Pay Increases Proposed for Chief of Police and Municipal Judge
An ordinance increasing the annual salaries of the Chief of Police and Municipal Judge had its first reading at last Tuesday’s meeting of the Raytown Board of Aldermen. The increases would be effective after the April 7th municipal election for the next four year term of each office.
The current office holders for the two seats, Chief of Police Jim Lynch and Municipal Judge Traci Fann are unopposed in their bids for re-election.
How Much?
The Municipal Judge currently draws a salary of $24,407.78 annually. The proposed ordinance sets the new salary $25,628.17. The Municipal Judge is a part time position.
According to a report from the city staff entitled “Compensation History of the Marshal (Chief of Police)”; the Chief of Police currently draws a salary of $86,821.88 annually. The proposed ordinance sets the new salary incrementally over a four-year period. The total salary at the end of four years will be $96,742.87. The Chief of Police is a full time job.
The breakdown of the pay increases for Municipal Judge and Chief of Police are as follows:
MUNICIPAL JUDGE:
Current Annual Salary................$24,407.78
Proposed Annual Salary..............$25,628.17
Percentage increase over four years.........5%
CHIEF OF POLICE:
Current Annual Salary.................$86,821.88
Proposed Annual Salary*..............$96,742.87
*Increased incrementally at 5% the first year, 2% years 2, 3, and 4.
Percentage increase over four years..........9%
Fireworks Ordinance Passes
The Board of Aldermen approved a new Fireworks Ordinance at its March 3, 2009 meeting. The changes in the ordinance were two fold.
SHOOTING OF FIREWORKS: The ordinance allows the shooting of fireworks on the Fourth of July until 11:00 p.m. at night.
SALE OF FIREWORKS: The ordinance allows the sale of fireworks for a seven day period prior to the Fourth of July. It requires a license (with a limit of ten licenses in any given year) to be administered by the Raytown Fire District.
Licenses to sell fireworks are available only to non-profit organizations based in Raytown. The ordinance also restricts the sale of fireworks to areas that are commercially or industrially zoned.
Need for Reform in Elected Salary Increase Rules
The pay increase packages proposed for the Municipal Judge and Chief of Police throw a glaring spotlight on how salaries are increased at City Hall for elected official.
On the 11th day, at the 11th hour, the Board of Aldermen will increase the salaries for the two positions. Waiting until after the filing deadline to raise salaries for elected officials, be they Aldermen, Municipal Judge, Chief of Police or City Collector smacks of elitism. It has the appearance of an attempt to sneak in a pay increase before the new Board of Aldermen is sworn in.
City attorney Nancy Thompson was quick to tell the Board that the ordinances enabling the pay increases after a filing deadline were valid under Missouri State Law.
That may be true – but it is also irrelevant.
It is not a question of legality. It is a question of fairness and even-handed treatment of all those who run for election in the City of Raytown. Pay increases for four year terms of office should be considered at least six months before they take effect.
In short, Raytown should set a higher standard when it comes to increasing pay of elected officials.
Good and Bad news . . .
According to figures released by the County Executive’s office in Jackson County, Missouri, the City of Raytown has been the hardest hit in the area by falling property values. The drop in property values will have a negative effect on the amount of money for any entity collecting property tax in Raytown.
The numbers were based on property evaluations made in Jackson County for next year’s property taxes. The county used the geographic areas of the school districts to make their comparison. Coming in a close second behind the Raytown area was the Hickman Mills School District.
And the good news is that Raytown will be receiving $378,061 for street improvements due to the national incentive programs coming out of Washington, DC. Combined with money already budgeted for road improvements now exceeds the 1 million dollar mark.
The Raytown Police Department is also in line to receive approximately $40,000.00 of the incentive money for use in public safety.
Comments
Please double check on our good old chief of police. The info on his salary sounds correct, but I believe he also get some other set amount that is only around $5,000 or $10,000 anually for being head of emergency services committe or some silly thing like that.
This raises more questions as to whether or not the sales tax increase is warranted.
I'm not saying we shouldn't support our police department and EMS services, but it appears we might be able to raise that money by reallocating existing funds versus generating new ones.
I would like to see the BOA, not an external study, conduct a meeting examining the budget line-by-line and look for areas to trim some fat.
