RAYTOWN'S LEADING NEWS SOURCE

 
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BY GREG WALTERS

Charter Notes . . .

I was surprised to read in Randy Battagler’s Raytown Times that his is the only paper to carry any news about the Raytown Charter Commission. Battagler knows better. Anyone who reads the Raytown Report on a regular basis knows the meetings have been reported and commented on since the Commission was formed last April.

In his Reflections column, Randy also announced that he is opposed to the proposed Charter. He bases his opposition on the decision by ten of the thirteen Commissione to require the City Administrator to live in Raytown. Randy wrote he would support the charter if the Commission were to change that one rule. This is not a surprise. Readers will remember that Battagler was opposed to forming the Charter Commission in the first place.

So why is Randy Battagler and the powers that be at City Hall so upset about the Charter?

The residency rule is not new. It has been in the Raytown Code of Ordinances for over 14 years. All of the City Administrators employed by the City of Raytown have been required to live within the city limits. All of them, with the exception of the current Administrator, have done so.

The last three City Councils ignored the residency requirement in their own Code of Ordinances. They did this by writing contracts around the law to specifically nullify the residency requirement.

Under a Charter form of government these type of political word games will come to an end. That is because the Charter can only be changed through a direct vote of the people of Raytown.

So there you have it. The Charter empowers the people of Raytown.

There are those at City Hall who do not want the people to be empowered.

You will hear from them between now and the April 8^th City Election. They will nit-pick and whine. They will say they want a Charter but for this “one rule” keeps them from voting for it.

Balderdash! In reality they are trying to hold on to what some have come to believe to be their private fiefdom at City Hall.

There are nearly three months between now and April 7^th City Election. Use this time to learn all you can about the Charter. Then, on election day, go cast your vote based on an informed decision.
USE THIS LINK TO VIEW A COPY OF THE CHARTER

Paul’s Rant!

Last Tuesday the Board of Aldermen met. The meeting had some fireworks when Ward 2 Alderman Jason Greene asked that Board to grant the Raytown Charter Commission permission to use the City’s logo (to print on) the Raytown Charter when it is printed and distributed to the public.

Since it was not on the agenda, the Board had to vote to approve discussion of the item.

Believe it or not, Ward 1 Alderman Joe Creamer actually voted against allowing any discussion to take place!

The Board then had a healthy discussion. The end result was the Board voting down the request because it (the Charter) was not brought by the City but by the people.

Sounds like some pretty twisted logic to me. The people are the City of Raytown. Without them there would not be a City Hall or, for that matter a Board of Aldermen.

I’ll let my weekly report tell the story in the Board’s own words. Spoiler alert . . . the Board did not put themselves in a very good light last Tuesday.

A Little Professionalism Please

Last week I wrote about the problem with the sound system at City Hall. After watching the last meeting it became very clear. Part of the problem is the people speaking.

At last Tuesday’s meeting there were a number of people who spoke in Public Comments at the beginning of the meeting. I’d love to tell you what these private citizens had to say to the Board of Aldermen. Unfortunately, the microphone was turned off. Need I say more?

City Clerk Teresa Henry gave (what I am told) a detailed history of the city logo used in Raytown. She may have given a good speech, but neither I nor anyone else watching on television will ever know because her microphone was turned off!

The microphone at the City Staff table is constantly cutting out during meetings. All of this is happening in the wake of over $30,000 in improvements to Council Chambers at City Hall.

Friday night the Charter Commission held its first public hearing on the Charter. Greg tells me the front door was blocked open with a rock because someone forgot to turn off the electronic locks at City Hall.

Microphones that do not work . . . people who refuse to use microphones when they do work . . . using a rock to hold open a door so the public can attend the meeting.
Come on guys, fix these irksome problems. Raytowners deserve better from their leaders. These lapses is attention are the types of things that demean a community and hurt its image. They are not hard to fix – so fix them – a little professionalism, please!

BY PAUL LIVIUS

The Paul Livius Report  

The Invocation was given by Pat Jackson. 

The Board approved a resolution authorizing the purchase of four 2015 Ford police utility interceptors from Dick Smith Ford.  Chief Lynch told the Board the Police and Public Works Departments annually evaluate the Vehicle Replacement program to determine which vehicles are reaching the end of their life cycles.  This year 4 marked patrol vehicles are due to complete their service based on mileage, age, and projected maintenance costs.  Dick Smith Ford participated in the Mid America Council of Public Procurement (MACPP) bid process and was awarded the bid contract for PI Utility Vehicles.  The staff recommended that the City Purchase 4 Police Utility Interceptors from Dick Smith Ford at a unit cost of $27,679.00.  The total cost will be $110,716.00.

The Board heard the first reading of an ordinance to grant a conditional use permit subject to operate an event space at 10028 East 63rd Street.  Nathan Prather, on behalf of Siatta Investments, is seeking approval of a conditional use permit application for operation of an event space / banquet hall at 10028 East 63rd Street in downtown Raytown.

The proposed conditional use would allow persons or organizations to rent the property for special events such as weddings, bridal showers, graduation parties, birthday parties, super bowl parties, wedding anniversaries, youth dances, dance lessons, school fund raisers, community meetings, and other types of gatherings.
  
Alderman Greene asked about security for the middle-school age children.  He was told there would be adults and security on the premises at all times.

The Board heard the first and second reading of an ordinance granting a conditional use permit to operate a financial institution at 9480 Highway 350.  They then passed the ordinance.

