Saturday, July 8, 2017

RAYTOWN'S LEADING NEWS SOURCE


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Unrealistic Goals
and Broken Promises . . .
. . . have the City Hall and Raytown Fire Protection District facing off in two lawsuits.
The City claims the Fire District has wronged them by holding back payments of certain revenue collected in the 350 Live Development Project (a TIF program commonly recognized as that area anchored by Walmart on 350 Highway).

The Fire District says the City has not followed through on promises it made regarding the timeline of the development and that they have fulfilled their end of the agreement.
  
The lawsuits have been filed. The two sides are meeting to try to work out their differences before they go to court.

Who is right? Who is wrong? You be the judge. The two lawsuits, one by the City of Raytown against the Fire District and the Fire District’s briefs can be reached by using the following links.

Fire District - Ans & Counter Claim to City Claim Filed 1-27-2017 .pdf
20.8 MB
City of Raytown v. RFPD - Claim Filed 1-27-2017.pdf
90 KB

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54 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well it certainly explains why all of city hall resigned last year. Too bad we are all left holding the bag and they get off Scott free

Anonymous said...

I bet the City wants to settle this before it goes to court, the last thing they want is for all the other taxing jurisdictions jumping in behind the fire department to get their share of what the city took. I for one hope the fire department goes the distance and insists on taking this to court. I want to hear someone try and explain a 50 million dollar publically financed project to build a Wal-mart where 27 million of it went to the school district. This is criminal, from the inception when numbers were fabricated to make this appear palatable,to the left of millions by failing to oversee the expenditures or hold those accountble who were supposed to, through all the years where the city conspired to hide the truth by not reporting, to even today as the city refuses to honest and deceive the public about the issues with this project.

Anonymous said...

Greg, I see the initial claim by the City and the response to the claim and a counter claim by the Fire District, but there should also be a filed response by the City to the counter claims of the Fire District. The City only has 30 to at the most 45 days to respond and I don't see those here. Do you know if the City has actually responded or is this just another example of the city dropping the ball? If they have responded I am very interested to read how they argue against the claims that have been made.

Andy Whiteman said...

This is a NO WIN situation for the taxpayers of the Raytown Fire District and the City of Raytown! Since generally these are the same citizens, all stand to lose big plus attorney's fees and expenses. It is like the right hand suing the left hand.

Andy Whiteman

Anonymous said...

The counter claim by the city was filed on May 12, 2017. Look it up on Case.net

Anonymous said...

Of course the City wants this settled, they were planning on Bond Refinancing until the lawsuit with the Fire District was uncovered. Now the refinancing is off the table and The City has already spent a ton of money. The City should settle this suit before the SEC catches wind of how the money on the TIF was misappropriated.

Anonymous said...

Wow that's a whopping lie in regard to money already spent!!
You haven't been paying attention to the meetings obviously

Anonymous said...

Why would the City sue in the first place? Seems like a waste of money on layers to only arrive at the same place as you were before

Anonymous said...

I am beginning to believe one cannot be in politics unless they are crooked.

Anonymous said...

Sometimes I agree with Andy. This is one of those times. We the taxpayers of Raytown will ultimately foot the bill for the attorneys in addition to the "settlements and awards" that are made. That's just part of the joy of being a 4th class city.
I'm sure there will be many meetings with nice catered lunches all paid for by us. The total of wasted money will never be known.

Anonymous said...

The way I see this mess is that the fire department owes. So why don't they just pay up because they need the money to pay for their shiny new fire truck. If they would just quit chasing the ambulances they could save a lot of money.

Anonymous said...

Sorry 8:20 you could not be more wrong unless you did the paperwork.
And from what I hear from the guys the city would have to have a staffed ambulance for the ole fire guys to chase from what I hear most of the time they don't have both staffed and the Kansas city crews have to pick up your slack.

Anonymous said...

Anon 8:20 are you for real? Have you even read the claims above or are you just content believing what Randy and Bob print. The fire department has exposed 10 years of corruption and mismanagement, which has resulted in the resignation of almost all of City hall. It is borderline criminal how poorly this has been managed and I pray the fire department holds their feet to the fire takes them to court. Only then well we finally get to the bottom of how bad it really is. 10:1 odds the city cuts the bloated police budget and blames that on the fire department as well. Why you ask? Because it's easier to place blame than accept responsibility

Anonymous said...

