Grain Valley residents who are middle aged likely remember being taken to the mall or some community gathering for the chance to visit with Santa Claus. One of Grain Valley’s unique and great traditions is that Santa Claus will come to your neighborhood.
     Thus was the case for Jack and Daley Philbrick. The Santa Bus came to their neighborhood over this past weekend. They were able to meet jolly old Saint Nick and share with him their Christmas wishes. It’s a lot to take in for a kid of any age.
     There’s the police escort by VIPS (Volunteers in Police Service) making sure that everyone knows to be safe as Santa is seeing important guests traveling to the bus by foot. Not to mention the bright red and green paint job of the bus, complete with a reindeer on the hood and wreath on the grill. And if all of that is not enough, there’s the festively decorated inside of the bus with Kris Kringle ready to greet and meet visitors with a warm smile and belly chuckle.
     Jack and Daley’s Dad, Scott Philbrick, enjoyed watching his kids go through the Santa Bus experience.
     “This is a great thing that’s done for the kids. We wake up on Saturday morning and they are as excited as they are on Christmas Day in getting to meet Santa. We don’t have to leave our neighborhood to see Santa now because of this. Getting to avoid braving the crowds and traffic is a blessing due to the Santa Bus,” Philbrick said.
     “To have Volunteers In Police Service donate their time to make sure that this experience is safe is amazing in the peace of mind it provides to parents. It makes all the difference in the world to know I can stand and wait with an extra set of eyes looking out for us. I don’t know if you saw, but my kids ran across the street. They didn’t even look because they were so excited due to something else on their mind. This is just fun.”
     The Santa Bus originated with a few citizens and local businesses that wanted to make Christmas a little brighter for the children of Grain Valley. This Grain Valley holiday tradition has grown to nine dates on the Santa Bus calendar from November 30th to December 22nd. The duration of dates will include four 12 hour Saturdays and two 10 hour Sundays.
     The Santa Bus currently sees about 4,000 kids a year and gives out about 2,000 donated stuffed toys, candy, and small toys (for the kids too old for stuffed toys). Making this endeavor even more special is that it’s manned entirely by volunteers and supported by donations from local businesses and friends of the project.
     You may find a complete Santa Bus schedule at www.gvsanta.com and follow Santa’s travels on Facebook.
 

​     Ousted City Administrator Ryan Hunt requested and received a public hearing to share his version of the events leading to his termination in October. In the 10 minutes granted for his remarks, Hunt detailed accomplishments during his 10 years of service with the City, his perspective of the events that led to his termination, and detailed the three causes listed in his termination letter that led to the City terminating his employment.
    As previously reported, Hunt was terminated during a closed special meeting on October 24th. Hunt’s last day was October 25th. Former Deputy Administrator Ken Murphy was announced as Acting City Administrator during the City’s Community Campus meeting on October 29th.
     After detailing his length of employment with the City, including his tenure as City Administrator since 2014, an employment record during that time with no written or verbal reprimands, and his accomplishments and growth of the city during his tenure, Hunt claimed discrimination due to a disability and retaliation on the part of the Mayor and City due to investigations he pursued in summer 2019.
     “The City’s termination of my employment was reckless as a steward of the public trust and wrongful for a myriad of reasons,” Hunt said.
     “Suffice to say, there are causes of actions being considered against the City.”
     Hunt claimed discrimination due to a disability and claimed City staff and elected officials discussed the disability internally and with the public. Hunt did not disclose the nature of his disability in his remarks.
     “I am a person with a disability. Notwithstanding my disability, I gave my exceptional performance to the City. The board, Mayor, police officers, and City employees have discussed my disability with each other and members of the public. In 2019, a City police officer that is married to a member of the board began making negative and disparaging statements about me, including statements about my disability. This officer represented that he had the influence over the board to have me terminated. An internal affairs investigation intended to examine the officer’s conduct appears to have placed me somehow at the center of the investigation. Numerous statements were made about my disability including speculation,” Hunt said.
     “Based on the information and the discrepancies that were presented to both the Mayor and I, this influenced the nature of the investigation and I suggested to the Mayor that a neutral third party come in and reexamine the internal affairs investigation.”
