Sunday, February 20, 2011

Every Picture Tells a Story . . . Zion National Park is known for its unique sandstone rock formations. The sandstone is all that remains of a great desert that covered the area many ages ago. The picture at the right are a type of rock formation called a hoodoo. There are many types. Use your imagination and you can see faces in the rocks. According to local legend the spirits of ancestors are trapped in the rock.
City Council Approves CID Tax District for
Sutherland Lumber by Greg Walters At its regular meeting last Tuesday night the City Council approved a ommunity Improvement District (CID) for the old Walmart store located at 67th Street and Blue Ridge.
The special tax district is for Sutherland Lumber to operate a lumberyard at the location. Sutherland Lumber is currently in negotiations with Walmart to purchase the property. The purchase is expected to be completed in early March.
What It Means . . . The Community Improvement District (CID) is a special tax district. Under the terms of the agreement with the city, Sutherland Lumber will assess an additional 1% sales tax on all purchases within the store. The 1% sales tax is then given to Sutherland who will use the money for improvements to the building and property. There is no sunset clause on the tax.
Once the store is opened the total sales tax charged at the location will be 9.10%.
The special tax district is similar to the CID Tax Districts created for Hy-Vee Grocery Store. Aldi’s Grocery Store (under construction on 350 Highway) has a similar CID Tax District that is front loaded with a loan from the City of Raytown of $600,000. Under that agreement, proceeds from the 1% CID will be used to repay the city the loan. The Walmart Store, which also has a 9.10% sales tax rate is funded under a TIF agreement.
Interesting Debate During Proceedings The CID Tax District for Sutherlands is now history. The City Council voted 9 yes, 0 no, 1 absent to approve the CID District. Alderman Christine White was absent from the meeting. Four members of the City Council expressed displeasure with a request from the applicant and Mayor to suspend the rules of regular business and pass the ordinance creating the CID District in one evening.
Missouri State Law requires that all new laws before the governing body of a fourth class city have two public readings before final consideration. Proposed ordinances can be passed in one night if two-thirds of the governing body vote to “suspend the rules” and proceed with a vote in one evening. These types ordinances are commonly referred to as “emergency ordinances” because the practice is supposed to be a rare event.
The purpose of the two public readings is to give the elected representatives time to study the proposal and receive feedback from their constituents on the bill before them.
Aldermen Jim Hamilton, Shane Pardue, Bill VanBuskirk and Pat Ertz complained of the frequency of which the regular rules of business have been suspended by the Bower Administration. Ertz offered a compromise that would have held the CID question over until the following week. His reasoning was sound, one half of the Council was scheduled to meet as the Finance Committee that week anyway. However, he did not follow his suggestion with a motion. So the compromise died without any real discussion.
Mayor Bower objected to holding the item over. He made reference to additional expense and inconvenience to City Department heads who would have to travel back to Raytown for another meeting. None of the Department heads concerned with the CID legislation live in Raytown. The deal that was finally closed last Tuesday night with Sutherland Lumber has been nearly one year in the making. And I am sure that Raytowners will welcome Sutherland to the Raytown community.
One cannot help but wonder why meetings cannot be scheduled in a timely manner. It is not like “oh my gosh! . . . this bit of business snuck up on us when we were not looking!”
As for the City Council, only one member who spoke against suspension of the rules, Jim Hamilton, voted against it.
