Thunderstorms threaten from the west at the Plaza Art Fair last Friday evening.The rains held off until the next morning. It was a good night to view some art, enjoy the music and, take a break by resting from all the walking along Brush Creek.
USE THIS LINK TO Comment AND VIEW COMMENTS
LEE’S
SUMMIT, BLUE SPRINGS AND INDEPENDENCE
Challenge Jackson County
over
Reassessment
Three Eastern Jackson County cities have announced they plan to file lawsuits regarding the Re-Assessment process used by Jackson County
to determine the value of homes in the County. Those cities are: Lee’s Summit,
Independence and Blue Springs.
Prior to the lawsuits, five municipal governments
approved Resolutions condemning Jackson County for irregularities in the
reassessment process.
The Jackson County Legislature has formally requested the Missouri State Auditor’s Office to investigate the handling of the reassessment process.
The Missouri State Auditor has responded. A full
investigation is currently underway.
OUR VIEW . . .
One of the responsibilities of an elected official in Missouri is
to support the provisions of all laws
of the State of Missouri.
Five cities in Eastern Jackson County, Lee’s Summit, Independence, Blue Springs, Pleasant Valley and Raytown, have adopted Resolutions calling for Jackson County Government to address a flawed process in assessing property values in 2023. The five cities have also asked Jackson County Executive Frank White to roll back property values to those used in the 2022 Assessment Cycle.
County Executive Frank White has refused to roll back the value of property per the request of the five cities.
Three of those cities have backed up their resolution by filing law suits against Jackson County. Those cities are Independence, Lee’s Summit and Blue Springs.
The elected officials in those cities have stepped up on behalf of the people they represent. We commend them for their action.
A war of words between
Mayor and Ward 4 Alderman
BY GREG WALTERS
Ward 4 Alderman Bill Van Buskirk and Mayor Michael McDonough had some verbal back and forth on how “Consent Agenda” items are handled by the Raytown Board of Aldermen.
The “Consent Agenda” is the act of grouping a number of business items on the agenda into one item for a single vote for approval. At the last meeting of the Board there were 7 items on the Consent Agenda.
Typically these are considered “housekeeping items” that may be voted on with one roll call of the Board.
State Law restricts Consent Agenda items to actions by the City that do not affect the City Budget.
Mayor and McDonough and Ward 4 Alderman VanBuskirk were not in agreement on how to interpret the rules for Consent Agenda items.
Use the following link to listen to what was an interesting exchange between the two men:
USE THIS LINK . . . CONSENT AGENDA DISCUSSION
SCROLL DOWN TO THE FOURTH ITEM - CONSENT AGENDA
YOU BE THE JUDGE!
The following language is from the City’s Code of Ordinances. The highlighted item (see below) is the pertinent
section addressing how an item can be removed from the Consent Agenda without a
vote, provided there is no objection from by the remaining members of the
Board.
The ordinance language clearly backs up Alderman VanBuskirk’s position.
Sec. 2-497. Consent
agenda.
(a)
The agenda for every regular meeting of the board of aldermen shall include a
consent agenda for the purpose of taking action on routine and noncontroversial
items, where documentation provided to the board that is adequate and
sufficient for approval without inquiry or discussion. The consent agenda is
intended to minimize the time required for the handling of any noncontroversial
matters and permit additional time to be spent on more significant matters.
(b)
The presiding officer may place items on the consent agenda, except that the
following matters may not be placed on the consent agenda any matter which by
law requires a public hearing, any matter which will increase a budget
appropriation, and any matter requiring approval by ordinance.
(c)
An item designated for the consent agenda may be removed from the consent
agenda at the request of the mayor or an alderman, where there is no objection
by the remaining members of the board. If there is an objection to removal of an item from the consent
agenda, the item may be removed by a motion and vote of the board.*
(d)
When removed, items shall be considered individually at the end of the consent
agenda at the same meeting.
(e) The
published agenda shall clearly distinguish consent from regular agenda items.
(f)
At any meeting at which there is a consent agenda, the ayes and nays shall be
taken upon the passage of all items on the consent agenda by a single board
vote. It shall not be necessary that there be a reading of the titles or the
effect of the items on a consent agent.
USE THIS LINK TO Comment AND VIEW COMMENTS
 |
| BY GREG WALTERS |
On September 15, 2023 the City of
Independence sent the following press release to media contacts. The document
is announcement that the City of Independence has retained Charles Hatfield of
Stinson, LLP to represent them in litigation with Jackson County, Missouri in
an attempt to correct “inconsistent and unfair processes related to the
assessment of real property taxes” in Jackson County.
The press following press release was originally published by the City
of Independence on the City’s website.