If following this public meeting it is determined we still need the sales tax, put it on the November ballot. It seems it might receive a more unanimous city backing if we know all measures to avoid a tax increase have been taken.
Can you help clarify a few things:
1st - Will the county automatically re-evaluate and reset our property value or do we need to call them for this?
2nd - Are city employee merit increases (especially the Chief of Police & p/t Judge) based upon a Pay for Performance or is it always a set amount per year?
3rd - How do these salaries compare to other 4th Class cities?
3rd - How does this process work, i.e. who presents the pay increases for the BOA to approve is it a sub-committee or the city manager?
At a first glance, this seems out of line especially in today's economic situation. All of my raises are based upon performance and this year the company I work for has decided to forgo all merit, bonus & adjustments.
As for my property value, I knew several years ago that it was over inflated. Just hope the County decides to re-adjust the value to what it currently should be.
Thanks,
Justin Tomac
I was connecting the issues of the salary increase and the sales tax increase. I recognize that the city at-large does not vote on pay raises, but we are voting on the sales tax increase next month. To me, these go hand-in-hand.
If a government comes to its people asking for a tax increase, this should mean there is no better alternative to generating the necessary funds.
By proposing a 9% salary increase for a city employee, it sends out a signal to me that this tax increase may not be a last resort.
That is why I think they should delay the vote of the tax increase until November so the BOA/city has time to look over the books and see if funds can be reallocated from other unsuccessful or duplicated programs. If somebody stands up in September and makes a convincing, well-researched statement there is no alternative to a tax hike, I feel the city at-large is more likely to get behind it. Using this blog as an indicator, we are not there yet. Likewise, there is a niche of believers that feel the series of appropriations bill passing through congress will put the country in a situation to turn the corner in a positive direction by the end of this year. I am not sure if that will happen, but if supporters of that mode of reason are correct, it would present a much better time to vote on a tax increase than 4 weeks after the release of the new property value appraisals
As for the BOA voting on salary increases, I would hope they vote no. It sends the wrong message to the city at a time when we can ill-afford to send wrong messages.
All-in-all, I think we are on the same page.
Andy Whiteman
I think they focused on Wards 4 and 5 this past weekend. At least that is where I have received confirmation of the propaganda being passed out.
I have received two different copies of this miss lead endeavor and the city web site has a 3rd version. Although much of it is the same, I get concerned when bit and pieces changes as it makes me believe they are just selling about of lies.
One of the pieces doesn’t even have the required disclosure of who paid for the thing. This was nothing cheep to produce multi-color slick paper that was folded 3 times. I got mine up at the McDonalds on 350 where some one had left a stack. There is indication of city hall or the police doing this as it suggest calling a Randy with the police department if you have any questions. What else should we expect from those at city hall they already believe they are above the law?
I know I can not wait to see him and thank him for all the hard work he has done. I like most of you don’t plan to sell my home any time soon so I welcome the decrease tax assessments and the lower tax bill we will see this fall.
David I just wish you would have shared this master plan with all of us so people would stop picking at you. Do you know how much lower we need to drop so that our entire city can be park of a state “Enterprise Zone”? I for one can not wait for those additional tax savings. At that time, will Mr. Knabe be offering any lectures at city hall on how to apply for these exiting tax breaks? He sure seems to know how to find those tax breaks to bad he didn’t run this time he might have found us a lot of grant and / or stimulus money.
I hope that everyone’s picking on you doesn’t discourage you from running again as I am sure we have only began to see the good things you have planed for all of us. It is nice to know we have good citizens always “Reaching for Tomorrow” that help to deliver strong candidates like you.
It seems to me that KCMO is making a sensible statement on priorities by reneging on the stadium support to save $2 million toward the PD's $10-12 million deficit. HOWEVER, the PD is not a sacred cow either. Especially here since we now know there is a grant of $40,000 coming from OUR federal taxes, and since the BOA thinks a 9% raise is appropriate for the city marshall and since there are NO BUDGET CUTS planned at City Hall. (Just services as usual.)
How come there are so many sacred cows here and so few Hindus?