     Hunt also claimed he became aware of conduct by City staff that violated the law and claimed he reported the conduct to the Mayor. Hunt indicated he requested an opportunity to present findings to the Board of Aldermen, and a special session was scheduled for August 1, 2019.
     “Approximately two hours before that meeting Mayor Todd contacted me and told me I had been barred from the meeting. Rather he was going to handle it. That was retaliatory. On September 24, 2019, I was issued a written disciplinary letter for breaching the confidentiality of the City. While simply trying to perform my duties.”
     Hunt also stated the disciplinary letter accused him of “playing unprofessional games”.
     Hunt requested a 30-day paid administrative leave on September 29th, which was authorized on September 30th.
     “On October 3rd, the City held an additional executive session and voted to revoke my previous authorization of leave and place me on a four week leave of absence without pay. Additionally, I was revoked all physical and electronic access to the City. My city credit card was canceled, and I was deprived of rights related to my contractual employment by the city attorney. This too was retaliatory,” Hunt said.
     “I submitted a written complaint to the mayor on October 16, 2019. Wherein I set forth about the disability and discrimination and being barred from board meetings and how the city’s actions during my leave were retaliatory in nature. To which he never acknowledged. I was scheduled to return to work on October 28, 2019.”
     According to Hunt, the mayor hand delivered his termination letter on October 25th following recovery of his city vehicle, which he stated was stolen from his driveway in the early morning hours of October 25th.
     “My city vehicle was stolen from my driveway around 2:30am on October 25th. Later that day, the mayor contacted me and told me the truck had been recovered. He asked me to meet him at the Oak Grove Police Department for the recovery. And when I arrived the Mayor handed me a letter of termination with cause and said nothing except I was not getting the truck back and I was not entitled to my severance package. When I asked what the cause was, he told me he would not discuss it with me, but the letter would explain the cause,” Hunt said.
     Hunt referenced the termination letter he received, listing three causes for his termination, and refuting each cause listed.
     Hunt indicated the first cause listed as “failure to obtain educational requirements set forth by my contract by accepting raises for educational credit.” Hunt claimed the mayor and City officials were aware that he had not obtained additional education during his term as City Administrator and denied he received any raises for educational credit.
     “I have never taken a raise for educational credits. In fact, since I became the City Administrator I have not gone to any more college. And that was well known amongst the board, or at least Mayor Todd represented that. Rather it was standard cost of living or merit raises specifically included in the budget and approved by the board. Additionally, I have concrete evidence that Mayor Todd represented that the board was not requiring me to meet the 3-hour educational requirement,” Hunt said.
     Hunt identified the second cause in the termination letter as “failure to rectify disharmony at city hall” and the third cause listed in the termination letter as “gross negligence by refusing to complete education in 2019,”. Hunt claimed his agreement required he complete six hours of credit in 2019, which he claimed he was scheduled to complete in fall 2019.
     In concluding his statement, Hunt claimed gross negligence on the part of elected officials and expressed his thanks to residents, business owners, and City staff.
    “I am very disappointed in those responsible for my termination and I do not understand the gross negligence they have performed as officers of the public. I planned on retiring from this City. But instead, I was systematically defeated by secrecy and dishonesty.”
     “To the business owners and the citizens, thank you for the time I had in Grain Valley. Thank you for your support, for being here tonight, for always having my back. To my staff members, I enjoyed working with you guys. It was a joy working with all of you.”
     “Thank you, Alderman Bass, for opposing my termination. I sincerely appreciate that. To staff and citizens, I am most regretful of the circumstance and what may come.”
     Alderman Jayci Stratton is married to Grain Valley police officer Willie Stratton, the officer referenced in Hunt’s statement. Willie Stratton denied Hunt’s version of the events and was adamant an investigation conducted this summer was found to be unfounded.
     “I would like to comment as a citizen that the statement he made is entirely false, and I was investigated and had nothing to do with any disability he had, and I’ll leave it at that. At this point, I am going to seek counsel because what he just stated was not the truth. My investigation was found to be negative and it had nothing to do with her (Alderman Stratton),” Willie Stratton said.
