BY GREG WALTERS

Tuesday is Election Day!

PLEASE REMEMBER

TO VOTE.

This is interesting.

Read the ballot language we posted last week recommending a "YES" vote on Question #1. The language came was published by the Jackson County Election Board. The copy for the language was approved by the Jackson County Legislature 

No doubt it was written by a bureaucrat. I have outlined the ballot language which is also underscored in bold type on the Official Ballot Language.

Note the choice is written "the Jackson County Assessor no longer be a "qualified" appointee and instead be an elected position".

I would bet you dollars to donuts that language was written by some nameless bureaucrat who cannot help but put in misleading language as to the qualifications when a County Assessor is elected.

Rest assured, elected or appointed, candidates running for Jackson County Assessor should Question 1 be approved will be required to hold the same qualifications as all other County Assessors elected in counties throughout the State of Missouri.

Incidentally, Jackson County is the ONLY County in Missouri that currently appoints the County Assessor.

Please remember to vote on Monday. A "yes" vote is needed to bring some common sense and fairness back to how property taxes are assessed in Jackson County.

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Special Election

Jackson County, Missouri

Tuesday, November 4, 2025

Most readers are probably aware that there is a Special Election scheduled for Jackson County, Missouri on Tuesday, November 4, 2025. However, since this is an off year election, it is very possible the election will have a low turnout.

Jackson County Question 1, would change the office of Jackson County Assessor from an appointive office to an elective office.

Given all that has transpired on Property Taxes, Frank White's Recall Election, and how an improvement is needed in how taxes are assessed it is in voter's best interest to vote YES to change the office of Assessor to an elective position.

A YES VOTE would require the County Assessor be elected directly by Jackson County Voters.

This change would give Jackson County Taxpayers an elected Assessor who would answer directly to taxpayers on Property Tax disputes on our homes, businesses, automobiles and recreational vehicles. 

It is in ALL taxpayer's best interest to VOTE YES to change the office of County Assessor from an appointive position to one elected directly by the voters.

---- Official Ballot Language ----

QUESTION # 1

Shall Articles III, IV, and V of the Jackson County Charter, adopted by vote on November 3, 1970, and as amended by Public Votes on August 8, 1978, April 2, 1985, November 4, 1986, Augusts 2, 1994, August 3, 2010 and November 6, 2018 be amended to require that the Charter Office of the Jackson County Assessor no  longer be a qualified appointee and instead be an elected position?

THE RAYTOWN REPORT URGES VOTERS TO
Vote Yes

A "YES" vote will return who chooses the position of the Jackson County Assessor directly to the voters.

PAID FOR BY GREG WALTERS

. . . FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE . . .

A Raytown’s Salute to Veterans will be held

WHEN
Sunday, November 9th
from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm

WHERE
Raytown High School Auditorium
6019 Blue Ridge Boulevard

Please join us to pay tribute and say
"thank you" to our veterans

Veterans can Pre-register at

https://forms.gle/RQyTC3er55hA7Z7L9
 or register at the event to receive recognition

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The art display at the Raytown Public Library was huge success. Our thanks to the staff at the Library for their help in guiding us through set up of the display..

We are currently looking at another venue to bring more of our photography to the public's attention. We will keep you informed once a location is settled upon.

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BY GREG WALTERS

A Solution to Neighborhood Speeding.

On the night of June 9th at 2:00 a.m. in the morning 100 cars slowly drove into Colman Park located at 59th Street and Lane Street. At 2:00 a.m. occupants of the vehicles pulled out their weapons and began firing weapons from pistols, shotguns and  to high powered rifles (some with "bump" stocks) into the night sky. 

The salvo continued for ten minutes. It ended when the Raytown Police arrived. Those firing their weapons fled immediately.

At this point you may be wondering what does this have to do with "Neighborhood Speeding"?

The answer is simple.

The solution engineered by Park Board Director Dave Turner and set into motion by the Raytown Park Board has ended the dangerously lawless behavior at Colman Park in the wake of what took place on June 9th.

Three sets of speed bumps were installed on Lane Street, which stretches the length of the 13 acres that comprise Colman Park.

ONE OF THREE SPEED "BUMPS" INSTALLED AT COLMAN PARK

What happened next has proven to be a pleasant surprise.

