As a part of the City's process to complete an updated comprehensive plan and Parks master plan, a public workshop is being held Tuesday, February 28th from 6:30pm - 8:00pm at Sni-A-Bar Elementary School. ​
     The Comprehensive Plan outlines the City's vision for future land use, transportation networks, utilities, and downtown improvements over the next 20 years, creating a roadmap for development efforts. The Master Plan for the Parks and Recreation Department will also serve as a roadmap for future projects. 
     Reservations are not required to attend, and all are welcome to participate. 

     In a January 30th press release, the City of Grain Valley announced Major Ed Turner, currently with the Independence Police Department, has been hired as Grain Valley’s next Chief of Police. Turner will begin leading the department on February 20, 2023.
     “The Board of Aldermen is thrilled to have Ed Turner join our staff and lead our police department forward. Ed has a tremendous background with experience in all major areas of policing. It became clear during the hiring process that Ed has gained the respect and trust of those who have worked with him and for him. We believe he is the right choice for Chief of Police as we continue to grow and provide excellent service to the citizens of Grain Valley. We are grateful that he has chosen to come back to Grain Valley where he started his tremendous career in Law Enforcement, Mayor Mike Todd stated in the release.
     Turner started his career as an officer with the City of Grain Valley in 1995 and has been with the Independence Police Department for nearly 25 years. Turner has moved up the ranks over time and has overseen patrol, investigations, special operations and support services divisions during his time as a Major with the department. Additionally, Turner is a certified instructor for many courses, has experience working with several unions, was instrumental in starting the Peer Support program for officers and their families, is a co-chair for the MARC Regional Homeland Security Coordinating Committee Law Enforcement Subcommittee and has had many opportunities to be a consensus builder in the community.
     "As a previous resident and police officer in Grain Valley I am honored and excited for the opportunity to serve the community again and work with a great police department. During my 27 years in law enforcement, I have developed a passion to enhance professionalism, service, and to reduce crime and disorder through community-oriented problem solving," Turner stated.
     Turner has a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and has graduated from Northwestern University’s School of Police Staff and Command, Louisiana State University’s Law Enforcement Operational Command, and the Federal Bureau of Investigations National Academy Law Enforcement Command School in Quantico, Virginia.
     Turner is scheduled to be formally sworn in during the next Board of Aldermen meeting on February 27, 2023. 

     The Board of Aldermen met Monday, January 9th, approving three resolutions related to the City's water, sewer, and household waste management. 
     The Board approved a resolution to purchase 400 water meters as a continuation of the City's annual water meter replacement program. The Board also approved a resolution to purchase sewer camera equipment and enclosed trailer to replace aging equipment and technology. A resolution to continue participation in the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) Regional Household Hazardous Waste Collection Program was approved, allowing residents to safely dispose of hazardous waste at scheduled community drop off events.
     The Board also unanimously approved a resolution to reappoint Mark Clark and Joe Panza and appoint Jim Wyzard to the Board of Zoning Adjustment for five-year terms.
     The approval of members of the Planning and Zoning Commission was not quite as simple. 
     Alderman Dale Arnold requested one of the proposed members, current Planning & Zoning Commission member Scott Shafer, be pulled from the resolution and voted upon separately. The original resolution was amended to strike Shafer from the vote. The Board voted unanimously to approve the resolution reappointing Justin Tyson to a four-Year term, appointing Jayci Stratton to fulfill the unexpired term of Commission member James Hofstetter, and appointing Chris Bamman to fulfill the unexpired term of Commission member Kevin Browning.
     Considering the resolution to reappoint Scott Shafer to the Planning and Zoning Commission, Arnold pointed to personal attacks he claims Shafer has made against him. 
     Arnold accused Shafer of using his “knowledge while being on the Planning & Zoning board, and while being on that board, has used it to weaponize City staff against individuals, including myself, to continue his vendetta and personal attacks on myself and others.”
    Mayor Todd asked Community Development Director Mark Trosen if there have been any complaints received regarding Shafer as a member of the Planning & Zoning Commission, and Trosen stated there had been no complaints.
     Arnold followed up, asking “has he brought complaints to you about individuals in the community about violations and codes that your department has to do with?”
  “I believe he has brought complaints to our codes enforcement officers, like other citizens of Grain Valley, where he sees complaints. Yes," Trosen said. 
     Arnold stated Shafer has singled him out, filing complaints with City codes enforcement officers and later Jackson County regarding sewer issues at his property. Arnold stated the County visited his property and determined there were no issues. Arnold stated that while codes officers do not disclose the names of those who make complaints, he believes Shafer is behind them.  
     "I feel under his continued operation of using our codes department as a weapon against those who he does not agree with, is a bad form to affirm by putting him back on this board," Arnold said.
     Alderman Rick Knox, who serves as board liaison to the Planning and Zoning Commission, shared his thoughts.
     “I am well aware of the dislike between Dale and Mr. Shafer, but as the board liaison between that board and this one, I can say that I have had not ill dealings with him on the board. He speaks his mind and nothing out of line as far as I am concerned on that.”
     The resolution reappointing Shafer passed with Arnold as the lone nay vote. 
​
Planning and Zoning Commission meeting recap:
     The Planning and Zoning Commission met Wednesday, January 11th, approving the final development plan and final plat approval for Copper Creek, formerly known as The Lofts at Creekside Landing. The proposed development, located at the dead end of NW Sni-A-Bar Blvd. east of NW Sni-A-Bar Parkway, will consist of four apartment buildings containing 24 units in each building, three four-plex buildings, and one duplex. 
     The Commission postponed the election of officers due to the absences of members Scott Shafer and Justin Tyson. 

