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Volume XX | July 2018

July 2018 News & Updates

The area has been dealt some serious sunshine and warm temperatures this summer so far. We hope that you are enjoying the sweet summertime, as you embark on your adventures, tweet us @ OzarkMO we would love to see all the fun you are having.

July edition includes....

First ever Alexa skill for a municipality
Discharging fireworks ordinance for Ozark
Letter for our alderman
Movie in the Park "Zootopia" information

New this month a Q & A section that answers some of the questions we receive from citizens. If you have a question that you would like to see an answer to please respond to this email. This month also includes a list of all the upcoming events for the summer in Ozark.

You can always find more information on our website at ozarkmissouri.com and connect with us on our social media pages, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Nextdoor

Visit our Website

Discharging Fireworks in Ozark

The City of Ozark wants everyone to have a safe and happy 4th of July. Please be respectful of the ordinances in place, we want everyone to enjoy their holiday. City of Ozark allows fireworks to be discharged in the city limits on specific days and times:

July 2 from 9:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m.
July 3 from 9:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m.
July 4 from 9:00 a.m.-midnight
July 5 from 9:00 a.m.-midnight

Otherwise, it is against city ordinance to discharge fireworks any other time (apart from New Years Eve), If you see or hear fireworks being discharged inside Ozark city limits, you can call Christian County Dispatch at 417-582-1030 to report the violation of city ordinance.

Read full ordinance HERE

A note from Alderman Shaffer, Ward III

I am Jason N. Shaffer and I am an Alderman for the City of Ozark representing Ward III. My family and I have lived in Christian County since 2008 owning a home in the Rivers Subdivision. My wife, Shannon, and our son Jarrett and I are active in the local community. I am a member of the Ozark Chamber of Commerce, President of Business 2 Business, former member of the Board of Directors for MPACT, volunteer for Southwest Center for Independent Living and a graduate of OzarkLeads.

I am the youngest of three boys born to Jack and Joyce Shaffer. My father was a veteran who held numerous jobs as a young man until he was injured in a car accident which rendered him disabled. My mother was a registered nurse always working two jobs to help ends meet. My brothers and I helped out the best we could and I have good memories of my childhood. Although we never had much it seemed like it was always more than enough. I learned from my parents the importance of hard work, honesty and faith in god.

As a child I grew up in Camdenton, Missouri and was active in sports, drama, debate and Boy Scouts, obtaining the rank of Eagle Scout. I was elected the President of my High School Senior Class. I worked and borrowed my way through college at Southwest Missouri State University (now Missouri State University) graduating in 1990 with a degree in Communications. I was active in Student Government and was elected the President of my College Senior Class. After college I worked and borrowed my way through law school at the University of Missouri-Columbia. I graduated from law school in 1993 where I had an active role in Student Government and was elected President of the Graduate Student Body.

After law school I returned to the Springfield area to practice law including arguing a case before the Missouri Supreme Court. My current and former clients include some of the largest employers in southwest Missouri. As a lawyer I took great pleasure in challenging the government. Too often government agencies would bully and intimidate its citizens often exceeding their statutory authority. I successfully assisted disabled children being denied their rights by negligent school districts. I defended employers from the abusive tactics of federal agencies such as the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission, Director of Revenue, Wage and Hour, Occupational Safety and Health Administration and others. I sued the Missouri Department of Industrial Relations for their refusal to comply with the law successfully obtaining an injunction against the agency to stop their improper and unconstitutional conduct.

From my experiences as an attorney I realized that often government could be an obstacle to economic growth and a hurdle to individual’s liberties. For this reason I decided to get involved in city government. As an Alderman I have been constantly surprised at the knowledge and dedication of my fellow Aldermen, the Mayor and our city employees. It is clear to me that these fine people are committed to helping the citizens of Ozark. Because of their hard work the future of Ozark is very bright.

Public Works Department Update

The Public Works department is excited to begin to utilize a new mapping system thanks to a newly established intergovernmental agreement. Greene County, Christian County, and several local municipalities entered into an agreement that will give the City of Ozark access to new aerial photos. These new photos were taken in Feb-March 2018 by Pictometry, and include orthoimagery and oblique imagery of all Greene and Christian County.

*Orthoimagery: which is also referred to as orthorectified imagery, is simply remotely-sensed imagery that has been geometrically corrected. This geometric correction, or orthorectification, is required to adjust for lens distortion, camera tilt, and topographical relief

* Oblique imagery: Oblique imagery is aerial photography that is captured at approximately a 45 degree angle with the ground. The angle which is inherent to oblique imagery allows viewers to see and measure not only the top of objects but the sides as well.

3/8 cent Transportation Sales Tax Projects Update

When the citizens of Ozark voted to approve our first ever Transportation Sales Tax in April 2017, it was a clear message to city leaders that they wanted to see impactful transportation improvements. The City is dedicated to delivering these projects to our citizens, and has already completed many projects as promised primarily in the area of local streets and sidewalk improvements. The City staff has also been working on the big “Cost-Share” projects with MODot, Christian County, and the Ozark Special Road District as well, completing the design and engineering phases of these projects. Many more projects are scheduled to be started and/or completed over the next 5-years and you can access these construction schedules on the City’s website or Facebook page, click HERE to see a timeline of projects.