Bhagwan Yesucan
CHIEF OF POLICE COMPENSATION:
The Chief of Police receives his annual salary (currently $86,821.88) per year, a city vehicle/maintenance and fuel, and an $80 a month cell phone allowance. Health, dental and/or life insurance benefits.
The following answers are to Justin Tomac's questions:
1st - Will the county automatically re-evaluate and reset our property value or do we need to call them for this?
The County re-evaluates property values every two years. If you wish, you may appeal the decision.
2nd - Are city employee merit increases (especially the Chief of Police & p/t Judge) based upon a Pay for Performance or is it always a set amount per year?
Depends on the administration in charge.
The Municipal Judge has not receive a pay increase in many years. The Chief of Police has received 5% increases for the past four years. The Board of Aldermen has not had increase in 12 years.
It is the BOA's perogative as to how much and when raises are given.
3rd - How do these salaries compare to other 4th Class cities?
A comparison of other cities can be obtained from the Mid-America Regional Council.
3rd - How does this process work, i.e. who presents the pay increases for the BOA to approve is it a sub-committee or the city manager?
These two pay increas packages were sponsored by the Elected Official Compensation Committee. According to the minutes of those meetings, three of the five members were in attendance when the recommendation was made.
Ultimately, the BOA has the final say on the matter.
I would assume that these raises could not be tabled until the new board takes office as the elctions might change who gets a raise if any.
One thing Greg your time stamps are off. DST is in effect.
Now Mr. Whiteman. I am sorry to hear that they did not give you a flyer. I think all of you should get it. If you are anything like me. When reading a computer screen i just feel like i will miss something when scrolling. So i read the flyer. Guess what? I did not miss anything. It is still cut and dry. Plain and simple. So i am still rediculously baffled by all of you who cannot figure it out. What is not too get. Of course now there is Mr. Thode and is math skills. tell me Mr. Thode, how is $40,000.00 from the government stimulus and the 9%pay increase hat you wanna take away from the City Marshall going to give us the $1,100,000.00 that the Public Safety Sales tax will give us? I don't have to have PHd in Math to figure that your math is off. Way off. So rethink your figures please.
Seriously where do you come up with some of your stuff. The research is there and it was done perfectly. Have you read the purposal? It is all right there. It was done by the police department and EMS to show what needs they have and why? Simple. I don't know how you cannot figure taht out. Even if there was money in the city's pocket that could go for the police department an EMS instead of something else. There are some people on the BOA, Mr. Walter's included who would never let it go to them. Mr. Walter's has proven time and time again, in his voting as an Alderman, that if there is no oversight by the BOA he would never give the police or EMS money. He is not the only one mind you. Mr. Aziere being another who in is votes makes me assume that he does not think we need public safety. Mr. Walters has only proven to me that if his hand is not in a controlling part of something he is apose to it. Well I think the Police department and EMS are second to non in this Metropolitan area, and if they require money to keep up the good work then let that be that. The only think you are really voting against is your safety. If that is how you want it then fine. That is your 5 votes.
I personally would like to see a new face for Ward 1. I will be voting for Par Due, if only for one thing is would be that. I have not been pleased with Mr. Walters and would welcome new repersentation.
The Hawk
Say it in a civil manner or your message will be deleted. Those of you who are using "bl-nk sp-ts" when spelling certain words are skatingon this ice.
From this point forward any messages using profane language either correctly spelled or as noted above will be deleted.
Take this as a fair warning. Keep your message clean or it will not be allowed to stay on the page.
How much money has to be spent in order to raise the $1.1 Million that the PD wants or claims in its flyer?
Is this number realistic in this economy?
Not only as one other bloger pointed out that you are unable to spell, but you no common sense.
First you are buying this tax proposal hook, line and sinker. However the individual who you are critical of is correct. Please follow up on Campaign Finance Disclosure Law Section 130.031 of the Missouri Statues. Item number 8 should clear up that a disclosure is required.
Anon 11:00 and anyone else receiving one of the flyers with out the “paid for by disclosure” should contact Missouri Ethics Commission. They are the ones that are charged with enforcement and investigation of violations.
It is said that there are those like Hawk and Friend of Hawk that run their mouths on here, but don’t have the facts. Might I suggest you both just fly back to the Hawkeye State and get an education before spilling more miss leading information, as well as helping to push scare tactics to get unneeded tax measurers passed.
