RAYTOWN REPORT

I was out of town this past week on what has become my annual pilgrimage to Iowa to participate in Ragbrai, the Des Moines Register sponsored bicycle ride across Iowa. The entire ride traverses the state from east to west and varies in distance from year to year. This year’s ride was about 450 miles. My friends and I peddled just over 200 miles of the route in two and one-half days. Wednesday’s weather was good. But Thursday’s was down right cold and rainy – with head winds averaging 15 to 20 miles – it was a slow 72 miles of riding. Friday’s weather was perfect. The cold front had swept through leaving a tail wind in its wake with slightly overcast skies that warmed riders and spirits as we rode through the beautiful countryside of eastern Iowa. But enough about me. The string of commentary in this week’s postings is interesting. A number of writers have found fault with how the city encourages the development of small businesses in Raytown. It is an interesting debate that shoul...

Clawbacks are the mechanism by which municipalities can guarantee that the recipient of tax abatements come through with their part of a redevelopment plan. For instance, a couple of years ago Utilicorp (which became Aquila, which is now owned by KCP&L – for those who like to keep up) went to the City of Kansas City with a plan. They would rehabilitate and refurbish one of K.C.’s iconic buildings, the 20 West Ninth Street Building, and re-locate the corporate headquarters to that location. In return, the City would grant some tax abatements and along with other considerations, cut in half the Earnings Tax on all those who work in the building. Years later, Utilicorp became embroiled in the mess most of us remember as Enron. The value of Utilicorp’s stock dropped from $37 to $3. The company was reorganized. Drastic cuts in personnel and a sell off of property to keep the utility solvent were carried out. Part of the reorganization was the abandonment of the new headquarters at 2...

An Interesting Partnership . . . An interesting agenda for tomorrow night's meeting of the Raytown Board of Aldermen was emailed to me this morning. The high point of the document is the final touches on an agreement transferring property from the School District to the City so that a new Walmart can be constructed on 350 Highway. The largest paragraph and certainly the most clearly written is that section which assures the School District that their money will be delivered whether or not the Walmart deal goes through. I will leave it to the reader to understand exactly how to interperet the message. We frequently hear about the School District and the City "partnering" on projects in Raytown. Our leaders need to realize that partners are supposed to share in everything -- that includes the risks. Guess it doesn't work that way in Raytown. New Recycling Center Up and Running . . . On a more upbeat note over 300 Raytowners took advantage of Raytown's new Re...

New Formula for Sewer Bill Rates? At the last meeting of the Board of Aldermen I brought forward a discussion on sewer bill rates. The issue at hand was how residential sewer tax rates are established. The current practice uses what is called a four month “winter average” to set prices. The months used are November through February. I proposed that the city change to a two-month average using either a December/January or January/February schedule since November is not really a winter month. There is little doubt that using November as an average “winter month” will inflate the cost for those who use water for outdoor purposes during that time. Changing to a two-month period will bring equity and fairness to the system. In the ensuing discussion there was not any opposition to investigating the change. City Finance Director Jeremy Wilmoth told the Board Aldermen that he will look into the matter and should be able to report his findings in the near future. Board Priorities for Fisc...