The other Council members who spoke up have shown that they can talk the talk. Now it is time for them to walk the walk. Jerome Barnes Announces
Campaign for the Raytown School Board Press release by Jerome Barnes
My wife Donna and I moved to Raytown 25 years ago to start a family. Our three children–Jeremi, Donesha, and Jerome II–have all been raised in Raytown. Jerome II graduated from Raytown South High School in 2007, and Jeremi is in the 7th grade at Our Lady of Lourdes, where I serve as Volunteer Athletic Director.
My daughter Donesha been diagnosed as having a bilateral profound high frequency hearing loss. She graduated from Blue Springs South High School in 2005. Her home school was Raytown South High School.
Military and Public Service I served in military for six years, three in active duty and three years in the reserves. In 2009, after 30 years with the U.S. Postal Service, I retired from my position as Labor Relations Specialist.
Community Service I have actively served the community of Raytown through my coaching with Little League, the YMCA, and Our Lady of Lourdes. I served on the School Advisory Board and a Volunteer Athletic Director for the past 5 years at Our Lady of Lourdes, and previously volunteered with the Boys and Girls Club, Raytown Sports Association, the Raytown Schools Demographic Planning Committee, and the Robinson Elementary PTA.
Reason for Running for School Board A dynamic community needs volunteers in order to be successful and viable. With an extensive history of volunteering for area schools, I feel I can be an active, knowledgeable member of the Board, providing leadership for the Raytown School District. I am committed to learning more about the processes involved and the steps necessary to make informed, data-based decisions. From my experience as a parent and a school volunteer, I feel I have learned a great deal about what makes a school effective. I hope to be a voice for both the teachers and the people of our community and welcome open discussion among all of the stakeholders who support our local school system. Thus, based on the knowledge I have gained in working with our schools and young people, and my desire to give back to the community, I have decided to run for the School Board in Raytown.
Mr. Barnes can be reached at 816-729-8784.
You Are What You Eat
After Exercise by Jenn Walters 2 Comments You know the saying “You are what you eat?” Well, it rings true for everyday eats—and even more so for post-workout noshes, new research suggests. A recent study out of the Journal of Applied Physiology found that eating a lower-carb meal after exercising enhanced the body’s insulin sensitivity, thereby making it easier for the ol’ bod to move sugar from the bloodstream into tissues like muscles. (Insulin resistance is a hallmark of Type II diabetes and a general sign of poor health.)
Researchers also found that it didn’t matter how many calories the meal included, so after a workout, you can eat according to your hunger not the science. Now, of course, for you endurance athletes, you’ll want to keep carb loading up for energy-filled and performance-based workouts, but for the pre-diabetics out there, reduce those carbs to start reaping the benefits!
Use the following link to find out the rest of the story . . .
Jenn Walters and Erin Whitehead jointly publish Fit Bottomed Girls. To read more of their thoughts on lifestyle choices and fitness go to Fit Bottomed Girls LINKS TO OTHER RAYTOWN NEWS SOURCES To catch up on O'Hara Sports use this link O'Hara High School
To catch up on Raytown South Sports use this link Raytown South High School
To catch up on Raytown High Sports use this link Raytown High School
To catch up on the Raytown Police Blog go to Raytown Police Blog
To view Raytown Crime Statistics go to Raids on Line
Last Week’s Poll Results
Should Raytown develop the "Green Space" in Downtown Raytown into a park?
35% . . . Yes. It would be an asset to the area. 35% . . . No. Save it for commercial development. 30% . . . Not sure. But it deserves some discussion.
To post a comment click on the word comments below:

