PUBLIC NOTICE:
Notice is hereby given that the Willard Planning and Zoning Commission shall meet on July 1, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. and the Willard Board of Aldermen shall meet on July 14, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. to conduct a public hearing to consider the rezoning request for The City of Willard parcel of property from R-1 Single-Family Residential District to MU Mixed Use. These 2 parcels are located at approximately 122 N State Highway Z and 111 N Main, further identified by Greene County Assessor as Parcels #0723401049 & #0726102001.
The Commissions will take public comments at this meeting. If you are unable to attend the meetings, you are welcome to send any comments in support of, in opposition to, or general inquiries regarding this request for the proposed zone change to Mike Ruesch, Director of Planning and Development at: City of Willard P.O. Box 187 Willard, MO 65781 (417) 742-5310, planning@cityofwillard.org.
If you have special needs, which require accommodation, please notify City personnel at City Hall. Accommodations will be made for your needs. Representatives of the news media may obtain copies of this notice by contacting the City Clerk at (417) 742-5302.
💧 Willard Water Advisory Board – First Meeting Recap 💧
The newly formed Water Advisory Board held its first meeting last night ; and it was a great one! Members asked thoughtful questions and officially appointed their leadership team, selecting a Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary.
The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, July 16 at 5:30 PM at Willard City Hall. Meetings are open to the public, and all are welcome and encouraged to attend.
Topics selected for discussion at the next meeting include:
• An update on the water towers and upcoming maintenance planning
• Clarification on utility bill deposits
• A broad overview of the system, including equipment challenges and priorities
• A high-level look at funding and planning options for the future of Willard’s utility services
We’re excited about the work ahead and grateful for this group’s service to the community!
Independence Day is coming up! Celebrate and stay safe!
Coffee Hour from 11:00am to 12:00pm on Friday May 30 at The Hive.
Have thoughts on Willard’s future? Ideas for things you'd like to see? Concerns, hopes for our community, or something else you'd like to discuss? Come chat over coffee!
This is a great opportunity to share what’s on your mind—whether it’s a challenge you see, an idea you’d love to explore, or just a wish for our city. Let’s talk, connect, and work together to keep Willard moving forward. See you there!
For those wanting to pay their city utility bill by credit card, the credit card processor is back up. Thank you for your patience.
Severe weather is predicted this afternoon/evening. City Offices will close at 4pm today, for the safety of employees and residents. The community storm shelter is New Life Baptist Church, located at 414 E New Melville Rd. in Willard. Stay safe, stay up-to-date, and check on your neighbors, as needed.
🚗 Click It or Ticket is Back! 🚨
From May 19 – June 1, Willard Police will be joining law enforcement agencies statewide for the Click It or Ticket enforcement campaign.
Seat belts save lives, and they’re your best defense in a crash. Yet more than 6 out of 10 people killed in Missouri crashes last year were not buckled up. Let’s change that.
👮 Officers will be stepping up enforcement during this campaign.
🎯 Make the smart choice: Buckle Up. Day & Night.
Learn more: SaveMoLives.com
#ClickItOrTicket #BuckleUpMissouri #ArriveAlive
Heads Up, Willard Utility Customers!
Our card processing system is currently down for the count—but don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! You can still pay with cash/check (which has the added bonus of being fee-free), or take this as the perfect opportunity to set up ACH (auto-draft) and skip:
The 6.6% “convenience” fee (not very convenient, is it?)
The monthly pilgrimage to City Hall or the post office
Stamps, envelopes, and payment stress
ACH is easy, secure, and saves you time and money every single month. For now, swing by with cash/check or contact us to get set up with ACH and never think about it again.
We’ll let you know as soon as card payments are back online. Thanks for your patience!
📬 Willard’s Annual Community Survey is live!
Your voice matters — this quick survey helps guide city decisions, shape priorities, and improve services. Whether it’s parks, streets, safety, or growth, we want to hear from you.
👉 Take the survey here: https://forms.gle/Huic1N47fn5SuXyF6
Let’s shape the future of Willard, together.
Due to the recent storm, the City will be accepting utility payments through Wednesday, April 30. Utility shut-offs will begin Thursday, May 1. Stay safe and check on your neighbors.
DEA National Drug Takeback 2025 is
TOMORROW APRIL 26, 2025
from 10:00am to 2:00pm
At: Pillbox Pharmacy.
304 E Jackson St.
Please visit deatakeback.com for more information.
Official election results are in, please visit our new feed for more information.
📢 Election Update
We have not yet received the official election results from Greene County. We were informed just a few minutes ago that results should be available to the City by 2:00 p.m. tomorrow—or possibly Wednesday.
As soon as we have the certified results, we’ll share them with the community via our website, app and social media channels.
Regarding the write-in candidate for Ward 3, please note that once we receive the results, the City must take additional steps to: 1️⃣ Confirm the candidate wishes to serve, and
2️⃣ Verify they meet eligibility requirements.
This process will take a little extra time, and we appreciate your patience while we work through it. We cannot begin that process until we are officially notified of the write-in outcome though.
Thank you for your understanding!
Wow, Willard—you all have opinions, and we love it!
Our community wish list survey has now gathered over 450 responses, which is incredible for a town of 6,521 people. That level of engagement says a lot about how much this community cares about its future, and what shows up next on our main streets.
Here’s what we’re seeing so far:
🏆 Top Requested Business:
Aldi continues to dominate the list. The call for more grocery options, especially affordable, high-quality ones, is loud and clear.
☕️ Other Hot Topics:
Fast coffee stops like 7 Brew, restaurants, and general retail (yes, we see your Walmart dreams) are trending strong.
📅 How often would you go?
Most folks say they’d visit their top pick weekly or even daily, which tells us these aren’t just wishes...they’re needs.
