Resident urges council to hold Chapter 380 reimbursements until contract language clarified

John Chapman, a Smithville resident, asked the City Council to delay reimbursements to a developer under a Chapter 380 development agreement until the city attorney can confirm the contract language. "Until those 2 questions are answered, I'd ask the council to direct staff to hold any reimbursement payments to the developer for 2023 to 2025," Chapman said during the public-comment period.

Chapman framed his request as a clarity and fiduciary safeguard: he asked the council to record his written statement in the public record and to add a staff report on the agreement to a future agenda. Council did not take immediate action on the request during the meeting, and staff was asked to prepare more information. The comment follows reporting that reimbursements presented in 2021 may not have been limited to the city's portion of sales tax as previously suggested, a point Chapman said needs legal review before payments proceed.