Joplin city officials and community partners crowded the Cornell Complex on Wednesday to hear Mayor Keenan Cortez deliver the first in-person State of the Community Address.
According to Cortez, the Joplin community is prepared to move forward with momentum this year.
"The stage has been set, and that raises a question for each of us: What are we going to do now that the stage is ready?" said Mayor Cortez.
While he has delivered a state of the community address virtually, this year was the first in-person, ticketed state of the community address.
Mayor Cortez and City Manager Nick Edwards focused on city collaboration during their opening and closing remarks.
Edwards said the state of the community address was a way to increase transparency.
"This was kind of a moment for us to talk about the things that we've accomplished and the things that we're planning to do ahead. And we want to be thoughtful and engage with the community," said Edwards.
In 2020, he conducted a listening tour to hear the concerns of Joplin residents. Five years later, Edwards hopes to continue active collaboration with citizens. There was a survey at the end of the event to improve next year's State of Community Address.
Edwards also honored Rhonda Heifner, the employee of the year. Heifner is the city hall custodian. She was utterly shocked to receive the award.
"And I was told from early childhood, if you get a job, you get to do it well, and all will be worth it. And that's the way it is," said Heifner in an interview with the press.
The council has six priorities for 2026: crime and safety, economic development, resilient revenue, community appearance, declining neighborhoods, and addressing homelessness.
Many of the 2025 priorities carried over into this year.
Economic development and tourism were key touchstones during Wednesday's two-hour ceremony.
The renovations to Ewert Park and the prospective renovations to the historic Memorial Hall were mentioned in the address and the pamphlet given to attendees.
In an interview with reporters, Cortez said one of his highlights from this year was the opening of MOmentum Bike Park - the largest bike park of its kind in Missouri.
The Department of Economic Development's Local Tourism, Grants, Parks, and Stormwater Tax and Hotel/Motel Tax provided funding for the park.
Other economic development advancements include the construction of Prospect Village, the indoor sports complex, and ALLO Fiber Internet Construction.
U.S. News and World Report ranked Joplin 20th in "The 25 best Affordable Places to live in the U.S." Since then, the city has created 2024, 337 jobs.
Another highlight was improvements to transportation and the roads. Since its launch in November 2024, the MAPS and Sunshine Lamp Trolley have provided 39,430 rides. This is an improvement from the beginning of operations, when the daily ride count was lower than anticipated.
Several community partner organizations were improved and formed last year.
Experts and community leaders joined together to create the Regional Commission on Homelessness. The formation followed a recommendation by the planning group, Sharity.
The commission on homelessness has become more robust since its formation last year.
Experts are hopeful the 2025 Point in Time Count will be lower than in years past.
One Joplin was established in December 2025 to improve health outcomes by surveying community needs.
After opening remarks from Mayor Cortez and Edwards, five community partners gave updates on the areas they serve. There was a special video from Gov. Kehoe to Joplin, outlining his plan for the 2026 legislative session.
Joplin is in Jasper and Newton counties, so representatives of each county gave the history and updates.
Mike Landis with Jasper County reported 80 children had elevated blood lead levels. The health department inspected over 120 buildings for lead: 45 required remediation.
Lori Haun with the Downtown Joplin Alliance reported that the total number of downtown Joplin residents is the highest in the area since the 1950s.
Sarah Mwangi, assistant superintendent of learning services, reported English-Learning test scores were the highest since 2019.
Joplin schools reached the highest percentage of students graduating in their history, with 96% in 2025.
The event closed with the state of the city remarks from both Mayor Cortez and Edwards.
Copyright 2025 KRPS. To see more, visit Four States Public Radio.