     Alderman Stratton declined to comment further.
     Mayor Mike Todd was approached for comment and declined to comment further at this time, calling on City Attorney Joe Lauber to assist with a statement.
     “We typically don’t make a public thing about personnel matters and as he indicated we are under a threat of litigation. Our common approach is not to talk about all that,” Lauber said.
     “There’s obviously differences between his perspective on the issue and ours. We are working to resolve those, and we hope that we can get there.”
     In other business, the Board of Aldermen approved an ordinance calling for an election on April 7, 2020. One item planned for the April ballot is the proposed Community Campus, which would include a new city hall, police department, community center, and library. Representatives from SAPP Design presented an update to the campus project and rendering of the most popular design of three proposed to resident in a variety of community  events.
     The Board also approved the first reading of the 2020 budget. The next meeting of the Board of Aldermen will be held at 7:00pm on December 9, 2019 at City Hall.
 

     Youth Court is a peer tried court serving the youth of Eastern Jackson County since 1989. Youth Court is a youth diversion program operating under the jurisdiction of Jackson County Family Court. Youth Court accepts at-risk juveniles ages 6 through 17.
     Every defendant is assigned a youth attorney for their defense. Defendants may choose to plead either guilty or not guilty. If a guilty plea is entered, the defendant will be ordered by the teen judge, to complete a specific number of community service hours and to complete an educational program.
     If a “not guilty” plea is entered, the defendant will continue to a trial. The courtroom process is monitored by adults at all times.
     Youth Court’s primary funding is received from the Jackson County COMBAT (Community Backed Anti-Drug Tax) program. Additional funding for the operation of the Youth Court is received from those involved: Blue Springs School District Public Safety Department, Buckner, Grain Valley, Greenwood, Oak Grove, Sugar Creek, and Jackson County’s Sheriff Office. Without this funding and the support of the Jackson County Legislature, the program could not operate.
     Welcome and introductions for the November 25th Youth Court Attorney Graduation were provided by Dr. Brad Welle who serves as the Deputy Superintendent of Student and Community Services for the Grain Valley School District. Welle made a point to celebrate the cooperation between the Eastern Jackson County Youth Court and Independence Youth Courts.
     Welle also serves as the Vice Chair of the Eastern Jackson County Youth Court Executive Board. Time was taken by Welle to state the importance of what is provided through the volunteer efforts of youth court attorneys who complete training and pass their test to get to the point of graduation.
     Congratulatory remarks at this year’s attorney graduation were provided by students Madison Montgomery and Emilio Ayala-Youngblood. Montgomery is a senior at Grain Valley High School and is completing her fifth year of being a youth court attorney. Montgomery’s credits her Mom and her 8th grade social studies teacher for encouraging her to become part of youth court.
     “My experience started with me filling out an application with a few of my friends and attending introductory meetings. Then I got experience as being a defense attorney for many people and enjoyed the experience enough to stick with it. Now, I’m here and judging as a senior for Eastern Jackson County Youth Court,” Montgomery said.
     “I like the fact that I’m supporting people and possibly helping to change someone’s life for the better. My Mom is a sergeant with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department and my Dad is a major for the Sheriff’s Department as well. Their influence as well as having friends in this program prompted me to try this and keep going.”
     Montgomery commented during her congratulatory remarks how much her youth court experience has impacted her personality in helping her discover her voice in getting passed being shy. Both Ayala-Youngblood and Montgomery made a point in their speech to thank their parents and Judge Watkins.
     Susan Watkins is the Youth Court Executive Director and has served in that capacity for Eastern Jackson County since September of 1999. Watkins sees several benefits in her role and what youth court provides.
     “We deal with at-risk juveniles who get in trouble for some reason and have them come in front of a court of their peers. That seems to really have an impact on the students. And juveniles don’t have a record upon going through youth court as we are a diversion program. This program provides students to do some sort of restitution through community service as well as going through education programs so that they learn something,” Watkins said.
