At its November 26, 2024, regular meeting, the Branson Board of Alderpersons received an overview of the city’s new “Red Tape Review” initiative from Mark Colussy, the city’s Strategic Initiatives Coordinator. The overview came as part of the Board’s consideration of an ordinance to amend the Branson Municipal Code for Food Trucks, an early example of the potential benefits to Branson businesses from the initiative. He said the city will host an information session on December 12, 2024, at 5:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers to discuss this important initiative.
The Red Tape Review is at the direction of the Board of Alderpersons. It’s a “priority initiative designed to modernize local government to be more accountable to taxpayers while becoming more business-friendly.” This includes the collection of input from those that use city services before acting on changes within city operations and Codes.
Colussy said that the Red Tape Review directs city leadership [staff] to identify and address things like excessive, burdensome and outdated regulations and procedures; regulations or internal procedures that are burdensome to local economic development and growth; reduce the efficiency and effectiveness of delivering city programs and services; or have ambiguous code language. The results will identify, eliminate and adopt updated practices and codes to ensure the delivery of public services and programs is cost-efficient and effective.
All city departments were asked to develop a list of items frequently raised as an area of concern, such as Codes and processes. He said that when reviewing these concerns, staff was to list all items, ideas and possible ‘Action Needed’ for review by the City Administration. The process includes the item’s identity, an analysis of the effect, scope, action needed, outcome and consideration of the impact of any changes.
The Food Truck ordinance on the agenda for the meeting is an early example of how the initiative works. City staff and aldermen heard from food truck vendors that obtaining a business license, temporary use permit, and inspection needed to be easier. As a result, fewer food trucks desire to do business in Branson under current regulations. The city hosted a Food Truck Vendor Roundtable on September 20, 2024, to hear businesses’ concerns. Colussy points out that the information gathered at the Roundtable to make the process more efficient and cut overburdensome regulations is in the Food Trucks ordinance before the Board.
Colussy said that the city has a desire to seek additional feedback from the community to see what other forms of ‘Red Tape’ are affecting our business community. “Staff has created a new webpage to seek feedback at: BransonMo.gov/RedTape.” He encouraged businesses and residents to “have your voice heard!” by submitting an inquiry to the website and/or attending the information session on December 12, 2024, at 5:30 p m.
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