Jefferson County meeting summaries, agendas, and minutes

County Council agenda takes up network security response; zoning boards to hear Bear Creek and Gravois Road requests

Three Jefferson County bodies were scheduled to meet in the past two weeks, but as of Oct. 19 no minutes had been published for any of them. This roundup therefore reports what appeared on each agenda — not what was decided. No votes, outcomes or dollar amounts were available in the records provided.

County Council, Oct. 13: security threat, road tax reimbursements, health coverage

The heaviest agenda belonged to the County Council, which was set to take up two items tied to a network security threat:

• **Bill No. 26-10254** — a contract with Husch Blackwell for legal representation regarding a network security threat.
• **Bill No. 26-10256** — an emergency ordinance authorizing funds for professional services related to a network security threat. No dollar figure appears in the agenda summary provided.

Three other bills concerned road improvement sales tax reimbursements to municipalities: Bill No. 26-10251 (Byrnes Mill), Bill No. 26-10252 (Cedar Hill Lakes) and Bill No. 26-10253 (Pevely). The agenda summary does not state the reimbursement amounts.

The Council also listed Bill No. 26-10250, approval of employee health coverage for Fiscal Year 2027, and Bill No. 26-09248, the sale of real property in Council District 6 to the City of De Soto. Terms of the property sale were not included in the summary.

Planning & Zoning Commission, Oct. 8: two zone change requests

The Commission scheduled a public hearing on two rezoning requests:

• **PB26-0025** — a zone change and development plan for the Bear Creek Mixed Use project at the 5700 block of Bear Creek Road, from Planned Unit Development (PUD) to PR-2, or Planned Mixed Residential.
• **PB26-0030** — a zone change at 1500 Gravois Rd in High Ridge, from R07 (Single Family Residential) to CC-2 (Non-Planned Community Commercial).

The agenda also listed approval of minutes from the Sept. 24 meeting and introduction of evidence. Whether either request advanced is not established by the record provided.

Board of Zoning Adjustment, Oct. 8: Liberty School Road setback

The Board scheduled a public hearing on ZB26-0007, a variance request from front yard setback requirements at 5690 Liberty School Road, Hillsboro. The property is in the Large Lot Residential (LR-2) Zone District, Central Township, Council District #6.

The agenda also included approval of minutes from the Sept. 10 meeting, election of officers and a citizens-to-be-heard period. No recommendation or ruling was recorded in the materials provided.

Coming up

The schedule provided for the next 14 days, through Nov. 2, lists no upcoming meetings. That does not establish that none will be held. Residents should check the county's official postings for agendas, special meetings and any notice of continued or rescheduled hearings, including the zoning matters above if they were not concluded.

Jefferson County Council to weigh emergency funds, legal counsel for network security threat

No votes or decisions were recorded in the meeting documents available for Jefferson County this week. The four meetings held between Sept. 29 and Oct. 8 — an emergency planning committee, a County Council work session, the Board of Zoning Adjustment and the Planning and Zoning Commission — have agendas posted but no published minutes. The most consequential item now on the county's calendar is the County Council's Oct. 13 meeting, where members will take up emergency funding and outside legal counsel related to a network security threat.

County Council: network security, road tax reimbursements

The council's Oct. 13 agenda lists Bill No. 26-10254, a contract with Husch Blackwell for legal representation regarding a network security threat, and Bill No. 26-10256, an emergency ordinance authorizing funds for professional services related to the same threat. The agenda does not state a dollar amount for either item.

Also on the agenda: Bills No. 26-10251, 26-10252 and 26-10253, road improvement sales tax reimbursements for Byrnes Mill, Cedar Hill Lakes and Pevely; Bill No. 26-10250, approval of employee health coverage for Fiscal Year 2027; and Bill No. 26-09248, the sale of real property in Council District 6 to the City of De Soto. No amounts are listed in the agenda summary.

Zoning: Bear Creek Mixed Use, Gravois Road

The Planning and Zoning Commission met Oct. 8 for a public hearing on two zone change requests. PB26-0025 would rezone a parcel in the 5700 block of Bear Creek Road from Planned Unit Development to Planned Mixed Residential for the Bear Creek Mixed Use project. PB26-0030 would rezone 1500 Gravois Rd in High Ridge from Single Family Residential (R07) to Non-Planned Community Commercial (CC-2). The commission was also scheduled to approve minutes from Sept. 24 and take evidence. No outcome has been published.

Liberty School Road variance

The Board of Zoning Adjustment met Oct. 8 to hear variance request ZB26-0007 for front yard setback requirements at 5690 Liberty School Road in Hillsboro. The property is in the Large Lot Residential (LR-2) zone, Central Township, Council District #6. The agenda also included approval of minutes from Sept. 10, election of officers and a citizens-to-be-heard period. No decision has been published.

