Mayor Cortez stops by Morning Newswatch to discuss Hopeful Bites and energy study

“We really need them to move along.”

That is what Joplin Mayor Keenan Cortez said about the volunteer group Hopeful Bites, which has been providing free meals for the unhoused, seniors and others who need it outside of City Hall for several months. The organization has been cited several times for operating a food establishment without a valid permit and obstructing the public way or building. 

"It's become very clear that they are not set up in front of City Hall to fill a service gap, they’re set up to protest,” Cortez said. “They're set up to continue to obstruct the entrance, the main entrance of City Hall. They're set up to continue to block the sidewalk. They're set up to put that population at risk because some health and safety concerns are not being met per our local health department. And at this point in time, we need them to comply with those things. We got to keep people safe. 

“If there was one incident of an individual getting sick from what they're serving and they're not being under safety concerns from the health department, that could be catastrophic, not only for them as an organization, but for the city as well. And we're just trying to prevent those things.”

Another interesting topic came up with Mayor Cortez as well, Joplin city officials going forward with a $150,000 study to look into electricity generation options for the Joplin metro.

“What would it cost to get that up and running on board and for citizens to be able to have a choice, do I sign up with Liberty or do I sign up with the City of Joplin's electric provider?” Cortez said. “How much money are we talking about, about bringing something like that online? What would our rates be? What would we, if we did that, what would we be able to charge citizens versus what they're currently being charged by Liberty Utilities? It is a huge undertaking. … We're simply taking a look to see if this is possible? Is this feasible? Could we really do something like this?”