37 comments:

Andy Whiteman said...

The Sutherland "emergency" was caused by poor planning. I consider it to be a created emergency not a true emergency.

I was so focused on another comment that I failed to hear Mayor Bower comment about the expense of department heads to attend another meeting. That is ridiculous. Department heads are paid an annual salary and required to attend meetings. Why would department heads travel back to Raytown for a meeting? Aren't they at City Hall during the day? The come to the meeting after a dinner break. I can't imagine any going that far home and coming back! The distance involved does not permit it. How does one leave work at 5PM, drive home, and return by 7:00PM? The whole thought is asinine!

If Department Heads were required to live in Raytown, this would not have been an issue.

As for inconvenience, every meeting is an inconvenience to all who attend but that is their job. I am sorry if anyone is inconvenienced by doing their job. Those representing the applicant are highly paid professionals but normally their attendance at the 2nd meeting would be required anyway. I question was this "emergency" contrived so those representing the applicant wouldn't be paid for the 2nd meeting? Since it was stated that there was a deadline, why wasn't this application brought to a previous meeting? I am sure the deadline was known.

Andy Whiteman

Andy Whiteman said...

Does Jerome Barnes have a website or email? I normally don't make phone calls due to time constraints.

I am interested in hearing is feelings on cutting back of wasteful spending by the Dysfunctional School District. All that should be provided is classes leading to a HS diploma. The cost of any extra-curricular activities should be paid by the user, not the taxpayer.

School bus service should be eliminated unless there is a safety issue. I walked to school or rode my bicycle. My father walked one mile to school, one mile home for lunch, one mile to school, and one mile home after school. That was a total of 4 miles a day. I see numerous school buses driving down my street every day. What is wrong with walking? This is a waste of taxpayer money especially when they are transporting to and from extra curricular activities.

Andy Whiteman

Anonymous said...

It is a shame that Raytown's city government is run
like a dictatorship. Rules mean nothing to our mayor. It's too damn bad that the department heads that live in other towns would be put out by having to come back to the town that pays them to do their jobs! The people that run this town should be ashamed of themselves. They have no idea what is best for this town or it's people. They should be embarrassed to cash their checks.

Anonymous said...

i don't put the blame on the department heads. they don't write the rules. it is the city council and mayor that allows such nonsense to go on.

we just need new people representing us at city hall. tht is the simple and quickest solution to Raytown's problems.

Andy Whiteman said...

Can someone explain how a Department Heads who are supposed to work 8AM-5PM and lives out of town can possibly go home and return in time for a 7PM meeting? This doesn't make sense unless they are leaving early. If they work to 5PM, they have 2 hours for dinner before a meeting. They can grab a bite at a number of places in Raytown or bring their own.

Andy Whiteman

Anonymous said...

Hey Jerome, I am impressed! I really liked your resume'. You sound like a real person just trying to do some good for yours and the community.

You will have my vote on April 5th.

Andy Whiteman said...

Jerome has an impressive resume but I would like to hear his goals for the schools as well as his feelings on the wasteful spending that has been going on.

Taxes are outrageous with 75% of my property taxes going to the Dysfunctional School District. I wonder if anyone else knows how much of their tax $$$ goes to schools. They will be shocked if they look at the bill.

Andy Whiteman

Anonymous said...

Hey Andy,

The reason that there are a lot of buses traveling up and down your street is because the bus barns are close by your house.

Yes, even I am not opposed to kids walking to school as long as it is a mile or less because it is good exercise for them and it can reduce fuel costs for the district, but you still need buses for the kids that live more than a mile away from the schools.

You will still have buses up and down Willow anyway because they have to travel from the bus barn to and from their route starting points and ending points, or to take students on trips, etc.

Anonymous said...

I don't know how high are property taxes are in Raytown compared to others. I remember reading a story in the Kanas City Star by Yael Abahoulkah. He was comparing different property tax rates and purposes excluded the Raytown area because its property tax rates are so high.

It does not matter if it is because of the city or the school district. It is very clear that both groups of leaders have high taxation in mind.

If the stories on this site are correct. Raytown has one of the highest sales taxes in the area. The new development rates of 9.1% are more like east coast rates than midwestern rates.

Hard to keep a competitive edge in business when you have that monkey (high taxes) on your back.

Pat Casady said...

They should have had to move here in the first place.
It's called earning your pay. If they can't
come back two to four times a week after hours
fire them! Get someone that will do the jobs.
The lack of authority and the willing to do the job
right in this town is why Raytown is in the shape
it is in now. No city leaders want to take the
responsibility for what they are paid to do.
It's easier to give away taxpayer money than it
is to stand up to big corporations.
It's easier to give tax money
away than it is to do what has been promised.
Our streets are in sad shape and their response is
like the mess at Willow and 63rd st. All that tar and
gravel did was to make the bad street worse.
We need new people that will let the police do their jobs
and make the codes people enforce the rules.
This is not brain surgery, it's all about doing the job
these people were elected and hired to do for the
people of Raytown. To Hell with big corporations that
care nothing for this town.
It's like the Ford slogan "Quality is Job One."
City Hall should say the people and this town are
job one.

Andy Whiteman said...

