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Tuesday
is Election Day
PLEASE
REMEMBER TO VOTE!
 |
| BY GREG WALTERS |
A number of years
ago, a business partner of mine and I were brainstorming over how to increase the
election turnout during a crucial election. Naturally, we were mainly interested
in the candidates for whom we had been working. Our thought was that a larger
turn out at the polls would be to our candidate’s benefit.
After a couple of beers
we came up with the following:
“If you are considering
whether or not to vote in Tuesday’s election, remember, half of the people on
earth can only dream about casting a vote”.
At the time, there was
still an Iron Curtain across Europe. Perhaps the message was better suited for
then than it is now. But, it still drives home the point we were trying to
make.
There are many places in
this world in which elections are a sham. The candidates are either pre-ordained
to win, or, simply stated, the pretense of an election means little in a
totalitarian state.
If anything this year’s
election process has shown is we are still the final arbitrator of who
will lead our nation for the next four years.
This year, there are
five candidates for President on the Missouri ballot. The two major political candidates
are polar opposites of each other. Americans cannot say their vote does not
make a difference.
Incidentally, Paul and discussed
whether or not we should endorse a Presidential candidate this year. We finally
decided it was not a good idea since we did not agree on who we should endorse.
In fact, it would be fair to say the discussion devolved into a bitter argument
– which neither of us won.
But we did agree the
best course of action is for everyone reading this page to go an out and vote
next Tuesday.
ENDORSEMENTS:
We may not have agreed
on President, but we do agree on the following Constitutional Amendments:
AMENDMENT 4 . . . VOTE YES
Prohibits a new state or
local sales tax on services or transactions not subject to a sales/use tax
prior to January 1, 2015. This amendment continues the practice of not charging
sales tax on services that are currently exempt from sales tax. Speaking
broadly, the price of labor (such as a plumber, auto service, etc., is not
charged sales tax on the “labor” portion of the bill. This amendments protects
Missourians from sales tax being charged on “labor” related items.
AMENDMENT 6 . .
. VOTE YES
Amendment 6 requires a
government approved photo identification card to vote in Missouri. At one time
the process to provide such an identification card would have been cost
prohibitive. Sixteen years into the 21st Century we have the
technology to provide a secure photo identification process is fair and
enforceable.
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| BY PAUL LIVIUS |
The
Paul Livius Report
Raytown
Board of Aldermen Meeting – November 01, 2016
Mayor McDonough said
Rice-Tremonti house will have their annual Soup and Dessert weekend November 5
and 6 from 11:00 am to 4:00pm both days.
They will serve soup, cornbread, dessert and a beverage for $7.00.
The Board passed an ordinance establishing the compensation
for the Board of Aldermen for the term beginning April 2017. The recommendation of the Elected Officials
Compensation Review Board relative to the Board of Aldermen was to change the monthly
salary to a rate of $500.00 per month and continue the monthly car allowance to
$50.00 per month. The Board amended the
ordinance to keep the compensation at $400 per month with a $50 car allowance.
The Board passed an ordinance establishing the compensation
for the Municipal Judge for the term beginning April 2017. The Elected Officials Compensation Review
Board recommends a 25% increase to the current yearly compensation for the term
beginning in April 2017 with an additional 2% increase in April 2018, April
2019, and April 2020. The Board of
Alderman, recommended with regard to the salary of the Municipal Judge, a 10%
increase to the current year compensation for the term beginning in April 2017
with an additional 2% increase in April 2018, April 2019 and April 2020. Alderman
Van Buskirk said with the added duties mandated by State Law, he thought a
salary increase for the elected official was warranted. He recommended, however, the office receive
$28,190 per year now and increase to $32,908 in the next four years.
The Board passed an amended ordinance establishing the
compensation for the Police Chief for the term beginning April 2017. The Elected Officials Compensation Review
Board recommends a 7½% increase to the yearly compensation for the term
beginning in April 2017 with an additional 2% increase in April 2018, April
2019, and April 2020. The Board of
Alderman, recommended the yearly compensation with regard to the salary of the
Police Chief, a 2% increase to the current year compensation for the term
beginning in April 2017 with an additional 2% increase in April 2018, April
2019 and April 2020. Alderman Van Buskirk made a motion, and
the Board approved an amendment to increase the salary 2% per year for each of
the four years.
