Raytown Citizens
Express Their Views
Last Tuesday’s meeting of the Raytown Board of Aldermen was unique. Not so much because of what the Board did. They only had two items on the agenda to discuss.
But what was interesting were the comments from three
private citizens at the beginning of the meeting.
To hear what these three brave souls had to say to the
Board of Aldermen use the following link marked Public Comments. The speakers in
the order they spoke are:
SPEAKER 1: SCOTT STORMER
SPEAKER 2: LISA BLOOM
SPEAKER 3: MORRIS MELLOY
Public comments is the second listed item on the agenda
CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING LINK TO VIEW VIDEO
https://www.google.com/url?sa=j&url=https%3A%2F%2Fraytownmo.new.swagit.com%2Fvideos%2F333915&uct=1735238922&usg=DCF_0VsJEiL7ik6k3oqdyyouH7g.&opi=98421741
USE THIS LINK TO Comment AND VIEW COMMENTS
We were wondering how Raytown can best show support of the Kansas City Chiefs quest to win a third Super Bowl in a row.
Our solution was to take advantage of the sign located in front of City Hall.
Now that's a message
on which we can all agree!
on which we can all agree!
FOR YOU TRIVIA BUFFS:
Chief's Super Bowl Victories and Losses
Chief's win in red / Chief's loss in black
SUPER BOWL I (played in 1967)
Kansas City 10 Green Bay 35
SUPER BOWL IV (played in1970)
Kansas City 23 Minnesota 7
SUPER BOWL LIV (played in 2020)
Kansas City 31 San Francisco 20
SUPER BOWL LV (played in 2021)
Kansas City 9 Tampa Bay 31
SUPER BOWL LVII (played in 2023)
Kansas City 38 Philadelphia 35
SUPER BOWL LVIII (played in 2024)
Kansas City 25 San Francisco 22
SUPER BOWL LIX (to be determined next Sunday)
Kansas City __ Philadelphia __
Homeowners Distrust
of City Hall Grows
BY PAUL LIVIUS
DEVELOPER CALLS OFF PUBLIC MEETING ON PROPERTY LOCATED AT 53RD AND BLUE RIDGE BOULEVARD
Approximately two years ago, seven of the ten members of the Raytown Board of Aldermen gave approval for the development of a gasoline station / convenience store / liquor store to be built at 53rd and Blue Ridge Boulevard.
31 comments:
City of Raytown certainly needs to clean up its act. Boarded up buildings, car parts in intersections and trash discarded along our major roads from litter bugs. Almost forgot those shoes hanging from power lines at Gregory Boulevard and Raytown Road.
Anyone have any idea what that means. When the shoes eventually fall down I noticed they get replaced right away. I know what it means and it is not good.
A lot of changes are needed and until changes are made at City Hall I don't see any improvement for our city’s future.
What are the signs of corruption
That is what a friend of mine recently asked after watching the board of all than meeting and calling me to watch it once it had been upload it to the city's website. I must say I was shocked at the behavior of our board of alderman that they would allow a contractor as I understood from what I watched to basically tell the city you're gonna go ahead and have 2 readings tonight. I talked to Someone I know that does criminal investigations and they said this behavior screams of a red flag. They explained red flags as those events that when they occur should have individuals reporting them to the corresponding long law enforcement or regulatory investigations. Why at the last board of older men meeting did this contract find it necessary to request that the board of aldermen do 2 readings in the same night. Their excuse was we have been brought in to get this project moving forward because it's been setting around since 2021. Well hold on to everything boys and girls if a project is set for that long isn't it pastime that the community thing the rhythm form and the contractor further explain The intent for the use of the property in what is to be built considering the gap in time. I hope this quick movement doesn't indicate we've got a Hyatt Regency apartment building being built-in Raytown let me remind you about the Hyatt for those that maybe weren't around the Kansas City metro on that Friday night a skywalk fell and over a 100 people died as a result improper bolts as a cost saving measure led to the disaster so I asked you my fellow citizens How do we know that this building is not going to be properly built when the new contractor has already shown their aggressiveness to get around the standard procedures that were put in place To keep everyone informed and potentially safe is my concern. Unfortunately America has become a nation that focuses more on the almighty dollar and how quickly it can be earned versus the safety of the citizens of this great nation. Are elected officials at city hall have shown they too are focused on how they can hoard funds versus public input and therefore public safety. You see at the prior meeting there was an eagerness to move forward with the the second reading. Unlike this contractor average he told the board there was no need to go ahead and have the second rating that night they have been too waiting to move forward on this project for several years but a meeting a few weeks off wasn't going to make a difference. That night the board did not achieve the number of votes needed to go have the second reading in the same meeting. Maybe everything is legit, but if I was a board member I would be finding out which regulators and inspectors to be contacting to make sure I cover my own you know what if something bad turns out of this because of the all of a sudden rush. Perhaps there's somebody at city hall or several elected officials getting a kick back and again perhaps everything is legit, but when a contractor demanded a second reading in the same night it needs a look from law enforcement and regulator for everyone's safety and to eliminate any speculation based on this questionable behavior that there are not illegal under-the-table deals being made in Raytown.
