Saturday, September 19, 2009

Changes Coming to the Raytown Report

by Greg Walters Since the demise of the Raytown Post we have received a number of inquiries of the possibility of increasing the scope of the Raytown Report. In answer to those requests we are working on making changes to the format and content with an eye of moving from an editorial sounding board to a news source for Raytown. As we experiment and work to make these changes some will be kept, some will be tried and abandoned. You can also expect to see us crawl before we walk, and walk before we run, with any new changes. Some things will remain the same. The ability of our readers to share their thoughts with each other will continue to function as before. In other words, the blog portion of the Raytown Report will not change. Other changes will be immediate. For instance, we know there is a lot of interest in high school varsity sports in Raytown. So, we have offered part of our page to representatives from the three high schools in the Raytown area (O'Hara, Raytown and Raytown South) to report on their weekly games. To inaugurate that part of our plan you can expect to see the high school records published each week on this page. High School Football Standings Watch this page for regular updates of local high school varsity sports. O'Hara High School.....................3 win / 1 loss Raytown High School...................1 win / 3 loss Raytown South High School............3 win / 1 loss You can also look for more in depth reporting. As many of you know, my partner in the Raytown Report, Richard Tush, has been working on a project these last two weeks. Watch for its publication in early October. Who is Paying for the Monuments? A number of readers have asked who is paying for the intersection work at Gregory Boulevard and Raytown Road. The Mayor and Board of Aldermen have been criticized for the construction of "monuments" planned for inclusion at the intersection. The monuments will be similar to the obilesks in place at Blue Ridge Cut-off and 63rd Street, and at the southern entrance to the re-built railroad bridge entering Downtown Raytown. One writer asked if city or state tax dollars funded the monuments. The exact amount of who pays what is not important. Suffice to say that the lion's share of the project is paid for by the State of Missouri through road improvement funds. The balance is funded by our local sales tax dollars. From a point of view that you cannot drive or walk on them, or for that matter, do anything but look at them, the critics are correct, intersection monuments serve no practical purpose. The first such monumens were placed at 63rd and Blue Ridge to mark the intersection as a "gateway" to Raytown. The one near Downtown Raytown (at the old railroad bridge) was placed to mark an entrance to the Downtown. Original plans call for similar monuments at 63rd and Raytown Road as well. They are reminiscent of markers of residential areas throughout Kansas City. I suppose you could call them an art form of sorts. When it is completed, the new intersection will shine like a new penny -- monuments included. Therein lies the rub that leave people unhappy with some choices at City Hall. Let's face it, residential streets have proven to be a very low priority under Mayor Bower's watch. It may seem trivial to some, but why some city maintenance problems are routinely ignored while hundreds of thousands of dollars are used on a functioning intersection that does not have potholes, has good sidewalks, and decent traffic flow, makes some people angry. Consider the following. I live near Colman Park (located at Lane and 59th Streets). Like many of my neighbors, I walk my dog through the surrounding nighborhoods and the park. At the northern entrance of the park Lane Street is literally crumbling apart. City crews went through, and, from the looks of it, threw down some asphalt on three small potholes, stomped on it, and walked away from a job poorly done at best. Now, go up to City Hall and check out the new sidewalk in front of our city's governmental center, to the south you will see new asphalt covering the city hall parking lot. I've seen our city crews do work on intersections, cut out entire sections of bad pavement and replace it in a professional way that would make anyone proud. So I know they are capable of fixing the problem correctly. The work at city hall also shows an ability to do a job well. To continue . . . a couple of years back the parks department installed a bag dispenser for people who walk their pets in the park to clean up after the animals. All agreed, it was a very good idea. It helps to keep the park clean and allows the good people of Raytown who walk their dogs at the park (and their are a lot of them) to be responsible citizens. But -- and this is the important point -- the dispenser has been empty for well over two months. If they are not going to fill the dispenser with bags, why leave the empty container in place? Park officials can see the empty container from the doorway of the park headquarters and from the park's maintenance garage. So you can assume they are well aware the dispenser is empty. Like the street work at the northern entrance to the park. The lack of proper action is a constant reminder to the taxpayers of how low they sit on the totem pole of municipal priorites. Why is shoddy and inadequate service tolerated? At the end of the day, the fault lies with those we elect to run our city. Collectively speaking, that is the Mayor and Board of Aldermen. They have a responsibility to see that we receive good service for our tax dollars. The evidence is overwhelming that they do not do so. So what does this have to do with monuments? Everything! The empty bag dispenser, the poorly repaired street, the lack of maintenance on residential streets, are all reminders of an indifference from city hall that is appalling. The new intersection at Gregory and Raytown Road will shine like a new penney. So should the repair and maintenance of ALL our streets and public areas. Raytowners pay the second highest sales tax in the 20 plus cities that make up the Kansas City metropolitan area. Thanks to the collective greed of the Raytown School Board, Park Board and City Council we now have one of the highest propety tax rates in the area as well. We deserve better service for our tax dollars than we are receiving.