"The
Independence City Council has voted to move forward with filing a lawsuit
against Jackson County regarding recent property tax
On July
17, the City Council approved a resolution to direct the City Manager to
consult with the City Counselor to determine whether the City could join an
existing class action lawsuit. The City Council met in an executive session on
September 14, where, after hearing guidance from legal counsel, they made the
final decision to proceed with their own lawsuit.
The
City has retained Charles Hatfield with Stinson, LLP, to represent them in this
matter and anticipates the lawsuit to be filed in Jackson County within one
week.
A joint
statement from the Independence City Council reads:
“In the
wake of continuous failures by Jackson County officials to correct their
inconsistent and unfair processes related to the assessment of real property
taxes, the Independence City Council has authorized City staff to retain legal
counsel to initiate a lawsuit against Jackson County.
The
Independence City Council did not make this decision lightly, but feels
litigation has become necessary in order to stand up for the interests of
Independence residents and ensure the assessment process is being done in
compliance with state law.
It is
the City’s hope that this unfortunate, but necessary action, will finally force
Jackson County to do what is right for the City of Independence and its
residents.”
Lawsuit against Jackson County over tax assessments
Lee’s Summit, Missouri
has filed a lawsuit against Jackson County on how this year's property
assessments were conducted.
In a press release Lee’s Summit Mayor Bill Baird said, “For too long the County and its officials have offered one excuse after another for their failure to correctly assess real property. People are over or underpaying,"
Baird continued, “The
County still won’t get it right and Lee’s Summit just can’t wait any longer.”
ANALYSIS:
The
lawsuit filed by Lee’s Summit may just be the tip of the iceberg. It was not
that long ago that a Class Action Lawsuit was filed by a law firm out of
Indepence for not delivering Tax Assessment notices to Jackson County property
owners on a timely basis.
The Class Action Lawsuit was quickly followed by resolutions from City Councils in Independence, Lee’s Summit, Blue Springs, Grain Valley, and finally, Raytown, calling for a roll-back of taxes to rates charged in 2022.
Ward 1 Alderman Greg Walters successfully sponsored the resolution in Raytown. His thoughts on the Lee’s Summit law suit are interesting.
Walters said, “Raytown was hammered by outrageously high property tax increases just as Lee’s Summit.”
“It would make sense for Raytown and all other cities that called for changes in the Assessment process to join in the lawsuit,” continued Walters.
Walters pointed out that litigation of this nature is slow moving. He believes there is plenty of time for other cities to join Lee’s Summit in its efforts.
.png) |
| BY PAUL LIVIUS |
Aldermen approve Resolution calling for Rollback of Jackson County Property Tax
At the September 5th the Raytown Board of Aldermen approved a resolution asking the County Executive to rollback property taxes levels to those set in 2022. In so doing, the City of Raytown joins five other elected governmental bodies* with similar requests to correct errors by the Jackson County Assessment office.
6. R-3541-23: A RESOLUTION ENCOURAGING THE JACKSON COUNTY EXECUTIVE TO MAINTAIN ASSESSED VALUATIONS FOR REAL PROPERTY IN JACKSON COUNTY AT THEIR 2022 LEVELS FOR CALENDAR YEAR.
Point of contact: Alderman Greg Walters
YES: Greg Walters, Theresa Garza, Bill VanBuskirk, Jim Aziere, Loretha Hayden
NO: Ryan Myers, Bonnaye Mims, Diane Krizek, Janet Emerson
ABSENT: Ian Scott
Use the following link to access the video of the meeting.
Go to Item 6 on the Agenda.
USE THIS LINK . . . September 5, 2023 BOA Meeting
USE THIS LINK TO Comment AND VIEW COMMENTS
 |
| BY GREG WALTERS |
Watch sign in my neighborhood. It is the brain child of Brooke Madrid. Mrs. Madrid was a victim of auto theft from her home in the Park Dell / Village Green subdivision.
She did some checking and found out her car was not the only theft in the neighborhood. A home being remodeled was broke into and all the workman’s tools were all stolen. Her investigation found property crimes in Raytown and auto thefts were running rampant in the area.
Her investigation led her what was left of her, a 50th Anniversary Limited Edition Dodge Challenger Scatpack. There were only 70 of that make, model and color made by Dodge. It had been stripped and sold parts.
Brooke told us locking the car in the driveway is not enough, “The thieves solved that problem by simply breaking the glass, silently rolling my car down the street and hot-wiring it once it was away from our home.”
Now, Brooke and her husband, Arthur, garage their cars every night.
Brooke believes the best way to fight crime is through neighborhood and community participation. “It will take all of us to work together, with the police, to make our neighborhoods safe again”, said Brooke.
Like the sign reads, “WE CALL THE POLICE”. All you have to do is dial 911 to report ANY crime or suspicious activity in your neighborhood.