The Board passed an ordinance approving a free lease
agreement with the Missouri Highway and Transportation Commission (the
Commission) for a Free Lease Agreement for an existing Raytown Gateway placed
in the MoDOT right-of-way. Through a
District-wide evaluation of the placement of signage and other items in the
state Right-of-Way, the Missouri Department of Transportation found that
Raytown placed a “Welcome to Raytown” gateway in MoDOT Right-of-Way at the
location of attached Location Map. It
was determined that no agreement was put in place between the City and MoDOT
during the placement of the monument. As
a result, MoDOT has requested that the City enter into a Free Lease Agreement
with the State to authorize the placement of this monument.
The Board passed an ordinance amending Chapter 2, officers
and employees, Sections 2-125 and 2-126, relating to the city administrator,
appointment and tenure and qualifications.
1. Section 2-125. Appointment and tenure. A qualified person shall be appointed City
Administrator for the City by the Mayor.
Such appointment shall be approved by a majority of the Board of
Aldermen. The person so appointed shall
serve at the pleasure of the Board, for an indefinite term. The person appointed to the office of City Administrator
shall become a resident of and reside within the city limits within six months
of appointment. The residency
requirement may be waived by a majority vote of the Board of Aldermen.
2. Section 2-126. Qualifications. The person appointed to the office of city
administrator shall be at least 25 years of age and shall be a resident of the city
at the time of the effective date of such appointment; and shall be a
graduate of an accredited university or college, majoring in public or
municipal administration or shall have the equivalent qualifications and
experience in financial, administration and/or public relations fields.
The Board heard the first reading of an ordinance approving
the final plat of Cassell Homestead.
Raytown Church of Christ, located at 6000 Blue Ridge Blvd, and Wanda
Mullins, 5902 Blue Ridge Blvd, are seeking approval of a final plat for three
lots located at 6000 Blue Ridge Blvd (Lot 3), 5914 Blue Ridge Blvd (Lot 2), and
5902 Blue Ridge Blvd (Lot 1). The final
plat proposes to separate the property at 5914 Blue Ridge into a separate lot,
which is currently a part of the lot at 6000 Blue Ridge Blvd. Ms. Mullins is
seeking to privately own the house at 5914 Blue Ridge. The sanitary sewer line that serves the house
at Lot 2 runs under the parking lot of the church at Lot 3, and connects to the
City main to the west of the church. As
such, the final plat indicates the dedication of a blanket access easement on
Lot 3 for repair of the sewer line that serves Lot 2, should it ever be
necessary. During plat review it came to
the City’s attention that the public Right-of-Way for the property at 5902 Blue
Ridge Blvd (Lot 1) had never been dedicated to the City when it was originally
platted. The property line extended out
into the streets at both Blue Ridge Blvd and 59th St. In order to correct this, the final plat will
dedicate that public right-of-way back to the City. It is this dedication of public improvements
that requires a final plat; otherwise this application would have only required
a lot split through staff review.
The Board heard the first reading of an ordinance amending sewer
rate user fees. Over the past several
years, sewer treatment costs have risen at a double-digit rate for treatment
services provided by Kansas City Missouri (KCMO) and approximately 6% per year
for Little Blue Valley Sewer District (LBVSD) provided services. For several years, City staff was able to
maintain the City rate through the implementation of numerous cost-saving
programs; however, last year staff recommended a 4% increase to help offset the
rising cost of services and shortly after implementation the City was notified
of a significant increase from LBVSD in excess of $600,000.00. Given the recent City sewer rate increase at
that time, management elected to defer any additional increases for the 2016
fiscal year. This year in order to be
compliant with funding requirements associated with debt issued for the sewer
fund the sewer rate will need to be increased approximately 15% across the
board. This will allow for a balanced
budget in the sewer fund as required by bond documents and to ensure
sustainability of the fund. Based on
historical increases from KCMO and LBVSD there will be additional increases
needed in future years. Due to rising
costs in treatment, maintenance, and operations, staff is recommending the
following to the variable rate. The
revenue charged expressed in per 1,000 gallons that is derived when the annual
variable rate revenue requirement is divided by the customer volumes, estimated
to $7.20 per 1,000 gallons, and $8.28 in excess of 1,000 gallons.
