RAYTOWN'S LEADING NEWS SOURCE

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THE RICE-TREMONTI HOME

Spring Soup and Crafts

Historic 1844 Rice-Tremonti Home
8801 E. 66^th Street    Raytown, MO

March 17 and 18    11:00-4:00pm

Be sure to mark your calendar for the annual Soup and Craft event. Homemade Soup, corn bread, pie and a beverage for $7.  

All proceeds go towards the upkeep of this Historic Home.

BY GREG WALTERS

BOA Considers Changing Public Comment Rules

In a surprise move, some members of the Raytown Board of Aldermen brought forth a discussion on changing the rules governing the Public Comments portion of its regular meetings.

Ward 4 Alderman Steve Meyers opened the discussion with remarks at the end of last Tuesday City Council Meeting.

BACKGROUND The practice of setting aside time at the beginning of regularly scheduled meetings of the Board or Aldermen began in 2004. Any Raytown citizen who wished could address the Board on any subject provided it had to do with city business. Originally the time set aside for speakers was set at three minutes. It has since been expanded to five minutes per individual. A person speaking on behalf of a group is allowed ten minutes to speak.

The Mayor is charged with the responsibility of making certain the rules regarding Public Comments be followed. He regularly reminds the audience at the beginning of Public Comments that personal attacks will not be tolerated, and that speakers must remain on city topics. He has come under criticism for ignoring those rules, particularly when speakers stray into the areas outside of city business.

RECENT EVENTS Public speakers are supposed to be limited to one opportunity per meeting. Meyers said, “we all know that has been abused”, in reference to comments made by one speaker from Lee’s Summit who made repeated trips to the podium. The speaker was a representative of the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP).

In another incident, the Mayor directed the City Clerk to read into the record a statement written by Independence resident Susan Vorbeck Brown. Ms. Brown manages several Facebook pages including Raytown Unleashed.

OTHER ALDERMEN SPEAK OUT Alderman Jason Greene echoed some of the points made by Meyers. Greene questioned the need for individuals to give their name and address at the beginning of their comments. One frequent speaker at City Council meetings had complained that by giving his address he was running the risk of people robbing his home when they knew he was at City Hall speaking.

Alderman Jim Aziere said he wanted to know who was speaking. He especially was wanted to know in which Ward they lived so that he could address their concerns properly.

Ward 4 Alderman Bill VanBuskirk said there had only been a couple of instances in which speakers were opposed to giving their name and address. He also said, to his knowledge, there have not been any crimes committed as a result of someone addressing the Board of Alderman.
Paul’s Rant! BY PAUL LIVIUS 

Ward 4 Alderman Steve Meyers may very well have opened a can of worms at the last City Council meeting. Truthfully, it is a can of worms that needs to be opened. The subject here is Public Comments.

Sometimes a good idea can go sour if it is not managed correctly. Such is the case with Public Comments. Held twice monthly at the beginning of meetings, local political gadflies, have found a way to unfairly attack their representatives at the start of the meeting. They have proven to be adept at manipulating the local television news media to cover their comments.

After the smoke has cleared, the television stations pack up their cameras and leave.

At the last City Council meeting six of this group were in attendance. Three of them were on the local news protesting who knows what outside city hall. It must have been a slow news night – all of the metropolitan area got to see the three protestors smeared across their television screens.

Three of the same group got up to speak during Public Comments. Are six political activists a true representation of the 30+ thousand other souls living in Raytown?

To their credit, City Council members have done well in holding their tongue when the accusations and attacks start to fly.

Public Comments is a good tool of communication. It can help to solve problems. It can keep other topics from developing into larger problems.

But it must be managed.

When the same individuals begin to dominate the process, it can quickly turn into a circus. The City Council seems to be aware there is a problem. Hopefully, it is the first step in correcting a good idea gone bad.

The Paul Livius Report 
BY PAUL LIVIUS

Mayor McDonough issued a proclamation to Raytown High School students who form “Lead 2 Feed”.  This organization collect food and funds for REAP.