39 comments:

Pat Casady said...

It would be interesting to know how much each monument
Will cost taxpayers. I've been told upwards of ten thousand
each. I have never had a problem with tax dollars going to help
the people that pay the taxes. I have a problem with how the taxes
have been spent and given away.
If we are to believe, and I do, that Raytowner's pay the second highest
taxes in a ten city metro area, where is the money going. Where is it being spent?

Andy Whiteman said...

Greg,

I am glad that you are going to carry NEWS. You could probably charge for the service.

The high tax rate will make it more difficult to sell a house. I check property taxes when I consider buying a house. I wonder if people will buy in Raytown after they check the property taxes? They are so outrageous that only the rich can afford to live in Raytown. Would anyone consider buying my house after I move?

Andy Whiteman

Insider said...

Word out of city hall is that the city is looking at a very, very tight financial crunch in fiscal 2009/2010.

Some areas that should be looked at (but will not) are:

Cap on salaries of those employees making over $60,000 annually.

A serious look at the need for the ATA bus service that NO ONE USES. That would save close to $120,000 annually.

Why such a tight crunch?

When you have to pay Walmart's debt to the tune of $800,000 on the first quarter of debt payment your money disappears fast.

Don't worry, folks, the "professionals" at city hall will take real good care of us.

Andy Whiteman said...

7:13PM, I agree about the ATA. Raise the fares. Ths cost should be born by the riders (if any).

I have advocated lower salaries for tie wearing chair warmers. These people are under contract so there can be no cuts until the contracts expire or through attrition when someone leaves. The "smart" professionals think we need to keep the salaries competitive with the rest of the metro. I don't agree. Too many people want jobs and will accept a lower salary just to have a job.

Also we need to stop wasting $50,000 on each study and then have the board not pay attention. What a waste of money!

Pat's comment causes me to wonder why Raytown has the 2nd highest taxes and was rated really low on the Red Star survey of metro cities. This is disgraceful. For our $$$$$ I expect a higher rating in citizen satisfaction.

Andy Whiteman

Anonymous said...

The lot that Gary Knabe owns at 79th and Spring Valley looked like a lake last night. Still holding water, when will he become a good citizen and clean up this mess? City code enforcement is a joke.

Pat Casady said...

I need help.
I'm writing an article and I can't remember all the
businesses we have lost in the last ten years.
We don't need to waste space on this blog.
You can send your list to my email address
ccindustrial@kcnet.com any help will be appreciated.

Anonymous said...

I heard this morning that the Irish Pub owner
talked to an all talk radio show about the failure
of JIm Aziere's no smoking proposal.
So this radio show is coming to town to have a party
at the Irish Pub, I believe tonight.
Looks like people's freedom 1 and the people that
want to take away freedom 0.

Anonymous said...

Your statement about city hall taking real good care of us is only half ture. What it should really say is that they will take really good care of them selves, by making sure they get their salary increases next year.

Anonymous said...

Let me get this straight.

Obama's health care plan will be written by a committee whose head says he doesn't understand it, passed by a Congress that hasn't read it and whose members will be exempt from it,
Signed by a president who smokes, funded by a treasury chief who did not pay his taxes, overseen by a surgeon general who is obese, and financed by a country that is broke.

What could possibly go wrong?

Anonymous said...

