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| BY GREG WALTERS |
This Week’s
Raytown Report
We have turned over
our lead editorial spot to Mayor Protem Ryan Myers in this week’s edition of
the Raytown Report. Mr. Myers believes he has a way to re-build Raytown’s infrastructure
of neighborhood streets. His plan is to make use of General Obligation Bonds
(GO Bonds) to finance the plan.
It is a plan that has
some merit. We urge you to take the time to read over Myers proposal.
Other News This Week . . .
Raytown’s City
Marshal/Chief of Police Jim Lynch has not made any official announcement . . . but we have been told by people close to
Mr. Lynch he has giving serious thought to not running for re-election when his
term expires.
One of those sources
shared with us this past week that Lynch had officially terminated his
re-election campaign committee with the Missouri Ethics Commission. The
Missouri Ethics Commission (MEC) is where candidate financial reports are
published for public viewing.
In fact, Lynch did
terminate his campaign committee . . . in May of 2017.
It is our position that Raytown find a
Chief of Police whom, like Mr. Lynch, is a member of our community, has
connections here, and is not an outsider who simply seeks to use our town as a stepping
stone in their career.
We are certain there are good
candidates either within our men in blue or within our community to answer the
call to serve.
The end of this story
can be written by only one man. That man is Jim Lynch. If his intention is to
retire early, he should, for the sake of a smooth transition, make a public
announcement to settle the question.
Other Publications
Report . . .
The following story is re-printed from National Review magazine:
The following story is re-printed from National Review magazine:
“There is nothing nastier
than a mob. One showed up at the home of Fox news host Tucker Carlson one night
while only his wife was home. The mob chanted, “We know where you sleep.” They also
kicked his door.
Those people were from
Antifa, which styles itself anti-fascist. They behave exactly like fascists –
and more to the point of law enforcement, as criminals.”
Anyone who knows the history
of the awakening of Nazi Germany in the 1930’s can see the parallels. Such
behavior should not be condoned or ignored. The story does not say if anyone
was arrested or prosecuted. If not, they should have.
Should Raytown “GO”
For New Infrastructure?
By Ryan Myers, Ward 3
Alderman, City of Raytown
This topic went over
like a lead balloon to several members of the Board.Alderman Meyers, Alderman
Greene, and Alderman Moore all expressed their skepticism and criticized my
idea. But to the remainder of the Board, the idea of a General Obligation (GO)
Bond seemed to be an alluring case to argue.
Since our board
meeting, I have been approached by multiple citizens requesting more
information concerning my GO Bond presentation. Several local media publishers
also reached out to me, asking if I would like a non-confrontational platform
to better explain my idea and why I believe this is a viable avenue for the
Raytown community to take. So let’s get started, shall we?
What
is a GO Bond?
AGO Bond is a
financing vehicle used by tax-levying authorities (e.g.
the City, Fire District, School District, etc.) Similar to a home equity line
of credit (HELOC) on a house (I’ll get to payments later), the taxing entity
leverages its equity to improve its own property. In Raytown’s case, this means
newstreet improvements, including storm sewers, and new street lights. Some local
examples of GO Bond achievements include:
·
The new Raytown South High School football stadium (2015)
·
School District general renovations (roofs, facades, security
upgrades, IT, etc.) (2014-present)
·
Raytown Fire Station(s) remodel (2004)
·
KC Pet Project facility (2018)
These above examples
are a small percentage of metro-wide GO Bond projects that improve our quality
of life. By this point, I’m sure you are asking who pays for it and what the
catch is.
How
GO Bonds Work
To make this easy I have
oversimplified and broken the GO Bond mechanism down into steps:
1.
The governing body (City, Fire, Parks, etc.) vote to add a bond
measure to an election.
2.
Voters either approve or turn down the bond measure. It must
pass by a 2/3 or 4/7 majority, depending on when the election is held.
3.
The bond amounts are put together by a brokerage firm and put
to market. Investors buy the bonds which generate the revenue to pay for only
the improvements listed in the voter-approved ballot.Interest rates are
fixed. Bond payments are paid through a temporary increase in property
taxes.
4.
The taxing entity receives the bonds and deposits them into a
segregated account. The bond monies are spent on only the ballot items approved
by voters.
5.
