ELECTION RESULTS . . .
Jackson County Voters Reject creation of Internet Use Tax.
Jackson County voters overwhelmingly rejected the County’s
proposed Use Tax at the November 7, 2023 election.
Jackson County
Question 1: Creation of a new Internet Use Tax.
YES . . . . . . . 23,478
40.8%
NO . . . . . . . . 34,043
59.2%
PAUL'S RANT!
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| BY PAUL LIVIUS |
We are not surprised by the results. The message is clear.
Jackson County voters have lost faith in the poor leadership by Jackson County
officials. The nightmarish tax increases forced on homeowners through property
tax increase has poisoned any good faith between the taxpayers and the
politician responsible for the outrageous property tax valuations.
If the County leadership truly wants to correct the damage
they have done to Jackson County property owners all they need do is to
unilaterally lower the outrageously high property tax valuations reached
earlier this year under Frank White’s leadership.
PRESS RELEASE FROM COUNTY EXECUTIVE FRANK WHITE
November 8, 2023
Jackson County Executive Frank White, Jr.
has issued the following statement in response to the defeat of Jackson County
Question 1, which would have established a county use tax:
“The use tax
proposal that was presented on last night’s ballot, though well-intentioned,
did not offer the County the necessary flexibility to manage potential future
challenges or unforeseen circumstances. We are thankful to the members of the
Legislature who were willing to engage in collaborative efforts and sought to
refine the ballot language. Their commitment to constructive dialogue was
invaluable, although regrettably, they represented the minority.
“Additionally,
it is important to note that the decision to move forward with the original
proposal led to a special election that incurred a cost of over $1 million to
the County, funds that were not allocated in this year’s budget. This
expenditure underscores the gravity of the decision made by the majority of the
Legislature.
“In light of
these financial implications and our commitment to fiscal responsibility, my
Administration and I could not endorse the use tax ballot as proposed. Ensuring
the County’s needs are met with foresight and flexibility remains a priority,
and I am dedicated to stewardship that embodies these values, striving for a
community that is not only better and more equitable but also fiscally sound.”
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| BY GREG WALTERS |
Sneak Election Alert!
Vote “NO” on another Use Tax
It seems that Special Tax Increase Elections are
becoming
the norm in Jackson County as well as
Raytown. Please read on to see what
you can
expect at the Election Polls next Tuesday.
Vote “NO” on another Use Tax
It seems that Special Tax Increase Elections are
becoming the norm in Jackson County as well as
Raytown. Please read on to see what you can
expect at the Election Polls next Tuesday.
Next Tuesday, November 7, 2023, a Special Election is being held in Jackson County. Since this is an “off-year” election date, there are no other elections planned. No Federal Elections, no State Elections, even area cities like Raytown are not holding an election.
However, Jackson County is
holding an election. And it is an election that will have a big impact on what
you pay in Internet Use Taxes if it passes. Since it is the only question on the
ballot the taxpayers in Jackson County will be paying approximately $598,375
just to hold the election.
“Wait a minute!” you may ask. “Didn’t the City of Raytown already hold and election in 2021?”
Yes. The City of Raytown did hold such an election. It was the only issue on the ballot and was also held in an off year November election. Voters originally turned down the tax increase. This was the city’s second attempt. Only 11% of the registered voters turned out for the election.
The Election Board is expecting a 3% turn-out in the Jackson County Election Board’s jurisdiction.
We are already paying a Use Tax on our purchases in Raytown. We DO NOT need to pay a second one to Jackson County as well.
This is a bad deal for Jackson County Taxpayers.
We are already being hammered by real estate tax
increases that are so grossly unfair that they are being challenged in Court.
This election is a no-brainer. On Tuesday, November 7th
Vote No! ON JACKSON COUNTY QUESTION ONE
The following fact sheet was written by Stacy Lake.
