Parsons city commissioners on Monday approved an ordinance updated zoning regulations. Commissioners also agreed to add a question to the Nov. 4 ballot asking voters if they want to extend a sales tax dedicated to property tax reduction.
The Parsons Planning Commission approved the modified zoning regulations after a public hearing on July 15. They recommended that city commissioners adopt the regulations for the city and its three-mile extraterritorial area.
The revisions moved some regulations around, amended others, made some of the dense material easier to read by creating graphical depictions of it and created regulations for adding tiny homes and accessory dwelling units in the city.
The latter two changes resulted from a discussion among planners and city commissioners to address a housing issue after a city inspector found a woman living permanently in an RV on her son’s property at 1106 S. 14th. Linda Philbrick was told in July 2023 that living permanently in an RV violated the city’s zoning rules. She brought the issue to the city commission in October 2023. The changes will allow her to live on her son’s property either in a tiny home or an ADU.
City commissioners said they appreciated the work the planners and city staff put into the updates, which took about three years.
Commissioners Leland Crooks and Tom Shaw asked questions about potential conflicts in housing and fencing regulations. The fencing regulation makes electrified fencing illegal in Parsons, and Shaw noted that electrified fencing could be useful in the event of someone bringing in goats to eat weeds in a confined area.
Some issues that come up that aren’t specifically addressed in the zoning regulations could be considered through a variance request, commissioners heard.
City Attorney Ross Albertini said if issues come up in the future that the planners could modify the zoning regulations to address them.
Commissioners also heard that accessory dwelling units must be sold with the property and that they cannot be used for short term rentals, such as Air BNBs.
Crooks asked about parking regulations for commercial properties, saying as he has before that the rules were created decades ago and are no longer appropriate. Planners can address that issue in the future as well, he heard.
After more discussion, the commissioners approved the zoning ordinance.
A HALF CENT city sales tax used to reduce reliance on property taxes is up for renewal Dec. 31, 2026. The commissioners
See CITY, Page 5.
on Monday passed a resolution placing a question on extending the tax on the Nov. 4 general election ballot. If approved, commissioners want the tax to be renewed in 10 years.
If voters approve the question, the sales tax’s new term would begin Jan. 1, 2027.
In another matter, the commission agreed to allow The Social LLC to have its second Oktoberfest celebration in Forest Park in the evening of Oct. 4. Broadway will be blocked off for food trucks and a similar set up to last year’s fest will take place for a common alcohol consumption area inside a fenced zone.
Mikey Jackson will be a DJ that evening, choosing the tunes from 5 to 8 and 9:30 to 11 p.m. A band will perform between 8 and 9:30 p.m.
Bounce houses will be set up in the park that day and a Spencer Gatewood memorial bags tournament also will take place.