The projects are completed and the bonds are paid off for a
set amount of years. Once paid off, property taxes are lowered to their
original level.
Wait, this Sounds like a TIF. Is this a TIF?
No, Nope, Not even
close. While a TIF and GO Bonds are both debt vehicles, a TIF carries
significantly higher risk to the city. The revenue generated by TIF goes
directly into the pocket of the developer. GO Bond revenue goes back directly
into our community in the form of new infrastructure. TIF funds are generated by
sales tax and overall property value increases (PILOTS and EATS). The risk
assumed is dependent on whether enough sales tax revenue is generated to pay
the developer. With GO Bonds, the revenue stream to pay the note is [nearly]
guaranteed, as it is paid by a temporary tax levy increase to the taxpayers.
Once the debt is paid, property taxes go back down.
A
Local Example
I put together a few
scenarios to test the waters with local voters. Keep in mind at the ballot box
that the bond can only be spent on what the voters specify; nothing else. As
seen in the table below, this includes a $15 million, $30 million, and $50
million GO Bond scenario:
As you can see above:
Option
#1 is a $15 million bond, which could repave half of the roads in Raytown.As you can see above:
·
Option
#2 is a $30 million bond, which could repave ALL of the roads in
Raytown.
·
Option
#3 is a $50 million bond, which could repave ALL of the roads in Raytown
and make significant storm sewer upgrades.
and make significant storm sewer upgrades.
Not to sound like
Sarah McLachlan, but for less than $22 a month we can transform Raytown’s
dilapidated roads, sewers, and/or streetlights into the pride of the metro area.
Some
Final Thoughts
Raytown’s
infrastructure is crumbling at an exponential rate that the city can no longer
keep up with. The Raytown School District and Raytown Fire Protection District
already utilize GO Bonds, which have been proven to be beneficial in sustaining
their investment in our community. Additionally, the city recently received a
downgraded credit rating from Standard & Poor’s. On Page 5 of the rationale
distributed by S&P Global regarding Raytown’s credit downgrade, it
specifically notes that a lack of new GO debt was a contributor in the credit rating
downgrade.
The above examples
are a prime case of, while not optimal, taking on taxpayer-backed debt could
help dig Raytown out of its downward infrastructure spiral and improve the
city’s credit rating. This will also help Raytown’s citizens regain trust in the
elected officials at City Hall and move our city forward.
Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the
overall view of the Raytown Board of Aldermen nor the City of Raytown and are
considered the independent opinion of the author.
News Release
For Immediate Release
Mike McDonough Announces Bid
for
Re-Election as Mayor of Raytown
Mike McDonough announced today, his intention to run for re-election for Mayor of the City of Raytown.
Re-Election as Mayor of Raytown
Mike McDonough announced today, his intention to run for re-election for Mayor of the City of Raytown.
The election will
be held April 2nd, 2019. Mayor McDonough
is dedicated to continuing to work at fostering a culture of cooperation within
the City of Raytown. He is committed to continue
working alongside citizens and businesses to meet important community goals.
For decades, Mike has served the public, his own neighbors, with integrity and
dedication, in both public safety and local charity service, and is committed
to our community's progress.
Mike, a nearly life-long Raytown resident, has achieved many
accomplishments throughout his personal and professional life. He has been honored by the Truman Heartland
Foundation in 2014 as Raytown’s Outstanding Citizen of the Year. The award recognized Mike for using his skills, abilities, and position to promote
the wellbeing of his community and the people that live in it. The award lauded
Mike for his workhelping to improve and enrich the communities of Eastern
Jackson County.
Mike donates time to many charitable organizations and serves on
the Board of Directors for Raytown Emergency Assistance Program (REAP,) the
Raytown Police Benefit Fund, Raytown Rotary Member, Raytown Masonic Lodge
Member, Shriner at the Ararat Shrine, and Raytown Kiwanis club.
He remains
involved with the school district in many ways as he recognizes them as an
important piece in what makes this a great community. He was also involved at
Southwood Elementary School for seven years in the Youth Friends Program and
has been involved in other programs in the Raytown community. He is also an
active member of the Raytown Chamber of Commerce and the Raytown Main Street
Association.