The City of Ozark is dedicated to fulfilling our transportation commitments to you in order to improve safety, expand economic development opportunities, and improve our community’s quality of life overall. So If you live in a neighborhood where a project has been completed, or is going to be completed, and have questions you can always call the Ozark City Hall or go on line for Public Works updates.

Planning and Development Department

The City of Ozark is excited to welcome some new businesses to town.

Family Center

Farm and Home

Least of These

Kum & Go

on South Street

There are several projects under construction which included Mitchum Jewelers, Christian County Library and the Vineyard Marketplace.

Mitchum Jewelers is doubling their space by adding onto their current location.

The Christian County Library is making upgrades to their facility in Ozark such as modifications to the front, expanding to the west, and updating some of their exterior features.

The Vineyard Marketplace is opening in The Marketplace at the Northeast corner of Highway 65 and CC.

Mitchum Jewelers

Christian County Library Ozark Branch

The Vineyard Marketplace

Alexa, open City of Ozark Missouri

VoiceXP unveils one-of-a-kind Amazon Alexa Skill for City of Ozark, Missouri

OZARK, Mo. -- Ozark has a new assistant - just “ask Alexa.” The good news is, Alexa does not ask for a raise, take vacation or call in sick.

VoiceXP, an Amazon Technology Partner company, has debuted an exclusive Amazon Alexa Skill featuring the City of Ozark, Ozark Chamber of Commerce, and Show Me Christian County. The Skill is the only one in the U.S. to feature a multifaceted municipality.

The Skill will use Alexa voice technology to deliver information about Ozark’s events, locations of interest, city services, and more on the Amazon Echo platform. More than 40 million Amazon Echo devices exist in homes and businesses across the U.S.

The Alexa Skill helps position Ozark as a leader in the tech sector, particularly in voice technology.

“We are committed to growing Christian County businesses using voice in this area. We want to make Missouri the epicenter for voice disruption,” said Bob Stolzberg, VoiceXP CEO.

“What is very unique about this particular Skill is it affects the City, the County, and the Chamber. This is the first time in the world those three entities have come together to form a skill and have that be noted out on the Amazon platform,” said Bonnie Snyder, managing partner and director of business sales at VoiceXP.

USE THE SKILL

To enable the Skill, activate your Amazon Echo by saying “Alexa, start City of Ozark, Missouri.” The Skill will then become enabled on your Echo device, with prompts for which questions to ask and what information is available.

Sample questions to ask Alexa include but are not limited to:

What is there to do in Ozark?

Tell me about the historic district.

Tell me about the schools in Ozark.

Where is the Farmers Market?

Why do people come to Ozark?

Where is the nearest airport?

What city services does Ozark offer?

Amazon’s Echo platform currently holds more than 70% of the voice market share, with additional platforms like Google Home and Microsoft’s Cortana sharing the remaining market. According to Stolzberg, voice technology is predicted to be present in more than 75% of American homes by the year 2020.

Ozark wants to be on the leading edge of that growth.

“We want to showcase the tech innovation that’s possible in Ozark,” said Snyder. “We have the connectivity, infrastructure, and technology base. You don’t have to live in Chicago to create new developments in tech; you can innovate right here.”

VoiceXP offices from the Carl G. Hefner Enterprise Center in Ozark, Mo. The Alexa Skill “City of Ozark, Missouri” was created by VoiceXP in partnership with the City of Ozark, the Ozark Chamber of Commerce, and the Show Me Christian County economic development organization.

Police Department Update

SCAM WARNING!

Citizens in Ozark who are advertising the sale of personal belongings on websites such as Craigslist and Facebook have recently been targeted by scammers. This type of scam involves an inquiry into the item listed for sale by the scammer who sends a check for amount much greater than the asking price of the item for sale. The scammer then directs the seller to cash the check, keep more money than the seller was asking for the item, and send the remaining money to a person specified by the scammer. THIS IS A SCAM, often involving other victims who have had checks or some other type of method for currency transfer that was stolen

Q & A: Digital Access in Ozark

Q: Why can't I get internet in my new neighborhood or why don't we have more internet provider options in Ozark?

A: We want you to know the facts. The first thing residents should know is that the lack of access to cable, internet, phone or other digital services is not a result of local regulations. Actually, although the City of Ozark has a franchise with Suddenlink to operate within our corporate limits it is NOT an exclusive agreement and therefore doesn’t prohibit any other provider to offer the same services. Digital companies wishing to provide services inside the corporate limits of Ozark may do so without authority from the City, as most regulations pertaining to digital companies are State and Federal regulations and not local laws.

That being said, the main driver behind whether a company does business in Ozark, or any city for that matter, is based on the market availability. A company’s decision to operate in an area is more dependent on the up front capital investment they would have to make to enter the market area vs. the percentage of the customer base they think they can capture. In the case of Ozark, which only has a population of 20,000 people, the market share is comparatively small. Considering there are already other providers such as Suddenlink, Centurylink, Net Vision, Empire, Dish and/or Direct TV, and Total High Speed just to name a few providers, the opportunity for another provider to enter this market really becomes a ROI (Return on Investment) question.

As the world of technology advances so will the City of Ozark. We realize that having reliable access to the internet is essential in these days and times and will work to encourage better access opportunities. If you want to learn more about this topic or any other topic related to the City of Ozark please send an email to our Public Information Office, Attention Samantha Payne at spayne@ozarkmissouri.org .