I am in agreement.
Why the rush for a second reading.
Something doesn't seem up to standards.
Is it once they actually break ground one of those special high Ryan Myers fees comes back to the city.
Maybe one of the department heads get a special letter to help them move on. Rumors coming out of city hall would suggest that this might be the case.
Maybe on any construction project starting with this one where the business ask for they second reading not only do they get the standard inspections, but also have to pay for 2 independent companies of the city's choice. This totally removes any single group for allowing substandard work to be done as mentioned about the Hyatt.
so when are you GROWN ADULTS going to stop celebrating a football game win by shooting your firearms??? what do gun shots and fireworks have to do with football? learn a different way to celebrate seriously. acting a fool after spending 4 hours watching men play a professional sport. And when are the police going to start doing their job and reprimanding people who do so. do the chiefs support improper gun use??
What poor management and decisions from the Raytown School District. If you don't have a student at Blue Ridge Elementary you might not be aware school was canceled earlier today at that school because of a water break. Blue Ridge Blvd at Hunter is shut down as a result of this water break that is part of Raytown Water Company. The unknown is why the district didn't send someone to bring in water bottles for drinking as well as some other water to flush the toliet. Education is not that important in Raytown is the message many are seeing as a trend. You bet the school district superintendent and board has no problem asking for more money. We are not seeing the results in test scores, and as adults ww know time in the classroom is key. In Raytown School District the key appears to be spending money like fools. The solution this April is to vote the only incumbent who is up, Bobbie, out off office. We need to make sure she get only the votes from her family as that not only moves her on, but tells the rest of the board we are truly tired of failure.
Fireworks. If nothing else, fireworks will let you know which of your neighbors is not yet an adult.
I'm pretty sure the students were transferred away to another location. BTW, how was anyone going to carry in enough water to flush toilets for hundreds of students and teachers? I guess your comment could be called Monday afternoon quarterbacking.
Sign me... Raytown newbie.
I wouldn't put anything pass out city at this point. Government to our police. When you watch an intoxicated individual run into a pole in a parking lot of a bar, police show up only to allow this individual to leave in another vehicle because None of the police were certified to give a sobriety test. Lost a lot of faith in our police when I saw this. Not to mention the fireman shaking their heads in disbelief. This city is pathetic and needs new leadership all the way around !
Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them. Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits? Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?
WOW!! That's the best that sign has ever looked. Thank you for posting. With the work being done down the road not many will be passing by that way.
Raytown Newbie.
We received a comment in which someone wrote that we had left a Super Bowl bowl off our list. We purposely left the "loss" of Super Bowl off the list. Many are invited to the party, but at the end of the game there can only be one champion.
For those who may wonder, The Chiefs one loss in a Super Bowl was a the hands of Tampa Bay who defeated the Kansas City by 31 to 9,
Good point. I will add a column showing the two Super Bowls the Chiefs were in but did not win.
I know there are caring people who read these comments. Right now, meals on wheels is struggling to have enough volunteers. It's an easy gig, and there's all kinds of flexibility in scheduling. Additionally, the people receiving the meals are very grateful.
They have technically lost 2 Super Bowls. They lost Super Bowl I to the Packers.
Interesting. We have already updated the full story on the Chief's Super Bowl history. All thing considered they are doing quite well. For the conspiracy theorists out there we do note the two losses the Chiefs suffered were a the hands of teams coming from cities with the second name of the city being "Bay"!