The Board passed a resolution approving new bylaws dated July
1, 2016 for Midwest Public Risk of Missouri and appointing the City Administrator
to serve as the city’s member representative. State law authorizes Missouri political
subdivisions to join together by forming a not-for-profit business entity to
establish and operate a cooperative program of loss control and risk management
designed to meet the unique needs of governmental entities. The City of Raytown has participated in a
joint cooperative program of loss control and risk management with other
Missouri public entities through its membership in Midwest Public Risk of
Missouri (MPR Missouri). On July 1,
2016, MPR Missouri approved a new set of Bylaws setting forth the contractual
terms and conditions under which services will be provided to member entities,
which require adoption and execution by each of the member entities. As a member of MPR Missouri, the Board of
Aldermen find it is in the best interest of the City to authorize the City
Administrator to execute the July 1, 2016 MPR Missouri Bylaws. The Board of Aldermen also find it to be in
the best interest of the City to designate and appoint the City Administrator
as its member representative to receive official notifications and carry out
and implement all actions required by the City under the terms of the terms and
conditions set forth in the Bylaws.
The Board passed a resolution approving an expenditure of
funds with MDL Technology for information technology-related services in an
amount not to exceed $121,920.00. In
Fiscal Year 2012-2013, the Board of Alderman approved a three-year agreement
guaranteeing service pricing for three years, approved annually, with MDL
Technology, LLC to manage the IT services of the Police Department. The agreed upon service plan is a monthly fee
of $80.00 per workstation and $400.00 per server. The agreement was renewed in Fiscal Year
2015-2016 for an additional three years with no increase in service cost.
The Board passed a resolution declaring certain property owned by Raytown
as surplus and authorizing disposition the property by auction. Multiple vehicles have been taken out of
service due to the purchase and operation of new vehicles. Public Works has evaluated the vehicles that
were taken out of service and it was determined that these vehicles are not
well-suited for continued use by the City and should therefore be deemed
surplus and disposed of in accordance with the purchasing policy. For a complete list of vehicles, go to page
82.
The Board passed a resolution approving the purchase of fuel from John Moore
Oil Company. Annually, staff reviews
area cooperative fuel purchasing agreements for the purchasing of fuel for
Raytown’s fleet operations. Through the
evaluation of cooperative contracts, the Lee’s Summit, Missouri cooperative oil
contract was determined to be the most cost effective contract for the City of
Raytown. This is the first renewal of
the contract that was put into effect October 19, 2015. The effective dates of this contract are
October 19, 2016 through October 18, 2017.
This is a rack price plus a fixed profit and handling fee plus the taxes
that we are not exempt from paying. Rack
price is the spot price at the pipeline terminal and varies daily however the
fees remain the same. Taxes and fees for
a 4,000-gallon delivery will be $0.31101 per gallon for unleaded and $0.31120
for Diesel. The average savings per
gallon has been about $0.279.
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22 comments:
Hey Doc,
I was changing the battery on the smoke detector this weekend and my four year old grandson was helping me. When I took it off the wall, I was going to show him how to test it. I thought it would be funny to see him jump when it went off. Imagine my dismay when I found out the battery was dead! Thanks for putting the reminder up in front of your firehouse. If I had forgot, who knows what tragedy we might have had.
Christian as in "a basket of deplorables who are unredeemable". No thanks, Hillary! I am going to cast my vote today for Donald Trump.
7:12
Thank you for being the most honest supporter of Trump and letting America know it is not the true Christians supporting that hateful man.
It looks like Bill Van Buskirk may be the only Republican to lose an election this year.