     A joint workshop regarding the Comprehensive Master Plan and Parks Master Plan with Board of Aldermen, Planning and Zoning Commission, and Parks Board will be held Tuesday, January 17th at 6:00pm. 

     Filing began this week for open Board of Aldermen seats and Board of Education seats in Grain Valley. 
     Filing for aldermen seats has been fairly quiet, with just two candidates filing as of Wednesday evening. Darren Mills has filed for re-election in Ward 2, and Tom Cleaver filed for re-election in Ward 1. The other open seat, currently held by Shea Bass in Ward III, had no candidates as of Wednesday evening. 
     Filing has been more robust for three school board openings, currently held by Jeff Coleman, Tisha Homfeld, and Jan Reding. Seven candidates had filed as of 11:00am Wednesday:

​Lance Pollard
Michael Hackett
Tisha Homfeld
Jan Reding
Jeff Coleman
Julie Taylor
Sarah Swartz

     Candidate filing closes at 5:00pm on December 27th. The municipal election will be held April 4, 2023.


Correction: A prior version incorrectly listed the deadline for aldermen candidates. The correct filing closing date is 5pm on December 27th.

      The Board of Aldermen met briefly Monday, November 28th for a regularly scheduled meeting. 
     A public hearing scheduled to consider a voluntary annexation of land at 4112 and 4108 S Buckner Tarsney Road was deemed moot after one of the landowners requested his request be canceled. 
     The Board approved the second reading of an ordinance approving the 2023 budget and fee schedule and approved a resolution to sign a contract with McCown Gordon Construction, LLC for construction management services for the new police station.
     City Administrator Ken Murphy reported construction costs are estimated at $12.2 million and construction is scheduled to begin March 2023.
     In other business, the Board approved the second reading of an ordinance to grant an easement for the sewer main that will serve the Grain Valley branch of Mid-Continent Public Library (MCPL) being built on property sold to MCPL by the City. 
      City Attorney Joe Lauber reviewed just a few of the issues the City will need to consider now that recreational marijuana has been approved in Missouri. Among those is a recommendation that the Board consider adding a ballot question to the April 2023 municipal election to add a 3% sales tax on recreational marijuana sales.
     Election filing begins Tuesday, December 6th for the April 2023 municipal election. Candidates will be listed in order filed.
      Murphy updated the Board on the police chief search. Over 20 applications were received for the position. Candidates will be pared down to no more than six candidates to move forward for testing through five different exercises to ultimately identify 2-3 candidates for final review. 

     The City of Grain Valley's Holiday Festival will be held at 6:00pm on Thursday, December 1st at Armstrong Park. In addition to the lighting of the Mayor's Christmas tree, the Grain Valley 5th grade choir will entertain attendees. Free hot chocolate and other activities, including an outdoor showing of the movie Elf will also be featured, including a visit from Buddy the Elf. 