His other accomplishments include working with youth in Scouting, coaching
youth sports, and assisting other organizations with fundraising events and
efforts. He has twice received the Police
Officer of the Year Award from local service organizations, a Lifesaving Award
from the Metropolitan Chiefs and Sheriffs Association, the James Schneider
Award from the Raytown Fire Protection District, the Life Saving Star from
Raytown Emergency Medical Services, as well as several Quality Contribution
Certificates from the Raytown C-2 School District.
Mayor McDonough continues to work with staff and elected officials
to improve operations ofRaytown city government. He has shown his can-do
attitude by spearheading a movementtobring long-delayed butimportant projects
forward to get them completed. Those projects include:
·
The downtown streetscape;
·
The 59thStreet pedestrian sidewalk
from Woodson to Raytown Central Middle School (making walking to school and the
downtown Raytown area safer) and further extending into the downtown area;
·
Replacement of the 83rdStreet bridge.Mayor
McDonough used his seat on the Total Transportation Policy Committee to make
this $1.57 million project more affordable by leading the effort for a $600,000
grant.
·
Mayor McDonough led a collaborative effort of a
diverse group of elected officials and staff to facilitate refinancing of the Tax
Increment Financing (TIF) area around Walmart, Scooters, IHOP, Freddy’s, Ace
Hardware and NAPA Auto Parts, resulting in an expected savings of over $2
million by decreasing the cost and term of the original TIF.
·
Mike was also instrumental in forming the
Raytown Live committee to fund and host free community concerts all summer in
the downtown area of Raytown, funded entirely by sponsor advertising.
Promises
made and promises kept. Mayor Mike looks forward to continuing his service to
the citizens of Raytown by leading the City of Raytown with a spirit of
progress and looking to the future to take advantage of the Rock Island
Corridor Trail coming through Raytown and the renewed interest in our downtown
area that has caused.
Mayor McDonough has lived in Raytown for the past 55 years. He grew up in Raytown, attended Raytown
schools and graduated from Raytown South High School in 1973. He enjoys living
in Raytown because of the great people that live there and the great sense of
community. Mayor McDonough said, “The people are so giving and helpful to one
another, and like me, are proud of this community. Although this town is
surrounded by Kansas City, it has continued to keep its small-town feel.”
He had served as a police officer for the Raytown Police Department
since 1975. Prior to that, he worked for a year in the City Street
Department. His passion has been, and
will continue to be, the community of Raytown. He looks forward to continuing
his service to the citizens of the City of Raytown. He has been serving his community
for the last 44years.
It is that dedication and commitment to the Raytown community that
has led Mike McDonough to decide to run for re-election to the office of Mayor
of the City of Raytown.Mayor Mike would be honored to receive your vote on
Election Day, April 2nd, 2019.
Email: mcdonough01@comcast.net
45 comments:
$5280 over 20 years. So, if people wouldn't pass the gasoline tax what makes anyone think that another tax levy proposal is going to pass this time in this conservative no taxation climate? Even if it is spelled out that the funds are only used for the roads, I doubt that it flies.
GO bonds look like a feasible alternative for infrastructure needs. I hope this will be explored.
Several current PD folks would be good Chief candidates, and not just "management", but some Sgts would be as well.
A committee is forming to "rebrand" Raytown. How does one get info on being part of that committee? Will they have regular folks on it?
At least it would not be a bond we will pay for the rest of our lives unlike the tax initiatives proposed to us in April. Alderman Meyers. Green and Moore you are not right about everything. I do believe the GO bonds would be a good fit for our city. Thank you Ryan for looking and thinking out side of the box. Keep up the good work.
Lynch not running again would be the best Christmas present ever. Oh Santa let it be true!!!
"The above examples are a prime case of, while not optimal, taking on taxpayer-backed debt could help dig Raytown out of its downward infrastructure spiral and improve the city’s credit rating. This will also help Raytown’s citizens regain trust in the elected officials at City Hall and move our city forward."
Well there you have it.
Is Ryan young, inexperienced? Absolutely. But it's obvious that he has a formal education, a modicum of business experience and most importantly, INITIATIVE. Qualities that a couple of the more vocal members of this council appear to lack entirely.
We're betting that Ryan has the "structure" to ramp up and execute.
And that he's aware of his lack of civic experience and therefore would reach out to and be INCLUSIVE of absolutely anyone with experience and advice.
INCLUSIVITY.