I don’t want to sound as down as you make others feel. Therefore, congratulations on constantly making employee of the month! What else would any of us think from your blinded contrition to this blog? It is good to have followers, but be cautious as people are measured on whom they run with. A free thinker doesn’t have these issues as we are able to check on the facts, research the truth and understand the law.
I just think pushing the vote to the November election makes more sense is all.
Putting off off the elected official's wage increase to the next board is not an option. Nancy Thompson said that any wage change must happen BEFORE the election. I said it should have taken place before the deadline for filing and from what he said I believe Greg agrees with me.
Good Day,
Andy Whiteman
Maybe we could all flood the blog with the violations, so there would be a doubt there is more cleanup to do in the real world then the virtual world.
I think this is important as it plays right in to him already being over paid.
I agree lets work with what we have.
How do we know what we should have? If we do not have something to compare to are we setting our sights too high or low? How do/will we deal with people who use other 4th class cities or cities of similiar size for comparison?
It is often said a good defense is an even better offense, thus we want the info for our back pocket.
Thanks for the discussion,
Justin Tomac
The whack ball mayor of Kansas City finally did something right!
He wants to cut off the 2 million stipend Kansas City gives to our local pro teams each other.
Apparently this custom began more than 30 years ago when the stadiums were originally built. Our then Mayor and County Executive thought it would be a nice gesture of "good faith" to give a couple of billionaires $2 million of city/county tax dollars every year.
From where the Salamander sits it appears we have shown enough good faith.
Funky is right on.
Both owners are among the richest people in America. Neither lives in the area. Why on earth we should subsidize those studies of mediocrity the newspapers call "professional" ballplayers is beyond me.
Way to Go -- Funky!!!
The whack ball mayor of Kansas City finally did something right!
He wants to cut off the 2 million stipend Kansas City gives to our local pro teams each other.
Apparently this custom began more than 30 years ago when the stadiums were originally built. Our then Mayor and County Executive thought it would be a nice gesture of "good faith" to give a couple of billionaires $2 million of city/county tax dollars every year.
From where the Salamander sits it appears we have shown enough good faith.
Funky is right on.
Both owners are among the richest people in America. Neither lives in the area. Why on earth we should subsidize those studies of mediocrity the newspapers call "professional" ballplayers is beyond me.
Way to Go -- Funky!!!
I thought of Mayor Funkhouser as a fruitcake until now. Cutting the stadium funding is the most intelligent thing he has proposed. I have nothing against the teams. I just feel they are for profit and the owner's should assume responsibility. Besides that, one player makes more in a year than all workers in any city department will make in a lifetime!
Good night,
Andy Whiteman
When Bishop was chief of Kansas City, MO, he changed policies that would require even senior officers to spend time out patrolling. Maybe in these tough times it is time to review his approaches. It could be this is the benefit of an appointed chief, but we still live in a fourth class city thanks to those that worked against the last charter like Chief Lynch and former Mayor Frank.
1 - Elected Police Chief
2 - Captain
4 - Lieutenant
6 - Sergeant
5 - Corporal
10 - Detective
28 - Police Officer
We list no reserve officers last year or currently, but yet last year (2007) we spent $41,708 on them. For 2008 we budget $46,120 and it really jumps for 2009 to $71,841. If according to paper we do not have any officers in this category then where is this money going. I understand reserve officers do not receive any type of compensation for the city.
Why did we spend $292,590 on commissioned officer overtime in 2007? If we assume starting salary and benefits for a regular officer to be between $40,000 and $50,000 a year. We could have been able to hire 6 or 7 officers. I realize that you are not going to be able to cut all overtime, so I am guessing the more realistic number to be 4 officers. However, I think we get the point. We don’t need additional taxes to solve the issue of hiring more officers. What we need and deserve is better management.
Again there is no cost to any of us nor a reduce in any other service if we find ways to better spend money the police department already has.
I fear this practice might still be conducted today if not for the current mayor’s family maybe the chief’s Bad practices will keep this voter for supporting an police tax increase for some time especially when supported by Ross.