8:20

Don't know who owes but I believe the majority of the runs made by the fire trucks are to support EMS calls. I don't think we have that many fires here on an annual basis. I wonder if the actual numbers are available to the public. Not that anything could be changed since they seem to write their own rules. Because we are a class 4 city we have a fire protection district. Glad we don't have a police protection district. Oh wait, I think we do.

Anonymous said...

When is the city going to wise up and start spending some money on street improvements. Raytown has the WORST streets in the whole metropolitan area. Suce a disgrace when visitors come to our town and are subjected to roads that are worse than in some of the poorest countys in the state.

Anonymous said...

6:54 There are no funds available to use to repair our city streets. There are hardly funds to do very much at all. Thank Wal-Mart for this and also thank a previous board and mayor that voted the city into this mess.

Anonymous said...

Simple....
This litigation

Anonymous said...

8:20

Why don't you request and have published the number of shifts for the past 12 months that EMS has either not had staffing for any unit or none at all.

Once you get that you can get on knees and give thanks and pray that the Fire Protection District does not miss manage funds like the Board of Alderman nor does it lie to the citizens that they have a serve that in fact is not around as no one wants to work.

Doesn't not having a staff for the two units we are promised mean that the Board of Alderman are putting lives in danger and looking at some wrongful death lawsuits in the future.

Anonymous said...

I am sure there's plenty of blame to go around on the Walmart saga. Walmart being a for profit business entity did what any for profit company might well have done. But lots of people would hate on Walmart even without the 350 store fiasco.
The school district put it to the city big time. All that happening with the blessing of our city leaders.
But the real villain to me is the "developer" who choreographed this whole boondoggle and seems to escape any well deserved criticism and hate.
I think this wheeler dealer is someone or something named Block. Big time real estate players around here who correctly sized up Raytown as an easy mark for a can't miss proposition.

Anonymous said...

Once again it looks like the current council and mayor are trying to clean up the mess left behind by previous administration. Only one left from the Wal-Mart TIF era and agreement is Aziere. I would go out on a limb and say that since none of this group will have to duck and cover for their votes and decisions, they may just very well dig in and hold the Fire District's feet "to the fire". Maybe those 2 new fire trucks shine is off just a bit, but the payments just keep a coming and they want the taxpayers to help pay for them...AGAIN!!!!!

Anonymous said...

On the Walmart deal don't forget former city attorney Joan Graham and former city administrator Curt Wenson. These two really lead the city down a path to distruction.

Anonymous said...

4th Class city has nothing to do with Raytown having a Fire District. Blue Springs, Grain Valley, Raymore, Fort Osage, Parkville and Kearney all have Fire Districts. Based on the past year of playing Wack A Mole at City Hall I for one wouldn't want the City running the Fire Department.

Anonymous said...

If I start a Go Fund me page to encourage the Fire District to take this all the way by helping with the legal bills would anyone support it?

Anonymous said...

One word to describe the acts of the City, Malfeasance.

www.dictionary.com/browse/malfeasance

the performance by a public official of an act that is legally unjustified, harmful, or contrary to law; wrongdoing (used especially of an act in violation of a public trust).

Anonymous said...

Anon 849, they are a fire department the taxpayer has to pay for fire trucks that's how it works. They don't bill you when the respond, so they must rely on taxes. The current board may not have voted for the plan, but atleast half of them failed to ensure the city met the auditing and reporting requirements. At a minimum they should appoint a public committee to investigate how the money was spent as well as hire an auditor to see if anything illegal took place. By doing nothing the current Board is just a guilty as anyone.

Anonymous said...

I wouldn't give a penny to the fire district. Look at your taxes and see the amount of money they get from your taxes. They mismanage money and buy new fire trucks when they don't have the money to pay for it. They wouldn't have to buy new trucks if they didn't run after the ambulances all the time. That's how they put all these miles on the trucks, not fighting fires.

Anonymous said...

Yea and the person(s) responsible for this TIF have been removed by City Hall by either the board of aldermen or the voters (except for Jim Aziere)

Anonymous said...

How many $$$$$ were under the table for the Walmart deal and to whom???????????

Anonymous said...

If I am wrong I would like for someone to correct me. Raytown is 10 square miles and we have a crime analyst, what that tells me is crime is going up. Now they want to hire more personnel to help with the body cams and video they obtain from them. Why doesn't the guy who plays on the computer and puts circles around high crime areas do that job. If it takes 8 hours a day to draw circles that tells me we need more police on the street, and not for 15 minutes a day from each shift. Not more high paid personnel. Looking at the big picture it says Chief Lynch does not know how to manage his employees time or the department.