Ryan IS very young. It's inevitable that he would spur new enthusiasm in this town and perhaps incite a few dormant young professionals in this town to get at it, IOHO.
It's entirely possible that the current admin as well as several of the council are so incredibly, habitually repulsive in word and deed that they've induced continuous anathema in the most educated and qualified members of this community.
We think that we'd have a leg up with Ryan.
Ryan's degree of industry and PERSISTENCE is nothing but admirable.
We think that Ryan should run for Mayor.
"Theres only one person who can take on the mayor and win. Ryan Meyers is not it. This person needs to put away their doubt and run. You know who you are and you know who I am. Put away the self doubt and run!" We hope you're not talking about the town crier. He's so full of it, his eyes are brown.
Inquiring minds want to know...give us a couple hints, please. :-)
"Theres only one person who can take on the mayor and win. Ryan Meyers is not it."
Please qualify this.
If Lynch is not running again this would be a good time for the Board of Alderman to put forward to the voters as allowed by state law to change the position to appointed.
6:46 pm
I'm pretty sure they're talking about the gentleman with the initials "T J".
Why the concern over Chief Lynch running again? His term does not expire until 2021.
"If Lynch is not running again this would be a good time for the Board of Alderman to put forward to the voters as allowed by state law to change the position to appointed."
Totally agree. If we've learned anything at all, budget and expenditure need to be maintained by our elected officials with input from the city manager and Marshal, while Marshal is operations manager, again with the oversight of the City.
The last several years were a disaster in the making that eventually caught up to us.
I don't think he's running. I certainly wouldn't if I was him. I haven't done the research he has, but from what I hear the city is heading for bankruptcy or annex. I wouldn't want to waste my time if I was him.
"Theres only one person who can take on the mayor and win. Ryan Meyers is not it."
We wholeheartedly disagree. As far as the current office holder is concerned, come April that "titan" is fixin' to take a tumblin' at the polls.
Given the events of the last year alone, what self-respecting incumbent wouldn't step aside?
May the house cleaning commence.
I think there is more to the Jim Lynch story than is being told. I also agree it is Lynch who should be doing the telling. As for Ryan Myers. Judging from the posts I have read on this page it is very clear there are some in this town who act like they are terrified he will run. Somebody should. Any incumbent at city hall and that includes the Mayor should be concerned. They have collectively wasted two years at city hall. People are clearly fed up with the leadership at city hall. They want a change.
I’d be surprised if he doesn’t retire early, the audit will put him out of office, maybe into a jumpsuit! And now you can take the pension away too, risky business staying in if his buddy and cohort Mikey doesn’t get in.
May they go down together.
Wait one second. All these anonymous post probably written by the same 2 or 3 people calling out smart citizens against the board and the mayor. Look at who does it on facebook. Out of town sussie accuses others of working with people out of town with no proof. ______ can’t pay her bills but has time to talk about others finances. ______ has been here about a year but complains about people not being lifelong residents. ______ thinks he knows history and led a great tax campaign that almost no one wanted and now tries to tell the park board how to raise their taxes. Aldermen that are nameless here but use the exact same words as an anonymous poster. And finally, the mayor. How he post here (who would toot his horn like that?).
If I didn't know better after reading Mayor Mickeys press release I would be lead to believe that he could walk on water. It sounds good but in fact he has done nothing, but give Raytown a bad name and throw the BOA under the bus when it came to cutting the police budget. I will give him one thing he certainly knows how to toot his own horn. I could not and will not vote for him again.
Went back over the GO Bond presentation by Alderman Ryan Myers at the Nov 13 Council meeting. While it appeared it was hastily put together and Myers quickly found out that present commitments to the Fire District would prevent any competing tax levy ballot issues till August 2019, it was a different approach to dealing with the bulging and glaring road infrastructure costs. I am confused though after reading Alderman Ryan Myers guest editorial on this blog where he calls out Alderman Greene, Steve Meyers, and Moore. Unlike Alderman Meyers and Moore who both heartily spoke against the GO Bond idea at that point, Alderman Greene did not make one single comment in the entire presentation. I would strongly caution Alderman Myers going forward to not present false information and rather attempt to gain board consensus on any tax iniative possibly being presented to the citizens. This GO Bond type ballot measure will require a 2/3 majority approval vote and any fracture created by naive gamesmanship will send that tax increase vote spiraling downward just as the previous message sent by the voter base did last August.
