This great event, with all donations going to Kansas Special Olympics is scheduled for Mar 16, 2014 right after the Shawnee St. Patrick's Day parade.
The "Shawnee City Hall Crusaders", currently, as a team are leading all the other teams in terms of funds donated.
The individual breakdown for the SCHC is as follows:
Maureen Rogers $240
Michelle Distler $140
Neal Sawyer $120
Stephanie Meyer $ 20
Jeff Meyers $ 20
Matt Schmitz -0-
Dan Pflumm -0-
An individual can donate in various ways, and if they choose, can have their name shown as "anonymous". Please remember these are classified as charitable donations.
Donations can be marked for a specific team, or even to a specific team member
A complete list of teams can be found at:
http://heroespull.ksso.org/
The Shawnee City Hall Crusaders can be found at:
http://heroespull.ksso.org/2014/schcrusaders/
They were the largest team donation receiver last year.
And then, last year's top individual donation getter, Councilmember Michelle Distler can be found at:
http://heroespull.ksso.org/2014/schcrusaders/mdistler/ Can she repeat?
Donations of any amount are appreciated
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Thursday, February 20, 2014
UPDATE For the Heroes Pull
This is a fun event to watch, and any funds donated go to Kansas Special Olympics.
An individual can donate various ways, and if they choose, can have their name shown as "anonymous". Please remember these are classified as charitable donations.
A complete list of teams can be found at:
http://heroespull.ksso.org/
The Shawnee City Hall Crusaders can be found at:
http://heroespull.ksso.org/2014/schcrusaders/
And then, last year's top donation getter, Councilmember Michelle Distler can be found at:
http://heroespull.ksso.org/2014/schcrusaders/mdistler/
Donations of any amount are appreciated
An individual can donate various ways, and if they choose, can have their name shown as "anonymous". Please remember these are classified as charitable donations.
A complete list of teams can be found at:
http://heroespull.ksso.org/
The Shawnee City Hall Crusaders can be found at:
http://heroespull.ksso.org/2014/schcrusaders/
And then, last year's top donation getter, Councilmember Michelle Distler can be found at:
http://heroespull.ksso.org/2014/schcrusaders/mdistler/
Donations of any amount are appreciated
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Bomb Threat Hoaxes
The Shawnee Dispatch just ran an article about various false bomb threats being called into local businesses http://www.shawneedispatch.com/news/2014/feb/19/nieman-road-cvs-quicktrip-victims-false-bomb-threa/
Suffice it to say, when emergency service personnel (fire, police, EMS) are responding to these types of calls, then they are unable to respond to real emergencies.
Calling in false threats of a bomb in a business is a mean and cruel thing to do.
It is requested that anyone with any information about these threats is asked to call the Shawnee PD, 24/7 at 913-631-2155.
Keep in mind it could be your or a family member who might really need the assistance of our first responders and would be unable to get it because they are responding to a deliberate false alarm.
Again, if you have any info, please call, 913-631-2155
Suffice it to say, when emergency service personnel (fire, police, EMS) are responding to these types of calls, then they are unable to respond to real emergencies.
Calling in false threats of a bomb in a business is a mean and cruel thing to do.
It is requested that anyone with any information about these threats is asked to call the Shawnee PD, 24/7 at 913-631-2155.
Keep in mind it could be your or a family member who might really need the assistance of our first responders and would be unable to get it because they are responding to a deliberate false alarm.
Again, if you have any info, please call, 913-631-2155
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Shawnee Heroes Pull
The Shawnee Dispatch has a real nice article about this event at http://www.shawneedispatch.com/news/2014/feb/17/shawnees-heroes-pull-set-march-16/
It will take place on Sunday March 16th. I attended last year and it was fun to watch. Add to that, it is a great way to raise funds for Kansas Special Olympics.
Last year the city hall team which included both elected and staff personnel was the number one fund raising team, and the number one individual was on that team, Councilmember Michelle Distler.
We expect to have information in the next few days as to who will be on the city hall team and how to make a contribution to that team or designate it for a specific individual on the team.
Last year Shawnee's Fire and Police personnel also had teams participating.
WARNING!!!!!! The City Manager of Shawnee has determined that local bloggers post items that may contain bad or misinformation. Please read these posts with care and determine for yourself whether the information is valid.
It will take place on Sunday March 16th. I attended last year and it was fun to watch. Add to that, it is a great way to raise funds for Kansas Special Olympics.
Last year the city hall team which included both elected and staff personnel was the number one fund raising team, and the number one individual was on that team, Councilmember Michelle Distler.
We expect to have information in the next few days as to who will be on the city hall team and how to make a contribution to that team or designate it for a specific individual on the team.