25 comments:
Interesting response from the Mayor to your question. He does not offer a solution, does not offer to look into the situation, just acknowledges what you say. Not what I would call true leadership. I suggest you call the chief of police. He will at least listen to what you have to say. Maybe even give some advice should it happens again.
The aldermen of Raytown. A couple of them understand that their job is to represent their constituents. A couple of them do not. I watched the replay, no real surprises. It does seem a little strange that some of them didn't understand that by "standing up" with neighboring cities, Raytown is helping to reinforce a message. If the aldermen think the assessments were wrong, which seems obvious to all, then they should be willing to stand up and say so. When it's done along with adjacent communities, it's called unity. If, as an alderman, you're unsure of how your constituents feel about it, you could ask them.
Imagine stealing money from everybody and still being $32 Trillion in debt
Raytown School District is having a property tax rate hearing on Monday, Sept. 25 at 6:30 pm at the Board of Education building. They, like many other taxing districts, are going to take the windfall of reassessment and not lower their rate. It will stay at the same $6.32 it has been. This will result in them receiving an additional $14M (27% increase) in tax revenues this time. Reassessment has gotten all the publicity but this is the other part of the formula that will result in such high taxes. All of the taxing districts should consider lowering their rates but I predict very few will. It's easy money for them.
I got to get out of this school district, city and county. It's crazy the way they tax the working class to death. Between increase cost of living and taxes, I am very afraid for the future of this country. God bless (help) the USA!
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Blue Springs School District Board of Education voted at its Monday night meeting to lower the district's tax levy as concerns swirl among Jackson County taxpayers about higher property assessments.
I hope Raytown School District will do the same, but I have my doubts.
11:36. Why do t you just move out of the country. Go live in England, Germany, or Spain for awhile. You’ll see how good you got it. We’ll win too. We won’t have to listen to you gripe.
So.....If the School District is getting such a windfall from the tax increase, why are they fighting tooth and nail with The City and Fire District regarding upgrades? The District says student safety is a #1 priority, until it's time to fund it.
Send them all packing.
I would be in a state of shock if the School District does a rollback on taxes. They have more money than they know what to do with, and crappy test scores. The greedy bunch.
Wake up the woke school board doesn't care about us tax payers or we would not be particularly accredited.
The district cannot and refuses to educate our kids but fools keep giving them money.
We deserve better maybe if the state takes over the district you fools would wake up.
To: September 20, 2023 at 12:42 PM
You don't have to be so ugly about it.
It does matter if it is at a local watering whole or one of the local Facebook pages, but citizens are outraged by the conditions of the streets thanks to a local utility company and our city officials lack to hold them accountable. Streets remain unrepaired for months and in some cases even over a year before the utility comes back and paves / concrete the streets returned to their prior condition.
Enough is enough and it is time to make our city administrator and this utility company famous with the Great State of MO. It is simple and takes 3 phone calls or even better 1 simple email to the following:
The Missouri Public Service Commission shouldn't be approving the utility's request for additional rate increase until this ongoing abuse of our streets that makes our community look incredibly poor and without pride.
Missouri Public Service Commission
Phone: (800) 392-4211 Email: pscinfo@psc.mo.gov
Attn: Nancy Dippell, Secretary
200 Madison Street, PO Box 360
Jefferson City, MO 65102-0360
Senator Barbara Anne Washington
Phone: (573) 751-3158 Email: barbara.washington@senate.mo.gov
201 W. Capitol Ave., Rm. 329
Jefferson City, Missouri 65101
Representative Jerome Barnes
Phone: (573) 751-9851 Email: jerome.barnes@house.mo.gov
201 West Capitol Avenue, Room 105-C
Jefferson City MO 65101
Seriously? The woke school board? I guess everyone has an opinion. Maybe this doesn't really apply to the previous commenter- I like to give the benefit of doubt, but many conversations I've had with people who ride on the anti-woke band wagon include remarks that education isn't really very important anyway. Yet, during the pandemic people complained that their kids were suffering as a result of not being in a classroom. Now they're back in classes, and the same people complain about the curriculum or the way it's presented. I'm not mentioning this to be argumentative, merely to point out that there are some people who will complain under any conditions. As far as the burden on tax payers, the previous commenter has a valid point. The district can't expect that everyone will go along with ever increasing costs that yield ever decreasing benefits. The people who "keep giving them money" may be foolish, but might also be doing the best thing they can think of. Perhaps there can be a solution, but the problem is not simple. Blaming someone because their viewpoint doesn't match yours, doesn't qualify as a solution. That said, somewhere along the line we need to decide whether we want education to help people know how to be good citizens, and why that matters, or just subsidized day care.