Stacy Lake is a former Democratic candidate for the position of Jackson County Executive. Ms. Lake is Licensed to Practice Law in both Missouri and Kansas. Her firm is Stacy Lake Firm, LLC.To view other thoughts by Ms. Lake go to FACEBOOK.COM/STACYLAKEMO
๐๐ก๐ $๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ซ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฌ��๐ข๐จ๐ง
In November 2020, the Missouri Auditor Nicole Galloway discovered that the
Jackson County Government’s finances were unknowingly underutilized by over
$100 million dollars for years. To the best of my knowledge, the Jackson County
Government has never made any statement or provided any explanation as to where
this money went after the error was discovered. The only thing the legislature
has done is appoint Q. Troy Thomas, one of the individuals responsible for this
accounting error, as the sole auditor of the Jackson County Legislature.
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ก๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ฑ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ข๐๐ฌ?
The Jackson County Government already has a special tax for roads and bridges
that is expected to provide over $14 million dollars in revenue this year. The
historically high 2023 property tax increases will provide the government with
millions of dollars in additional revenue. The Jackson County Government could
simply fund JCQ #1’s needs through the additional revenue in the 2024 budget.
For instance, the Jackson County Legislature had to spend over $1 million
dollars to hold this special election for specifically this question. Instead
of spending $1 million dollars asking voters to increase their own tax burden
with JCQ #1, they could have used that money to triple the Homeless Assistance
Fund 043.
๐๐ซ๐จ๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐๐๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ก ๐
๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ฌ
There is no specific project or need that is defined under this ordinance. The
broad language used in the ordinance allows the Jackson County Government to
use these tax funds for any purpose they see fit. For instance, the Jackson
County Government could use these tax funds to renovate their own offices under
the ordinance term for “repair projects in Jackson County.” There is no certainty
that any of the funds will be spent on homeless assistance, renovations or
fixing the “roads and bridges.” Which roads or bridges? Which renovations? The
current language of the ordinance has no safeguards to ensure that the tax
monies will be spent properly. As a result, there is a serious possibility that
JCQ #1’s tax monies would in essence become a slush fund: money without a
designated purpose which the Jackson County Government could use for anything
they want.
๐๐ฎ๐ญ, ๐๐๐ข๐ญ ๐๐ญ๐๐๐ฒ, ๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐๐๐ฌ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ?
The Jackson County Government continues to monetarily harm Jackson County
residents through its callous tax increases and public financial fiascoes. To
support Jackson County Question #1, many members of the legislature and media
are spreading the rhetoric that the Jackson County Government simply does not
have the money to meet their needs. Yet, in the same news cycle, they are
entertaining the idea of providing billions of our tax dollars to fund a new
stadium. This is despite the fact that our current jails have been failing for
over forty years, our courthouses need massive renovations due to delayed
maintenance, and our residents’ needs in the unincorporated zones of Jackson
County have been continuously ignored.
๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ญ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐
As stated above, the election board is only expecting 3% of Jackson County
residents to vote on November 7, 2023. Any Jackson County resident who lives in
Kansas City can go to the Kansas City Election Board location at 4407 Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr. Boulevard and any Jackson County resident who lives outside of
Kansas City can go to the Jackson County Election Board location at 215 N.
Liberty in Independence RIGHT NOW and vote. It would take less than five
minutes. We have all been impacted by this year’s severe economic woes. In the
last two years, the cost of groceries has increased by more than twenty
percent. Evergy’s new electricity rates will increase everyone’s utility bill.
Additionally, in Jackson County, our property taxes (real and personal) have
skyrocketed. With mortgage interest rates increasing day by day, purchasing and
maintaining an ownership interest in a property has become nearly impossible
for a household that makes under $100,000 per year. Moreover, small businesses
who rely on purchasing out of county goods to provide their services will be
severely impacted. We don’t have a choice about property taxes, costs of living
expenses, utility or mortgage rates, but we do have a choice about this!
This
is our chance to make our voice heard.Vote No!on Jackson County Question One
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| PHOTO BY GREG WALTERS |
At our house we have one guest spirit – at least part of him, that being his head – who has taken up residence in a guest bedroom. Beside his head is replica of the “Black Candle” from the movie "Hocus Pocus".
Some say nonsense! As for us, we believe.
Happy Halloween from Greg, Paul and all of our guest writers at the Raytown Report!