     “The Jackson County COMBAT Program assists in many different areas. We fall under the prevention category. They (COMBAT) assist with both violence and drug and alcohol related cases. We do all those types of cases in youth court. Anyone that at the present time is under the age of 17 and has one of those types of offenses that is not considered a felony would have the opportunity to come through youth court.”
     Watkins also expanded on how the youth court program helps young people along with the current regular docket of juvenile court cases.
     “This is a second chance for young people, and it does benefit the court system in that they have the time to deal with the more serious juvenile offenders and cases. This (youth court) also keeps the offenders in their local communities. So, when they do their court sentence they are coming back to work in their community,” Watkins said.
     Among Watkins duties at graduation were swearing in the newest set of attorneys and providing them with graduation certificates.
     The 38 students listed below make up the 2019 graduating class of Youth Court attorneys. Included in this year’s graduates are Linda Hoessli and Gavin Yao, who are the first two exchange student graduates of the program.
 
Angel Batchelor
Daymeon Burton
Gibran Cabral-Chavez
Jack Clough
Allison Cooper
Zachary Dawson
Coltin Diehl
Matthew Ferrara
Ashlyn Fey
Caleb Garcia
Kaleigh Harger
Gracie Hauard
Myrtle Henderson
Maya Hernandez
Linda Hoessli
Neyarah Holman
Adriana Janisch
Julia Leithe
Kaylah Lightfoot
Brianna Martin
Ashley O’Neil
Darius Osborne
Neer Patel
Vani Patel
Joshua Poblete
Matthew Richards
Kaylan Richardson
Jasmine Samuels
Hannah Sanders
Haven Shelton
Gage Trissell
Curtis Vanderlind
Sureima Weaver
Lauren Weidt
Curtis-James Wilson
Gavin Yao
Darvius Yearwood
Dakoda Young
 

​     Ousted City Administrator Ryan Hunt requested and received a public hearing to share his version of the events leading to his termination in October. In the 10 minutes granted for his remarks, Hunt detailed accomplishments during his nearly 10 years of service with the City, his perspective of the events that led to his termination, and detailed the three causes listed in his termination letter that led to the City terminating his employment.
    As previously reported, Hunt was terminated during a closed special meeting on October 24th. Hunt’s last day was October 25th. Former Deputy Administrator Ken Murphy was announced as Acting City Administrator during the City’s Community Campus meeting on October 29th.
     After detailing his length of employment with the City, including his tenure as City Administrator since 2014, an employment record during that time with no written or verbal reprimands, and his accomplishments and growth of the city during his tenure, Hunt claimed discrimination due to a disability and retaliation on the part of the Mayor and City due to investigations he pursued in summer 2019.
     “The City’s termination of my employment was reckless as a steward of the public trust and wrongful for a myriad of reasons,” Hunt said.
     “Suffice to say, there are causes of actions being considered against the City.”
     Hunt claimed discrimination due to a disability and claimed City staff and elected officials discussed the disability internally and with the public. Hunt did not disclose the nature of his disability in his remarks.
     “I am a person with a disability. Notwithstanding my disability, I gave my exceptional performance to the City. The board, Mayor, police officers, and City employees have discussed my disability with each other and members of the public. In 2019, a City police officer that is married to a member of the board began making negative and disparaging statements about me, including statements about my disability. This officer represented that he had the influence over the board to have me terminated. An internal affairs investigation intended to examine the officer’s conduct appears to have placed me somehow at the center of the investigation. Numerous statements were made about my disability including speculation,” Hunt said.
     “Based on the information and the discrepancies that were presented to both the Mayor and I, this influenced the nature of the investigation and I suggested to the Mayor that a neutral third party come in and reexamine the internal affairs investigation.”
     Hunt also claimed he became aware of conduct by City staff that violated the law and claimed he reported the conduct to the Mayor. Hunt indicated he requested an opportunity to present findings to the Board of Aldermen, and a special session was scheduled for August 1, 2019.
     “Approximately two hours before that meeting Mayor Todd contacted me and told me I had been barred from the meeting. Rather he was going to handle it.  That was retaliatory. On September 24, 2019, I was issued a written disciplinary letter for breaching the confidentiality of the City. While simply trying to perform my duties.”