I applaud Alderman Aziere and Van Buskirk for opposing the raise hike for city employees next year. Again Creamer opened his mouth but didn't make a dimes worth of sense. Let's face it city employees aren't going to quit their jobs,where would they go? Cities aren't hiring in fact no body is hiring. So I say freeze the salaries. If they leave don't fill that position make those left earn their money for once.

Anonymous said...

While watching the BOA meeting tonight it appeared that the finance director was doing a lot of sweating trying to push this new budget through. There was a lot of double talk when it came to the question of are we hiring new employees? I say no reaises this year. They double dipped last year. I still can't believe they gave 5%. These people need to live in the real world.

Anonymous said...

To the person who has the problem with 79th and Spring Valley. Get a rally and protest together them call THE PROBLEM SOLVER,I beleive it is Fox 4 and have them come out and take look. Maybe you could even get the mayor to come out and give his intelligent take on the situation. Maybe this would get some results. It sure wouldn't make Gary Knabe look good or his real estate business. People would think twice about listing a house with him then.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like we are getting a new bar in the Raytown Plaza. Makes sense, city hall is driving
everybody to drink!

Insider said...

That post about the 5% pay increases at city hall last year is 100% on the money. What they left out is that the Chief of Police received a 13% pay increase the same year.

Mayor Bower and his Board of Aldermen are bankrupting this city. Look for even fewer streets to be repaired and overlayed next year.

It's more important that everyone get a BIG pay increase at city hall next year.

By the way, 2% IS a big pay increase in this economy. Most working folks are happy just to have their jobs.

Remember this about numbers when the city's crafty finance director starts his double talk by mixing percentages with real numbers.

Percentages lie. Numbers tell the real story.

His 2% increase will give him a real income boost of over four digits into the thousands of dollars.

The city attorney and city administrator, and a surprising number of others will enjoy the same boost in income.

Check it out. It's all public information. They cannot refuse to give it to you.

Anonymous said...

I watched the meeting last night too.

I wondered why some of you kept referring to Alderman Creamer as "Simple Joe".

Now I understand.

Anonymous said...

You all are upset with Wal-mart because we have to pay $800,000.00 in December for our part on the bonds. I to am not happy with Wally World but if the board had listened to the former Finance Director when he said that Raytown will not make it if the south side of 350 hiway is not up and running to bring in sales taxes to pay or at least help pay for the bonds when that bill comes in.
Block has a lot of money invested in property here in Raytown you would think they would want to be getting some return on there money. It's my understand they are not doing anything to make that happen.

It is also my underatand the city is going to hire a new econmic Developement Director. Why are we doing that? It's because the person they hired to do Community Developement knows nothig about trying to build a community with businesses and good neighborhoods. So now we are going to be paying a new salary in the 6 figures range. They have allotted $250,000.00 for that salary if necessary. So why did they hire her? Surely it wasn't just to do codes because she isn't doing that either.

I was just recently told that the mayor also thinks this blog only has negative people responding with their comments. What I don't understand is why doesn't he look at this blog as a reason to try to make changes like the Mayor of Blue Springs does new their blog. If things were going good and things were being addressed that would be no reason to complain because we could see things changing. Open your eyes and your mind Mr.Mayor and just maybe you could learn a thing or two you could use.

Andy Whiteman said...

As I said, Raytown is for the rich. Obviously if we can afford to support outrageous taxes of the Dysfunctional School District, we can afford higher salaries for city staff, especially those who don't live in Raytown. Remember commuting is a really big expense for them!

Andy Whiteman

Anonymous said...

Isn't there a ceiling on the number of bars we can have in the city? If not we need to have one.

Greg Walters said...

The post before this one makes some interesting points. But it also makes one glaring misconception about the Walmart debt.

The Raytown TIF District is its own taxing entity. It captures the sales taxes in place at its inception to retire the debt that is created to pay the construction costs of the parking lot, buildings, highway entrances and signals -- in Raytown's case, it also pays for moving the Joe Herndon Education Center and pays the those buildings as well.

The reason Raytown is paying $800,000 is because the Walmart Store has not been completed. Since it is not completed, it cannot create any of the tax revenue to pay the bonds off.