Eric Teeman said he has an issue with the way the Board did not appoint the vacant seat in Ward 5.  Kathie Schutte said she is disappointed with the Board not filling the empty seat in Ward 5.  Michael Anderson said he is circulating a petition directing the Board of Aldermen to appoint Melissa Beall.  Phyllis Goforth said this will be the 8^th year of the Egg-Extravaganza.  It will start with a parade at 11:00 on March 31 at the Raytown Christian Church.  She said they still need volunteers to help with the egg hunt. Melissa Beall told the Board she never considered withdrawing.  Last week, the mayor warned her that the vote might not pass, but she chose to stay.

The Board tabled an ordinance vacating a portion of 75th Street located between the East right-of-way line of Raytown Road and the West property line.   Mitch DiCarlo, on behalf of Raytown Wash LLC, is requesting approval of a right-of-way be vacated. The applicant is requesting to vacate right-of-way on 75th Street between Raytown Road and westbound MO-350 Highway. The request to vacate 75th Street is a condition placed on the Conditional Use Permit for the future Tidal Wave Car Wash located to the north of the existing right-of-way. The right-of-way to be vacated is approximately 232 feet long and 45 feet wide. Written consent to vacate has been received by 2/3 of adjacent property owners. Notices for Consent to Vacate have been provided by the following adjacent property owners: FJM Distributing Company LP, Raytown Wash LLC, and Raytown Auto Developers LLC. Kansas City Power and Light (KCP&L), KC Water, Public Water Supply District #2, AT&T, and Spire (formerly MGE) have all waived objections subject to retaining their utility easements and protection of existing facilities.

The Board passed an ordinance granting an amendment to a planned development to allow for an assisted living facility on lot 5 of Blue Ridge Villas in accordance with the provisions of the comprehensive zoning regulations for Raytown.  Ivan Chiang, LIY Financial, is requesting approval of an amendment to the Blue Ridge Villas planned development and a site plan for an assisted living facility on Lot 5. The planned development, located at 59th St. and Hunter Court, was approved in January 2006. To date, approximately eighty percent of the lots remain vacant. The applicant is requesting to make an assisted living facility an allowed use on Lot 5. The building would have almost the same building footprint as the five patio homes intended for this lot. The site plan indicates additional parking to account for the increased demand as well as several site furnishings for the common areas. The assisted living facility will adhere to the requirements of the Design Manual for Blue Ridge Villas to keep a consistent design aesthetic for the neighborhood.

The Board passed an ordinance authorizing an intergovernmental agreement for environmental services with Jackson County.   The City has been using the services of Jackson County to provide food service inspections for the various business/concerns located in Raytown that serve/sell food products. Given that Jackson County has the expertise and equipment to conduct such inspections, this relationship has worked out well for the City. Jackson County provides reports on all inspections and those results are incorporated into the appropriate records of the business/concern. Additionally, the inspection results can be viewed on the Jackson County web site (www.jacksongov.org/fsi). There is no cost to the City for the inspection service.

The Board passed an ordinance authorizing an interlocal agreement with the Missouri cities of Blue Springs, Buckner, Grain Valley, Grandview, Greenwood, Independence, Lake Lotawana, Lake Tapawingo, Lee’s Summit, Lone Jack, Oak Grove and Sugar Creek, as well as the State Highway Patrol and Jackson County, including the Jackson County Sherriff’s office and the Jackson County Drug Task Force for law enforcement services. The Jackson County Drug Task Force is a multi-jurisdictional enforcement group pursuant to a cooperative Memorandum of Understanding between many participating Law Enforcement entities, including Raytown. The current MOU went into effect in 1998 and the new MOU will commence on April 1, 2018 and will continue as long as the COMBAT, Community Backed Anti-Crime Tax, is in effect. The changes from the existing MOU and the updated MOU reflect the current operating procedures of the Jackson County Task Force in which Chief Jim Lynch serves on the Board of Directors.