Anonymous said...

While pointing the finger at the last BOA member who voted for this "Destroying Raytown TIF", we cannot forget the actions of the 2011 BOA, which at this point only includes one other person who helped to light the final match and destroy our city.

Yes, that is Alderman William "Bill" VanBuskirt!

It was 2011 when the BOA gave Block and Co an get out of development card and allowed them to reduce the tax base on the property by the Wellness Center.

It was 2011, as we all now know, that the city decided it didn't have to comply with state laws of paperwork that must be filed for a TIF.

Anymore questions why these two shouldn't be in orange jumpsuits and behind bars.

Anonymous said...

Anon 8:35 you sound like you have a lot of information on the fire district, a lot of false information, but none the less you are full of a lot of it. The fire dist was the only taxing jurisdiction that didn't raise taxes without a vote of the people in 2010 when property values plummeted. The city raised taxes 19% in a secret and unheard of Friday Council Meeting. The Fire District and the Firefighters union worked together, agreeing to take wage reductions, the attrition of staff and obtaining grants to releive the budget of needed equipment purchases. The Fire District absorbed the 19% reduction, because it was the responsible thing to do. Last year the Fire District did purchase 2 trucks, these were the first in 12 years and replace a 18 year old truck that had a cracked frame and a 12 year old truck that was costing more to keep than it was worth. How many people do you know drive a 17 year old car everyday? When is the last time the City got 17 years out of a police car, an ambulance or even a street sweeper for that matter. The trucks that were purchased were obtained using a 10 lease/ purchase by partnering with a local lender and received a rate that was so low it cannot be disclosed. The fire district received an Aa3 credit score from Moody's in 2016 which is 2 levels higher than the City and reduced their tax levy last year after this returning over a million dollars to the taxpayer. The fire district does respond to advanced life support calls and you should be glad they do. Last year the City shut down their ambulance over 150 times last year and called KC 350 times when they didn't have an ambulance. Fact check these statements please. You will find all are accurate and truthful. The next time you want to lob unfounded accusations please do it elsewhere. Signed The RFPD Professional Firefighters

KMCCLA said...

Anonymous@July 13, 2017 at 8:35 AM

First of all it is obvious you have an ax to grid with the Fire department. It is also obvious due too you limited and diminished intellectual capacity you have no idea how the fire service works these days. Let me take you back over 40 years ago with this TV show called Emergency. When it premiered in 1972 there was only 12 or so fire departments -- in the entire nation -- the provided EMS. With in ten years, close too 50-60% of all Americans where with in 5-10 minutes of EMS (today it is perhaps even higher). News flash -- the over whelming runs done by the fire service are that of an EMS nature, with less than 10% being actual fires. As for them "chasing" ambulances, it is a matter of protocol, in case they need help. Just last week my mother fall at home. We called **gasp** the so called "ambulance chasing fire department" (your words and attitude) for lift assist. Guess what -- Raytown EMS (AKA Ambulance) showed up as well. After talking too her, they took her to the hospital. It took four guys from the [KCFD] to lift her onto the gurney. So tell me " Anonymous @July 13, 2017 at 8:35 AM", was it wrong too have them there? As for the new trucks. Again, there is a limited life span fire apparatus, and they need to be replaced. In this case the RFPD got a deal, and paid less than if they got them from somewhere else. Also, as for miles, take a look at the Automatic Aid agreement. It works both ways, if Raytown needs help, the KCFD will be on the way, and vice the versa. Again, last week when my mother fell, it was the KCFD who showed up with the Raytown Ambulance. So next time you need EMS, tell the dispatcher you do not want the "ambulance chasing fire department" to show up (they still will).

Anonymous said...

To anom July 12, 2017 at 9:39 PM

Don't forget EX Mayor Sue-(the city when you don't get your way) Frank was at the reins as well. Between Walmart, her hubby's self interest in PD, and riding city hall's ass for preferred treatment, she has costs the tax payers millions.

This happens when people who are narcissistic are put in a position of power.

Anonymous said...

to anom July 12, 2017 at 4:47 PM

I sat and watched as the city gave millions and millions to the school district and Walmart with no return on investment. The past Finance Director D Estes was suppose to manage the tax payer's money. Oh he managed it alright. Manage to give it all away. What plain and simple stupidity is accepted because of somebody's job title. It is professional misconduct and Estes, Winson and the Ex mayor frank should be held liable.