💡 While we can’t promise a business will come just because we all really want it, this kind of data helps us tell a compelling story to companies who may be considering the region. It also helps us prioritize what infrastructure efforts might matter most to the businesses you want.
We're not ready to shut the door on this survey just yet. So, if you haven’t added your voice yet, now’s the time!
👉 https://forms.gle/2Z37LC2qXXe1mVSD9
Let’s keep this momentum going and show the world what Willard is ready for. 💬
With heavy rainfall in the forecast over the next few days, we want to remind you how to stay safe during potential flooding conditions. Flooding happens fast. Roadways that may just appear wet may actually be covered by deep or fast-moving water and can quickly result in an emergency situation.
✔ If severe weather or flooding is forecasted, do not plan to go near the water.
✔ Have weather alerts activated on your electronic device.
✔ If you must drive during a storm, have an alternate route planned and let someone know when you
leave and plan to return.
✔ Stay away from drains, ditches and streams.
✔Always know your river or stream or go with someone familiar with that waterway.
✔ Turn around, don’t drown! It is never safe to drive or walk into flood waters. As little as 6 inches of
fast-moving flood water can knock an adult over.
✔Most vehicles can be swept away by less than 2 feet of moving water. For your safety, find an
alternate route
Statement from the City of Willard
We understand that at times we deal with individuals who may face deeply frustrating personal circumstances, and we do not take those challenges lightly and help best we can. However, public statements made last Friday presented only one side of a situation that impacted the professional reputation of City Hall staff; all of whom work tirelessly every day to serve the public.
City operations are fundamentally reactive in nature. Our role is to respond: when someone applies for a permit, we work on issuance; when someone uses water, we bill for it; when someone violates a speed limit, we enforce it. Our responses are governed by ordinances adopted by the Board of Aldermen, not by individual preferences or opinions.
Our utility billing department, in particular, is staffed by two dedicated employees who work through high volumes and high-pressure situations with integrity and care. Regularly they assist one customer then rapidly move to the next, often with very little time between; especially on the last day to pay. It is fundamentally each customers’ responsibility to ensure their paperwork and payments are completed in a timely manner, and to ensure receipt of those things; just like it is to pay rent, mortgages, light bills and every other bill.
Staff are expected to remain professional at all times, they are not expected to endure threats, verbal abuse, or other behavior that puts their emotional or physical safety and wellbeing at risk. What occurred last week crossed that line, and one of our team members left work in fear because of it. That is not acceptable in any workplace, including ours.
Moving forward, our staff, especially those working in public-facing roles, have been instructed how to respond to inappropriate interactions. Civility is not optional; it is the baseline for public engagement. We urge everyone to remember that there are always two sides to every story and that behind every city policy is a person doing their best to help.
— City of Willard
Willard’s Business Wishlist: What We’re Seeing So Far
Thank you to everyone who has taken time to fill out the “Business Wishlist” survey. We’ve received a tremendous response, and it’s giving us a clear picture of what our community wants; and responses are still coming in!
📊 Top trends so far:
Aldi continues to dominate as the most-requested business by far (over a third of all responses).
Over 50% of you just want to see more grocery options.
There’s a strong appetite for drive-thru coffee shops (like 7 Brew), family restaurants, and grocery alternatives.
The majority of people say they’d visit their preferred business weekly, with many saying daily.
This kind of input is incredibly helpful as we reach out to businesses and work to make Willard a place that meets your needs and your lifestyle.
Haven’t filled it out yet? There’s still time to share your voice: 👉 https://forms.gle/z4Q9sYiUQWdQnmge7
While we can’t guarantee that these businesses will come to Willard just because the community wants them, this information is incredibly helpful. It helps us know which businesses we should heavily pursue, how to prepare for what they may need, and where to focus our efforts based on what matters most to you. Perhaps most critically, strong and clear feedback help us to let these businesses know just how much interest there is!
Let’s keep shaping the future of Willard—together.
QUICK SURVEY: What Business Would You Love to See Come to Willard?
Over the past year, we've reached out to businesses to encourage them to come to Willard. While there's been some interest, the common feedback we get is that we're close—but not quite the right fit just yet.
Last year’s community survey gave us some great insight on the kinds of businesses you'd like to see. But there wasn’t a clear front-runner. So, we’re trying something a little different.
We know many of you want to see lots of new businesses come to Willard, but if Willard could have just one new business, what would it be?
That’s the question. Quick and simple. You can even submit more than one answer if you’ve got a few favorites you just can't choose between. The link below will take you to the survey; please share it with neighbors, friends, family and anyone else who might shop in Willard! The more responses we get the better!
Our goal is to pinpoint the one business the Willard community would be most excited to welcome. This will help us better focus our recruitment efforts,. We also hope that if it is asked for with a loud enough voice, that might just be the extra push that brings the right opportunity to town.
We might not land it right away—but a clear, loud message from the community we believe could make a real difference.
So, let’s hear it Willard: What business do you want to see here the most?
https://forms.gle/hQYpHy2fAch7pH9h8
The city's phones are in working order again! We are waiting to serve you.
We understand this afternoon's unpredictable phone outage isn’t ideal timing. Unfortunately, this is outside of the City's control, and we know this creates frustration; especially since it is the last day to make a utility payment.
We kindly ask for your patience and understanding toward our front-line staff, who are doing their best to assist; remember the phone issue is completely outside of their control.
Because we know many of you are at work during the day and may have planned to call in your payment this afternoon, our utility team has stepped up and will keep the office open until 6:00 p.m. tonight only to allow for in-person payments.
We haven’t received any update yet from the phone provider on restoration, but we’ll continue to adapt as best we can. Thank you for your patience; and for showing kindness to the utility team as we work through this together.