     Hunt also stated the disciplinary letter accused him of “playing unprofessional games”.
     Hunt requested a 30-day paid administrative leave on September 29th, which was authorized on September 30th.
     “On October 3rd, the City held an additional executive session and voted to revoke my previous authorization of leave and place me on a four week leave of absence without pay. Additionally, I was revoked all physical and electronic access to the City. My city credit card was canceled, and I was deprived of rights related to my contractual employment by the city attorney. This too was retaliatory,” Hunt said.
     “I submitted a written complaint to the mayor on October 16, 2019. Wherein I set forth about the disability and discrimination and being barred from board meetings and how the city’s actions during my leave were retaliatory in nature. To which he never acknowledged. I was scheduled to return to work on October 28, 2019.”
     According to Hunt, the mayor hand delivered his termination letter on October 25th following recovery of his city vehicle, which he stated was stolen from his driveway in the early morning hours of October 25th.
     “My city vehicle was stolen from my driveway around 2:30am on October 25th. Later that day, the mayor contacted me and told me the truck had been recovered. He asked me to meet him at the Oak Grove Police Department for the recovery. And when I arrived the Mayor handed me a letter of termination with cause and said nothing except I was not getting the truck back and I was not entitled to my severance package. When I asked what the cause was, he told me he would not discuss it with me, but the letter would explain the cause,” Hunt said.
     Hunt referenced the termination letter he received, listing three causes for his termination, and refuting each cause listed.
     Hunt indicated the first cause listed as “failure to obtain educational requirements set forth by my contract by accepting raises for educational credit.” Hunt claimed the mayor and City officials were aware that he had not obtained additional education during his term as City Administrator and denied he received any raises for educational credit.
     “I have never taken a raise for educational credits. In fact, since I became the City Administrator I have not gone to any more college. And that was well known amongst the board, or at least Mayor Todd represented that. Rather it was standard cost of living or merit raises specifically included in the budget and approved by the board. Additionally, I have concrete evidence that Mayor Todd represented that the board was not requiring me to meet the 3-hour educational requirement,” Hunt said.
     Hunt identified the second cause in the termination letter as “failure to rectify disharmony at city hall” and the third cause listed in the termination letter as “gross negligence by refusing to complete education in 2019,”. Hunt claimed his agreement required he complete six hours of credit in 2019, which he claimed he was scheduled to complete in fall 2019.
     In concluding his statement, Hunt claimed gross negligence on the part of elected officials and expressed his thanks to residents, business owners, and City staff.
    “I am very disappointed in those responsible for my termination and I do not understand the gross negligence they have performed as officers of the public. I planned on retiring from this City. But instead I was systematically defeated by secrecy and dishonesty.”
     “To the business owners and the citizens, thank you for the time I had in Grain Valley. Thank you for your support, for being here tonight, for always having my back. To my staff members, I enjoyed working with you guys. It was a joy working with all of you.”
     “Thank you, Alderman Bass, for opposing my termination. I sincerely appreciate that. To staff and citizens, I am most regretful of the circumstance and what may come.”
     Alderman Jayci Stratton is married to Grain Valley police officer Willie Stratton, the officer referenced in Hunt’s statement. Willie Stratton denied Hunt’s version of the events and was adamant an investigation conducted this summer was found to be unfounded.
     “I would like to comment as a citizen that the statement he made is entirely false, and I was investigated and had nothing to do with any disability he had, and I’ll leave it at that. At this point, I am going to seek counsel because what he just stated was not the truth. My investigation was found to be negative and it had nothing to do with her (Alderman Stratton),” Willie Stratton said.
     Alderman Stratton declined to comment further.
     Mayor Mike Todd was approached for comment and declined to comment further at this time, calling on City Attorney Joe Lauber to assist with a statement.
     “We typically don’t make a public thing about personnel matters and as he indicated we are under a threat of litigation. Our common approach is not to talk about all that,” Lauber said.
     “There’s obviously differences between his perspective on the issue and ours. We are working to resolve those, and we hope that we can get there.”
