RAYTOWN'S LEADING NEWS SOURCE
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OTHER NEWS SOURCES DISCUSS . . .
Colman-Livengood Park
From the THE PITCH magazine
At 15 acres, Colman-Livengood Park in Raytown
is not one of the largest parks in the metro. But what it lacks in size it
makes up for in activity. The shelters are usually booked on weekends in the
warm-weather months. Teenagers play pickup games on the basketball court. A
senior softball league uses the ball diamond from April to October. The state
of Missouri and the United States Tennis Association awarded grants enabling
the parks department to renovate and reopen tennis courts that had
deteriorated. A trail cuts across the rolling land. READ MORE
KCTV broadcast the following story on October 19th
New citizens group questions
behavior at Raytown City Hall
Posted: Oct 19, 2016 2:27 PM CST Updated: Oct
19, 2016 5:50 PM CST
By Chris Oberholtz, Digital Content Manager / By Natalie Davis, Anchor/Reporter
As area communities prepare to elect
politicians into office, some Raytown citizens are critiquing their current
city leadership, and they’re not being quiet about it. (KCTV5)
A new citizens group has serious concerns about
government spending and worries a former mayor may still be pulling some
strings.
As area communities prepare to elect
politicians into office, some Raytown citizens are critiquing their current
city leadership, and they’re not being quiet about
it. READ MORE
- - - Breaking News - - -
Alderman Josh Greene Resigns Seat
Ward One Alderman Josh Greene announced at tonight’s Board of Aldermen
meeting that he was resigning his seat on the Board effective at the end of the
meeting. Sources close to Greene say he has career opportunity in a city outside
of the metropolitan area.
Greene’s resignation creates a second vacancy on the Raytown Board of
Aldermen. The other vacant position is the Ward Five seat. The late Alderman
Steve Mock held that seat on the Board until his untimely death earlier this
year.
Vote
“YES” on Constitutional Amendment Number 4
The
Raytown Report is recommending a YES vote on Constitutional Amendment Number
4. The amendment protects services, generally referred to as “labor
costs” from being taxed with a sales tax. Missouri currently does not tax labor
related items with a sales tax.
WHAT
KINDS OF SERVICES WOULD AMENDMENT 4 KEEP TAX FREE?Amendment 4 is designed to prohibit the state from creating a new sales tax on services that Missourians use every day. Here are just a few examples of the services it would continue to protect:
FAMILY SERVICES: Day care, rent, health care, self-defense instruction and tutoring.
PERSONAL SERVICES: Haircuts, manicures, tattoos, dry cleaning, car repairs and funerals.
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES: Banking, accounting, advertising, technical installations, and real estate.
HEALTH CARE SERVICES: Physicians, surgeons, nurses, physical therapists, dentists, eye doctors and counselors.
HOME SERVICES: Construction, plumbing, lawn care, heating and air conditioning, installations and repairs, appraisals and inspections.
HOW REAL IS THE THREAT OF A SALES TAX ON SERVICES?
New sales taxes on services have been proposed in the last seven sessions of the Missouri General Assembly. Just this year, Missouri’s neighboring states of Oklahoma and Illinois have discussed taxing services. Other states, such as North Carolina and Washington State, have started imposing new sales taxes on services this year. The threat is real because politicians often share bad ideas, and a sales tax on services is a bad idea for Missouri consumers.
WHAT WOULD BE THE AMENDMENT’S FINANCIAL IMPACT ON GOVERNMENT?
Missouri does not currently impose a broad sales tax on services. Because Amendment 4 would protect Missouri from imposing future sales taxes on services, there would not be any financial impact on governments because they do not now collect such a tax. Amendment 4 is revenue-neutral. A constitutional amendment adds certainty that future Missouri politicians and bureaucrats cannot simply change or interpret the law to allow sales taxes on services.
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT NUMBER 4 is a win/win issue for voters. It does not affect current state revenues, so services will not be cut because of its passage. It also protects Missourians from an unfair and inflationary sales tax increase in the future.
 |
| BY GREG WALTERS |
the Raytown Times
Randy Battagler went on quite a rant in his column “Randy’s Reflections” last week. He accused past and current members of the Raytown Board of Aldermen of lying to the public over a topic very near and dear to his heart, a residency requirement for the City Administrator.
For the record, the Board of Aldermen re-affirmed the residency requirement. They also added language to the requirement which allowed for them to set the requirement aside. This is something previous Board of Aldermen did not do. They simply ignored the law as written. The price many of them paid is apparent. Only one member of the Board of Aldermen remains who was opposed to the requirement in the first place. That person is Ward 2 Alderman Jim Aziere.
Battagler paints with a very broad brush when he writes with about the residency requirement, he is especially harsh when he denounces all past supporters of the residency requirement as liars.
