TRUMAN — Truman City Council on Monday heard concerns from several community members regarding a rezoning request from resident Jason Werner.

Werner purchased a lot located in the 200 block of West Fourth Street North and would like to build a garage to start a small business building furniture. The lot is in a residential zone so Werner put in a request to rezone lots 4, 5 and 6, block 29, to industrial, as per the recommendation of the planning and zoning committee.

Several neighbors expressed concerns to the council about the residential area being rezoned for an industrial use, saying they are worried they will see their property values decline.

“This should have been figured out before anyone bought the property so we wouldn’t have to be here,” said one resident.

After a notice was sent out to neighbors about the potential rezoning, city administrators Bethanie Ekstrom and Monte Rohman looked into more options, and discovered several.

Rohman told the council there are really three zoning options: approve as proposed, deny the request or leave the property as residential and refer to planning and zoning commission for a conditional use permit.

“There’s an exception to the zoning code that allows for a conditional use permit for a garage only in a residential area. Really the option to rezone this might not be the best option but maybe we can use number three if the neighbors are agreeable to a garage being built on the lot, “ Rohman said.

Council member Jake Ebert explained that the reason for suggesting rezoning the area is because the city does not like to spot zone.

“That was never the intent to make it into an industrial park, ever,” Ebert stressed.

“If somebody is going to build something in Truman, and we have an empty lot and you put up a new building, that’s bettering the city in my mind,” he said. “The industrial part, dropping property values, I didn’t know about that to be honest.”

The matter will go back to the planning and zoning committee to be discussed at a later date.

Moving along to other matters, the council approved an estimate from Fairmont Roofing to replace the awning on the library and City Hall. The materials will all come from Boekett and the cost is $6,750.