The, City Council, in its lack of wisdom, voted to guarantee those bonds. Since Walmart is not creating the tax revenue for those bonds, the city must make good on its guarantee.

This was all explained to the city council and Mayor when they took the plunge and made the committments they did. It was and still is a bad deal for Raytown.

It is also why I voted against the plan -- as I told many of the Council members at the time, it is a sweet deal for investors -- they cannot lose.

Normally, such TIF agreements do not carry the local community's guaranty. The risk is usually that of the investor.

Raytown is not paying the $800,000 because it is our "portion" of the bill. The city is paying it because Walmart is open and producing sales tax revenue to pay it.

That is why this December you will hear a large sucking sound coming from City Hall. That is the sound of tax dollars that should be used to pave your streets, put in street lights, etc., etc., etc., will (instead) go to pay off the debt created when construction on Walmart was begun.

What is Walmart's share?

This is the best (or worst) part. Walmart's share is a guarantee to open the store for a mimimum of one day -- completely stocked with merchandise for shoppers to buy!

It is how the rich get richer in America.

Andy Whiteman said...

6:15PM, I would assume there is. You could check with City Hall. I know that there is a limit on liquor stores because the second reading of an ordinance was waived as an emergency measure to increase the limit to allow a liquor permit because the owner was having a grand opening and didn't have the time for a 2nd reading.

Most cities have a limit on bars and liquor stores and also restrictions on where they may be in relationship to neighborhoods, schools, and churches.

Andy Whiteman

Andy Whiteman said...

Greg, This is the second time you have said, "the Post before this...." That description is somewhat vague due to the time delay of posts appearing. after you write your comment, "the post before this" could have several posts after it.

Could you please refer to the posting time so it is easier to identify? In this case, the post before refers to limits on the number of bars which is obviously not the post you are referring to.

Thanks,
Andy Whiteman

Doc Summers said...

:For Information Only:

Retired Fire Captain Gary Gilliland passed away at Center Point Hospital.

Gary retired from the Raytown Fire Department Last year.

Gary served his Country in the United States Navy.
Gary served the citizens of Raytown for 17 years as a Firefighter/EMT.


I would hope as you drive by the Fire Stations and see the Flags at half-mast that you would have a good thought on his behalf.

Thank You
Captain Darren "Doc" Summers
Raytown Fire/Rescue
I.A.F.F. Local 1730 President

Greg Walters said...

Andy,

I will do so in the future.

Doc, my sympathy for the loss of Captain Gilliland.

Pat Casady said...

Every time I hear about the Wal-Mart deal it makes my
blood boil. Not so much at Wal-Mart, but at City Hall
and our elected officials that made the deal.
How could any person with half a brain fall for this deal?
How could any person elected by the people that trusted them
to watch out for them, be so stupid? The fact that this town will
lose over 18% of it's total income for twenty three years, should
have hit them in head like a ton of hundred dollar bills.
The sad thing is we have learned nothing from this experience.
We still have a majority of elected officials that don't care about
wasting taxpayer dollars, or how hard times are for the people.
They just keep raising taxes and heaven forbid they cut back
like the rest of us have to.
These gateway monuments they seem so proud of, I ask why? Why does Raytown need to spend that kind of
money for something that serves absolutely no purpose?
Make the intersection better, safer and the road smoother but
use the monument money elsewhere, where it is needed.
Lets face it, Raytown is an old town. We have very few modern
Buildings and homes so why put these "Gateways" with their
"monuments" in an old town? They look out of place and once
you pass them, it's still an old town. A great little old town but,...
I hope you understand what I mean.
They should have put the monuments in front of Wal-Mart and the
new school buildings as a reminder of the cost to the taxpayers that
have and will be paying for those monsters for many, many years to come

Andy Whiteman said...

Doc, my condolences you you, your department, and Captian Gilliland's family.

Andy Whiteman

Anonymous said...

If Mr. Mayor would ever read the blog he would find out that the citizens who post on here are not negative they are realist. Which is something he is not.

Andy Whiteman said...

Pat, I think it is obvious that those on the BOA at the time, except one, don't have 1/2 a brain.

