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| BY GREG WALTERS |
This Week’s
Raytown Report
We have turned over
our lead editorial spot to Mayor Protem Ryan Myers in this week’s edition of
the Raytown Report. Mr. Myers believes he has a way to re-build Raytown’s infrastructure
of neighborhood streets. His plan is to make use of General Obligation Bonds
(GO Bonds) to finance the plan.
It is a plan that has
some merit. We urge you to take the time to read over Myers proposal.
Other News This Week . . .
Raytown’s City
Marshal/Chief of Police Jim Lynch has not made any official announcement . . . but we have been told by people close to
Mr. Lynch he has giving serious thought to not running for re-election when his
term expires.
One of those sources
shared with us this past week that Lynch had officially terminated his
re-election campaign committee with the Missouri Ethics Commission. The
Missouri Ethics Commission (MEC) is where candidate financial reports are
published for public viewing.
In fact, Lynch did
terminate his campaign committee . . . in May of 2017.
It is our position that Raytown find a
Chief of Police whom, like Mr. Lynch, is a member of our community, has
connections here, and is not an outsider who simply seeks to use our town as a stepping
stone in their career.
We are certain there are good
candidates either within our men in blue or within our community to answer the
call to serve.
The end of this story
can be written by only one man. That man is Jim Lynch. If his intention is to
retire early, he should, for the sake of a smooth transition, make a public
announcement to settle the question.
Other Publications
Report . . .
The following story is re-printed from National Review magazine:
The following story is re-printed from National Review magazine:
“There is nothing nastier
than a mob. One showed up at the home of Fox news host Tucker Carlson one night
while only his wife was home. The mob chanted, “We know where you sleep.” They also
kicked his door.
Those people were from
Antifa, which styles itself anti-fascist. They behave exactly like fascists –
and more to the point of law enforcement, as criminals.”
Anyone who knows the history
of the awakening of Nazi Germany in the 1930’s can see the parallels. Such
behavior should not be condoned or ignored. The story does not say if anyone
was arrested or prosecuted. If not, they should have.
Should Raytown “GO”
For New Infrastructure?
By Ryan Myers, Ward 3
Alderman, City of Raytown
This topic went over
like a lead balloon to several members of the Board.Alderman Meyers, Alderman
Greene, and Alderman Moore all expressed their skepticism and criticized my
idea. But to the remainder of the Board, the idea of a General Obligation (GO)
Bond seemed to be an alluring case to argue.
Since our board
meeting, I have been approached by multiple citizens requesting more
information concerning my GO Bond presentation. Several local media publishers
also reached out to me, asking if I would like a non-confrontational platform
to better explain my idea and why I believe this is a viable avenue for the
Raytown community to take. So let’s get started, shall we?
What
is a GO Bond?
AGO Bond is a
financing vehicle used by tax-levying authorities (e.g.
the City, Fire District, School District, etc.) Similar to a home equity line
of credit (HELOC) on a house (I’ll get to payments later), the taxing entity
leverages its equity to improve its own property. In Raytown’s case, this means
newstreet improvements, including storm sewers, and new street lights. Some local
examples of GO Bond achievements include:
·
The new Raytown South High School football stadium (2015)
·
School District general renovations (roofs, facades, security
upgrades, IT, etc.) (2014-present)
·
Raytown Fire Station(s) remodel (2004)
·
KC Pet Project facility (2018)
These above examples
are a small percentage of metro-wide GO Bond projects that improve our quality
of life. By this point, I’m sure you are asking who pays for it and what the
catch is.
How
GO Bonds Work
To make this easy I have
oversimplified and broken the GO Bond mechanism down into steps:
1.
The governing body (City, Fire, Parks, etc.) vote to add a bond
measure to an election.
2.
Voters either approve or turn down the bond measure. It must
pass by a 2/3 or 4/7 majority, depending on when the election is held.
3.
The bond amounts are put together by a brokerage firm and put
to market. Investors buy the bonds which generate the revenue to pay for only
the improvements listed in the voter-approved ballot.Interest rates are
fixed. Bond payments are paid through a temporary increase in property
taxes.
4.
The taxing entity receives the bonds and deposits them into a
segregated account. The bond monies are spent on only the ballot items approved
by voters.
5.
The projects are completed and the bonds are paid off for a
set amount of years. Once paid off, property taxes are lowered to their
original level.
Wait, this Sounds like a TIF. Is this a TIF?