I have always thought IF your were a great or even good mayor or alderman you didn't have to brag about yourself. So stop trying to toot your own horn and convince people you are something you are not. People will see for themselves what you have or haven't done. Truth is mayor a lot of your so called accomplishments didn't get done because of you, it was BOA who got it done. Had they voted no it wouldn't have happened. Stop trying to portray yourself as the great mayor of Raytown when in fact you are not even a mediocre mayor. If I am wrong, Mr. Mayor respond and tell me why I am wrong.
"Theres only one person who can take on the mayor and win."
That's the most farcical, laughable remark that I've read all day. Pure fantasy.
Am I the only one that's disillusioned, embarrassed, exhausted by the events of the last few years?
On what planet would it be acceptable to re-elect some of these people for FOUR MORE LONG years?
Look where apathy has gotten us.
Examine closely what will be opportunistically sliding back into office....because apparently no one else wants the "job".
Viable candidates need to establish their presence RIGHT NOW and GET TO WORK.
I will laugh out loud when the mayor is re-elected and the city wastes $75,000 on an audit to show no wrong doing, but rather a backward thinking of some citizens that the city can function on 2018 and beyond in a 1980’s based tax-rate paid to the city.
Do you mean Jason Greene is for a bond package to repair our streets? I hope you are right, but i caution against jumping on the Greene bandwagon any time, any where. He has a tendency to jump from issue to issue, often taking contradictory positions.
Maybe Mr. Greene will write a note to this page clearing the air on a bond issue for better streets. Here is his chance to step up and take a strong stand. He should take advantage of it.
If Ryan Meyers is all you got, you should be disillusioned!
"If Ryan Meyers is all you got, you should be disillusioned!"
You're not helping, Mikey.
I like surprises. I think it would be interesting to see last filing day who's in it. I think it's a bad idea to run 4 people against mike. There's a lot of people in this town that only know he likes children and nothing more.
Good guy, sure. Good mayor? Heck no. Let's not get too caught up in that. Who is going to be in the open seats? Who will fill the gaps of the elected officials fleeing after one term?
Some of these people I've heard say they were running for aldermen are worse than Mikey being mayor, as hard as that is to believe.
I wish the city was only taking 1980s dollars out of my hide! They just doubled fees and hiked rates.
You notice he only had a couple things listed, even though he's been there for years. Ha!
Ryan and hunt ran on keeping to police in check. He failed to do it his first year, and they just dessimated the PD this past year, then they want and axed the EMS. I wouldn't dream of running if I was as timid as he, especially with that history.
Maybe he'll run for alderman or even collector instead!
You aren't invited, cool kids only. Yet another exclusive insiders only deal.
My suggestion; RAYTOWN, get your liquor and dollar store items here! Stop by one of our 30 bars while your out, we don't have the cops to pull you over for DUI!
Please tell me everyone else has noticed Mike isn't asking for more police or rather more officers, just more money.
Did you notice how he put his badge down at the meeting? The woman police officer didn't know anything about what was being presented he had to keep answering the questions for her. Yep he's not a cop anymore, and deffinatley not looking after his largest donor (the chief). Sometimes you just got to pay to play.
Where does anyone get off on constantly repeating the lie that taxes in rate are the same rate as in the 1980's?? I just paid my electric and gas bills. The city is getting 8% in the form of a franchise bill. Sure it is the same percentage rate, but the cost of electricty and natural gas has gone through the roof since then. I bought dog tags for my pet last July. They have doubled the tax on pets.
Whoever wrote that earlier blog must be living in a cave somewhere.
"Where does anyone get off on constantly repeating the lie that taxes in rate are the same rate as in the 1980's??...must be living in a cave somewhere."
Remember that triple tax thing some months back that went down in a resounding, spectacular rolling ball o' flames?
Probs one of the eight folks that voted for that thing.
Exhale the bad, breathe in the good. Relax, release. It's time to move on from the "eighties".
Safe to assume anyone reading this blog has internet access. So just Google "real estate tax rates, by state". You will see that the highest rates are around 1.9%. The lowest are less than .5%.