His favorite target is the Charter Commission and its effort to upgrade Raytown’s form of government two years ago.
I will say one thing for Randy. He has proven to be a one trick pony when it comes to this issue.
I had a seat on the Charter Commission. So, I feel somewhat qualified to write, as Alfred Emanuel "Al" Smith [Governor of New York and Democratic Presidential candidate in 1928] was famous for saying, "Let's look at the record."
First, let’s be very clear on the 2015 Charter issue. Randy Battagler was opposed to it from the beginning. He editorialized and urged a “no” vote to forming the Charter Commission. Once it was formed, he relentlessly attacked the Charter Commission on a weekly basis.
Battagler wrote the reason the Charter Commission was formed was to oust then City Administrator Mahesh Sharma. He also claimed the supporters of the Charter were lying about a promise Mahesh Sharma made when he promised to move to Raytown within three years of his appointment. The promise was made in a closed door session of the City Council. Sharma had asked that the requirement be waived so his daughter could finish high school and graduate with her class. I attended the meeting. The Board voted nine to one to meet Sharma’s requirement to hire him.
Three years came and went. Sharma stayed on in the position. He did not move to Raytown as promised. I will leave it to the reader to determine who was lying.
Speaking of closed sessions, Battagler writes of Sharma being “accosted by several of the aldermen during a closed session”.
I wonder who Randy’s source was . . . closed sessions are closed for a reason. It would appear someone in attendance has been playing fast and loose with the rules and laws governing closed sessions.
As for Mahesh Sharma and his legacy in Raytown, Paul Livius wrote a clear opinion last week in the Raytown Report about Sharma’s so-called professionalism and expertise in managing people.
Paul wrote . . .
“. . .
the fact is the change in the ordinance from 300’ to 100’ was brought about
because one of Mahesh Sharma’s department heads, Brenda Gustafson, incorrectly
approved by-the-drink liquor license to a restaurant directly across the street
from Raytown High School in direct violation of city ordinances.
This
happened under Sharma’s watch. It was his responsibility to over-see the day to
day operation of the city. In this instance, his failure was complete. That
failure on Sharma’s part kicked open the door to those who will do anything in
the name of raising more tax revenue.”
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Comments
Andy Whiteman
I helped my daughter move this weekend. She works at KU Med at Stateline and 39th. Based on what she paid for her house, I'm thinking the home prices are just about double what they are here for the same type house. It's a nice little town and she is right around the corner from Joe's... some still call it Oklahoma Joe's, anyway some pretty good eatin.
So I was a bit surprised to see in this upper middle class neighborhood a .......
Walmart Neighborhood Grocery. Did not see piles of winos hangin out by the dumpsters behind the store or hooded gangs waiting to pounce on unsuspecting passerby. In fact I did not see any empty storefronts anywhere nearby where they had run some local out of business.
Just a nice clean grocery store doing a pretty good business. I'm guessing the city of Roeland Park is loving the sales tax revenue. But maybe not. In any case, it is a nice grocery serving the locals who can actually WALK to the store.
One of the few streets in Raytown with sidewalks is Blue Ridge Blvd.
A grocery store on the greenspace (in the recently saved downtown Raytown) would have allowed many of us to actually walk to the grocery store.... wouldn't that be something? Anyway maybe we can get a dog park there... that would be getting some beneficial use from the greenspace.
Have a nice week Raytowners, And remember to vote YES on 4 next month.
R. N.
And, Betty... you made some interesting comments. IMHO, that is.
And thanks for your kind words. I will tell you that I enjoy very much having a place where we Raytowners can come and say what's on our minds. I don't enjoy the personal attacks and obviously I don't always agree with what others may say but I try not to get into debates on here.
Mr. Walters provides us and Raytown with an important outlet and I appreciate it very much. I tend to think that we the residents, homeowners and taxpayers are the major stakeholders but all should be welcome to speak up as long as it's something new now and then and not the same old "axe to grind" regurgitation.
As to whether it makes a difference or not? Well, last year I made a few posts on here regarding how our family dog was set upon by a run away pit bull and how when I called the Raytown police I was told that animal control was off duty on the weekends and nothing could be done... so sorry!
So, fast forward a year and guess what? The policy on loose dangerous animals is now that the city will respond on the weekend. So maybe just maybe what we do talk about on here finds its way to those who can affect policy.
Anyway, I appreciate your thoughts, Martha, and have a nice day.
R. N.
It is true that many people spoke up loud and clear in their opposition to the Walmart Grocery Store. Some did not want such a large footprint dominating the Downtown Raytown streetscape. Other simply did not like Walmart. There were others who suggested the city and Walmart re-locate one block to the west to vacant property at 63rd and Raytown Trafficway.