No, Nope, Not even
close. While a TIF and GO Bonds are both debt vehicles, a TIF carries
significantly higher risk to the city. The revenue generated by TIF goes
directly into the pocket of the developer. GO Bond revenue goes back directly
into our community in the form of new infrastructure. TIF funds are generated by
sales tax and overall property value increases (PILOTS and EATS). The risk
assumed is dependent on whether enough sales tax revenue is generated to pay
the developer. With GO Bonds, the revenue stream to pay the note is [nearly]
guaranteed, as it is paid by a temporary tax levy increase to the taxpayers.
Once the debt is paid, property taxes go back down.
A
Local Example
I put together a few
scenarios to test the waters with local voters. Keep in mind at the ballot box
that the bond can only be spent on what the voters specify; nothing else. As
seen in the table below, this includes a $15 million, $30 million, and $50
million GO Bond scenario:
As you can see above:
Option
#1 is a $15 million bond, which could repave half of the roads in Raytown.As you can see above:
·
Option
#2 is a $30 million bond, which could repave ALL of the roads in
Raytown.
·
Option
#3 is a $50 million bond, which could repave ALL of the roads in Raytown
and make significant storm sewer upgrades.
and make significant storm sewer upgrades.
Not to sound like
Sarah McLachlan, but for less than $22 a month we can transform Raytown’s
dilapidated roads, sewers, and/or streetlights into the pride of the metro area.
Some
Final Thoughts
Raytown’s
infrastructure is crumbling at an exponential rate that the city can no longer
keep up with. The Raytown School District and Raytown Fire Protection District
already utilize GO Bonds, which have been proven to be beneficial in sustaining
their investment in our community. Additionally, the city recently received a
downgraded credit rating from Standard & Poor’s. On Page 5 of the rationale
distributed by S&P Global regarding Raytown’s credit downgrade, it
specifically notes that a lack of new GO debt was a contributor in the credit rating
downgrade.
The above examples
are a prime case of, while not optimal, taking on taxpayer-backed debt could
help dig Raytown out of its downward infrastructure spiral and improve the
city’s credit rating. This will also help Raytown’s citizens regain trust in the
elected officials at City Hall and move our city forward.
Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the
overall view of the Raytown Board of Aldermen nor the City of Raytown and are
considered the independent opinion of the author.
News Release
For Immediate Release
Mike McDonough Announces Bid
for
Re-Election as Mayor of Raytown
Mike McDonough announced today, his intention to run for re-election for Mayor of the City of Raytown.
Re-Election as Mayor of Raytown
Mike McDonough announced today, his intention to run for re-election for Mayor of the City of Raytown.
The election will
be held April 2nd, 2019. Mayor McDonough
is dedicated to continuing to work at fostering a culture of cooperation within
the City of Raytown. He is committed to continue
working alongside citizens and businesses to meet important community goals.
For decades, Mike has served the public, his own neighbors, with integrity and
dedication, in both public safety and local charity service, and is committed
to our community's progress.
Mike, a nearly life-long Raytown resident, has achieved many
accomplishments throughout his personal and professional life. He has been honored by the Truman Heartland
Foundation in 2014 as Raytown’s Outstanding Citizen of the Year. The award recognized Mike for using his skills, abilities, and position to promote
the wellbeing of his community and the people that live in it. The award lauded
Mike for his workhelping to improve and enrich the communities of Eastern
Jackson County.
Mike donates time to many charitable organizations and serves on
the Board of Directors for Raytown Emergency Assistance Program (REAP,) the
Raytown Police Benefit Fund, Raytown Rotary Member, Raytown Masonic Lodge
Member, Shriner at the Ararat Shrine, and Raytown Kiwanis club.
He remains
involved with the school district in many ways as he recognizes them as an
important piece in what makes this a great community. He was also involved at
Southwood Elementary School for seven years in the Youth Friends Program and
has been involved in other programs in the Raytown community. He is also an
active member of the Raytown Chamber of Commerce and the Raytown Main Street
Association.
His other accomplishments include working with youth in Scouting, coaching
youth sports, and assisting other organizations with fundraising events and
efforts. He has twice received the Police
Officer of the Year Award from local service organizations, a Lifesaving Award
from the Metropolitan Chiefs and Sheriffs Association, the James Schneider
Award from the Raytown Fire Protection District, the Life Saving Star from
Raytown Emergency Medical Services, as well as several Quality Contribution
Certificates from the Raytown C-2 School District.