My house here in Raytown would most likely sell for around $115,000 and that's based on the recent run up in real estate values we have all seen. That number is pretty close to what Jackson County says it is worth.
So I just got my tax bill for this year and it is $2100. That figures to 1.8%. The tax rate search says the median tax rate for Missouri is 0.91%, meaning the rate here in Raytown is about twice what it should be.
I hate to see our roads and bridges crumble, I don't want to reduce needed services, I want our civil servants to be paid well enough to live a good life but something's got to give.
I sometimes feel like I am an economic "host" to a group of non-Raytowners who come here to earn their paychecks but live where their real estate taxes don't support Raytown and are likely lower.
Those include my accountant, lawyer, dentist, many teachers, police and fire employees, other city employees, donut shop proprietors and so forth. The list is long. The most glaring example would , of course, be our departed city administrator who defiantly refused to move here and was given a big salary bump as a reward.
Oh yeah, I can hear it now. We ARE Raytowners. We love the city and would gladly live here if there was a better choice for housing.
Well, sad to say, they are pretty much justified with that complaint. High taxes, crummy streets, dangerous neighborhoods, under preforming schools, etc.
Raytown... a decent place to earn a living but would you live there??
Newsflash!! If we Raytown citizens have a choice it will not be for higher real estate taxes.
And, one final thought for my rant. I wish all posters to this blog would say if they are Raytown residents or not. Yes, I am.
That’s right folks. Newsflash! It costs money to live. Most fees were raised to market rates for the greater metro. Which means Raytown fees were too low for too long and are now in line with other communities.
New flash! If you are upset about sewer rates going up, then stop pooping you cheap people! Maybe you like dysentery but I am going to pay my fees and not complain one word.
A franchise fee is nothing new and every City has them.
Anonymous Anonymous said...
Please tell me everyone else has noticed Mike isn't asking for more police or rather more officers, just more money.
Did you notice how he put his badge down at the meeting? The woman police officer didn't know anything about what was being presented he had to keep answering the questions for her. Yep he's not a cop anymore, and deffinatley not looking after his largest donor (the chief). Sometimes you just got to pay to play.
December 5, 2018 at 12:59 AM
I think I watched the same tape and I did not see what you saw, different rose colored glasses I guess.
If you want to live cheaply, Missouri has an abundance of poor counties you can live in. You can have a voluntary fire and ambulance, lifeflight that will cost you $10,000 grand for each use. And a sheriffs department that will take 45 minutes to get to you. You can have septic and no storm drains. No animal control, you take care of that yourself if you know what I mean. Gravel roads, flooding roads and craptastic bridges. Sorry, you can’t have that lifestyle in Raytown.
Get a grip people - the antifas actually kicked someone's door. Meanwhile we have trump fanatics sending mail bombs & actually killing people. You cannot demand that the other side must lay down & take whatever you dish out. Sauce for the goose....
No, you do not have to move to the Ozarks and live like a hill-billy to get lower real estate taxes. An example from Independence will show you that.
I did a 2 minute search on the Jackson County website to find a house similar to mine.
Market value: 116,000 2018 Taxes: 1,776 Tax Rate %1.5
So for my house the taxes in Independence would be 115,000 X .015 = 1725 or 2100-1725
That's $$375 less
That's what I am talking about neighbor. Our real estate taxes here are very high.
Be PROUD Raytown. The Downtown Lighting Ceremony Friday evening was heavily attended by young and old. The kids singing Christmas Carols were were outstanding as always as was the Raytown Community Band providing seasonal music for all the families attending the post lighting celebration enjoying all the treats and warm cider as well as Santa at the Water Dept Office. Big kudos to the Main Street Association Association and all the folks who always come together to provide an outstanding festive celebration to kick off the Holiday Season Raytown Style for our community residents!
Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas Raytown!
Steve Meyers,
Alderman Ward 4
MayorMike for Police Chief!
"MayorMike for Police Chief!"
We cannot imagine a more dismal scenario.
Might as well put this town on ice and call it done.
8:47 AM, I have been telling people since approximately the year 2001 that the property taxes are too high! The problem is the Dysfunctional School District consuming 69% of the taxes! In my opinion, they city property taxes are very low and I have wondered how the city could function on such a low tax base? The problem is people vote to raise the school taxes not realizing that they have to pay for the tax increase!!!!
Andy Whiteman
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