Two police officers (one bilingual) were sworn in at the BOA and 4 more introduced. We have a new jail booking person who will become an officer when he reaches age 21. Obviously new officers are being added.

Yes Willow was a bad mess and still has big cracks and an unsafe area. Andy Nall told me that is the same way the town he lives in maintains streets and it is an acceptable method. Even if it is an acceptable method, the workers did a 1/2 ass job and never should have been paid. Or maybe Public Works should have been supervising. I was sure complaining every day so they can't say they didn't know.

Andy Whiteman

Andy Whiteman said...

Jerome Barnes website:
www.Vote4Jerome.com

Pat Casady said...

I don't know about the rest of you but, I'm getting tired of our city officials saying this is how other cities do things.
Andy, you should have reminded to Mr. Nall, the people of Raytown voted for a new tax
increase for asphalt overlays. We now know most of that money went to Wal-Mart's street
and parking lot.
Without first fixing the bad places in the streets this tar and gravel just magnifies
the problem. Just because it is cheaper doesn't
justify doing the job wrong.
By the way Mr. Nall, other towns are smart enough
to NOT give away their tax incomes.
Other towns use the taxpayers money to actually
work for the people and towns.

Anonymous said...

The last post hits the problem right on the head. The Boarfd of Adlermen and Mayor chose the path they have taken. No one made them make a bad deal to bring Walmart to our town. No one made them choose an inferior road surface product to repair our streets.

If you want more of the same then re-elect the incumbents. They show no remorse or guilt over their mis-steps.

Anonymous said...

AK said in his interview with the Raytown Times that Raytown has lots of empyt office spaces and he loves Raytown.To that I say put your money where your mouth is and move your business here to the town you love!!!! Your just like the current mayor all talk and no action!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Pat,

I have some candidates that are not incumbents and would like to know when you will be donating to their campaign.

You see we know you cannot vote for them as you do not live in Raytown. However, you can help them by helping finance their efforts.

Are you still for change or just looking for something to complain about, which is what I keep hearing from those tied to city hall.

Anonymous said...

Some people are hard to please. You are angruy becasuse someone does not live in Raytown, but has their business here. Then you are angry because someone lives in Raytown and has a business elsewhere.

Could it be that you are just one of those people who are angry at everyone all the time.

Andy Whiteman said...

Or is it that those department heads and employees at City Hall who don't live in Raytown are critical of business owners who don't live in Raytown? It sounds to me as if some people are trying to find an excuse by distorting the issue.

Andy Whiteman

Pat Casady said...

I usually don't respond to "anonymous" shots but,
I will try to help any new person running in this
election, if, I believe in them. Over the years I
have only helped the people that I believed and trusted.
However, if they are just more of the same they can
forget it.
How about you Anonymous?

Anonymous said...

When did this blog become the majority of writings from Andy Whiteman and Pat Casidy? Now I remember why I stopped reading it.
I think I'll go back to not reading it again.

S.B.

Anonymous said...

AK knows what all the problems in Raytown are but, he has not offered any answers on how to solve them. On the other hand the current mayor thinks Raytown is in fine shape and has no problems. So do we vote for?

Andy Whiteman said...

Jerome Barnes has an impressive resume but I wonder what his goals and objectives are if elected to the school board. 75% of my property taxes go to Raytown schools. How does he plan to cut spending and at the same time provide quality education? I have posted this twice on his web page with no response. I find it hard to believe someone would run for office based on a resume without stating what they intend to do if elected. I can't vote for anyone on that basis.

Andy Whiteman

Anonymous said...

Pat,

I have to say that I really enjoy your posts on this page. Concise and to the point. Plus you have the strength to stand behind your convictions by signing your name.

Keep up the good work!

Sadly, I have to admit that I will continue to be another a-non-y-mouse!

Pat Casady said...