Work session presentations

The County Council held a work session Sept. 30 to receive informational presentations from four organizations: Ms. Misti Ritter on Missouri EDU, Ms. Cyndi Buchheit-Courtway on the Jefferson County Port Authority, Mr. Ben Brown on the Economic Development Corporation and Mr. Don Bolinger on the Jefferson County Tourism Commission. No votes were scheduled.

Emergency planning committee

The Local Emergency and Planning Committee met Sept. 29 in Herculaneum. Its tentative agenda included review and approval of the Treasurer's Report presented by J. Akins, old business on exercise planning, and new business on an LEPC/DHS grant, PEAC Renewal/CERES Pro and an HMEP grant. The notice states County Council members may attend. The next regular meeting is listed as Nov. 24, 2026.

Coming up

• **Oct. 13 — County Council.** Network security bills, road improvement sales tax reimbursements for Byrnes Mill, Cedar Hill Lakes and Pevely, 2027 employee health coverage, and the sale of real property in Council District 6 to the City of De Soto.

No other meetings are listed in the upcoming schedule provided. The Local Emergency and Planning Committee's notice lists its next regular meeting as Nov. 24, 2026, outside the two-week window.

Jefferson County Board of Equalization keeps APIF Missouri LLC assessment unchanged; other county bodies weigh rezoning, infrastructure bills

The Jefferson County Board of Equalization voted 2-0 on July 29, 2026 to make no change to the commercial real estate assessment for APIF Missouri LLC (Parcel # 09-4.0-18.0-4-004-012.03). The same board also voted 2-0 to continue a hearing for Midwest Regional Bank (Parcel # 19-3.0-07.0-1-018-014.02) to August 3, 2026. The board approved its agenda and the December 18, 2025 minutes, each by 2-0 votes.

Board of Equalization

The July 29 meeting produced the only decided items with published minutes this week. The board maintained the current assessment on the APIF Missouri LLC commercial property. The Midwest Regional Bank appeal was continued to August 3, 2026, when the board will hold a hearing on the property at 363 Festus Centre Dr. A decision is expected within five to seven business days after that hearing.

A separate July 30 Board of Equalization meeting was scheduled to hear one new appeal — case 9-PP-26 for Nathaniel Wurmb (property appeal case 575207). Minutes for that meeting have not yet been published.

County Council

The Jefferson County Council met July 27, 2026. Minutes are not yet published, so outcomes are not confirmed. The agenda listed several bills for consideration:

• Bill No. 26-07199: Infrastructure improvements for the Big Hollow Energy Center development.
• Bill No. 26-07187: Lease agreement for a facility at 3627 Baptist Park Road, Festus.
• Bill No. 26-07179: Revised development plan for Wow Entertainment in Council District 2.
• Bill No. 26-07184 and 26-07185: Establishing attendance fees for the Board of Parks Commissioners and Code Commission.
• Bill No. 26-07192: Agreement for the Community Development Block Grant Sewer Infrastructure Program.

Planning & Zoning Commission

The Planning and Zoning Commission met July 23, 2026. Minutes are not yet published. The agenda included:

• PB26-0019: Revised Development Plan for Bella Terra Addition at Black Oak Drive and Dogwood Drive, Imperial.
• PB26-0020: Preliminary Plat for Bella Terra Addition at Black Oak Drive and Dogwood Drive, Imperial.
• PB26-0022: Rezone request from Rural/Agricultural (RA5) to Large Lot Residential (LR2) at 13750 Hardin Rd, DeSoto.
• PB26-0018: Conditional Use request for a telecommunication tower at 3853 Lynch Road, House Springs — continued to August 27, 2026.

Employees Merit System Commission

The Employees' Merit System Commission met July 21, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. in the Human Resources Conference Room at 729 Maple Street, Hillsboro. Minutes are not yet published. The agenda listed approval of minutes from the April 8, 2026 meeting and a review of the Paypoint Salary Study under old business. No specific new business items were listed.

Local Emergency Planning Commission

The Local Emergency Planning Committee met July 28, 2026. Minutes are not yet published. The agenda included review and approval of the Hazmat Plan, approval of 2026-2027 membership, officer elections, discussion of Hazmat training meals and tech class books, and review of the Treasurer's Report by J. Akins.

Coming up

• **August 3, 2026 — Board of Equalization:** Continued hearing on the Midwest Regional Bank property assessment appeal at 363 Festus Centre Dr. A decision is expected within five to seven business days.
• **August 13, 2026 — Planning & Zoning Commission:** Consideration of PB26-0011, a request to change 3890 Lions Den Road from R-10 and R-20 to PR-1 (Planned Single-Family Residential) for the Lionstone development in Imperial. The meeting also includes a work session with the County Council on the initial draft of Definitions, Article 4 and Article 5 of the Unified Development Order Rewrite, presented by Houseal Lavigne.