     The Board of Aldermen met Monday, November 14th, approving the first reading of the 2023 budget and fee schedule. Additional reporting will follow, but the draft budget can be viewed at 2022-11-14_agenda_board_of_aldermen_81898.pdf (cityofgrainvalley.org). 
     The Board approved the first reading of an ordinance amending City code related to home-based businesses in response to a recently signed bill by Governor Parson (HB 1662) which makes sweeping changes to the ability of Missouri cities to regulate and control home-based occupations.
     Under the provisions of HB 1662, the City of Grain Valley is prohibited from limiting the hours of operation for any home-based business;  prohibiting or requiring any structural modifications as a condition of operating a home-based business; prohibiting service by appointment within the home-based business; prohibiting any particular occupation as a home-based business; or prohibiting the storage or use of equipment that does not cause effects outside of the home or an accessory building. 
     Additionally, under the provisions of HB 1662, if a business qualifies as a “no-impact homebased business” the City is further prohibited from  limiting the number of employees or customers in the business at any time except to the extent of the fire codes; requiring that the business activities occur only within the residence, although the city may prohibit activities that can be viewed from the street; or requiring that the business obtain any zoning permit, home occupation permit, or other licenses, other than a business license. 
     The Board also approved the second reading of an ordinance to call a municipal election on April 4, 2023. One alderman seat in each of City's three wards will be on the ballot. The first day for candidates to file for the municipal election will be Tuesday, December 6, 2022 beginning at 8:00am and the last day for candidacy filing will be Tuesday, December 27, 2022 at 5:00pm. Candidates will be listed on the ballot in order of date filed. 
     In other business, the Board approved the first reading of an ordinance to grant an easement for the sewer main that will serve the Grain Valley branch of Mid-Continent Public Library (MCPL) being built on property sold to MCPL by the City. 
     During staff reports, City Administrator Ken Murphy reported the City received communication from KC Southern requesting comment related to proposed changes in the area, which the City Engineer has completed. Canadian Pacific Railway has purchased KC Southern (sale completed December 2021), and several changes are proposed in the area. One proposal includes extending the siding to an area near Monkey Mountain, which would allow trains that stop to allow another train to pass to not block crossings downtown. Train traffic could increase by 8 trains per day, but Murphy indicated that with the proposed improvements, trains would not be stopped and blocking City intersections. 
     The next scheduled meeting of the Board of Aldermen will be at 7:00pm on Monday, November 28th at City Hall. 

     The Board of Aldermen met Monday, October 24th, approving the second reading of an ordinance to adjust ward boundaries. Boundaries were adjusted to account for population changes identified in the most recent census. 
     The second reading of an ordinance allowing for an ordinance change so that parking can be located between a building and street in lots currently owned by the City which lies south of Harris Street and east of Main was also approved. The change has been pursued to allow for economic development in the area. 
     The Board also approved the first reading of an ordinance calling for a municipal election on April 4, 2023.
     The next scheduled meeting of the Board of Aldermen will be held at City Hall on Monday, November 14th at 7:00pm.

​     The event is scheduled to be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, October 29. The drop off location will be in the City Hall/Police Station parking lot located at 711 South Main Street.
     According to the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), National Prescription Drug Take Back Day aims to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible way of disposing unwanted, unused, and expired prescription drugs – while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of medication.
     Note that only potentially dangerous prescription medications, including tablets, capsules, patches, and other solid forms of prescription drugs will be accepted. Liquids, syringes/sharps, illegal drugs, and inhalers will not be accepted.
     For more information on this event, email info@cityofgrainvalley.org or visit www.dea.gov.

     The Board of Aldermen met briefly on Monday, October 10th, voting to approve the first reading of an ordinance which would adjust the city's three ward boundaries to account for population changes identified in the most recent census. 
     Alderman Arnold argued boundary changes should consider population based on registered voters. Federal law dictates wards must have substantial equality of population, which is generally interpreted as less than 10% deviation between the largest and small ward or district based on Census population data of all residents. 
     The board approved the first reading, with Arnold voting against the ordinance. 
     The board will meet for its next regularly scheduled board meeting on Monday, October 24th at 7:00pm.