     Valley News will have a full report on the November 25th board meeting in the November 28th online edition.

​     Can you believe that we will soon be ushering in the year 2020?  So much has happened in our community over the last twenty years.  Most of you are aware of the growth that we have experienced.  As of the 2000 census, there were just over 5,000 residents in Grain Valley.  The US Census Bureau reported in July 2018, a population of 14,277, so it will not surprise us if Grain Valley reaches a population near 15,000 by the reporting of the April 2020 Census.
     The growth in population has brought many changes.  The City is averaging 10 new home construction permits per month.  New businesses are continually coming to Grain Valley, two of which are nearing completion.  Taco Bell, north of I-70, will open its doors in the coming weeks, as will TempStop, just north of City Hall.  The TempStop will include a BluTaco and Champs Chicken.  QuikTrip should be breaking ground soon also.  All of these will be great options for families on the go. 
     The growth we have experienced has had City staff evaluating the conditions and space constraints presented by the current city facilities, including City Hall, the police department and the community center.  These facilities were completed in 2001, when the total population of the city was approximately 1/3 of it’s current size.  City staff has worked with architects and construction consultants to evaluate the current needs of City staff and amenities for our citizens. 
     Looking ahead and in an effort to preserve our City’s history, the City purchased property several years ago at the location of the former Sni-A-Bar farms.  The 2014 comprehensive plan set the long-term vision to create a community campus at this property.  City staff and the project’s partners have appeared at community events seeking public input regarding the project.  They also facilitated a community meeting, which was held in October with 200+ in attendance.   We encourage citizens to stay informed regarding the project by visiting www.envisiongrainvalley.com.
     Our Parks & Recreation Department has been busy throughout the year with programs such as little league baseball and playtime for toddlers, but have also been involved in larger impact projects, such as the Blue Branch Trail.  It is a continuation of the City’s Trails Master Plan that focuses on connecting neighborhoods to schools, schools to parks, and parks to the downtown corridor. The Blue Branch Trail extends from Buckner Tarsney Road, west to SW Eagles Parkway, running parallel to Blue Branch Creek.  The trail will be completed in the coming months, with plans to add a pedestrian bridge in 2020. 
     We are gearing up now for the Holiday Festival at Armstrong Park on Thursday, December 5th.  The event begins at 6:00 pm with the lighting of the Mayor’s Christmas tree and lights throughout the Park, Main Street, the Community Center and City Hall.  We support the Grain Valley Assistance Council throughout the year, but this is a huge event for them as they rely on the community’s support to serve more than 100 families.  This year they will be collecting non-perishable food items throughout the evening.  Join us to enjoy this tradition as the community comes together to kick off the holiday season with free hot chocolate, cookies and photos with Santa.  Please feel free to contact me with questions or concerns at mayor@cityofgrainvalley.org or feel free to give me a call at 816-719-9436. 
     Happy holidays to you! 
 

     Grain Valley Assistance Council raised $3,000 last Saturday, November 9th through its popular Trivia Night held at Grain Valley High School. Approximately 24 teams participated in the event, with a team from Grain Valley South Middle School taking home bragging rights as the first place team. Funds raised from the event benefit the Assistance Council’s food pantry and emergency assistance programs.
     Jerry Vaughan, Executive Director of the Grain Valley Education Foundation and Grain Valley Assistance Council volunteer, credits Debbi Reiss-Roam with bringing the idea for the Trivia Night fundraisers to Grain Valley more than 10 years ago.
     “Debbi has been the driving force behind these events, which have raised thousands for the Grain Valley Assistance Council and FOCUS for Grain Valley,” Vaughan said.
     The next Trivia Night benefiting Grain Valley Assistance Council will be held February 8, 2020 at Grain Valley High School.
 

     The Grain Valley Board of Aldermen held a Budget Workshop on Tuesday, November 5th at City Hall to review the 2020 budget drafted with City staff.
     The proposed Community Campus loomed over several items in the budget, including plans to develop the Nichols building on Gregg Street, which was purchased by the City to be repurposed for community use. Currently, the Grain Valley Assistance Council utilizes one part of the building. Plans for further development will be delayed until the results of a planned April 2020 vote for a no tax increase bond issue to fund the community campus.
