Alderman addresses topics of concern during town hall meeting

A member of the Branson Board of Aldermen held a town hall-style meeting recently to hear concerns and answer questions from those in the community.

Alex Williams, Alderman for Branson's Ward 1, held the meeting on Friday evening, with several Branson residents in attendance.

Town Hall meeting (Photo by Marshall Howden)

"I promised the community during my campaign to hold monthly town halls, both before and after the election," said Williams. "I believe regular community feedback is central to good government. The purpose of the events is to provide an in-person opportunity for the community members to engage with me on all things pertaining to the city of Branson, outside of City Hall. Particularly, I host them primarily at local businesses within my ward to help spread awareness and support for our Branson business community."

Topics brought up by concerned citizens during the recent town hall meeting, held at A&W at Branson's Tanger Outlets, included the condition of 76 Country Boulevard, the increased presence of solicitation in the community, the use of tourism tax marketing funds and how to move forward after the Kansas City Chiefs partnership, and how citizens can remain informed and involved if they are unable to attend board of aldermen meetings.

Said Williams, "I believe the outcome was highly effective and productive. I provided a legislative update and detailed information regarding each topic the group requested more details on.

Following is the information provided by Williams on each topic.

Highway 76: "The Board has taken measurable steps to facilitate getting shovels in the ground this September and October with segments one and two of the 76 ECID project. I communicated that this project is vital to our economic prosperity as a tourism economy, as Highway 76 has become increasingly blighted both within the 76 ECID (IHOP to the Auto Museum) and arguably more so outside of it (Auto Museum to Highway 65)."

Solicitation in the city: "The Board has passed legislation that further expands definitions of solicitation and other quality of life offenses. These ordinances help preserve public access for all patrons and ensure the safety of pedestrians and the motoring public."

Tourism Tax marketing funds: "A question was posed about my level of interest in the city signing a multi-year film agreement alongside the TCED, using our tourism tax marketing funds. Previously, these funds were used to support the Kansas City Chiefs’ partnership that expired this year. I shared that the necessary ROI for the Chiefs’ partnership was not where it needed to be to justify its continuance. With that in mind, I have an obligation to ensure any future agreements using these funds must have a measurable ROI for tourism tax marketing funds."

Keeping citizens informed and involved: "Community members asked how they can receive information about official city business from the BOA without attending the lengthy meetings. I shared my understanding that our meetings are not as productive as they need to be, so we can certainly find ways to shorten them, while being more effective in governance. Until then, I post executive summaries of the meeting on my official Facebook page, where I explain each agenda item and the reason for my votes, comments or ideas on a given topic. These summaries reduce a three- to five-hour meeting to approximately 20 minutes. The city has also created the 'Branson Scoop' on its social media accounts, which summarizes the highlights of the business meeting."

If any resident in Branson's Ward One has questions or concerns to share with Alderman Williams, they may reach him via email at alex.williams@bransonmo.gov, by cell phone at 417- 559 7791, or by sending a message to any of Williams' official social media accounts.

"I am here to do this job the right way: all-in or not at all," Williams explained. "I can promise you that I will always be informed on topics that you sent me to address at city hall. To my core, I believe in Branson's foundational values of Faith, Family and Flag. As we work to secure Branson's future, it is of paramount importance that we stay true to those values. More government is most often never the right way to address these issues. I believe in limited but effective government and trust that we will accomplish our mission of securing Branson's future by working together. One team, one Branson."