USE THIS LINK TO  . . . Comment

THE PAUL LIVIUS REPORT . . .

BY PAUL LIVIUS
Board Approves
Three Year Pet License

The Raytown Board of Aldermen has approved a new license/fee schedule for pets in Raytown. The new fee schedule remains the same for those wishing to purchase a one year license. Those who wish have the alternative may purchase a three year license fee. The time period of the license fee is determined by the type of rabies vaccination given warm blooded animals (domesticat pets). 

The one year license schedule remains the same. Three year license fee costs the same amount as a one year license fee. 

However, there is a difference in cost charged by veterinarians between a one year vaccination and a three year vaccination. 

Following is what pet owners can expect to pay for a one year license vs. a three year license:

ONE YEAR PET LICENSE

Altered animal - $10.00
Unaltered animal – $20.00
Late fee (30 days) additional - $25.00
Rabies Vaccination (estimate - $30.00 paid to veterinarian)

THREE YEAR PET LICENSE
Altered animal - $10.00
Unaltered animal – $20.00
Late fee (30 days) additional - $25.00
Rabies Vaccination (estimate - $30.00 paid to veterinarian)

Other City Business . . .
Ward 2 Alderman Loretha Hayden reported to the Board of Aldermen that the number of curfew violations at City Parks has been decreasing and continues to decrease each year.


Ward 1 Alderman Greg Walters credited the decrease in violations to be the result of increased private security patrols after curfew and improved response times by Raytown Police to complaints from private citizens on curfew violations.


Walters said, “It looks like the message is finally being received that park curfews will be enforced in Raytown.”

BY GREG WALTERS

Other People’s Mail . . . 
I saw the following post on Raytown Unleashed the other day . . . who wrote the post is not important. But the message is very important. The topic was described as a broken water line. The complaint had to do with the fact the break had not been repaired after many months.

The writer wrote . . . (the post has been edited for clarity)

So I just talked to the Missouri Public Service Commission. Please call them and complain about the water issues. The more complaints they have the more likely they will look into the problem.

The Mayor does need to get more involved in this. The City is responsible for making sure the water company contracted with Raytown is repairing water leaks and repair of streets back to original condition in a timely manner. The commission will look into it if they receive enough complaints from the Citizens of Raytown.

We usually do not involve the Raytown Report with Facebook posts. But this particular item seems to be a recurring discussion. It should be addressed.

WATER LINE MISSING CAP
We ran a story last week about a 8” pipe lid that is missing on the street near the Raytown Road / 59th Street intersection. The city did respond to the story and told us they have turned it over to the water company to have it repaired.

But that does not mean the city is done with the problem.

The water line under the street is owned by the water company. But the surface of the street we travel on is maintained and governed by the City's Code of Ordinances. 

In other words it is the city's job to make sure the streets are safe for travel. Even it they do not do the repairs.

The hole in the street is about 8” wide. It is especially hazardous to bicyclists. There is a trail head for the Rock Island Bicycle Trail near this hole in the street. It is a popular starting point to access the trail. There has been a considerable increase in the number of bicyclists riding the Rock Island Trail since it opened.

Bicyclists are especially at risk because a bike tire hitting an 8” void can cause a serious accident.  

Contacting the Missouri Public Service Commission is a good idea. An even better idea would be to contact the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The best way to reach out to the DNR is by visiting their website at . . . www.dnr.mo.gov/regions/kcro.htm

FOOTNOTE: Some public officials commented on the Facebook thread of this story. We note that not one of them said they would work to get the problem resolved. The correct answer should be, "we will work together to fix the problem."

Pointing fingers in an attempt to place blame does not fix anything.

 USE THIS LINK TO  . . . Comment

Just returned from a trip to the great state of Iowa to participate in the 2021 Ragbrai Ride. This year's ride was 425 miles. It was hot. It was humid. It was a very good time to ride a bicycle. Took some photos along the way and thought, "Why not share them with you." Hope you enjoy this small collection of events . . . Greg Walters

MANY, MANY, MANY WINDMILLS
WILDFLOWERS EVERYWHERE


AN OCCASSIONAL SPONTANEOUS STREET DANCE

REALLY STRANGE WORKS OF ART! THIS ONE WAS NAMED "Sasha".

INTERESTING PEOPLE
YOURS TRULY
A FREE RANGE CHICKEN
CORN EVERYWHERE!!!


Comments

Andy Whiteman said…
Reference the corn field: Build it, they will come!

