VIENNA — Vienna Main Street Vice President Debbie Byrd and Secretary Kelly Barnhart came to the Dec. 14 Maries County Commission meeting to tell the commission about some of the work the group is doing to revitalize the town.

Byrd started the conversation by asking the commissioners to picture going shopping on Missouri Boulevard in Jefferson City. She talked about how old storefronts are no longer there and now it is a place to get what she needs and leave rather than stick around for the day.

“You just have fond memories of going to some places to shop,” she said. “It’s old. It’s familiar. It feels comfortable.”

Byrd mentioned towns such as Rosebud that have saved old houses and turned them into storefronts. She said communities like that are thriving.

“Preservation is the basis of Main Street,” she said.

Vienna Main Street is a group of local volunteers with a mission to “make Vienna vibrant again through community revitalization,” according to some of the group’s promotional material. It is part of a larger network of community improvement groups working under the statewide Missouri Main Street Connection banner.

So far, the organization has done work through grants. Earlier this year, three experts visited Vienna on a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture. They offered advice on community revitalization and created branding that Vienna Main Street has shared with local businesses for merchandising. One of the men created renderings of vacant buildings around town as new businesses.

“It just brought them back to life,” Byrd said about the renderings.

Byrd said Vienna Main Street has been researching what the town used to look like. She said there used to be awnings all over town, and it made the town seem more welcoming. She also credited the people who came before her for being “really good stewards of our history” by preserving buildings and history.

“We want to continue that,” she said. “We don’t want that to die with our elders.”

One of the group’s first projects is to put up vinyl banners around town to help draw people toward the courthouse square. The banners will feature the Vienna logo designed by brand specialist Ben Muldrow. The design includes recognizable architecture such as the steeple at Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Maries County courthouse along with an eagle to represent the Maries R-1 mascot. Each street around the courthouse will have a different banner color to create a visual path to the center of town.

“We can lead people in if they drive by and see those banners and think ‘What’s down there?’” Byrd said.

Byrd and her husband often go to the Lake of the Ozarks for his music performances. She said during their visits, she has talked to many people, especially motorcyclists, who pass through Vienna on their way to the lake.

“Many of them had no idea what this town’s name was,” she said. “They recognized the places, but they didn’t know the name of the town.”

Both Highway 42 and Highway 63 have standard signs marking the city limits, but they do not offer any look at the town’s identity. Another project Vienna Main Street has in its sights would bring a “Welcome to Vienna” sign to one of the town entrances. Byrd said finding the property to put it on may be difficult. In the meantime, the organization is considering directional signs to point people to landmarks such as the courthouse or the Maries R-1 campus.

“We’re just trying to bring businesses back to Vienna and make them want to come to Vienna,” Byrd said.

Last year, Vienna Main Street put out a poll to gauge community interest in different types of businesses. Respondents identified Vienna’s biggest business needs as retail and dining.

“What the survey results told us is that it’s dead in the evenings,” Barnhart said. “There’s not really anything to do in the evenings. If we could get something for kids and families to do… the library is great, but we want to build on that.”

Byrd said she also saw a need for a gathering space such as a place to make and display arts and crafts. Presiding Commissioner Victor Stratman said he would like to see an IT business open in town because many people travel to visit those types of businesses.

Western District Commissioner Ed Fagre said finding workers could be a struggle when bringing in more businesses. He said some businesses that want to stay open later cannot because they do not have enough employees. Stratman mentioned that the population of Maries County had declined in the last census.

Barnhart said a lack of housing contributes to the issue.

Byrd said that if the county’s population does expand, Vienna Main Street would look toward the county government to protect against problems that growing areas face.

“People move here because of how pretty it is. They love our country life, and the views, they’re priceless,” she said. “We need protections from undesirable consequences of some growth.”

Another goal of the organization is to promote community events, such as Trunk or Treat or Christmas Around the Square, that the Chamber of Commerce has held for several years. Byrd said keeping those events in the center of town is intentional to create a regular gathering space in the community.

One of the main points of the conversation was to emphasize the organization’s need for communication with community leaders. Byrd said Vienna Main Street would like to have a point of contact with every other organization in town, including city and county governments so that everyone is sharing ideas and needs.

“I think it would be great to collaborate and communicate and work together,” Barnhart said.

Byrd asked the commissioners to look over a sheet listing benefits of Main Street groups for stakeholders including property owners, business owners, residents, financial institutions, utilities, preservationists, public schools and county and municipal governments. Benefits listed for county governments include increased public relations for the county, an increased tax base, a draw for industry, building pride, heritage preservation, help with quality of life issues and more.

Stratman asked for Vienna Main Street to keep the commission informed about any upcoming projects.

Beginning January 11, 2024, Vienna Main Street will meet at 11:30 a.m. on the second Thursday of each month at the Vienna Lions Club. Unlike the Chamber of Commerce, which only includes member businesses, Vienna Main Street is open to any individuals or organizations who would like to volunteer.

“We hope we can find people who are passionate about our history and making this little town better,” Byrd said.

More information and news about upcoming activities is on the organization’s Facebook page, Vienna Main Street MO.

Sales Tax Revenue

Treasurer Angie Stricklan reported the county’s sales tax revenue in December.

In December, the first sales tax fund brought $29,508.98 to General Revenue compared to $33,698.16 last December, which was a decrease of about 13 percent from last December. This year’s total revenue of $360,980.25 is $26,437.20 more than last year’s total.

The second sales tax, which gives one-third to each of General Revenue, Citizens Safety and Roads, brought the county $29,286.83 in revenue in December, which was a decrease of about 13 percent from last December. This year’s total revenue of $358,750.74 is $26,072.76 more than last year’s total.

The third sales tax raised $29,286.92 in revenue in December, which was a decrease of about 13 percent from last December. Two-thirds of the tax supports Citizen Safety. Roads and General Revenue split the other one-third. This year’s total revenue of $358,750.72 is $26,072.97 more than last year’s total.

The law enforcement sales tax brought in $9,722.99 in December, which is a decrease of about 13 percent from last December. This year’s total revenue of $119,103.44 is $8,831.98 more than last year’s total.

The use tax on online orders brought in $37,970.77 in December, which is an increase of about 49 percent from last December. This year’s total revenue of $305,578.59 is $128,549.26 more than last year’s total.

Revenue from the first four sales taxes was highest in March and lowest in February. Revenue from the use tax was highest in February and lowest in May.

Floodplain Management

Stratman said he had attended a recent floodplain management meeting in St. James that gathered people from around the state. He said that during the floodplain meeting, he heard that the state floodplain maps should be fully updated by 2026. The new version will feature a mobile app to enter coordinates and determine floodplain risk in a particular spot.

At the floodplain meeting, Stratman picked up a packet on understanding the effects of floods on culverts to share with the road district commissioners.