- Democrat Candidate for the United States Senate, Trudy Busch Valentine will be holding a meet and greet event at Breakfast and Lunch Lover's. The event is being sponsored by Raytown's State Representative Jerome Barnes and the Raytown Democrat Association. For more information go to the last story under "Bits and Pieces".
- A continuation of our story of upgrades and improvements at Raytown's premier historical attraction, Rice Tremonti Home.
- Bits and Pieces . . . A collection of short articles about many topics.
- An Editorial Reply by Greg Walters
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| BY GREG WALTERS |
An on-going project has been the refurbishing of the windows at the home. The home still has all of its original glass. When the home was first constructed back in the 1850’s, leaded glass was used for windows.
The frames supporting the windows were decaying. The Friends of Rice Tremonti, which is the governing body of the Home, made a grant application and were awarded $40,000 from the Sunderland Foundation. Twenty thousand dollars will be used to repair the windows using the original glass from the home.
The other $20,000 will be used to install a new fire alarm system, a “must have” precaution needed in a pre-civil war home built of wood.
The window project is about 50% completed.
Three years ago the aging roof was replaced with a new shake shingle roof, which more accurately fits the construction used in the pre-Civil War era when the home was built.
A new floor was added to the home in the kitchen using the original blueprints from when the home was first constructed.
It is the small details that count. When completed, the windows will shine like a new penny. The imperfections in the glass from the time period they were first installed from, have been excellently captured and preserved.
So the next time you are at the Rice Tremonti Home, take a relaxing tour of the home and grounds as you step back 170 years and imagine how life was back in those days.
Bits and Pieces . . .
Barb Schlapia has been a community activist in Raytown for many years. She served on the Raytown City Council for four terms. She was then elected to the Raytown Fire District Board of Directors. A position she still holds today.
We had heard from another member of the Fire District Board that they had just finished their budget. We were told the District actually “lowered” their tax levy. Barb confirmed she and her seatmates had lowered the Fire District's tax levy.
She told us, “People are hurting out there. We thought it would be a good idea to see what we can do to help ease the pain of inflation and all the new tax increases headed Raytown’s way.”
Well said Ms. Schlapia, and speaking for many in Raytown, “thank you”. Please pass our thanks along to your seatmates on the Raytown Fire Protection District as well.
This act of a governmental body lowering a tax in hard economic times is unusual. Particularly when you compare the aggressive path governmental bodies like Raytown and Jackson County are pushing hard to increase taxes and fees.
Greg Walters Response to Censure
To my readers:
The following is my response to an editorial printed in an out-of-town publication regarding my recent censure by the Raytown Board of Aldermen.
The owner of the publication refused to print my rebuttal to the
editorial. I have decided to run it here.
Greg Walters
Dear Readers,
It is no surprise the Raytown mayor jumped at a second attempt to censure
me, after I told the City Administrator, I would be unable to attend the
following Tuesday council meeting due to a family commitment.
It is no surprise that Mayor McDonough chose the Friday before Labor Day weekend to rush his almost unintelligible self-authored “evidentiary” document to the agenda. It’s no surprise that he chose not to have the City Attorney write it, as it might not have included the overt hearsay, along with violations to my first amendment rights, state and city laws that specifically allow me to do things I was “charged” with doing.
It is no surprise that when I asked to have the resolution carried over to the following meeting to be able to present my facts about the issues addressed he blazed through it in a meeting in my absence, without giving me the courtesy of a rebuttal, not to mention any due process.
It is no surprise that what the mayor is really upset about, is that I opposed three enormous property tax increases in August that voters declined.
Despite knowing families in our community struggling to make ends meet, he wishes not to acknowledge that we are staring down the barrel of a huge property tax re-assessment increase by Jackson County. This alone may force some from their homes.
Now, being upset with the voter’s decision, he is bringing the taxes back to the November ballot and hoping the censure will silence my voice.
It is no surprise that after the first censure attempt didn’t meet the super majority of votes required to pass, the mayor brought legislation to lower the required threshold for a censure.