Mr. Van Buskirk should have known that the Raytown Board of Aldermen is NOT a good place to launch a bid for higher office. Apparently his voting record did him in.
Bill Van Buskirk would have actually been the best choice to represent the Citizens and Raytown's interest in Jeff City. Many political savvy and knowledgeable insiders both Dems and Republicans knew with the current stacked deck of The General Assembly being held by Republicans, you better send down someone with access to votes and budget. While Jerome is a good person and has genuine good intentions, his lack of political contacts and experience all lead up to the odds being stacked against any progressive assistance or projects being brought back to Raytown and District 28. Bill would have had a much better shot of playing ball with his fellow GOP brotherhood. That's just good old fashion business as usual politics folks and to ignore the obvious obstacles in front of Jerome is just being naive. We certainly wish him well in his quest to respresent Raytown's best interest and stand by to assist him any way we can!
Obviously Jim Aziere never got the note about launching a higher office bid from his 18 disappointing years on the city Council.
The looser is not Bill Van Buskirk it is the city of Raytown and the 28th district. Do your research he was the only candidate who could help the city. It is quite obvious there are some who don't understand elections and how the outcome effects the tax payers and there are two anonymous posters who don't have a clue. Have a good day and remember you get what you vote for and in this case we come up empty handed.
Now that Trump has been elected he'll start throwing out all the illegals. When he does, who's going to clean your houses and cut your grass. You have turned a blind eye to the illegals when it suits you. Now you won't have a chance. Please post pictures. There are a lot of us who would pay to see you do actual work.
Mr. Barnes election to the 28th state representative seat, was a breath of fresh air for Raytown and especially for education. His experience on the school board will serve us well in Jefferson City. We all wish him well and look for him to keep Raytown's and the school district's needs in mind as he goes off to his new job.
While Bill is a good man, to say he is the only candidate that could help the city is a bit of a stretch. No one is that good
A big Raytown hellow David and Ryan. I wondered how long it would take "haters" to step forward. Sometimes they come masked as true Christians. Sometimes they come as people who just love to jump to condemnation. President Elect Trump had a stunning victory. Give him a chance before you start shooting from the lip with your gloom and doom tirades.
Who is David and Ryan?? I went back over the post and can't figure out whom you are speaking to or what you are in reference to... Please enlighten me Anonymous 8:28 am
Mr. Barnes will have no influence in Jeff City as there is a super Republican majority. From talking to schoolboard members he has done nothing for Raytown School District except move the graduation ceremony to the Independence Event Center. Which is costing more money for the tax payers don't forget the big car giveaways. So if the child can't read, write spell or do math lets make sure they have a car. Folks the attendance was so bad they were loosing state tax money so get the kids to come to school a new car was the solution. He has done nothing to make the schools better. If the schools were that good then why are his children not attending public school?
Mary Pat, I don't know who David is, but there was a reference to a Ryan in one of the editorials about three weeks ago. The writer must be a slow reader.
To Anonymous 12:40 pm
That must be it!!!!! Lol
I believe that Mr. Barnes votes will be counted the same as the Republician votes in the House of Representivies. I'm sure he will more closely represent my views than any of the so called Republician majority. Just sounds like the Vanbuskirks might be sore losers.
Mary Pat, Is this it?
1st post in this thread is signed by David and (Bryan).
Anon 8:28 needed to start a new paragraph with his second thought RE: haters, etc.
I wonder how many Trump supporters are unhappy. He has backtracked on Obama Care. He likes the idea of no preexisting conditions and everyone has to have insurance now. He is now saying he won't throw Hillary in jail. Not only that, he won't even prosecute her for any of the emails. HA-HA You people were DUPED. I give him six months before he resigns and goes back to realty TV. Then we'll be stuck with a no-name guy who was Trump's sixth or seventh choice because no one else wanted to be associated with him.
9:45 five days after and you are still crying the blues. Good god son but I will give you a participation trophy for chiming in.
What is happening? I just spent 1/2 hour writing a comment and it gave me a 500 error? That happens with every comment. Is there some type of block?
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