Free complimentary copy October 21, 2016 • Volume 3, No. 52
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Colman-Livengood Park named best neighborhood park Best of Kansas City 2016: People & Places awarded Raytown’s Colman-Livengood Park as Best Neighborhood Park. Not surprising given all the activities going on in this 15-acre park that sits within a residential neighborhood. A .63 miles trail circles around the perimeter of the park. The shelters are booked every weekend during the warm-weather months. Young athletes play pickup games on the basketball court. A
senior softball league uses the ball diamond from April to October. Recently refurbished tennis court are hopping and the park was the first in the Kansas City area to have pickleball courts. The Kansas City Pitch that hosts the annual Best of Kansas City: People & Places every year summed it up with “Colman Park is a great example of a green space big enough to be interesting and small enough to feel cozy and safe.”
MoDOT takes issue with Raytown gateway monument By Diane Krizek
situation is for the City to enter into a Free Lease agreement saying that we can be there, we’ll maintain it and make sure it does not create a hazard to the traveling public,” said interim Public Works director, Kati Gonzalez. “The alternative is that we remove it from their right of way. So, we’re bringing this forward and recommending that we enter into this Free Lease Agreement so we can keep our Welcome to Ray-
Last month, MoDOT contacted the City about its Welcome to Raytown gateway monument on the west side of the city on 350 highway. In reviewing signage in its right of ways, MoDOT discovered the City does not currently have an agreement in place that would allow signage in that location. “MoDOT’s solution for the
town sign at that location.” During the Oct. 18 meeting, the board of alderman agreed that making a Free Lease agreement was the best option. “I think it was very nice of them for not charging us and I’m very much in favor,” said Alderman Janet Emerson. The board will vote on the ordinance to commit to the Free Lease agreement at its next meeting.
Mayor addresses citizens expressed concerns at BOA meeting By Mayor Mike McDonough At the Oct. 4th Board of Aldermen meeting, a number of comments were made. I have received some comments from some concerned citizens about those comments. In an effort to provide clarity to a few of those comments and to provide assurance to our citizens that I and this Board and City Staff are aggressively managing the finances and the direction of this community, I’d like to make the following statements. A comment was made suggesting “the City doesn’t have any money to make the City better.” In fact, the City is scheduled to approve a $14 million General Fund budget this evening (October 18) which provides for all basic services including public safety, emergency medical services, public works maintenance/improvements/snow removal, planning and codes enforcement, animal control, park and recreation amenities, finance duties
and the general management of our community. These are wide reaching services that every one of us utilizes each day in some capacity. It should also be noted the City hosts a healthy Fund Balance Reserve of $4.5 million or roughly 30% of our annual budgeted expenditures. By ordinance, we are only required to hold a 17% Reserve Fund Balance. Again, the City is currently not encountering financial stress and with prudent management and oversight, we should continue posi-
tive financial health well into the foreseeable future. A second comment was made suggesting “we don’t have anything the taxpayers can see.” Every road, streetlight, traffic signal, police officer, ambulance, park and service provided by the City is physical and visible evidence that the leadership of this community not only cares about the well-being of our citizens, but we’re also appropriately funding the continuation of such vital items. A brief list of projects our citizens can see includes: 2015 • Annual Chip Seal Project – 6.38 miles paved • Annual Concrete Project – 5,025 sq. ft. of sidewalk and 1,952 lin. ft. curb & gutter • City Hall Lower Level Remodel 2016 • Downtown Streetscape • Annual Concrete Project 2017 • Blue Ridge Bike Lanes
In memory of Alderman Steve Mock On October 18, the City of Raytown hosted a dedication ceremony to commemorate the life and civic leadership of Alderman Steve Mock who passed away earlier this summer. The ceremony included the Mock family, civic leaders and friends of Mock on the east lawn of City Hall near the staff entrance. A tree was planted in Mock’s memory with a granite marker inscribed “In memory of Alderman Steve Mock, Board of Alderman, April 24, 2009 – July 6, 2016.”
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• 59th Street Sidewalk • 350 & Raytown Road Safety Improvements • 83rd Street Bridge Replacement • Annual Concrete Project (quantities in progress) • Annual Chip Seal Project (quantities in progress) Finally, a comment was made stating “(sanitary) sewer bills increased $600,000 and that prevents us from getting street overlays.” The sanitary sewer system operates through the use of an Enterprise Fund. This fund establishes a separate accounting and financial reporting mechanism for municipal services for which a fee is charged in exchange for goods or services. Simply put, everything related to our sanitary system is paid for entirely by the fees charged through sewer bills and the system is maintained independently of any other City funds. It is often thought that by saving sanitary sewer money, we are able to make other improvements
in the city (sidewalks, storm water, signals, streets); it can also be perceived that rising costs in our system impacts our ability to do projects outside of the system. However, the only impact that reduced or increased sanitary maintenance and operations costs would have is the sewer billing rate. Again, the increase in sewer charges does not impact our ability to perform other required services. Conclusion In order to provide accurate information to our citizens, I wanted to make these clarifications to eliminate any confusion that may exist due to the statements of the previous meeting. Undoubtedly, we have some challenges, but aggressive and appropriate budgeting and execution of duties will continue to advance this community toward bright horizons that allow Raytown to not only continue our exceptional quality of life, but also move toward new and exciting avenues.
Teen Arrested, then Charged, After Shooting 17-year-old Adrian D. Theus faces charges of first-degree assault and armed criminal action in connection with the Oct. 13 shooting in Raytown. According to police documents, Theus shot into another a group of other teens in the 9700 block of E. 65th Terrace and injured one person. Witnesses were following the vehicle involved in the shooting. After fleeing from police, the vehicle eventually stopped in Kansas City after running over stop sticks. Five males ran from the vehicle and two have been taken into custody, including Theus. Witnesses told police Theus was one of two shooters in Raytown. Theus told police that he had
fired into the crowd because of an ongoing feud between groups. Raytown police are still investigating the case. *Charges are only accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until the defendant is either found guilty or has pleaded.
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