Anonymous 4:34,
Andy and I aren't the majority of writers on this blog.
The "Anonymous" writers are the majority.
The only reason it seems that Andy and I are the majority
is because WE SIGN OUR NAMES! We are not afraid of what we say
or who we say it to. We don't care who reads or doesn't
read what we write. However I understand that sometimes the truth
hurts and some people resent what is written.
To you and them, all I can say is too bad.
So go back to not reading this....while you are reading it?
That's an oxymoron isn't it?

Pat Casady said...

To Anonymous 7:26,
There is nothing wrong with signing as "Anonymous."
My problem with some anonymous signers is when they criticize others and take
cheap shots while signing anonymous.
I understand that when someone works for the city, and wants to speak their minds or
have their thoughts brought out into the open,
they would sign anonymous to forgo disciplinary action.

Andy Whiteman said...

Anon 4:34AM, I agree with Pat. I will add that you sound like callers on KMBZ who say they won't listen. The host then points out that obviously they are listening.


Andy Whiteman

Bryan Green said...

Who would have to initiate the change to require Raytown officials to live in Raytown? We complain about it, but I would like to see it changed.

Anonymous said...

Andy,

You make a great point sounds like those at city hall that don't read this blog, but all know what is one it.

Greg Walters said...

The Raytown Board of Aldermen are the ones who set the rules on residency. Up until about 1997 the Board required all department heads to live within the city limits.

They changed the rules during Jack Nesbitt's term as Mayor.

Tom Rigot, Sr said...

Residency for department heads should be a requirement but the standard was changed and the tooth paste is out of the tube now. It's going to be hard and maybe even counter productive to change back to the old requirement for existing city positions now. Maybe for new hires it should be required. I would hate to see our current Public works director go elsewhere because of residency. He's done an excellent job, knows the ins & outs and is generally well liked. Just a personal opinion!

Greg Walters said...

Tom,

I agree. It would be unfair to change the terms of employment of existing department heads. But new hires are another thing.

I like the toothpaste comparison.

Another would be how hard it is to unspill the milk!

Anonymous said...

Mr. Barns (School Board candidate) says on his web-site "I hope to be a voice for both the teachers and the people of our community".
His job, if elected by the tax payers of this school district would be to represent those tax payers, not be a voice for the teachers. They already have "voices" representing them, and very few of them live in our school district!

Andy Whiteman said...

We need to start unspilling milk! I have previously stated that new hires should be required to live in Raytown and the remainder could be phased in as contracts expire. Perhaps there could be an incentive such as making a HUD home available to them at a reduced price or property tax abatement for the length of their contract. Property tax abatement would be nothing to sneeze at!

I, too, would hate to see the Public Works Director go. He isn't the only one on my list of those I would like to stay. Who knows with incentive or when contracts are up for renewal department heads may be willing to move to Raytown. The question becomes can they get another job in the metro area without taking a big pay cut or would they take a job further away and move. It may become a case 6 of one 1/2 dozen of the other.

Anon y mouse 10:19AM, Strangely a few months ago I received an email form City Hall in response to one of my posts. Even though one claims not to read this blog, several do read it.

Andy Whiteman

Anonymous said...

I think alot of the problem is the school district. Personally if I was looking for a job and I had an offer from the city of Raytown with the one stipulation that I had to move here, I would think about it alot due to the fact that the schools are very poor. Especially if I had school aged children. There test scores are very low and we see how there are fights there all the time. They won't enforce the dress codes. If they did half the student body would be sent home.

Andy Whiteman said...

I have posted on Mr. Barnes website twice asking his goals and intentions if elected. The man has an impressive resume but that is all. Apparently he is unable to define his objectives. I don't vote for resumes. I want to know what he will do.

8:04AM, Strangely I heard the opposite from someone in the neighborhood who moved down the street to a bigger house rather than away from Raytown. They had an autistic son and the lady said that Raytown had the best schools for special needs students. That was about 5 years ago so maybe things have changed.

Andy Whiteman

Muscle Building said...

Those representing the applicant are highly paid professionals but normally their attendance at the 2nd meeting would be required anyway. I am sure the deadline was known.

Andy Whiteman said...

6:15AM, I feel the same way. I wanted Sutherlands to open but protested the prceedure at the public hearing.