be one of those issues that really exploded coming out of COVID,” McCormick says. “It’s an issue that gains traction but has gotten hung up in the filibuster in the state legislature the last two sessions.” 

The Chamber has supported bills that took a three-pronged approach to making childcare more affordable and accessible, focusing on businesses, parents, and childcare providers. McCormick hopes supporters can break through with this bipartisan issue during the upcoming legislative session. 

Kendrick says the Commission is proud to have received first-time earmarks in the state’s budget to the tune of $6.5 million — $4 million is helping to build the Boone County Sheriff’s Regional Law Enforcement Training Center. The more recent $2.5 million earmark funds half the money needed to create the Public Safety Childcare Center. The facility will address the unique scheduling needs of law enforcement, first responders, emergency communications, and other public safety personnel. Kendrick says the childcare center will boost the county’s ability to recruit and retain the human resources necessary to keep residents safe.  

Workforce Development 

While childcare issues are linchpins of workforce development, others also land on the list of legislative priorities. Take, for example, CPS’s priority for additional state support to fund increased teacher pay that will, in turn, attract the best educators.  

Or there’s DBRL’s unwavering support of diversity, equity, and inclusion in its workforce, despite political and legislative attempts at the federal and state levels to punish institutions that promote DEI initiatives. DBRL’s 2023-2025 Strategic Plan aims to achieve excellence through DEI, including efforts to hire staff who reflect the people the library serves. Despite the potential political threat to DEI, Robin Westphal, DBRL executive director, says the library remains committed to achieving that goal.   

Librarians also face repercussions surrounding outside censorship of books and materials. MLA advocates for intellectual freedom, opposing efforts that infringe upon that right. Moreover, in a growing environment of hostility toward individual librarians, MLA and DBRL oppose legislation that would criminalize librarians for performing duties aligned with the tenets of librarianship.  

“With any new federal or state administrative change, there are always concerns about how the new leaders will implement changes that may affect libraries,” Westphal says.  

The Chamber will also focus on creating sustainable funding for workforce development grants. It partnered with the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry on legislation that would provide grants to help companies offset the costs of upskilling their workers. The structure of the program was passed two sessions ago and funding of $3 million was approved last year. The Chamber is seeking a funding increase of up to $6 million statewide.  

Broadband Access 

All four of these entities support legislation that would increase access and affordability of high-speed internet.  

The Chamber’s McCormick says broadband “is as important going forward as electricity.” Funding from the American Rescue Plan Act has been critical to broadband expansion thus far. Federal ARPA monies are sent to the states which award them to local communities. One of the Chamber’s local priorities is to ensure use of those funds to support business and workforce development as well as broadband access.  

The County Commission agrees.  

“Continued investment by the state in broadband infrastructure is really that last mile,” Kendrick says. “There’s additional federal funding becoming available that we hope will be appropriated at the state level. So, the Office of Broadband within the Department of Economic Development can provide additional grant opportunities to service providers across the state to carry out those last lines. We still see gaps in broadband infrastructure across the county. Any additional opportunities in infrastructure are critical to the residents of Boone County.” 

For DBRL, the ongoing full funding of the Universal Service Fund is a priority. That’s the federal program providing telecommunications access to all Americans. And CPS supports legislation that will establish broadband as a public utility. Such recognition will provide more local control over investments, rates, governance, and shared services. It’s no surprise that after historic pandemic shutdowns that forced the pivot to remote learning, access, reliability, and speed of the internet is a priority for CPS.  

Setting Legislative Priorities for a Better Boone County 

The Chamber, Commission, CPS, and DBRL aren’t connected at the hip. But they share the objective of improving the quality of life for residents city and county. That overlap puts a lot of common issues on the table, including these four and others, like transportation and local control. By pulling together in the same direction, they build a squeakier wheel. And in a world where politics aren’t as usual, Columbia will be heard above the din.