Waynesville Weekly Updates w/Mayor Sean A. Wilson
Join Mayor Sean A. Wilson for weekly community updates for Waynesville. Periodically, he will have community guests who will share resources throughout the area for our citizens.
Waynesville Weekly Updates w/Mayor Sean A. Wilson
Penny for Protection: Waynesville's Public Safety Solution
Waynesville stands at the intersection of growth and responsibility as Mayor Sean Wilson unveils a crucial proposal to strengthen our emergency services. With over 300 new homes built and hundreds of families welcomed in the past four years, our community thrives—but emergency calls have surged by more than 40%, straining our public safety infrastructure.
The solution? A one-cent sales tax proposed for the August 2025 ballot that would generate approximately $450,000 annually without affecting property taxes or grocery purchases (if Senate Bill 57 passes). This modest contribution—just ten cents on a $10 purchase—would fund critical improvements to our police department, fire services, emergency dispatch systems, and animal control operations. The beauty of this approach is that everyone who enjoys our community, including visitors and commuters, will contribute to maintaining its safety and quality of life.
Beyond the tax proposal, exciting developments are reshaping our city landscape. A new pocket park is coming between Dollar General and Eclectic Originals, with grant funding being pursued to minimize costs. Our leaf and lawn facility is getting security and sustainability upgrades, including a new controlled access system and compost site. Mayor Wilson also shared crucial safety reminders about pedestrian crosswalks, keeping grass clippings off roads for motorcyclist safety, and driving cautiously in parks where children play. Looking ahead, our community calendar is packed with events including Freedom Fest, a 3v3 soccer competition, Summer Market in the park, and Kids to Park Day featuring free bike giveaways. Come join us as we build a stronger, safer Waynesville together—where growth meets responsibility and community spirit thrives.
Good morning. This is Sean Wilson, the Mayor of Waynesville, with your weekly update for May 5th 2025. Over the past four years, our city has grown, adding over 300 new homes and welcoming hundreds of families to our community. But with that growth comes increased demand on our emergency services. In fact, emergency calls are up more than 40 percent and we expect that trend to continue. More than 40 percent, and we expect that trend to continue. To meet the rising need and ensure public safety, the city of waynesville is proposing a one cent sales tax, which we plan to place on the august 2025 ballot. This small tax just a dime for every ten dollars spent would generate an estimate of 450 000 annually to support our police department staffing and training, our fire services for structure, our central emergency dispatch upgrades and our animal control and shelter improvements. Most importantly, this tax will not affect property taxes and, if Senate Bill 57 passes, it will not apply to the groceries either. The cost will be shared not only with the residents, but also by visitors and those that commute and shop here in our community. This is about more than revenue. It's about preserving our quality of life and preparing responsibility for the future. Town hall meetings will be coming soon and we want your input. So let's work together and let's keep Waynesville safe, strong and moving forward. Not to mention, I want you to check out this week's Palacios County Weekly's newspaper, and I have a article that is written that will give you a little bit more details than what I just explained here. We also have a couple of projects that are in the works, one being a pocket park. We are currently in the development phases of a new pocket park, which will be located between Dollar General and Eclectic Originals. This city is in the process of seeking grant funding to support this project to minimize city costs, of seeking grant funding to support this project to minimize city costs. We will provide updates and more details as soon as we receive notification regarding the grant applications that we are submitting. We also have the leaf and lawn facility upgrades. The new controlled access system for the leaf and lawn site is still in progress. We want to assure the community that security measures will be incorporated at the site to enhance safety and accountability. In addition to improving overall operations, we also will focus on building sustainable solutions to help prevent future issues. Plans are also underway to integrate a compost site as part of this effort. There are great improvements ahead and we appreciate your continued support as we move forward.
Speaker 1:Also, I have several safety reminders as we start to transition into the summer months. This week's safety reminder focuses on the crosswalks near the downtown square, specifically the crosswalk in front of the courthouse and the one near the Ruby Doo Bridge. As a reminder, state law requires vehicles to stop when a pedestrian is in the crosswalk and to remain stopped until the pedestrian has completely crossed the street. Unfortunately, we've had multiple instances where pedestrians are left waiting at the curb because drivers fail to stop. This creates an unsafe and frustrating situation for those trying to cross the street. So please help keep our community safe by yielding to pedestrians and obeying traffic laws. Everyone deserves to cross the road safely and with confidence. Deserves to cross the road safely and with confidence. Also, I wanted to add, we are actively exploring signalized options to improve visibility and alert drivers at these crosswalkers. So thank you for doing your part to make Waynesville a safer place for all as we move through the morning season and enjoy warmer weather.
Speaker 1:I would like to offer a few safety reminders For the good of the community, for the safety of motorists, especially our motorcycle riders. Please do not blow or leave grass clippings on the public roads. While they may seem harmless, grass clippings on pavement can be extremely slippery, creating dangerous conditions that can cause motorcycles to lose control. What seems like something small or small oversight could lead to a serious injury or even worse. Please be mindful and direct all clippings back into your property or collect them properly. Let's all do our part in keeping waynesville road safe. Also, I want to bring to your attention about the dead animals. If you see dead animals on Highway 17 or any state maintained road, please call MoDOT directly to report it. Timely removal is important for the safety of drivers and the cleanliness of our community. You can reach MoDOT 24 hours a day Customer service line at 1-888-ASK-MODOT or 1-888-275-6636. That's 1-888-275-6636.
Speaker 1:I want to ask everyone to please watch your speed while driving through the city parks. Children are often at play, riding bikes and crossing pathways or simply enjoying the outdoors. Their safety depends on all of us being alert and cautious behind the wheel, so let's work together to protect our community's youngest residents by slowing down, staying alert and keeping our parks safe for everyone. We all have a role to play in preventing accidents and ensuring our parks remain a place of joy and not tragedy, so help us by slowing down.
Speaker 1:Now we have some great events that are taking place this month. First of all, we have Freedom Fest. That will take place May 10th from 11 am to 4 pm. So join us on historic downtown Waynesville Square and wear your favorite red, white and blue and enjoy the food, games and activities and the local vendors. We also have, on May 10th, the 3v3 lockup. It'll also take place down in the ruby dew park. So if you're into soccer and you want to experience a 3v3 competition with our youth and teams from throughout this region, make sure you visit there as you visit the freedom fest on the square, the best warrior competition on may 30th, from 6 pm to 10 pm, the army chemical, biological and radiological regiment will host its best warrior competition on that Friday, may 30th. We are proud to partner once again with our friends on the fort for an exciting community event. So come out and support.
Speaker 1:On May 31st, we have the summer market that will take place in the park. There will be crafts, there'll be food and fun for the entire family. We invite you to come out and support that event as well. And, of course, coming up here on June 7th 2025, we have the Kids to Park Day. That will take place from 10 am to 2 pm, and this is going to be a great time for the children of all ages.
Speaker 1:Of course, there will be free bike giveaways, other kind of outdoor activities and games will be played, there'll be food and much, much more. So I encourage you to come on out. Last year, I think we gave away about 30 to 40 bikes somewhere around there and they had remote control cars. They had also some fishing rods and all kinds of outdoor amenities. So we want to encourage you to come out and support this event. It's always a great turnout, so thank you for your continued support in making Waynesville a wonderful place to live, work and thrive. Stay engaged, enjoy the weather, your family and friends, and I look forward to seeing you around the town.