I have worked with many mayors throughout my 30 years on and off the Board of Alderman, but this one takes the cake. I have seen him publicly belittle Aldermen should they dare disagree on an issue.
It is no surprise that he chose to have one of his appointed minions write an editorial to a publication in another city about my censure and the Mayor has now forwarded the article to Facebook.
A friend of mine told me, given how and where this censure came from, that I should consider it badge of honor.
It should be no surprise that I do.
Greg Walters
Alderman, Ward 1
Raytown, Missouri
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10 comments:
Inquiring Minds...
The piece the city put in sewer bills in July said the cost of the $53.2 million bonds would be between $50 and $143 per year on a $100,000 home. That ranges from .14 cents to .39 cents per day.
The piece I got at the recycle event now says .60 cents a day for $150,000 home which equates to $219 a year for the $37.2 million in bonds.
If you adjust their initial projection for going from a 100,000 home to a 150,000 home then we multiply the daily cost by 1.5.
So $53 million cost .21 cents to .58.5 cents per day, but $37.2 million is .60 cents a day.
Can someone explain how borrowing less is costing more?
Figures don't lie...
You are right. Figures do not lie. This weak excuse for a campaign to tax us out of our homes by people at city hall who are challenged by simple math is entertaining to watch. They know the tax package they have crafted for Raytown is way to expensive a town of only about 12,000 homes at best. Yet they keep trying to threaten and bully the public into voting for tax increases that will hurt the people they claim to serve.
Keep the faith. The tax packages being forced upon us in two consecutive elections deserve to be turned down.
Take a hard look at what you pay in property taxes each year. That amount is about to increase by at least 30% when the County gets done re-assessing our properties. The County has already released that our cars will be taxed at a rate of about 25% more than last year. Not just our cars, but our trailer homes, our boats, anything that requires a license in the State of Missouri.
Pile the proposed Raytown property tax increases on top of that and you have a perfect storm of out of control taxation that will bring economic ruin down on many who live in the metropolitan area. Especially an area like Raytown where a large portion of the population are retired and living on fixed incomes.
Fortunately we have some control over this fiscal nightmare.
On November 8th vote NO on BOTH of the Property Tax increases for Raytown.
Here is something to remember. The Raytown ballot issues are the LAST TWO ITEMS ON YOUR BALLOT.
Please, please, please tell your friends and neighbors. These taxes are not good for Raytown. Remind them to vote NO on November 8th.
I will be voting no again, and again and again!
The lack of professionalism from city staff now has me a hard no vote.
One would think the mayor would get staff on board or is this more telling of the miss management from his administration.
The property tax on our used cars is going to be going up 24.5% this year due to market demand. That in and of itself is painful enough. I know my pay certainly is not increasing at the rat3e of inflation and taxation. Voting NO!!!!
Spot on and straight to the point! Keep up the good work guys. Your page is the closest thing we have to a true newspaper in Raytown. You probably will not get any christmas cards from Ryan Myers and his gang, but the rest of us really do appreciate the effort you are making for Raytown. Keep up the good work!
Its a BIG NO from me !!!
Ryan is firing up his "GO" rocket! Here we go again!
"What Is Street Reconstruction?"
"BEFORE: Street condition: POOR.
DURING: Street milled 8".
AFTER: Street with new 8": NEW.
(Or something like that.)
Should read:
GO Bonds: BAD.
Common Sense: GOOD.
Can't make this stuff up. It's hysterical.
There is no need to post this, but I know you monitor comments. I just read your post on censure, as well as the Rice-Tremonti house. I have nothing against Barb, but you might want to be aware of an issue. The Friends of the Rice-Tremonti Home Association is a 501(c)(3) organization. They are prohibited from participating in political campaigns. Mikey just held a fundraiser there. Barb is his treasurer. Do w/ this information what you will. Feel free to contact me.
Good ole Mikey violated someone's first amendment? Nooooo! He spent over a year and a half prosecuting me for exercising mine. Case dismissed! On appeal, of course. I would love to see what he wrote about you. How would I acquire these documents?
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