RAYTOWN REPORT

A recent column in the Kansas City Star about a shopping center built in Merriam, Kansas has some valuable lessons for city leaders in Raytown. Hearne Christopher, Jr., a political writer for the Star, recently wrote about a shopping center constructed in Merriam, Kansas. The shopping center, named Merriam Villlage, was financed in part by tax incentives provided by the city. It sits atop a large hill on I-35 just south of Johnson Drive. It is 300,000 square feet of prime real estate on one of the busiest interstates in the metropolitan area. And, it is completely empty. Whoever said, “if you build it, they will come” should take a hard look at what a national economy in recession can do to area developers’ dreams. The lone tenant of the Merriam Village was Circuit City. Even that is somewhat of a stretch. Circuit City pulled the plug on the location before it opened. The contractor constructing the inside fixtures for the store was told to pack up and go home in the middle of the jo...

Contributors to this blog questioned some news stories in a recent edition of the Raytown Post regarding the proposed 2008/2009 budget. Sorry it took so long to get back to this (I had originally promised to have it posted by last Wednesday), but it was difficult to get some definitive answers to some of my questions. Here is what I have found: FITNESS CLUB MEMBERSHIP FOR POLICE: The police department has pulled the request for $30,000 for fitness club memberships for police officers from the city’s budget. Whatever the reason, it will not happen this budget year. I also found out that police personnel have been paid overtime for approximately the past two years to train in certain police techniques. Officers were allowed up to three hours at time and one-half their regular pay per week for the compensation. The Chief of Police, Jim Lynch, tells me that he has discontinued the program for lack of participation and budgetary reasons. One writer asked my views on the program. I c...

Hello everyone. As regular readers have probably guessed by now, I have been on an extended vacation for the last couple of week. As a practical matter, I do not make public announcements of when my home will be vacant for extended periods of time. For the curious, my wife and I toured the Northeast to watch leaves change color. We also spent some time in Boston. It is a magnificent city. While in Boston I learned to use their transportation system. For instance, we took a day trip to Salem, Massachusetts (where the infamous witch trials were held). It is about a 50 mile trip through heavily populated areas near the seacoast. To get there, we walked one block from our hotel, took the subway (with one change in trains), to the commuter rail station, and then rode the train to Salem. Incidentally, Boston does not have light rail. But what they do have is extremely efficient, economical and a pleasant way to move about their city. The round trip cost us $8.00 in subway fares and $10.50...