     Parks and Recreation Director Shannon Davies reported work on two projects already approved by the board will be pushed into next year. A pedestrian bridge at Blue Branch Creek has been delayed until early next year, and trail construction along Dillingham will be postponed until early next year when weather conditions are more favorable.
     Police Chief James Beale addressed questions from Ward I Aldermen Jayci Stratton regarding officers driving police vehicles home and the fuel costs incurred, particularly officers who live a great distance from Grain Valley. Beale reported he completed a study on  current mileage costs and has already set restrictions on School Resource Officers driving vehicles home. Policies for the full fleet will be finalized in the coming months.
     The Board also included a 2% cost of living increase for City staff in the budget at a cost of $78,460.
     The Board of Aldermen will present the budget for a first read at their November 25th meeting and a second reading on December 9th.
 

     In the first of two town hall events hosted at the Grain Valley Community Center, Missouri District 32 Representative Jeff Coleman addressed resident concerns  on October 22nd regarding Jackson County tax assessments.
     Approximately 25 residents attended the initial town hall, which focused heavily on County tax assessments and touched briefly on Coleman’s plans for the upcoming 2020 legislative session.
     Coleman represents areas in north Blue Springs, most of Grain Valley and Oak Grove.
     Coleman was appointed over the summer to a special committee charged with looking at concerns of homeowners across the state regarding the process of assessing property tax values and fairness of the process. Hearings were held in Kansas City, St. Louis, and Jefferson City. Coleman explained the committee has one meeting remaining to come up with recommendations to  resolve issues property owners are facing.
     An issue raised during the meeting was the seemingly haphazard way in which increases occurred and the burden placed on the property owner to appeal decisions.
     Coleman referenced 74,311 property owners whose properties all increased by 14.9%.
     “The assessor is required at a 15% increase or more to go out and do a physical inspection. So, when you put 74,311 folks at 14.9%, which is the maximum you can do without having to go out and do a physical assessment, it starts to make you wonder what’s involved. We’re trying to unpack all of this and understand what could have been done differently,” Coleman said.
     “The onus is on the property owner to disprove the assessment.  We have to come up with evidence to disprove the County’s assessment and not everyone has the wherewithal to do that. Especially in lower income areas, and that’s where a lot of those 14.9% increases were. How are these folks supposed to know the process.”
     Coleman cites funding issues and incompetency as major reasons behind the issues faced in Jackson County.
     “We are really behind the eight ball in reference to the funding we have for the County Assessment department and the tools the County needs, because the County Assessor doesn’t have the funding to buy the right tools. Because of that , there is zero data for them (the County) to show why they put their assessment where they have it,” Coleman said.
     “Thanks to local reporting (referring to KCTV Channel 5 reporting) and Sunshine Law requests, we now have access to emails that show a real incompetency in what they did and how they got there.”
     Reached for comment, Marshanna Smith, spokesperson for the Jackson County Executive’s Office, emphasized the County Assessor is bound by state laws and rules when setting values and funding cuts have impacted the department’s ability to fulfill the state-mandated reassessment process.
     “The County is sympathetic to the concerns raised by residents during this year’s reassessment and we have worked very hard to address them, while maintaining an equitable and accurate process. For example, contrary to many media reports, more than 1,600 homeowners in the 64029 zip code will pay less in taxes this year than last year.
     When setting values, the assessor is required by state laws and rules designed to ensure assessments are as uniform as possible. As a result, properties must be placed on the tax rolls at their true market value. Market value is the price the property would bring when offered for sale by a person who is willing but not obligated to sell it, and is bought by a person who is willing to purchase it but who is not forced to do so. Any deviation from this mandate would be a violation of state law.  In addition, if any taxpayer believes their property’s value is inaccurate, they have multiple options.  First, Jackson County offers all property owners an opportunity for an informal review by our Assessment Department, where the property owner can provide additional information that may not have been available to our staff at the time they first determined the property’s value.  Second, a property owner can appeal their valuation to the Board of Equalization.  Finally, if a property owner is still not satisfied, they can ask the State Tax Commission to hear their case,” Smith said.
