By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
St. Joseph won some major victories in the state budget signed into law by Governor Mike Parson, but also took some hits with the governor’s line-item vetoes.
The big winner locally was Rosecrans Memorial Airport, which has been allocated nearly $20 million for upgrades; $10.2 million from state General Revenue funds and $8.8 million in federal funds.
House Budget Committee member, Rep. Brenda Shields of St. Joseph, that amount of money makes a statement.
“We are always in competition with other states to lose the Air National Guard there,” according to Sheilds, who adds this budget makes a significant investment in Rosecrans. “Not only will ensure the stability of being able to keep the Air Guard, but also be able to have opportunity to bring other businesses to our community.”
The airport is undergoing an incredible transformation coinciding with the Air Guard relocating the 139th Airlift Wing from the southern portion of the airport which is vulnerable to flooding to the north, which is on much higher ground. Construction is underway to repave the main runway. Funding has been nearly completed to build a new terminal building as well as a new air traffic control tower.
The state budget also allocates $6 million for the Hillyard Technical Center and $2.5 million for the Convergent Technology Alliance Center to be located on the Missouri Western State University St. Joseph campus and operated jointly by Missouri Western and North Central Missouri College of Trenton.
“Our governor has shown over again that he supports technical education and supports education by this budget through and through; K-12, higher ed, technical education,” Shields says in an interview with KFEQ/St. Joseph Post.
Shields scores a victory in the budget with $300,000 allocated to the “Grow You Own” social worker education program at Missouri Western State University. Another $700,000 has been allocated for the UMKC School of Medicine program at Mosaic Life Care in St. Joseph.
Vetoes deal a blow to other St. Joseph projects.
Gov. Parson made $555 million in line-item vetoes, a total amount that took many lawmakers by surprise, including Shields.
Most notably for northwest Missouri, the governor vetoed a $2.5 million appropriation to study the feasibility of turning U.S. Highway 36 into Interstate 72.
“But we do have a $2.8 billion investment in I-70,” Shields points out. “And, just like everybody that is in construction, anybody who is trying to hire people, there is a shortage of workers out there and if you spread yourself too thin when it comes to transportation you might not be able to get anything done and I really do believe the governor’s focus is to getting I-70 to three lanes in both directions.”
The governor rejected a proposed $1 million allocation for the downtown St. Joseph Children’s Discovery Center. Parson vetoed a $608,300 appropriation for a water infrastructure and replacement project in Andrew County and $500,000 set aside for an innovated anti-crime measure to be administered by the Northwest Missouri Law Enforcement Foundation headquartered in St. Joseph.
Shields says she believes the governor acted out of fiscal prudence, not because he didn’t like the projects.
“I don’t think that these items were bad items,” Shields says. “I think he was just consistent that if it did not have statewide impact and he wanted to make sure that we would have the money to do this and keep us fiscally sound into the future.”
As for those line-item vetoes, Shields points out there’s always next year.