Andy Whiteman
July 31, 2021 at 10:40 AM
Anonymous said…
Well said Greg. The streets are the property of the taxpayers, managed by their government. They are not the property of a utility. A lot of us have noticed the city is becoming better at making excuses than finding solutions. It seems some at City Hall have lost the reason for their being at City Hall. This latest chatter on facebook should be a wake up call to many of your seatmates.
July 31, 2021 at 12:55 PM
Anonymous said…
When are they going to pave Raytown Trafficway and Blue Ridge? The city takes in enough taxes to make this happen. The more they let these streets deteriorate, the costlier it will be. No more chip and seal!
July 31, 2021 at 6:26 PM
Anonymous said…
If the utili8ty company is responsible for the street buckling and becoming unsafe, why should taxpayer money be used to fix it? I know there are some who believe the city should fix the street, then sue the utility for repayment. The only winners in that scenario is the lawyer.
July 31, 2021 at 8:07 PM
Anonymous said…
Let's get real about this. Shaknig a fist at the water company and saying there is nothing that can be done absolutely nothing. Snarky replies that it only makes the lawyers money are idiotic and baseless. Other cities get their streets repaired quickly when a water main breaks. In Raytown we blame somebody else for it and act like it is not our problem. The fault likes with bureaucrats complacent in their positions and elected officials affraid to speak up for their consitituents.

Fix those last two big problems and your street will be repaired more quickly.

Say nothing about it, basically run and hide, and nothing will get done.
August 1, 2021 at 10:05 AM
Anonymous said…
I agree. I watched the last meeting of the BOA. They plan to spend another $20,000 on a new sign. This time it will direct people to the police department. If it needs to be replaced because it is falling apart thats fine. But $20,000!!! They already wasted $40,000 on the useless out of date sign in front of city hall. If you drivve on 59th Street from either direction you cannot even read the message. If you drive down Raytown Road you better be a speed reader to see what it says.
August 8, 2021 at 10:37 AM
Anonymous said…
Judging by the number of UPS trucks and other delivery vehicles dropping packages off at homes in Raytown this new tax would make one heck of an impact. 2 1/2% increase is a HUGE increase. Unless your spending very little on what you are purchasing you better plan on digging deep to pay the new tax!
August 10, 2021 at 5:06 PM
Anonymous said…
Does anyone know what happened at Colman Park this evening? There are police all over the place. What's going on?
August 11, 2021 at 8:54 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Fireworks Reminder / Raytown Report History

Reminder: Fireworks Vote This Tuesday The Raytown Board of Aldermen will decide the fate of legislation permitting the sale and shooting of fireworks in Raytown at its regulare meeting this Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. at Raytown City Hall. This is an open public meeting. Individuals who may wish to address the Board on the proposed legislation may address the Board of Aldermen at the beginning of the meeting during Public Comments. The Raytown Report – A History In 1997 former Raytown Alderman Garth Bare and I started a project we called the Raytown Reporter. I had just been defeated in a bid for re-election to the Board (I had lost by three votes – believe me, that sets your mind to second guessing “what if”. . . but that’s another story) but still wanted to keep in touch with what was going on Raytown City Hall. So we founded the Raytown Reporter. It was truly a labor love. The format was that of an electronic newspaper. We wrote stories, editorials, had a lively Letters to the Editor ...
Read more
Image
To leave a comment use this link POST A COMMENT BY GREG WALTERS Tony Jacobs Speaks Out . . . Tony Jacobs is a regular speaker at Raytown Board of Aldermen meetings. He frequently takes the podium during Public Comments to report items of interest to the Public and Board at the beginning of each meeting. Like most public speakers, he is attentive to detail and keeps his comments within the guidelines set forth by the Board. He is also getting better at delivering a clear and concise message. When it comes to city business, Tony has learned the value of accuracy in his comments. . He relies heavily on information provided to him through the Freedom of Information Act. Last week, his comments were full of information the voting public. PROPOSED PROPERTY TAX INCREASES: “According to Deborah of the Jackson County Collector’s Office and Richard Sheets of the Missouri Municipal League, the (property) tax raise will affect all property, not just hous...
Read more

The Little Guy with the Hammer

The Mayor and five members of the Raytown Board of Aldermen (Schlapia, Hamilton, Riehle, Creamer, Ertz) have sponsored a bill to replace the city’s logo with a new design. Most people will not get too excited about that event one way or another. But the way they are going about it – and what they have designed to replace the black smith pounding an anvil with his hammer leaves a lot to be desired. To be fair, the readers should know that I am partial on this debate. I like the little guy with the hammer logo. It speaks to a small part of history in Raytown that harkens back to the days of the Santa Fe Trail and a blacksmith shop owned by a man named William Ray. The location of that shop is commemorated by a plaque located at 63rd Street and Old Raytown Road, the geographic center of what is now Downtown Raytown. It is also at the center of the city when it was first incorporated. (Raytown annexed additional land in later years to reach its current size) True, the logo is old fashion...
Read more