     “The County is hopeful that Rep. Coleman and colleagues in the state legislature will address residents’ concerns by passing meaningful reforms in Jefferson City. Such changes must include providing adequate funding to counties across the state so that assessors can properly fulfill the state-mandated reassessment process. Unfortunately, over the last 10 years, the state has cut this funding in half and are now only providing a reimbursement of $3 per parcel to counties. We are also hopeful that the Missouri Legislature will not only protect the “circuit breaker” tax credit protections currently in place for senior citizens and persons with disabilities, but will also look at increasing and expanding this protection.”
      Coleman emphasized that the likelihood of a solution coming before the end of the calendar year was slim, but that multiple legislators would likely be proposing bills in the 2020 session to address property tax assessment issues.
     Coleman touched on a proposal he is considering that is similar in scope to California’s Proposition 13, which when passed in 1978 brought sweeping changes to the states property tax system. Primarily, Proposition 13 capped tax rates at one percent of full cash value at the time of acquisition, transferred responsibility for allocating property tax to the state,  and replaced annual assessments with reassessment upon change of ownership.
     Outside of property tax issues, Coleman is interested in focusing on disability and Medicaid issues as well as the foster care system in the coming session. In addition, Coleman stated that transportation must be a priority for the state.
     “Someone’s going to have to stick their neck out and raise the tax two cents or something similar. I don’t think there’s any support for toll roads; I think it’s going to have to be a tax. I think you’re going to see the legislature push the issue out to voters,” Coleman said.
     A year in to his tenure, Coleman reflected on the highs and lows of the job.
     “The most frustrating thing so far is that I hate that every two years you have to re-up, because it becomes all about getting back into office and it shouldn’t be like that. That’s been the most frustrating thing to me.  The most positive thing so far is that I got one bill and two amendments through in my first session and was elected Vice Chair of Economic Development. Those are nice accomplishments for a first year member, but I’m really most proud when I’m able to help folks with issues that affect their lives,” Coleman said.
     “I had a single mom email me and her children had been covered by the  PACE program for insurance. She sent the paperwork in to renew coverage but the Division of Family Services claimed they did not receive it, dropping her children’s coverage. I told her, ‘I can’t promise anything, as I’ve never done this before, but I’m going to call and see what I can come up with.’ I left a message with DFS and the mother called in the tears the next day letting me know that her coverage had been restored.”
     “That means more to me than anything I’ve done in the legislature, because I was able to help somebody with something they were struggling with and unable to get through. Those are the kinds of things that I hope will happen more. I want people to call me. I want people to get involved.”
 Representative Jeff Coleman can be reached at 573-751-1487 and jeff.coleman@house.mo.gov.
    
 

     Central Jackson County Fire Protection District (CJCFPD) and the American Red Cross partnered on Saturday, October 19th on a detector blitz in two areas in Blue Springs and Grain Valley, installing 85 smoke alarms. Volunteers replaced old detectors at no cost to the homeowner.    
     In two separate houses, volunteers encountered smoke alarms from the mid-’70s and mid-’80s.  Fire officials recommend all smoke alarms be replaced every 10 years. 
     Residents who were not located in this years targeted areas but need smoke alarms may call 816-229-9118 and schedule an installation with the CJCFPD Community Risk Reduction Bureau-Fire Division.  Residents should note that CJCFPD cannot switch out or replace electric smoke alarms.
 

     The Grain Valley Police Department is hosting a National Drug Take Back and document shredding event on Saturday, October 26, 2019 at Grain Valley City Hall, 711 Main Street.
     The shredding event will be held from 9:00am—Noon for Grain Valley businesses and residents. Up to three bags or boxes may be turned in for secure shredding. Proof of residency is required.
     The National Drug Take Back event will be held at City Hall from 10:00am—2:00pm. All prescription and over-the –counter medications will be accepted for safe disposal. No syringes will be accepted. No questions will be asked.
     For more information on the Drug Take Back or shredding event, call 816-847-6250 or email info@cityofgrainvalley.org.