RAYTOWN'S LEADING NEWS SOURCE
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The
Paul Livius Report
Raytown
Board of Aldermen Meeting – May 2, 2017
Mayor McDonough proclaimed April 40 to May 5 to be
Detention Officers week.
The Board passed a resolution amending the budget related
to the police pension fund in the amount of $45,272. Each year the City contributes to the frozen
Police Pension Fund. The Police Pension contribution for FY16-FY17 was budgeted
by Finance at last year’s contribution of $562,862.00. Finance Director Briana
Burrichter reviewed the actuarial evaluation and found the annual contribution
rate for the City has increased by $45,272.00 for a total of $608,134.00. The
City is requesting a budget adjustment of $45,272.00. The budget for the frozen
Police Pension was funded 83% by the general fund and 17% Public Safety Sales
Tax. The same split was originally requested for the budget adjustment. The Board voted to fund the payment as 50% by
the general fund and 50% Public Safety Sales Tax.
The Board passed an ordinance amending chapter 50 of the
code of ordinances for the purpose of updating requirements for the placement
of communications towers within city limits. The Board voted to suspend the
rules and hear the second reading at this meeting. In 2015, the Missouri Legislature passed a new
statute cited as “Uniform Wireless Communications Infrastructure Deployment
Act” which was intended to encourage and streamline the deployment of wireless
facilities. Section 67.5094 prohibited many of the performance standards
contained in the existing Raytown zoning ordinance. In other words, many of the
existing standards were in conflict with state statute and could not be legally
enforced. Division 19 was created paralleling the new statute, however, many of
the existing standards were included if they complied with the new law.
Communications towers are rapidly being constructed in municipalities across
the country as cell phone and wireless networks continue to expand and increase
coverage to consumers. The location of these towers as they are constructed
often becomes an issue for local governments as they fight to keep them out of
historic or aesthetically important areas, or even public properties like
municipal rights-of-way. Without the proper proactive legislation, it becomes
very difficult for municipalities to restrict the placement of communications
towers once companies have already begun expanding their networks. In order to
address this issue, staff is presenting a proposal to amend the zoning
ordinance of the Code of Ordinances of the City of Raytown to give the City
more power in enforcing the location, number, and aesthetic design of
communications towers that networks may try to place in Raytown.
The Board passed a resolution approving the purchase of Panasonic
Toughbooks for police department vehicles from World Wide technology off the
state of Missouri services contract in an amount not to exceed $27,315. The Police Department has developed an IT
replacement and maintenance plan for the technology related equipment within
the Department. The plan encompasses the replacement of in-car computers in
marked/unmarked police cars. The in-car computers that have been purchased in
the past, the Motorola MW 810, are no longer being manufactured or supported by
Motorola. Research was conducted and we determined the Panasonic Toughbook
CF-54 was the best choice for in-car field use. Five were purchased last year
and are functioning fine. We are requesting to purchase six more computers this
budget year. Pricing for the computers and mounting hardware is under the State
of Missouri Prime Vendor contract through World Wide Technology, Inc. Total
cost for computers, support and mounting hardware will be $27,315.60. This
project was presented to the Sales Tax Oversight Committee on April 18, 2017
and was found to meet the intent of the Capital Sales Tax.
POSTED BY GREG WALTERS
Every Now and Then a syndicated columnist
will write a story so concise and spot on correct that it should be repeated.
Leonard Pitts of the Miami Herald wrote one such story last week. Though this
may be “old news” to many, it should be required reading for anyone who values
First Amendment Rights.
A little background is in order. Mr. Pitts is
writing about another public commentator name Ann Coulter. It would be fair to
say Ann Coulter is a champion of right wing politics. Leonard Pitts is a
champion of left wing politics.
The topic is a public speaking engagement Ms.
Coulter was to make at the University of California, Berkeley. Her address was
eventually called off by the school.
Ann Coulter is right. Period.
BY LEONARD PITTS, JR.
So here is what should offend you even more
than Coulter, particularly if you live in a place like Berkeley, with its
121,000 people and 170 police officers. A bunch of thugs just established that
you can bully a public institution in a relatively small town into disinviting
a controversial speaker. Which of our other freedoms will they come after next?