Mayor McDonough continues to work with staff and elected officials
to improve operations ofRaytown city government. He has shown his can-do
attitude by spearheading a movementtobring long-delayed butimportant projects
forward to get them completed. Those projects include:
·
The downtown streetscape;
·
The 59thStreet pedestrian sidewalk
from Woodson to Raytown Central Middle School (making walking to school and the
downtown Raytown area safer) and further extending into the downtown area;
·
Replacement of the 83rdStreet bridge.Mayor
McDonough used his seat on the Total Transportation Policy Committee to make
this $1.57 million project more affordable by leading the effort for a $600,000
grant.
·
Mayor McDonough led a collaborative effort of a
diverse group of elected officials and staff to facilitate refinancing of the Tax
Increment Financing (TIF) area around Walmart, Scooters, IHOP, Freddy’s, Ace
Hardware and NAPA Auto Parts, resulting in an expected savings of over $2
million by decreasing the cost and term of the original TIF.
·
Mike was also instrumental in forming the
Raytown Live committee to fund and host free community concerts all summer in
the downtown area of Raytown, funded entirely by sponsor advertising.
Promises
made and promises kept. Mayor Mike looks forward to continuing his service to
the citizens of Raytown by leading the City of Raytown with a spirit of
progress and looking to the future to take advantage of the Rock Island
Corridor Trail coming through Raytown and the renewed interest in our downtown
area that has caused.
Mayor McDonough has lived in Raytown for the past 55 years. He grew up in Raytown, attended Raytown
schools and graduated from Raytown South High School in 1973. He enjoys living
in Raytown because of the great people that live there and the great sense of
community. Mayor McDonough said, “The people are so giving and helpful to one
another, and like me, are proud of this community. Although this town is
surrounded by Kansas City, it has continued to keep its small-town feel.”
He had served as a police officer for the Raytown Police Department
since 1975. Prior to that, he worked for a year in the City Street
Department. His passion has been, and
will continue to be, the community of Raytown. He looks forward to continuing
his service to the citizens of the City of Raytown. He has been serving his community
for the last 44years.
It is that dedication and commitment to the Raytown community that
has led Mike McDonough to decide to run for re-election to the office of Mayor
of the City of Raytown.Mayor Mike would be honored to receive your vote on
Election Day, April 2nd, 2019.
Email: mcdonough01@comcast.net
Comments
Several current PD folks would be good Chief candidates, and not just "management", but some Sgts would be as well.
A committee is forming to "rebrand" Raytown. How does one get info on being part of that committee? Will they have regular folks on it?
Well there you have it.
Is Ryan young, inexperienced? Absolutely. But it's obvious that he has a formal education, a modicum of business experience and most importantly, INITIATIVE. Qualities that a couple of the more vocal members of this council appear to lack entirely.
We're betting that Ryan has the "structure" to ramp up and execute.
And that he's aware of his lack of civic experience and therefore would reach out to and be INCLUSIVE of absolutely anyone with experience and advice.
INCLUSIVITY.
Ryan IS very young. It's inevitable that he would spur new enthusiasm in this town and perhaps incite a few dormant young professionals in this town to get at it, IOHO.
It's entirely possible that the current admin as well as several of the council are so incredibly, habitually repulsive in word and deed that they've induced continuous anathema in the most educated and qualified members of this community.
We think that we'd have a leg up with Ryan.
Ryan's degree of industry and PERSISTENCE is nothing but admirable.
We think that Ryan should run for Mayor.
Please qualify this.
I'm pretty sure they're talking about the gentleman with the initials "T J".
Totally agree. If we've learned anything at all, budget and expenditure need to be maintained by our elected officials with input from the city manager and Marshal, while Marshal is operations manager, again with the oversight of the City.
The last several years were a disaster in the making that eventually caught up to us.
We wholeheartedly disagree. As far as the current office holder is concerned, come April that "titan" is fixin' to take a tumblin' at the polls.
Given the events of the last year alone, what self-respecting incumbent wouldn't step aside?
May the house cleaning commence.
May they go down together.
Wait one second. All these anonymous post probably written by the same 2 or 3 people calling out smart citizens against the board and the mayor. Look at who does it on facebook. Out of town sussie accuses others of working with people out of town with no proof. ______ can’t pay her bills but has time to talk about others finances. ______ has been here about a year but complains about people not being lifelong residents. ______ thinks he knows history and led a great tax campaign that almost no one wanted and now tries to tell the park board how to raise their taxes. Aldermen that are nameless here but use the exact same words as an anonymous poster. And finally, the mayor. How he post here (who would toot his horn like that?).