Besides that OT is needed in this State of Misery just to have enough to live on. Due to extreem heat and cold plus humidity the utilities are outrageous. I had to work one day of overtime each month and it went to pay the gas or electric bill! Base pay doesn't provide enough to live on.
Good Day,
Andy Whiteman
I appreciate your comments, but be realistic. Someone who builds their budget on the assumption they will always have a set amount of overtime are the same individuals who end up in greater debit when the overtime is cut or eliminated. It seems this is the philosophy at city hall.
Yes, you are correct that there are other expenses like benefits that would have to be paid out on additional employees, but if you would take the time to reread my comments on the overtime you would see I have included that in my calculations.
However, please tell me how many companies are and remain successful if they don’t examine their books and decide if additional full time employees (FTEs) would save money. If you or anyone else real believes that we couldn’t hire any FTEs for $292,590 and still come out ahead then it is no wonder our city is in the shape it is in and we keep ending up with the type of leadership we have at city hall.
Greg,
Would you be able to amuse both Andy and myself and disclose what the actual cost with benefits is for a starting patrol officer?
I also would be interested in you father’s thoughts on this being he has ran a successful business for years.
Going after the Chiefs and Royals over a few million dollars is petty.
Lamar Hunt gave so much of himself to this area that we are forever indebted to him.
David Glass has sacrificed endlessly for the people in Kansas City. Look what his Walmart is doing for Raytown.
How can we ever repay either of them?
Property Taxes – a 1.22% decrease – primarily due to flat assessments
and a decrease in County agent fees.
Sales Taxes – a 1.69% decrease – primarily due to flat sales and a final
quarter sales tax reduction due to the 350 Highway TIF coming on line.
Misc. Taxes – an 11.09% decrease – due to our decreasing sales.
Now how do they really thing the sales tax the propose is going to help. Are we sure it is not to make up the money we are lossing thanks to the TIF as well as all the business Wal-mart is driving out of the city?
And to Thankful for Pro Teams..you are kidding, right?
Bush League Teams especially thanks to Glass and the goofball Nashville wannabee before him.
Really I wonder sometimes what the color of the sky is in the world you live.
Look, we can all disagree agreeably but I sometimes think this blog's home base is in Indiana because some of you Hoosiers don't know sic'em from come'here.
I do appreciate the sincere and intelligent comments but there are just too few of them.
This site does prove one thing (as does City Hall's leadership) and that is that Raytown is in the shape it is because there's just not a lot of brain power here.
Unless you have worked in city government (not a part time alderman or mayor), you have no idea what the employees have to deal with. So let's stop acting like the employees at city hall don't know what they are doing. Has anyone on here who has constantly complained about the employees ever told one of them they are doing a good job in person.
Raytown will, in my opinion, need more police officers in the near future. With the new box store about to open, which will bring down property values
even more, with it will come more crime and undesirables, it's a given we will need the protection.
What I don't understand is why? Why didn't our elected officials see this coming?
Everyone else did. Some of us even tried to tell them that the 350 live tax deal wasn't good for this little town. All but one ignored the people. Now they want the taxpayers to pay for their bad decisions. You don't have to be smarter than a fifth grader to
realize if you keep giving away your income it won't take long until you are financially
in trouble. Which is exactly where Raytown is now.
Property values going down. The city asking for more and more tax increases.
No tangible improvements to be seen. It's time for this mutual admiration society to be dismantled and some new people elected.
To "Thankful for Pro Teams....."
I hope you were being sarcastic about what sacrifices the very rich Mr.Glass has made for K.C. And you should have said look what his Wal-Mart is doing "TO"
Raytown instead of "for."
heard one of them whine about their pay. They are good, decent
hard working people that do their jobs for us. As far as I know
they are happy they have their jobs. So let's not guess about what they are feeling or saying. I don't even know if they are up for pay increases
at this time but if they were, I think if anybody deserves a raise it is them the real workers.
The conversation did not take place. I am very up front about where I stand on issues as they come before the BOA.
My first inclination is to remove it from the page. But I think this would only create more outlandish lies, etc., etc.
So, I thought, how do the other posters feel that particular comment and others like it should be handled.