That's right! Green BAY and Tampa BAY!
All that aside we look for Kansas City to win. How close? Hard to say. The Philadelphia Eagles did not become our opponents without having some redeeming qualities.
All that considered, we believe the Kansas City Chiefs will win the contest. And, with that win, they will make history that we do not believe will be repeated any time soon.
Just watched the BOA meeting from last Tuesday. For goodness sake Mr. Myers. Put your cell phone down and pay attention to the meeting. You are not in Junior High. And why on earth did you leave the meeting early?
Mr Walters, I appreciate your efforts towards running this blog. Some of us prefer to avoid social media. With that in mind would you consider including a calendar about when BOA meetings are happening? I know of at least one person who sometimes loses track of time.
Mr. Myers's behavior is juvenile. Hopefully he will be defeated in the April 8th election.
We received a request today asking that we include a calendar about when BOA meets are happening. It is a reasonable request. We will look into ways to best "share" with our readers of future information coming out of City Hall prior to the actual meeting.
The next Board of Alderman meeting will be on December 18th. We receive
the agenda the Friday before the meeting. We will either publish it here (back page of the Raytown Report) or on the front page of the Raytown Report. Either way, the notification will be there on Friday, February 14th.
It may take a few times to see which format is the most effective way to publish.
Always defending the Raytown School Board has all of us paying higher taxes and not getting results on test scores.
Maybe a reduction in taxes and fundraising for the things that don't benefit the students.
Found the following post on line. Since it has to do with on our City Parks, Kenagy Park and its pond . . . thought it was appropriate given the very frigid weather we are looking at this coming week.
Effective Immediately!
Due to unsafe ice conditions, the pond at Kenagy Park is restricted to snow and waterfowl only. Unless you have webbed feet, feathers and wings please stay off the ice as I promise you that you will not be able to fly away to safety if the ice breaks. We thank you for your understanding.
The post was originally posted by Park Board member Robbie Tubbs.
Once again Jackson County Legislator Manny Abarca is in the news. Instead of his normal bragging about saving home owners on their assessments, which he continues to fail to deliver. He now wants to support businesses that hire undocumented works. It gets better his current effort in for a business in a different county then the county he represents. However, we need to focus on the fact he is okay that a businesses is breaking the law. He should be asking what other laws is the business breaking. He should also be asking ICE why they have not taken legal action against the owners of the businesses that had 12 employees detained. I think the reports need to be asking him why it is okay for the business to break they law. I hope other agencies look into the owner. Maybe the county health department. State department of revenue to make sure properly paying sales tax, income tax and employment taxes.
Liked the clever picture of the dog running through the woods.
I was out and about in Raytown this weekend and the number of businesses that looked like trailer trash continues to grow. The shocking park is how my Alderman doesn't cate and actually tells everyone that we have great professionals working at city hall. With the cuts coming from the federal government I find it hard to believe we cannot find individuals that actually want to justify getting paid to do a job.
It also brings into question why joy and invest in the chamber of commerce. They along with the main street group should be the first to be yelling enough is enough, but they to turn a blind eye as long as you give to their cause. I must be old when, I still believe hard work and presenting one's property in s positive way is best for everyone. It makes the area looking welcoming to those wanting to shop our city. However, our current condition is only welcoming to the homeless and those with criminal intent.
It gets worse. On Facebook the police department has already posted this year marks are 75th anniversary. Again my age is showing that the city wants us to celebrate 75 years while claiming we have professionals at city hall that makes us look worse than down off prospect. Don't forget in 2026 the world cup is coming to the metro. We now have two very just reasons on top of who here wants to live in the ghetto firearm war zone that city hall professionals have created.
Ordinance are clearly written and easy to understand. Unless there are some professionals staff with challenges with the English language and ordnance are inacted for the betterment of the community. Maybe to better understand and be impacted by living here like us taxpayers. Some of the more obvious is the number of dumpster not with in an enclosed area. It is so out of control dumpster are now showing up in residential areas. However, based on the residential area at 53rd and Blue Ridge Blvd and the treatment of home owners it is clear they city likes the trailer trash look. Other problems are portable storage units, missing fence in commercial area that were required fore them to open. I could go on and on. I could provide the name of professional optometrist, which might address the issue or maybe it is as simple as some cow prodders.