Coulter called Wednesday “a sad day for free
speech.” This next sentence will cause physical pain for some of you to read,
but you need to just the same:
Ann Coulter was right.
 |
| POSTED BY GREG WALTERS |
A little background is in order. Mr. Pitts is
writing about another public commentator name Ann Coulter. It would be fair to
say Ann Coulter is a champion of right wing politics. Leonard Pitts is a
champion of left wing politics.
The topic is a public speaking engagement Ms.
Coulter was to make at the University of California, Berkeley. Her address was
eventually called off by the school.
Ann Coulter is right. Period.
BY LEONARD PITTS, JR.
So here is what should offend you even more
than Coulter, particularly if you live in a place like Berkeley, with its
121,000 people and 170 police officers. A bunch of thugs just established that
you can bully a public institution in a relatively small town into disinviting
a controversial speaker. Which of our other freedoms will they come after next?
Coulter called Wednesday “a sad day for free
speech.” This next sentence will cause physical pain for some of you to read,
but you need to just the same:
Ann Coulter was right.
Comments
Please take money earmarked for the PD's portion of the budget and bloated pension plan, and instead put a new sidewalk and repave asphalt street in front of my home.
Sign, Every homeowner in Raytown
P.S. You could easily enforce codes if you cut into the top heavy PD Administration desk jockeys and professional seminar attendees.
I don't know why you voted for Mike McDonough, but I voted for him because he wasn't Pat Ertz. Now, don't get me wrong. Pat is a nice guy. He did a lot of good things for Raytown. But, he was also an extension of Bully Bower. None of us wanted four more years of a mayor who was running off new businesses and hiring poor senior staff.
Food for thought.
The city will still have to pay $3.5 million in principal and interest for the Walmart TIF bonds. The alternative is to default. Is that your suggestion? You claim the residents didn’t know about the huge principal and interest payments to the TIF fund. Why not? It was discussed a dozen times or more at the city council meetings. It’s the #1 item on the budget report every year. (This, btw, can be found on the city’s website.) Just because the residents choose not to watch the meetings on the government channel or on you tube or on the internet doesn’t mean the city was hiding the information. It just means the residents don’t get involved. How is that the fault of the BOA?
Shortly after being elected, the Board discovered the required TIF paperwork had not been filed. The mayor saw to it that it was done properly. The Board found out there was a problem with the TIF and the fire department. The one Board member who worked the hardest to resolve the issue was criticized, vilified, and darn near crucified by a former alderman. The criticism didn’t stop until a current alderman finally admitted nothing illegal, immoral, or unethical happened. So, now what do you want done?
You sound like you have drank from the same cup as the Raytown Times and/or Joe Creamer. If so, you are misguided, misinformed, and gullible.
I bet they are getting an education, learning that their guidence from Jimmy Aziere was a joke.
Vote with our feet? There are fewer empty houses in my subdivision every day. In the past year, there have been five young families move into my area. Before you start screaming that someone had to leave - yes they did. Some went into nursing homes and some died. No one moved to Lees Summit or Independence.
There have been six new restaurants open in Raytown in the last two years. Freddie's just opened. The town is growing and recovering. Things are looking up here. The feet are coming here, not away.
I suppose you want to blame the closing of the Radio Shack store on the current mayor and city council. Go ahead. Then we'll start laughing at you the way we did with the former alderman.
One of them was also on KCTV5 outside the police department complaining about lack of oversight.
Seems they both should now have a lot to say, but maybe Joe Creamer and Jim Azierer having written their comments for them.
I think your rational questions are as good anything I can come up with at this time. I'm sure the response time would be the main rebuttal for the parking. Of course a Fire Truck is just a "tad" larger than an ambulance and the only logical parking spot is where they park in the far spots at Hy-Vee.
Steve Meyers
That's what we call a ah-ha moment. :)
"ah ha" indeed.
They work 24 hour or longer shifts and have facilities at their stations to cook
That's been a standard for all fire for over a century and for EMS since they have existed
Ah ha and duh
Therefore are we really surprised about those that report to him believing they too are not special and can do what they want.