Russ Ehnen on behalf of Raytown Square Center is seeking approval of a conditional use permit application to allow a financial services business to operate at 9480 Highway 350.  The financial services business is Springleaf Financial Services of Indiana and is currently located in the Center 63 Shopping Center on Raytown Trafficway.  If the conditional use permit application is approved Springleaf Financial will move from their current location and occupy 1,400 square feet in a portion of the former Hallmark Cards store in the Raytown Square Shopping Center.

Stacey Lintzenich, with Springleaf Financial, requested a suspension of the rules and asked for a second reading.  She explained their time line to get moved into the new space is closing in very soon.  Their current lease expires January 31, 2015. They prefer to get moved into the new space before the end of January to avoid any holdover rent at the current space.

The Board heard the first reading of an ordinance adding Article XVII to Chapter 10 of the code of ordinances for the purpose of defining smoke and tobacco stores and limiting their occurrence in the At the request of the Board of Aldermen City staff has developed an amendment to the City of Raytown Code of Ordinances regulating smoke and tobacco shops within the City.

The amendment proposes regulating smoke and tobacco shops through the creation of Article XVII in Chapter 10 of the Raytown Code of Ordinances.  The amendment defines “Smoke and tobacco shops” and “tobacco paraphernalia” and limits the sale of tobacco paraphernalia to exclusively smoke and tobacco shops as defined in the ordinance.Article XVII proposes to define “smoke and tobacco shops” as retail stores that sell tobacco and tobacco paraphernalia comprising 70% or more of their total sales.  Article XVII would additionally define “tobacco paraphernalia” as items used for the packaging or consumption of tobacco or other plant products.  Such items include pipes, water pipes, bongs, and hookahs.  See the attached ordinance for the full list and the official definitions.  Department stores that have tobacco departments would be exempt from the definition of “smoke and tobacco shops”.  The amendment further proposes to limit the number of smoke and tobacco shops in the City limits based upon the following population limits.Smoke and tobacco shops would be limited in Raytown to one store per 5,000 residents.  The location of smoke and tobacco shops is also proposed to be regulated as follows:
 

• Smoke and tobacco shops would also be restricted from operating within 2,640 feet of the boundary of the City, 2,640 feet of any other property on which another smoke and tobacco shop is located, and 500 feet of any property legally used as a public park, school, church, or residence.  
• Enforcement of the regulations would occur through the City’s annual Business Licensing Process, which would require a business stating that they are a smoke or tobacco shop to provide information showing that the sale of tobacco and tobacco paraphernalia products comprise 70% or more of their total sales.  
• If a business meets this standard then they would be allowed to sell tobacco paraphernalia.  Any business that sells tobacco products that do not comprise 70% or more would be allowed to sell tobacco products but would not be allowed to sell tobacco paraphernalia. 

Alderman Jason Greene made a motion to grant permission to the Charter Commission to use a city logo on the Charter Document.

The Board voted 9 to 1 to consider the motion. Alderman Joe Creamer cast the  only “no” vote.

Greene told the Board the Charter Commission was requesting permission to use the “Man and Anvil” logo on the Charter document when it is presented to the public.

Alderman Van Buskirk said it would be inappropriate to allow the logo use.  In the past, the charter commission was initiated by the city.  This time, it was initiated by a petition effort of the residents.  The city was forced by the State to have the commission.  If the Board allows the commission to use the logo, it would imply the city endorses the charter, which is not true.  If the charter commission had come from the city, it would be different. 

Alderman Josh Greene said the city should be consistent.  If the logo has been used in the past, it should be used now. * 

Alderman Lightfoot said the charter commission didn’t come from the city, and the city won’t endorse the charter.
  
Mayor Bower said the residents only voted to have a charter commission.  The city does not endorse the charter. 

Alderman Greene said . . . “I do not see how you differentiate between city hall and the community. I thought we were the same. More than 70% of the voters approved the formation of the Charter Commission. We should honor their decision.” 
*Previous charter attempts have all incorporated the city logo in documents.

HOW THEY VOTED:
Should the Charter Commission use a city logo on the proposed Charter Document?
VOTING YES:           
Jason Greene, Janet Emerson, Josh Greene
VOTING NO:            
Jim Aziere, Joe Creamer, Steve Mock, Bill Van Buskirk, Charlotte Melson, Michael Lightfoot

BY KRISTEN

FIT BOTTOMED EATS

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Smoothie Guide

Smoothies just might be the world’s most perfect food, in my opinion (although, admittedly, I’m slightly biased). Aside from being easy to make and drink (not to mention delicious), a smoothie is a fantastic way to pack in a lot — I mean, a lot — of nutrition without all that much effort. A banana, some almonds, chia seeds, protein powder, coconut water and a handful or two of kale is a serious powerhouse breakfast, but it’s still totally manageable first thing in the morning. READ MORE

List of Candidates Grows

The list of candidates for City, School Board and Fire District has grown since the New Year began. Filing closes for all offices next Tuesday, January 20th at 5:00 p.m.

RAYTOWN CITY OFFICES FOUR YEAR TERM

Mayor

Pat Ertz

Michael McDonough

Alderman Ward I  
Joe Creamer
Karen Black
Greg Walters
Alderman Ward 2 
Jim Aziere  
Chris Rathbone
Steve Guenther

Alderman Ward 3

Lisa Emerson
Mark Moore
Ryan Myers
Alderman Ward 4

Mary Jane VanBuskirk
Steve Meyers
Alderman Ward 5

Barry Park
Eric Teeman

City Collector

Kathie Schutte

RAYTOWN SCHOOL BOARD THREE YEAR TERM

Kristie Lynn Collins-Delarber

Amy Beth Tittle

RAYTOWN FIRE BOARD SIX YEAR TERM

Richard Tush

Willard Ross

  
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