I can't understand why Ryan Myers, Bonnaye Mims, Diane Krizek and Janet Emerson would vote against supporting a request for an audit of the company that performed the Jackson County tax assessments on our homes. It would be helpful if any of these Aldermen could explain their reasoning to Raytown homeowners.
https://www.facebook.com/reel/1360793601480829?fs=e&s=TIeQ9V&mibextid=0NULKw
Show up at the School Board hearing tonight and plea with them to roll back taxes, as the taxpayers are hurting enough, thanks to Jackson County. The schools will also benefit from the Jackson County increase. Oops, what was I thinking, that Board doesn't give a crap about the taxpayers, unless they are asking for your vote. I bet they keep taxing us.
What are our Alderman doing!
I can tell you what they are not:
1.) Respecting the well of the people by allowing another gas station
2.) Making sure our police department is working to keep us safe as well as collecting the tax dollars they complain they need more of. Example is increasing number of vehicles without tags or expired tags from over a year ago.
3.) Making sure coded enforcement on the simplest of things like trash piles and over grown vegetation (grass).
ALDERMAN NEED TO LEARN RESPECT
1.) Get out and drive your Wards and take notes on the above as well as things like potholes and othe damage to the streets.
2.) When out and about talk to your fellow citizens and business owners about concerns, but make sure you actually address the concerns.
3.) If you CANNOT do 1 and 2 stop the embarrassment to yourselves and your families for your failure as a leader and resign as Raytown needs better then do nothing check collecting excesses.
What is the most over used word at city hall that is also the most lacking from city hall
Professional
From the first of September a group of us have been working on a petition drive to Recall Frank White. We joined in on the drive after hearing all the horrifying stories people have shared with us.
To be clear, their are people in Raytown who are afraid they will lose their homes.
This is not just about homeowners.
There are many who live in apartments that are facing huge rent increases because of the property tax increases County Executive Frank White has brought on them.
Losing an apartment you love is the same as losing your home.
These people need our help.
Some of our political leaders have taken steps to end the unfair tax increases. Some have been shameful in their silence. In Raytown, the City Council did pass a resolution condemning the faulty process used by Jackson County in its reassessment.
Be thankful for the following five Raytown City Councilmembers voted for the Resolution. Loretha Hayden, Bill VanBuskirk, Greg Walters, Jim Aziere and Theresa Garza.
They voted to back us up.
Four of the Rayown Councilmembers voted NO! Remember them when the next city elections come around. It was embarrassing to see that Ryan Myers, Bonnaye Mims, Diane Krizek and Janet Emerson voted NO when we needed them the most.
Shame on them.
The Jackson County Legislature has stepped up as well. They made a special request to the Missouri State Auditor's Office to investigate the unjust tax increases we are facing.
State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick has launched a full investigation into the reassessment process.
Another person who has been a BIG help in this process is Preston Smith. Mr. Smith served as a member of the Jackson County Board of Equalization for 14 years. During that time, he heard over 10,000 appeals. Smith also has 31 years of high-level data analysis experience. His experience has been invaluable. He is keeping us on the right track.
Here is what we need you to do.
Come by Doughboys Doughnuts and sign our petition to recall County Executive Frank White. He is the root of all these tax problems. He has refused to help correct the problem.
We are open Tuesday through Saturday - 6:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m.
Come on by to visit and sign our petition.
Thank you for listening,
Elisa Breitenbach
Raytown Board of Aldermen need to take a leason and action like Greenwood did with their Mayor.
Raytown is not a better place under the current leadership, but our Alderman can take the first step in making it better.
7:48 if your so unhappy with the mayor, why didn't you run against him He ran unopposed, so everyone must have thought he was doing a good job.
Wow, who says this is a do-nothing city?
Finally, they have gotten around to the long overdue project of milling and repaving the ALLEY behind some businesses in downtown Raytown.
I mean, most everyone has been waiting for this to happen.
And mind you... they didn't do the slurry thing like some Raytown streets get. They did it the best way possible.
Thank you, mayor Mike, or whomever we should thank.
Umm, Raytown Newbie being funny this morning.
Have a nice day and GO CHIEFS!
Can't understand why this particular alley was in need of a full resurfacing. And I know that some of the business owners were not in favor of this, as it limited their parking spaces behind their businesses. What happened here? There are two already paved roads on either side of the alley. Would the Mayor, City Administrator or Public Works Director please tell us why this particular alley was so important?
Oh yeah, BTW 5:25, please Would the Mayor, City Administrator or Public Works Director please tell us why this particular alley was so important? Also, let all of us taxpayers know what this cost.
The goofy sign was about $30K and a waste because it can hardly be read. But this project, I think cost somewhat more.
I mean, who gained from this waste of our public money? Only a very few. Not the public. Just a couple business owners. One especially.
Greg, your on the city councel. Can you explain why the city paved the alley?
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