The Board passed an ordinance approving the second amendment to the second amended and restated tax increment financing redevelopment agreement Raytown, Missouri and Raytown 350 INV Group LLC On December 7, 2010, the Board of Alderman executed the First Amendment to the Second Amended and Restated Tax Increment Financing Redevelopment Agreement. Project 2 Deferred Improvements within Section b (2) (A) and (B) of this agreement required the Developer, Raytown 350 INV Group (Block and Company), to construct a series of public improvements along Raytown Road and eastbound Highway 350 per Missouri Department of Transportation and City of Raytown’s design standards. Since the execution of the First Amendment to the Second Amended and Restated Tax Increment Financing Redevelopment Agreement, Missouri Department of Transportation and the City of Raytown have determined the public improvements identified in Section b (2) (B) of the Agreement are no longer required to be constructed along eastbound Highway 350. The Second Amendment to the Second Amended and Restated eliminates the requirement of the Developer to construct a “proposed future entrance”, “future curb”, and the “future shared access” along eastbound Highway 350. Missouri Department of Transportation and the City of Raytown are still requiring to be constructed a “Proposed 10’ Wide Bike & Pedestrian Path” along eastbound Highway 350 and a “5’ sidewalk” along Raytown Road in front of IHOP. The Second Amendment provides for the Developer to, in lieu of construction, pay the City of Raytown’s Public Works Department to cause the construction of a “Proposed 10’ Wide Bike & Pedestrian Path” along eastbound Highway 350 and a “5’ sidewalk” along Raytown Road in front of IHOP. City Staff and legal counsel have aggressively negotiated with the developer on the terms of the proposed amended and restated development agreement.

The Board passed an ordinance approving the final plat of Lourdes subdivision.  Sam DePriest, Continental Consulting Engineers Inc., is requesting approval of a final plat for the Lourdes Subdivision. Mr. DePriest is working on behalf of the Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church and the Raytown C-2 School District to plat the church’s property. As the old parochial school is now being used by the Raytown C-2 School District, both parties would like to redraw property lines to place the school on a separate lot. Additionally, Our Lady of Lourdes Church decided to separate the remaining buildings into separate lots that aligned with their individual uses. The proposed subdivision has four lots. The church, sisters’ home, rectory and public pre-school will all be on separate lots. Utility services are already established, and no public improvements will be necessary. Utility easements will be dedicated with this final plat. The public school and the church will share existing drives and will have joint ingress and egress for vehicular and pedestrian access over all of the existing parking lots and walkways.

The Board approved a resolution declaring certain property owned by Raytown as surplus and authorizing disposition of such 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.
The information for the vehicles is as follows:

Unit 105 = 2014 Ford Explorer PIU, 1FM5K8AR9EGC08240, miles 86,785

Unit 106 = 2014 Ford Explorer PIU, 1FM5K8AR0EGC08241, miles 105,982

Unit 119 = 2009 Chevy Impala, 2G1WB57K291310198, miles 97,185

Unit 122 = 2010 Chevy Impala, 2G1WA5EK6A1220403, miles 92,376

Unit 126 = 2008 Chevy Impala, 2G1WB58K481343202, miles 85,559

Unit 131 = 2005 Ford Crown Victoria, 2FAHP71W75X171949, miles 86,376

Unit 133 = 2011 Harley Davidson, 1HD1FMM15BB644922, miles 11,674 Unit 134 = 2011 Harley Davidson, 1HD1FMM10BB644679, miles 27,835.

 The vehicles listed above would be sold in accordance with the purchasing policy. Proceeds from the sale of Units 105, 106, 119, 122, 126, 131, 133 & 134 would be deposited back to the appropriate fund. 