Last year Shawnee's Fire and Police personnel also had teams participating.
WARNING!!!!!! The City Manager of Shawnee has determined that local bloggers post items that may contain bad or misinformation. Please read these posts with care and determine for yourself whether the information is valid.
Thursday, February 13, 2014
We've Gone International
Every once in awhile we notice a solitary "hit" to the blog from outside the United States. Earlier this month we got a bunch of hits from Aruba. Just like last summer, we got a bunch from Portugal & Spain.
We figure it has to be one of two things happening:
1. We are gaining an international audience
2. Some Shawnee folks have gone on vacation and just couldn't stay away from this blog.
We'd bet it's item 2 above. If you are the person or persons from Shawnee who went on vacation and viewed this blog from there, thank you. We appreciate the traffic.
WARNING!!!!!! The City Manager of Shawnee has determined that local bloggers post items that may contain bad or misinformation. Please read these posts with care and determine for yourself whether the information is valid.
We figure it has to be one of two things happening:
1. We are gaining an international audience
2. Some Shawnee folks have gone on vacation and just couldn't stay away from this blog.
We'd bet it's item 2 above. If you are the person or persons from Shawnee who went on vacation and viewed this blog from there, thank you. We appreciate the traffic.
WARNING!!!!!! The City Manager of Shawnee has determined that local bloggers post items that may contain bad or misinformation. Please read these posts with care and determine for yourself whether the information is valid.
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
No Spring Mail In Ballot for Sales Tax
When the item came up last night for the sales tax questions there a surprise move. Council member Jeff "The Arrogant One" Vaught proposed that a). the Parks & Pipes sales tax renewal question go on the November general election ballot and that b). a proposed new sales tax for pavement be tabled until after the new budget session.
What this does, is it effectively eliminates the city from spending over $63K for a mail ballot and letting the item(s) go on the general election ballot at no charge to the city.
This was a surprise move as Vaught was a major proponent for a spring mail ballot so that the "deck could be stacked".
What was the motivation for this sudden turnaround? Could it have been that maybe there was push back from other council members about spending over $63K for a spring mail ballot, as shown on this blog? Could it have been the fact that the Shawnee Dispatch published info from the JoCo election office that indicated the cost could go over $70K? Could it have been because he didn't want a public, on the record discussion, showing how the city's original estimate of $40K for the election was flawed and severely understated?
Anyway, the good news is that there will not be a spring mail ballot and the associated costs that go with it. The item(s) belong on the November general election ballot at no cost.
For the record: As a citizen of Shawnee I would support the renewal of the Pipes and Parks sales tax and would support a new 1/8 sales tax for pavement. If there is a shortfall by going for 1/8 instead of 2/8 we can then discuss how to use more of the Deffenbaugh impact fee for pavement. That will involve further discussion about how the $1.5 million for economic development is being used.
Hint: On economic development, it is my opinion, and has been for quite some time that we need a destination venue...............not more fast food restaurants and gas stations on Shawnee Mission Parkway. We need something that will heavily attract folks from outside of Shawnee, to Shawnee on a regular, steady basis.
WARNING!!!!!! The City Manager of Shawnee has determined that local bloggers post items that may contain bad or misinformation. Please read these posts with care and determine for yourself whether the information is valid.
What this does, is it effectively eliminates the city from spending over $63K for a mail ballot and letting the item(s) go on the general election ballot at no charge to the city.
This was a surprise move as Vaught was a major proponent for a spring mail ballot so that the "deck could be stacked".
What was the motivation for this sudden turnaround? Could it have been that maybe there was push back from other council members about spending over $63K for a spring mail ballot, as shown on this blog? Could it have been the fact that the Shawnee Dispatch published info from the JoCo election office that indicated the cost could go over $70K? Could it have been because he didn't want a public, on the record discussion, showing how the city's original estimate of $40K for the election was flawed and severely understated?
Anyway, the good news is that there will not be a spring mail ballot and the associated costs that go with it. The item(s) belong on the November general election ballot at no cost.
For the record: As a citizen of Shawnee I would support the renewal of the Pipes and Parks sales tax and would support a new 1/8 sales tax for pavement. If there is a shortfall by going for 1/8 instead of 2/8 we can then discuss how to use more of the Deffenbaugh impact fee for pavement. That will involve further discussion about how the $1.5 million for economic development is being used.
Hint: On economic development, it is my opinion, and has been for quite some time that we need a destination venue...............not more fast food restaurants and gas stations on Shawnee Mission Parkway. We need something that will heavily attract folks from outside of Shawnee, to Shawnee on a regular, steady basis.
WARNING!!!!!! The City Manager of Shawnee has determined that local bloggers post items that may contain bad or misinformation. Please read these posts with care and determine for yourself whether the information is valid.