At the end of day, it was Walmart who turned down the deal.
Don't be angry at people for expressing through their First Amendment rights the ability to speak up.
By the way. Here are the names of a "few" more streets in Raytown that have sidewalks. Raytown Road and Raytown Trafficway, from the city's northern city limits to its southern city limits. Blue Ridge Cutoff, 87th Street, 59th Street, 63rd Street (all the way across the city, east to west). Nearly all of the Southwood Subdivision. Gregory Boulevard from the west city limits to its terminus at Raytown Road.
I am sure I missed a few. The point is, Raytown is not a bad place to live. Why don't you lighten up and find some good in our town instead of picking at what you perceive to be faults in the city?
Sounds to me like he has an axe to grind!
Then again, Bob lives about 100 miles from here and still writes a column as if he still lives in the area.
The "red" building at the corner of Raytown Traffic way and 59th St has added another red car to the pile of cars on jacks to work on or "part" out! Are we running a salvage yard at that business?
Codes department, do your job! Mr. Mayor have you noticed this mess?
Yeah, thanks goodness the good ol boy system is alive and well at city hall. keep raising those taxes in the mean time.
We will remember when the city comes begging for more money for "public Safety," better roads, parks and storm water.
What a Joke
From MO Route 2, in Chilhowee to just beyond Route 52 in Windsor is open, with gates and trail heads at Chilhowee and Leeton. In the areas, where there had been a bridge that had been removed, and the line filled in, ramps now bring the trail up to level and cross the road. On paved roads, and highways, crosswalks and signs warn of a trail crossing. The trail is almost done, and should be open in late December.
I got my renewal information from my Medicare Part D provider recently and over the weekend dug into it and found out they had changed the copay on a Tier 4 med I take to 50% from 25%. Wow! yearly costs jump over $1200 on that one pill.
Anyway, I went online to WWW.medicare.gov/part-d and did some shopping around. I am going to enroll in a Walmart/Humana plan that saves me over $500 from what I paid last year for the same meds... not to mention avoiding the extreme price increase on my Tier 4 pill.
When you go to the website, you will enter the prescriptions you take and then where you live and they find the available plans and do a cost comparison for you and pick out the top 5 or so for you to consider. You can even do the enrollment on the website. As I understand it, when you enroll in a new plan, you will automatically be unenrolled form your current plan.... at the end of the year, that is.
So, take the time and do the comparisons. I am sorry I did not last year. There's absolutely no reason, none, to stay with the same part d provider.... there's no loyalty rewards... they can and will jack up prices on you, often without any notice, so get educated and save yourself some money.
BTW.... you younger Raytowners should check with your older relatives and even neighbors to see if they can save some money... chances are good they can save plenty.
Y'all have a nice day,
R. N. , loving life near downtown Raytown, MO
Yea then Joey boy and Randy the Rag wouldnt be allowed to step foot in.
Just watched the meeting, it seems we have a board that is willing to fight for real change and accountability and an old guard trying to shift blame on existing problems from years ago onto them. Kudos to this board and mayor, with the exception of the hypocritical Jim Azeire.
Last year while on a walk, my dog was set upon by the neighbors loose pit bull and I luckily was able to quickly straddle him and get him by the collar which I am sure saved my dogs life. My call to 911 was answered almost word for word just as was yours. I thought the city had changed their policy on such calls but I see that has not changed.
Now get ready for all the pit bull apologists. It's the owners not the dogs and while that may be true, it's ultimately the dogs who can go crazy and do great harm.
Glad no one was hurt.
R. N.
Oh, and just so you know, there is an ordinance on the books prohibiting "dangerous animals". If you can prove that dog attacked you or your children or your dog, you can demand the city confiscate the dog.
I am happy to to read about the improvements in Raytown that you posted!
The previous Mayor asked about my helmet and was aware that I wore it for medical reasons. Any comments he may have made to the Wildwood HOA regarding my helmet and/or disability were in violation of the American's with Disabilities Act! If someone would have called that to my attention while I was still there, both the City and he personally could have been fined and subject to a civil lawsuit. He said that he was my friend. With friends like that, I don't need enemies!
Is the current BOA going to do something about the useless chip and seal that is a nuisance and safety hazard? One of my neighbors had respiratory issues and I think the dust created by it may have contributed to her demise. I brought this up at the BOA but it fell on deaf ears except for Alderman Aziere who asked who it was.
Honestly, from what I am reading here, I wonder if many of the writers have their facts straight?
Andy Whiteman
The real problem is the police not responding. The other problem is that the city will not find a simple solution, like working shortened shifts at city hall during the week so they are available on the weekend when most dangerous animal calls are made.
Andy Whiteman