I agree about the gate ways. Totally useless and a waste of money. They are decorative. I have people remodeling my new house and it was difficult to get them to understand that I won't pay for decorative. Actually I took offense at that word and one guy explained that by "decorative" be meant painted. Not my definition but I think he didn't want to lose a customer.

Actually the gateways are a safety hazard. If someone misses the turn (especially if icy) they can head on or sideswipe into it.

Andy Whiteman

Anonymous said...

Bower strikes me as plain weird. He is a shameless self-promoter. You get the feeling that he ran for mayor with an eye to move up in the political world.

It seems to have backfired. His track record in Raytown is so poor that anyone running against him need only point to the mess he has made of the town.

Unfortunately, we get to pay for his failure as a mayor.

Andy Whiteman said...

I suggest Greg run the next time.

Andy Whiteman

Pat Casady said...

I've thought about this for a long time.
City Hall is right, to a point, about what we write as
negative. Even people on this blog have accused us of
being negative, again, to a point they are right.
However, if our elected officials would have done right by and for
the people and this town, there would be absolutely no reason
for the negativity.
We have compiled a list of businesses gone and the list is at
thirty five and that's just the start. You have to ask yourself
how many times did the elected "representatives" stop in
to see how these businesses were doing? I'm not saying this would
have helped but look at the time and money they have spent
and the money given away on the big boxes on 350Hwy. You need only
look at the "Fix this eyesore" articles to know where the people
and hometown businesses stand.
This is why we need a sweeping change at City Hall. We need
people that care about this town and the people.
The decisions made have and will add to the list of leaving businesses,
Not to mention exodus of homeowners.
It may in fact be too late to save this town. I truly hope not.

Anonymous said...

Bower is gong to bankrupt our city. He should put a stop to the raises at city hall. If the city goes bankrupt then these poor employees that he is trying to protect won't have a job, so what has he accomplished? My sources at city hall tell me that the financial situation of the city is much worse than they are telling us. Wouldn't a state audit be in order at this time?

Anonymous said...

Put the blame on the Wal-Mart deal where it belongs, in the lap of former City Administrator, Curt Wenson, former Finance Director, Dan Estes, former Mayor, Sue Franks/Bowman.

This is the wonderful mess they have gotten the city into.

Mayor Bower had little or nothing to do with this mess and was stuck with (just like the rest of us) the one-sided agreement the former Admin signed.

Andy Whiteman said...

Dictator O'Bomba is bankrupting the country. Could it be that the Dictator, our city officials, and the Dysfunctional school district are conspiring against the citizens?

It is said that posts on this blog are negative. What does negative really mean? It means the reader (probably a city official) is offended because it is critical of him/her. Many posts suggest a way to improve so they shouldn't be classed as negative but rather constructive.

Andy Whiteman

R.A. said...

Did you know that the Federal Govt. has no power over the jurisdiction of a sheriff?

Watch this video; it's a surprise. We all need to pass this along to our local Sheriff. They may be unaware.

http://travisab1.multiply.com/video/item/179/How_To_Save_America.flv

Anonymous said...

Mayor Bower could have stopped the Walmart deal, but he chose not to. He was just helping out his ole crony Sue Frank finish up her horrible deeds that she bestowed upon Raytown. These two never had a clue what a mayor was really supposed to do. So sad that we are electing such incompetent people to this job.

Anonymous said...

The state should have audited both the City and the School District quite a while ago.... others should have never been allowed to come and go from certain positions without an audit being done to check ones accountability/credibility. If an audit were to be done today, you may find that things do not add up, so who is going to get the blame? Everyone all down the line, instead of just the parties that initiated anything. What a mess of inept leadership collectively!

Andy Whiteman said...

R. A., Good video. Thanks for posting. I certainally hope our local Sheriffs stand up to Dictator O'Bomba. The Socialized Health Care is also unconstitutional.

Andy Whiteman

Anonymous said...

Mayor didn't run for mayor to move up in the political world. He ran because he needed the extra $1200.00 a month.

Andy Whiteman said...

Anon 9:53 AM, Sounds like your opinion. To me $1200 wouldn't be enough to pay for all of the time he spends being Mayor. I think there are other issue(s) involved, but I won't state what I think they may be.

Andy Whiteman