USE THIS LINK TO Comment AND VIEW COMMENTS
Destruction of Park
Property is Illegal
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| TIRE TRACKS LEFT AT COLMAN PARK. |
12 comments:
That's an interesting picture of the donut someone cut into the lawn a Colman Park. Given how deep the cut it there is little doubt, whoever was driving their toy on the grass was a hefty person to say the least. Next time you see one of these juveniles in an adult body purposely destroying public property, please, please, please call the police. And to you men in blue, please, please, please, answer the call and arrest them.
People that wantonly destroy for no reason other than to destroy are not someone you can reason with. They only understand when the price for their stupidity is too costly to continue.
Well said! Adults acting as juvenile delinquents is a sad commentary. For us to protect our parks we must be vigilant -- never hesitate to call the Police (ANYTIME) or the Park Department during daytime business hours to report when these people are prowling around our parks.
A telling tell of visits from beyond.
It was the night my grandmother passed. I decided to stay the night at her house so I could get it ready for out of town family that would be coming in town. It was almost lie a dream but something woke me in the middle of the night. It was the sounds of someone coming down the hall. I checked the hall and found nothing and returned to bed. At that point a sense of calm and every thing would be okay came over me. I never spoke of this until about 10 years later. My sister was making calendars for everyone and had pulled a picture of this same grandmother to scan, but several days later when she was ready to work on the calendar again could not find the picture. That night she went to make a call and got that sound of a phone off the hook. She checked all the phones upstairs and nothing. This left only the phone in basement where the scanner was. Sure enough it was off the hook and the strange thing was under the receiver was the picture she couldn't find. After sharing with me I told her about the night grandmother passed. She said she to had an experience of calming and noticed an indention on the bed.
You decide but we believe grandmother said her goodbye but looks out for us we we are thinking of her.
The most scary thing this Halloween is watching the miss management of out tax dollars at city hall. Not only do we need to fear the city, but the school district.
It is scary when reality is such a dangerous situation facing families.
I guess the big police department budget cut (2017) is not working out very well. We've got no license requirements, no speed limits, and no stop signs. I read a comment recently, I can't remember where, in which the person expressed the view that other people should "mind their own business" regarding expired tags along with code violations. I disagree. Jackson county seems to think I've got 413,000 reasons to care about what goes on in and around where I live. Maybe the schools could go back to teaching civics and anthropology. It seems that many "citizens" don't understand the basic concept of society, or their role in it. When some adolescent on a 4 wheeler causes a fatal accident, then there will be a story on the news. 8:05 said, "They only understand when the price for their stupidity is too costly to continue." I think he's correct. But it's sad that the understanding is often too late to benefit anyone.
1:18 pm - it's been quite awhile since any one has talked about consolidating the trash service. Why not let it go until it comes up again. Or have you run out of topics to gripe about?
Special Election November 7, 2023
Vote and Vote No
Special elections are a growing way for elected representatives to raise your taxes and the price you pay for services. It’s even being done without public input.
In Raytown, the City mislead residents on what was presented by City Staff as a routine contractual change, but actually resulted in a 1% increase in taxes for those that subscribe to Google Fiber as Google increased Raytown residents bills to pay the tax.
Since Jackson County wants to hide another tax increase without any promise of the funds being spent raised in Raytown being spent for Raytown, I would encourage each of you to vote and VOTE NO. Don’t allow the online businesses to simply pass this tax on to you with no assurance the tax will benefit you and the community of Raytown.
I see ATV and dirt bikes going up and down my street all the time.
I talked to a Raytown Police Officer the other day and he indicated that at any given time, there are 3-4 Police patrolling the streets at any given time. He also indicated that is not so much a budget issue, but rather people do not want to be Police Officers in more. Considering the risks, who can blame them?
If anyone real believes those out of town companies are not going to pass the taxes on to the shoppers you got another thing coming.
One of the most wasteful slush fund taxes Jackson County has is the so-called COMBAT tax. Creates a huge pile of poorly overseen money with a very loosely worded, poorly defined objective.
BTW, Raytowners. VOTE Tuesday and just say NO!
RN
Jackson County needs to butt out of raising any more taxes!!! Haven't they caused enough harm by raising our property taxes? Vote NO on Jackson County Question 1!
Thank you Raytowners! Maybe, just maybe, Frank and his band of suck-ups will get the message.
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