As for OT, of course no business can exist paying out overtime on a consistant basis. I am sure there is a certain amount of OT where it is cheaper to pay OT than hire FTEs.
I notice the employer that told me it was cheaper to pay OT now has ended most of its OT now. Of course this is 30 years later, a different economy, and people using other services than they did then hence less business.
A pervious post stated the numbers of Corporals and Sgts on the Police Force and implied that they are chair warmers. I dispute this. I used to work at a Sheriff's Department and the Cpls and Sgts were on the street the same as an officer. The rank denotes a higher level of responsibility and/or supervisory status. I called the RPD a few years ago, asked for a Sgt and he called me back from his cell while on patrol. He definately was NOT a chair warmer!
As I have previously stated, I agree with Pat that the real city workers, not upper management deserve the raises.
In reply to another poster, there are city workers I have personally thanked for their service. If they have done something out of the ordinary (such as responding for a raccoon or skunk after hours) their supervisor as well as the Mayor received an email from me.
Good Day,
Andy Whiteman
It has been my experience in business that if you use a factor of 1.25 to 1.35 you will cover the entire (Total) cost of the employee. This includes Profit Sharing, Healthcare, 401k match, etc.. A factor of 1.3 x the base salary gives a total cost.
With this in mind if the base is $50k/year, the total cost (without OT) is roughly equivalent to $65k/year. If we spent $292k on OT that would mean for a $50k base salaried employee Raytown could afford 4.5 FTE's or, round down to be conservative, 4 more Police officers.
What is the average base salary for a city worker?
Thanks,
Justin Tomac
This chief is better than any other chief this city has seen. We definitely don't need to go back to the Turnbow or Beeler days. Good police protection costs a lot of money. Look at how low serious crime (what they call persons crime murder, rape and robbery) is in Raytown compared to the areas surrounding Raytown. The chief and all of his people do a great job of protecting Raytown. There is no way to stop all crime because no one has that kind of manpower. Be thankful for the short response time and effort Raytown gets. Talk to some of the Kansas City residents that have to wait for hours for response times.
My point is any major event will require Police overtime. There was a double homicide here a few years ago. I don't know if this used OT but I suspect it did. There was a standoff/suicide shortly after I moved to town that required most of the force. It obviously involved OT!
Raytown has received State grants for special traffic enforcement such as HWY 350. Obviously this involves OT. Since it is state funded, is it counted as OT used by the Police? It would not be proper to count this as a city funded OT expense since it is State funded.
Justin, The average base for a city worker is NOT a living wage. I have seen help wanted ads by the City posted as Legal Notice in the Raytown Post. Last summer they advertised for parks workers and the wage was so low it was laughable if they find anyone willing to work for that pittance. I believe it was around $9.50/hr but was so low and ridiculous that I don't recall the exact figure. I have seen code enforcement advertised at $14 or $14.50/hr. Hopefully these wages have gone up since I saw the ads. The base wages are public record. Anyone can make a Freedom of Information Act request for the city wage tables. They have to provide the wages by job title but obviously wages by employee name is private information and does not have to be furnished.
Good night,
Andy Whiteman
http://www.bnd.com/33...
Sunday, Mar. 08, 2009|
Analysis: Requests rise for audits of governments
By DAVID A. LIEB - Associated Press Writer
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Citizen distrust of government appears to be on the rise in Missouri, based on a surge of audit requests for cities, schools and local governing bodies.
The Missouri auditor's office averaged 14 requests annually to conduct special audits of local governments from 2005 to 2007. Last year, that spiked to 26 audit requests - an 85 percent increase over the norm.
That's "a huge increase, which I think indicates that people are somewhat dissatisfied with what's going on in government," State Auditor Susan Montee recently told a group of media executives, editors and reporters gathered at the Capitol.
The auditor's office routinely audits state agencies, statewide elected officials, some counties and courts.
Residents who think something is amiss can petition the state to audit political subdivisions, such as cities, school districts and water districts. Or citizens can turn to the governor's office, which also has the power to request a state audit of governmental entities.
The threshold to get a petition audit varies according to the population of an area.
For example, a jurisdiction where fewer than 1,000 people voted in the last gubernatorial election needs signatures from 25 percent of registered voters. A jurisdiction with more than 50,000 people who voted in the last gubernatorial election would need the greater of 5,000 signatures or 5 percent the votes cast.