The of stupid are all around us in Raytown.
I will never understand the parking changes to 63d street between Raytown Road and Blue Ridge Blvd. You know that crazy back end parking that only a few follow. The other day someone was so confused the decided to parallel park. I know I too was think where did they get that idea. Now while a good portion of us thing this backend parking is crazy the Mayor, a former police officer, defends it as much safer. Mr Mayor if it is safer than why arethe police not issuing tickets. There is only one of two answers any reasonable and rational person can come to. Either you are wrong and it is not safe, which is why the police refuse to enforce or they are lazy and not professionals. We know you like to respond on Facebook and look forward to your response.
Those who follow the lack of leadership already know the answer as our state motto is "the show me state". From code violations to expired tags your administration's lack of accountability speaks loud very very loud.
You would have thought Alderman Myers would have figured out all the loss revenue from fines as he so enjoyed higher taxes and fees. Maybe he has yet for his handles to explain this to him in the kindergarten words he understands.
Proof read before you post something! There are so many incomplete statements and sentences it is not funny! Check the city ordinances to see what it says is legal or if it tells you how to park?
Does anyone know how much fees and taxes have increased by Rayan Myers and his following on the board of Alderman?
Example. Sewer bill up 7% this year
Storm Sewer tax increase ? On the assessment of our properties
I understand countless fees have increased being a vote of the people is not required.
I belive with the April election we need to understand how the current board members voted to take more money from us
Interesting question. The city created a 2% sales tax on all internet sales a couple of years back. It was a new tax.
The sewer service billing goes up nearly every year. The only exception was when Covid19 struck America. There was no increase on the sanitary sewer bill that year.
This year the sewer billing went up 7%. City Staff suggested a 5% increase. The majority of the city council raised it to 7%. The final vote was 7 yes to 3 know. Raytown has one of the highest sewer rates in Jackson County.
A bond issue was passed about 5 years ago. Our property taxes increased to pay the debt on the bond. The life of a Missouri Municipal bond varies. We will be paying the debt on this one for at least 20 years. The tax is applied to both personal property (cars, etc.) and residential property and privately held business property.
Those that rent end up paying for the bonds through higher rents.
Use fees are charged by the city on permits for construction on property in Raytown. There are also license fees on pets (which were just increased this
year. The city increases user fees on annual basis.
Raytowners also pay property taxes to the Raytown School District. Don't know how many tax increases the school district has done in the same period. Seems like every other election cycle.
Did some checking. Raytown School District has the highest levy rate in all of Jackson County. Even higher than Lee's Summit and Blue Springs!
Raytown also has a hefty number of TIF Sales Taxes we all pay for. Stores like Walmart, HyVee, Sutherland Lumber (to name a few of the big ones) create a special tax which is charged to the public on all sales items. This tax is paid for by the consumer.
The TIF sales tax money does not go to the merchants, but it used to pay down the debt owed for the construction of the property.
In this way the local taxpayer pays for the improvements through this additional sales tax. It does not go to the city. It goes to pay down the debt created by the construction of the store, parking lot, etc, to pay down the TIF. In this way the owners of the store pay very little for their stores. The Walmart TIF has a life of some 30 years. It has been around awhile, so that TIF will be paid down within the next five years by people who spend money at the store!
Raytown has one of the highest sales tax rates in Jackson County. Check it out. Raytown's sales tax is even higher than the sales tax in Independence, Missouri.
The next tax to be voted on will be a Sales Tax for the Park Department and Storm Sewer Work. The current tax will sunset in 2026. The City Council and Park Board are holding a joint work session on February 26th at Raytown City Hall. This is a public meeting. The Public is invited to attend.
You left out the Franchise Tax on our utilities, natural gas, electricity, water, and cell telephone service/cable tv. The Franchise Tax on each of those services runs from 5% to 7%. And get this. The city even taxes the Franchise Tax with a Sales tax on the Franchise Tax!
Where does all the money go? Don't know for sure. This city needs to change. The upcoming election should be about change because what we have is not working.
“The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.”
― Margaret Thatcher
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