RAYTOWN REPORT

In a surprise move, Mayor David Bower has dismissed the Raytown Recycling Task Force Committee. Members of the Committee, who recently completed successful negotiations to relocate Raytown’s recycling center, were shocked by the announcement. Time is Our Enemy . . . On September 12, 2007 Mayor Bower officially appointed the Recycling Task Force Committee with goals of finding a new home for the city’s recycling center and developing a comprehensive plan for recycling in Raytown. The Committee has accomplished the first goal and was prepared to move forward with discussions of the more complicated goal of developing a plan for curbside recycling. The first hurdle, or, as one member of the Board of Aldermen phrased, the first “baby step”, in reaching the goal of curbside recycling was next on the Committee’s agenda. The State of Missouri requires a two-year waiting period from the time it is officially announced that the city is considering recycling before any program can be put i...

You have to hand it to the railroads. When it comes to greed and pure stubbornness they cannot be beat. That is, if you believe what Neal Clevenger, owner of Raytown Water Company has to say about the situation. The 63rd Street Bridge is ready to be replaced. Design work is completed, the city has all but signed off on the project and . . . . nothing is happening. Why? According to Neal Clevenger the dispute is between the railroad, AT&T and the Raytown Water Company. It seems the railroad wants to be paid for any utility that travels over their rail line. Never mind that the railroad does not own the current bridge. Never mind that they are not currently collecting any "fee" for utilities crossing over their "space". Never mind that they have not run a train on the tracks for over twenty years. They still consider it their "space". AT&T has made it very clear that they will not pay any type of royalty for crossing over a bridge. Clevenger s...

Changes to the Downtown Raytown landscape and changes in how the city conducts one of its more popular programs are soon to become reality. The first is in the area of Recycling. The Board of Aldermen will address the issue this week when it makes a final vote on recommendations forwarded to them by the Recycling Committee. NEW RECYCLING CENTER: The Committee has recommended moving the location of the Recycling Center to the Public Works Garage located at 6417 Railroad Street. The garage area is undergoing renovations and will be ready for the move by early July. The new Center will have lighting and be fenced. The police department re-fuels their police cars at the same location. The extra security along with the police presence is expected to eliminate the illegal dumping that has plagued the location on 350 Highway. The Recycling Committee has also recommended changes in the operation that is expected to net the city a minimum of $10,500 annually. This can be accomplished by cha...

Tuesday is Election Day. Please remember to vote. If you live in Raytown you will be electing School Board members and voting whether or not to increase your property tax by 25%. RECOMMENDATIONS: School Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dean Bray Property Tax Increase . . . . . . . . . . . Vote NO Groucho Letters A long time friend of mine and I had a spirited discussion about trademarks and how corporations and even some individuals will try to capitalize on the use of them. Here was our argument: I claimed that a sports franchise -- for example, the Kansas City Chiefs -- may trademark the name Chiefs but not the Kansas City portion of the name. My friend, who does have a law degree, had me at a disadvantage in the debate, claiming that the organization can trademark the entire name. Our “argument” reminded me of a series of letters written by Groucho Marx to the Legal Department of Warner Brothers over what Warners saw as an infringement on their intellectual propert...