So the citizens of Quitman, population 46 in rural northwest Missouri, needed just nine signatures when they petitioned in late 2007 for an audit. They turned in 16 valid signatures.
The residents of St. Joseph, population about 74,000, needed and submitted more than 3,212 signatures for an audit of their city government.
Both of those audits were completed in January. None of the 26 audits requested in 2008 are complete yet.
But Montee says nearly all have something in common.
"We always find Sunshine (Law) violations in these areas," Montee said in an interview with The Associated Press. "It's a common thread: If you're not being open in your little city and people don't know what's going on, they will think you're doing something wrong."
In many cases, Montee said, it boils down to simple things, such as failing to post meeting agendas or balking at public requests for copies of meeting minutes and government memos.
The audit of tiny Quitman, for example, found that its meeting minutes were not sufficiently detailed and there was no evidence it held public hearings on proposed tax rates or that the tax rates were formally approved by the board. The audit said Quitman also lacked a budget for its fiscal year that ended in April 2008.
When open-government violations spur citizens to petition her office, the ensuing audits find other notable problems in about half the cases, Montee said.
A lobbyist for cities also connected the Sunshine Law to the increasing number of citizen-requested audits of local governments. But Gary Markenson, the executive director of the Missouri Municipal League, doubts there's actually an increase in open-government violations or any greater distrust of local government.
Markenson said he believes increased attention to the Sunshine Law by the media and various Internet sites has led residents with grievances to more frequently organize against city officials. He calls Sunshine Law requests and audits the latest "offense tools and weapons against city governments."
"Cities are so intimately involved in your daily lives with rules an regulations - you can't park here, you can't have too many dogs - and that angers people and they retaliate," Markenson said.
Montee attributes part of the public's increased attention to open-government issues and audits to the lengthy 2008 presidential campaign, in which government accountability became an issue.
When citizens petition for a state audit, it is the governmental entity being audited that must pay for it, not the petitioners or the state.
The auditor's office estimates the audit of Quitman to cost $4,000 to $8,000, an amount about equal to the town's entire cash balance in its general fund and road fund. The St. Joseph audit is estimated to cost $60,000 to $80,000. An ongoing audit of the city of St. Louis could cost around $1 million, Montee said.
In that regard, the audits sometimes can be ironic. Citizens concerned about waste, fraud or abuse of government resources can end up costing their governments more money. But sometimes, the audits are the best way to shed light on problems.
"The procedure is out there so that a grass-roots effort can be made to have someone come in and look at the way government is operating," Montee said.
5.5% pay increases for every city employee. A 9% pay increase for the cheif of police. Another 5% for the judge.
Sure doesn't seem like they are hurting too badly to me.
My job has bee cut back to no overtime and no raise this year. My neighbor lost his job. To make matters worse, my property value hss been decreased by the county.
I usually support tax increases. But not this time.
there are suckers in town that will vote for the tax increases and believe everything
City Hall tells them, RRFT, New Kids, The Chamber.
Just as the elected officials that vote to give away tax income
and spend the street overlay money on other things, expect the suckers to vote them in for another four years of bad service to the people. It's like we stand in line for a swat in the billfold and then say, thank you elected official, may I have another?
Sad but that maybe true.
Raytown does need changes of elected officials but do I think it will happen?
I truly hope it will but, with low voter turn out, I fear things will never change for Raytown until it's too late and Raytown can't be fixed.
This tax increase is a troubling one. On one hand I know we will need more police officers by the end of Summer when the big box opens on 350hwy.
But, with the economy being as it is making us pay more for already too expensive goods may be asking too much at this time.
The Post listed a six city list of decline in total property values in area school districts.
Raytown was the hardest hit. Now we have to ask ourselves what is causing this decline?
Let's see what's new in town? What have our elected officials let happen to this town?
Why are there so many houses up for sale? Why are so many businesses leaving town?
Maybe the voters need to think about this before they pull the switch in April.
It could be the cost of the audit does not justify the benefits. I wonder if funds are mishandled, can they be recovered either by criminal or civil prosecution of those involved?