Anonymous said...

Let me know how AMR Ambulance works out for you. Raytown EMS cant handle the current call load and bringing in the AMR Group will only make it worse. Maybe its time to think about the Fire Department. I mean seems to me that with all the other Fire Departments that run EMS makes me wonder why its not already in the fire district.???? hmmm oh yea Bower,Wenson,Sue Frank Matt Cushman Charlotte Melson Doug Jonesi and Tom Taylor..and correct me if I am wrong I think Fire District Board Member Barb Schlapia was a no vote long time ago when she served the city?

Anonymous said...

To 10:36 A.M. You sound like an overgrown cry baby. I worked the polls one year and heard what the older citizens of this city were told by your professional firefighters. If we don't get this passed we may not be able save your house if you should have a fire or need us for a life saving situation. I call that bullying.

Anonymous said...

The city needs to give the ambulance service to the fire district. The ambulance service cannot keep up because they pay them $10 an hour and the turnover is extremely high. The fire district can substitute staff on the ambulance when needed. The ambulance service has bare bones staffing.

Anonymous said...

Hello my fellow peeps--

The Raytown Citizen's Police Academy is coming up next month! It is going to be informative and fun.

If you have "concerns" about how YOUR police dept works, I hope you will consider signing up. You may come away with a different perspective on the RPD after attending this program.

It is FREE. Classes will be held at the library on Wed nights. Hope to see you there.

Anonymous said...

And still I think that our EMS should be separate from the fire dept.

Anonymous said...

Considering Raytown Fire hasn't had a ballot issue in almost 12 years I find your statement highly unlikely. But I have heard and read similar statements from the City during the Public Safety tax campaign.

Anonymous said...

Don't worry when AMR is responding from 24 and Sterling when your family needs them it will be

Anonymous said...

When I worked for EMS and the fire department was trying to take us over, Jim Aziere came to the station to tell us how valued we were and how much he appreciated us. That was the last and only time we ever saw him. Real man of his word, that one.

Anonymous said...

Yea not sure entering into an "agreement" with the Fire Dist in regards to EMS is in the cities best interest.

noun
/a.gree.ment

. A negotiated and typically legally binding arrangement between parties as to a course of action.

Anonymous said...

You obviously don't have a clue what all a crime analyst does or the vast amount of information they can provide police and citizens in fighting crime.

Anonymous said...

It probably was about 12 years ago when the fire department made those statements It was the year Greg Walters ran for mayor against David Bower. And yes it was said. Talk about broken promises yes the police department did say more police on the streets. Now the current says when asked about it he says it was just an election slogan to get it passed.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous 7:18 Or in the Fire Districts

Malfeasance

(Noun)
The performance by a public official of an act that is legally unjustified, harmful, or contrary to law; wrongdoing (used especially of an act in violation of a public trust).

Anonymous said...

I hear ya 7:18 from the sounds of what I am hearing there wont be a Raytown Ambulance before long with AMR coming in a cutting the lowest possible bid the fire department would be better served sitting back and watching the implosion.
The fire Department would be best to wait it out a little while longer and when it folds up then they can bring it back under better management and improve the service.
That would negate the term "agreement"
But thanks for playing

Anonymous said...

I think the first writer pretty much has it figured out. He seems to have more than a clue of what is wrong with a lot of police departments in the metro area today. With all the professionalism being thrown at crime, why does crime continue to go up?

Anonymous said...

Hang on to yourselves, the best is yet to come between the City and the Fire District, absolutely mind numbing the lack of detail and ignorance at city hall STAY TUNED.

Anonymous said...

Because there is more bad guys and a lack of caring by society in general.
If the cops weren't here it would be total anarchy

Anonymous said...

You know things are bad when even Bob Phillips says that it appears the claims the Fire District have been making for the past 2 years are accurate. City hall is running out of places to hide.

Anonymous said...

Why do firemen need to go to EMS calls, anyway? Don't they have trained paramedics already?

Anonymous said...

Did you not see months ago where the City Administrator said there are no plans at this time to contract with AMR because the cost would not be something beneficial to the city.

Anonymous said...

What else could he say, we are working the kinks out of a plan to outsource 15 jobs to AMR? Lord, everyone would have been gone before the ink dried on the statement. Next time you see an EMS employee at the store stop and ask them what they have heard from people they know at AMR, it's not this large of a community.