It turns out those who like to speed through residential parks in their favorite toy, in this case their cars, do not like speed bumps. Here is why speed bumps make it impossible to hold drag races on Lane Street through Colman Park.Speed bump shorten the unimpeded driving space to an area too small to conduct "side shows". Driving over the speed bumps at high speeds can literally destroy the front steering of a motor vehicle. Riding a motorcycle at high speed over speed bumps is not a good idea either. More importhere has been a return of young families, walkers with and without their dogs on the walking trails in the park. The number of people playing pickle ball, tennis and softball has increased.Which begs the question . . . if speed bumps can have such a positive effect at a city park. Can the same speed bumps speed bumps (or humps) be used to slow down speeders on our neighborhood streets?

Our answer is Yes

All Raytown need do is follow the lead of surrounding cities like Lee's Summit and Kansas City to see how successful such a Traffic Calming Program can be.

First, a distinction needs to be made as what we are talking about.

A proposal I intend to bring to the Board of Alderman at City Hall would be to offer neighborhoods a program of installing "speed humps" in residential areas plagued by speeding and dangerous driving practices. 

Colman Park uses "speed bumps", which works perfectly for the problems the Park had.

Speed humps (as the pictures below show) have a less radical incline for residential streets than the speed bumps used at Colman Park. 

Speed humps have a "calming" effect on traffic. This "traffic calming" works at slowing down speeders. It works in Lee's Summit. It works in Kansas City.

The genius of speed humps is that they work ALL THE TIME. You do not need police personnel to enforce the speeding because speed humps are self-enforcing. They literally teach drivers with an ongoing experience to slow down and follow traffic laws.

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Paul’s Rant! BY PAUL LIVIUS

An interesting exchange between two Aldermen at the last meeting of the Board deserves some attention. So without any further ado, we will get straight to the chase!

Park Board Director Dave Turner had just finished a report on the construction of a new skate board park at Kenagy Park. The current skate board park is over 20 years old has reached that point of "it can't be repaired any longer".

In his report, Turner said the cost of the project is under budget. But, since it is a grant, the city is not required to return the extra funds.

Ward 1 Alderman Greg Walters suggested a good use of the funds would be to install fencing on the southern most tennis court at Colman Park with fencing for Pickle Ball use. The Park Department has already striped the tennis courts for Pickle Ball.

Walters said, "The balls used in Pickle Ball are made of hard plastic. Though light in weight, they are very sturdy.

When a ball leaves a court into an adjacent court it could create a trip hazard for a player in another game on a different court. 

Pickle Ball is not a "contact sport". However, it most certainly is competitive. As in most sports, the players are concentrating on the game. A ball rolling from one court to another could be the prelude to a disaster."

After Walters finished his comments Alderwoman Bonnaye Mims asked for the floor. She said, "I am confused, I thought we were talking about a skate board park, not pickleball".

To which Greg replied . . . "We were talking about both".

Well said, Mr. Walters!

SPEED HUMP IN KANSAS CITY ONE
HALF A CITY BLOCK EAST OF
62ND TERRACE AND WOODSON ROAD

On another topic

I did some digging on the topic of speed humps and came up with some interesting facts. 

Kansas City has gone big into using speed humps to slow down speeders in many residential neighborhoods. This year the City of Kansas City is on track to install and additional 120 speed humps on residential streets. Since beginning the program five years ago Kansas City has installed close to 500 speed humps in residential neighborhoods in their city.

And that number does not include areas like Brookside, a residential neighborhood just south of the Country Club Plaza. Kansas City installed speed humps as long ago as the turn of the century (25 years ago!). 

Lee's Summit has also embraced a policy of installing speed humps in both new and established neighborhoods throughout their city.

The reason this path has been taken is because speed humps work. The Board of Aldermen would be wise to take a serious look at starting a program for Raytown.

This illustrates that speed humps are effective and popular. There is not a valid reason for not using this same traffic calming method in Raytown. 

THE PHOTO ABOVE IS OF THE FOURTH
 SPEED BUMP ON THE TWO MILE STRETCH
THAT BEGINS AT 62ND TERRACE AND
 WOODSON ROAD AND ENDS AT
LITTLE BLUE ROAD.

If you run into one of your elected officials do you and your neighbors a favor. Ask them to please support any initiative that would bring the safety of speed humps to our neighborhoods.

By the way, anyone wanting to check out some speed humps near Raytown can view them just east of Woodson Road and 62nd Terrrace. Just take a left turn on 63rd and Woodson. Then a right turn on 62nd Terrace. You will be entering Kansas City almost immediately. The street is approximately two miles long and has four speed humps on it. 

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