When will the assessment notices be mailed out? Are they waiting for protest from the taxing entities? I already received my assessment from NM, protested, and the assessment was lowered.
I hope there is a big turn out for the April election. Hopefully voters will be angered enough to VOTE.
I may be weird, but I like lower assessments because that means less taxes. Property taxes here are outrageous!
Good Day,
Andy Whiteman
I doubt anyone in office would request an audit. Rick Theod is a CPA and said that if elected he would conduct his own audit of the school district.
Some one needs to get the petition started. I think there will be plenty of signers. I will sign both!
It should be SOP to have an audit when there is a change of administration (especially the Finance Director) just as a CYA for the new person because it is pretty difficult to follow something back over 30 years!
********
Whose fault is the declining population and lower property values in Raytown? Part of the fault MAY be poor government, but I think a big part is the economy and subprime loans. Take a look at this article:
Why Suburban Life, as You Know It, May Be Over
http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/106732/Suburbia-R-I-P
I have been here 9 years. If I had it to do over again today, I would look at the property taxes. They are so outrageous with close to 75% going to the Dysfunctional School District. I can sure understand why people don't want to buy homes or open businesses in Raytown. If I had to do it again, I wouldn't buy a home in Raytown but I sure will emphasize RAYTOWN SCHOOLS when I sell.
Good evening,
Andy Whiteman
I know how they work at the 6608 building cause I am a school district employee!
I definately think audits of both governments are in order, but who will start the petitions? This has been a topic for a long time. I think someone should get the petitions going. Both petitions could be circulated at the same time.
Red Dogg says it is bed time for her.
Good night,
Andy Whiteman
If the board then fails to act on his findings, it makes those individuals look bad. I think he has ability to be a reformer on a board that hates reformer which is exactly what we need.
First thing they need to learn is that there are no sacred cows.
Anon 9:40 AM & 7:18 PM, The post has new owners. I have noticed a change. We don't know what the real circulation is. There is no public count of the online version. I prefer a paper copy, but a friend emailed me a recent online article.
The old Post used to address election issues the issue before the election. Why should the new owners take a stand on anything this early? By election time most people will forget what was published. It is better to publish at a time that the issues will be fresh in peoples minds.
Good evening,
Andy Whiteman
It's got new owners but, sad to say, it's contents is the same as it has always been. You won't be reading anything about
bad decisions and mistakes made by city officials.
The Post could publish inept actions as news without editorial comment to get around taking a stand if they wanted to.
Pat since you don't attend BOA meetings, I will tell you the BOA now has a press table! Raytown has come out of the dark ages, but at the last meeting, I saw only one reporter there. I guess Raytown doesn't merit coverage by the Red Star, TV stations, or radio stations. If something big comes up, they will probably be here. I am glad the table is there even if only one reporter is there. We know who is reporting on Raytown.
Good evening,
Andy Whiteman
Here's what I'm tired of reading or hearing.
I'm tired of people writing on this post that accuse me of things
I never do! I have never been foul mouthed! I try to respect
others rights. If I have a problem with someone, I at least have the
intestinal fortitude to sign my name!
Read this very closely, I own property in Raytown! I pay Raytown taxes!
I collect sales tax for Raytown! That gives me just as much right
to voice my point of view as anyone else.
If you have a problem with me or what I write at least have the guts to try and find facts. Quit making up things to say about me and sign your post! I'm sixty one years old, do you think I'm going to come after you?
If I did it would be with the truth, unlike yourself.
You can be critical of Mr. Lynch for a lot, but one thing that the police department has done is get cut and cut and cut over the years, and even he has instituted some good consolidation of administration, and created a more economical schedule for coverage. You cannot predict overtime in public safety, and all departments have to justify their budgets both at the begining and the end... You would be hard pressed to find waste. You just can't mix numbers around to come up with this funding. You take from one, another department suffers... When you cut the budget, you cut services... And oddly, we are in a time when all of the City Services are well performing and underfunded. The City has done more with less for years... Lets move on and for once agree that we need this. You can not like people and continue to pick on them in all sorts of fun ways for you... but lets remember who we are really hurting. Oddly it just might be ourselves...
I believe in Public Safety and will surely be glad to pay for it!