That's the most farcical, laughable remark that I've read all day. Pure fantasy.
Am I the only one that's disillusioned, embarrassed, exhausted by the events of the last few years?
On what planet would it be acceptable to re-elect some of these people for FOUR MORE LONG years?
Look where apathy has gotten us.
Examine closely what will be opportunistically sliding back into office....because apparently no one else wants the "job".
Viable candidates need to establish their presence RIGHT NOW and GET TO WORK.
Maybe Mr. Greene will write a note to this page clearing the air on a bond issue for better streets. Here is his chance to step up and take a strong stand. He should take advantage of it.
You're not helping, Mikey.
Good guy, sure. Good mayor? Heck no. Let's not get too caught up in that. Who is going to be in the open seats? Who will fill the gaps of the elected officials fleeing after one term?
Some of these people I've heard say they were running for aldermen are worse than Mikey being mayor, as hard as that is to believe.
My suggestion; RAYTOWN, get your liquor and dollar store items here! Stop by one of our 30 bars while your out, we don't have the cops to pull you over for DUI!
Did you notice how he put his badge down at the meeting? The woman police officer didn't know anything about what was being presented he had to keep answering the questions for her. Yep he's not a cop anymore, and deffinatley not looking after his largest donor (the chief). Sometimes you just got to pay to play.
Whoever wrote that earlier blog must be living in a cave somewhere.
Remember that triple tax thing some months back that went down in a resounding, spectacular rolling ball o' flames?
Probs one of the eight folks that voted for that thing.
Exhale the bad, breathe in the good. Relax, release. It's time to move on from the "eighties".
My house here in Raytown would most likely sell for around $115,000 and that's based on the recent run up in real estate values we have all seen. That number is pretty close to what Jackson County says it is worth.
So I just got my tax bill for this year and it is $2100. That figures to 1.8%. The tax rate search says the median tax rate for Missouri is 0.91%, meaning the rate here in Raytown is about twice what it should be.
I hate to see our roads and bridges crumble, I don't want to reduce needed services, I want our civil servants to be paid well enough to live a good life but something's got to give.
I sometimes feel like I am an economic "host" to a group of non-Raytowners who come here to earn their paychecks but live where their real estate taxes don't support Raytown and are likely lower.
Those include my accountant, lawyer, dentist, many teachers, police and fire employees, other city employees, donut shop proprietors and so forth. The list is long. The most glaring example would , of course, be our departed city administrator who defiantly refused to move here and was given a big salary bump as a reward.
Oh yeah, I can hear it now. We ARE Raytowners. We love the city and would gladly live here if there was a better choice for housing.
Well, sad to say, they are pretty much justified with that complaint. High taxes, crummy streets, dangerous neighborhoods, under preforming schools, etc.
Raytown... a decent place to earn a living but would you live there??
Newsflash!! If we Raytown citizens have a choice it will not be for higher real estate taxes.
And, one final thought for my rant. I wish all posters to this blog would say if they are Raytown residents or not. Yes, I am.
New flash! If you are upset about sewer rates going up, then stop pooping you cheap people! Maybe you like dysentery but I am going to pay my fees and not complain one word.
A franchise fee is nothing new and every City has them.
Please tell me everyone else has noticed Mike isn't asking for more police or rather more officers, just more money.
Did you notice how he put his badge down at the meeting? The woman police officer didn't know anything about what was being presented he had to keep answering the questions for her. Yep he's not a cop anymore, and deffinatley not looking after his largest donor (the chief). Sometimes you just got to pay to play.
December 5, 2018 at 12:59 AM
I think I watched the same tape and I did not see what you saw, different rose colored glasses I guess.
I did a 2 minute search on the Jackson County website to find a house similar to mine.
Market value: 116,000 2018 Taxes: 1,776 Tax Rate %1.5
So for my house the taxes in Independence would be 115,000 X .015 = 1725 or 2100-1725
That's $$375 less
That's what I am talking about neighbor. Our real estate taxes here are very high.
Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas Raytown!
Steve Meyers,
Alderman Ward 4
We cannot imagine a more dismal scenario.
Might as well put this town on ice and call it done.
Andy Whiteman