The Board approved a resolution approving the additional expenditure of funds relating to a professional services agreement with Olsson Associates for design and construction services of the 83rd Street bridge in an amount not to exceed $165,485.65.  The 83rd Street Bridge construction project is scheduled to begin construction in March of 2018.  This is a complex construction project that will require a significant amount of labor intensive oversight. It is estimated that adequate inspection of this project will require approximately 8-9 hours per day through the duration of the aggressive 180-day construction schedule.

 As per Resolution R-2895-16, the original agreement with Olsson was executed on August 9, 2016 for $408,071.96.  A purchase order is needed for the amount remaining for the remainder of the signed agreement as per the schedule of reimbursable fees attached.  The design service part of this agreement has already been completed for $257,630.46 and paid to date.

 Staff needs to open a purchase order for the Olsson Associates construction services portion of the agreement for $150,441.50.  These services will include project management, review of bridge shop drawings and material submittals, oversight of all construction activities, utility coordination, the upkeep of all required daily inspection notes and forms, communications with City staff and surrounding property owners, progress meetings, coordination of all required testing, and the completion of final documents. 

The Board passed a resolution authorizing the expenditure of additional funds through change order no. 1 with GBA related to the 59th Street sidewalk project in an amount not to exceed $19,688 for a total amount not to exceed $82,087.  The 59th Street Sidewalk Project started construction at the end of October of 2017. This is a complex construction project that requires a significant amount of labor intensive oversight. Adequate inspection of this project requires from 6 to 9 hours per day through the duration of the construction schedule.

GBA inspection services includes the oversight of all construction activities, utility coordination, the upkeep of all required daily inspection notes and forms, communications with City staff and surrounding property owners, bi-weekly progress meetings, coordination of all required testing, and the completion of as-builts.  The initial proposal was for $59,428.00.  The BOA approved a not to exceed amount of $62,399.40 on August 15, 2017.  This change order amount of $19,688.00 will make the project total not to exceed amount $82,087.  The 59th Street Sidewalk Project has taken a little longer than expected and has required more hours of oversight by the GBA inspectors.  This additional amount will safely get us through the end of the project and to close it out.

The Board of Aldermen had three discussion items.  The first was a report by the Mayor relating to the “Raytown Live” committee.  The Mayor said the second Saturday of each month, from May through September, there will be family-friendly music venues at the green space.  These events will be fully funded by donations.

The second discussion item was for rental regulations.  Alderman Ryan Myers said there are approximately 14,000 total housing units in Raytown.  There are 10,200 owner occupied units and 3,800 renter occupied units (houses, apartment complexes, and duplexes).  Rental regulations will improve safety, cleanliness of our neighborhoods, the property values, and community development and code enforcement.

Safety would be improved because the majority of crime is in rental property.  Code violation remediation will mean safer dwelling.

The landlords who live outside Jackson County must register with a local property manager, who will fill out all the paperwork.  Liens will be placed on property due to non-compliance.  Exterior inspections will no longer be limited to street view, but to the backyards as well.

Alderman Myers said the codes department is understaffed and has difficulty keeping with the code violations.  A portion of the registration fee will help fund additional inspectors.  With 3,800 rental units and a registration fee of $75, that will bring in $285,000 to help fund this project.

Alderman Steve Meyers said he has heard from many residents about folks who speak during public comments having to give their address.  He believes putting their address on the sign-up sheet should be sufficient.  He would like some the rules enforced more, such as the rule indicating each speaker only gets one trip to the podium.  We saw how that was abused last fall.  Raytown limits the public comment portion to 30 minutes.  He thinks that also should be enforced.  Some meetings, there will be 20 speakers all saying the same thing.  Alderman Jason Greene said speakers must make their comments in person.  Emailing their thoughts and having the city clerk read them into the record should not be allowed. Alderman Jim Aziere said he wants to know that the speaker lives in Raytown, He thinks it is very important.  Alderman Bill Van Buskirk said people have been coming to these meetings a long time, and to his knowledge, there have not been any adverse incidents because someone was ere and gave their address.

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