Sunday, February 09, 2014
City Council to Vote on Sales Tax Ballot - 2/10/14
One of the agenda items on the Shawnee City Council meeting for Monday Feb 10, 2014 is a sales tax question.
Sales tax issues have to be submitted to the citizens. What the council votes on is how much to ask for, how to word the ballot, and which election to have it presented to the voters.
Among the items to be considered are:
1. A renewal of the 1/8 Parks and Pipes program
2 A new sales tax of either 1/8 or 2/8 for pavement
3. Whether to make the above separate questions or combine them into one question
4. Create a special mail ballot election in the spring (at an estimated cost in excess of $63K) or to put it on the November general election ballot at no charge to Shawnee.
The council meeting starts at 7:30PM.
WARNING!!!!!! The City Manager of Shawnee has determined that local bloggers post items that may contain bad or misinformation. Please read these posts with care and determine for yourself whether the information is valid.
Sales tax issues have to be submitted to the citizens. What the council votes on is how much to ask for, how to word the ballot, and which election to have it presented to the voters.
Among the items to be considered are:
1. A renewal of the 1/8 Parks and Pipes program
2 A new sales tax of either 1/8 or 2/8 for pavement
3. Whether to make the above separate questions or combine them into one question
4. Create a special mail ballot election in the spring (at an estimated cost in excess of $63K) or to put it on the November general election ballot at no charge to Shawnee.
The council meeting starts at 7:30PM.
WARNING!!!!!! The City Manager of Shawnee has determined that local bloggers post items that may contain bad or misinformation. Please read these posts with care and determine for yourself whether the information is valid.
Wednesday, February 05, 2014
Special Maill Ballot Election Could Cost $70K
An article in the Shawnee Dispatch states that the proposed mail ballot election for an increase in sales tax could run as much as $71K. See the article at http://www.shawneedispatch.com/news/2014/feb/05/shawnee-discuss-special-mail-ballot-election-sales/
That is even higher than my original estimate of $63K. Both of these estimates are higher than the city's estimate of $40K, which is unrealistically low. The question could go on the November general election ballot at no charge to the city. That is the way it needs to be done.
If you haven't read them already, you can scroll down to my three posts that show how I calculated the $63K cost. Very basic and simple math. No fancy calculations needed. Why couldn't the city manager do the same thing?
The posts are: Sales Tax Vote - Deception #1 1/20/14, Sales Tax Vote - Deception #2 1/21/14 and Sales Tax Vote - Deception #3 1/30/14.
The item needs to go on the November ballot, not a special election in the spring.
For the record, I do support a renewal of the Parks & Pipes, a new 1/8 for pavement, and having them appear on the November ballot as two separate questions, not one, as some would like.
The council will be voting on this Monday night, 2/10/14. The meeting starts at 7:30PM.
WARNING!!!!!! The City Manager of Shawnee has determined that local bloggers post items that may contain bad or misinformation. Please read these posts with care and determine for yourself whether the information is valid.
That is even higher than my original estimate of $63K. Both of these estimates are higher than the city's estimate of $40K, which is unrealistically low. The question could go on the November general election ballot at no charge to the city. That is the way it needs to be done.
If you haven't read them already, you can scroll down to my three posts that show how I calculated the $63K cost. Very basic and simple math. No fancy calculations needed. Why couldn't the city manager do the same thing?
The posts are: Sales Tax Vote - Deception #1 1/20/14, Sales Tax Vote - Deception #2 1/21/14 and Sales Tax Vote - Deception #3 1/30/14.
The item needs to go on the November ballot, not a special election in the spring.
For the record, I do support a renewal of the Parks & Pipes, a new 1/8 for pavement, and having them appear on the November ballot as two separate questions, not one, as some would like.
The council will be voting on this Monday night, 2/10/14. The meeting starts at 7:30PM.
WARNING!!!!!! The City Manager of Shawnee has determined that local bloggers post items that may contain bad or misinformation. Please read these posts with care and determine for yourself whether the information is valid.
Sunday, February 02, 2014
Council Expenses - National League of Cities - November 2013
The National League of Cities holds two conferences a year. One in November at rotating cities and one in March, in Washington DC. Any long term reader of this blog knows that I feel valuable information can be gleaned from these meetings. My only objection has been the number of people that have attended. It has always been my opinion that, especially with a tough budget, we only need to send four people, two council members, the mayor and the city manager. They can then come back and inform the rest of the council as to what information they gathered.
Last March, Shawnee only had one person go to the Washington DC conference, and that was Mickey Sandifer. Ironically, he came back early because apparently his vote was needed at a council meeting. Heck, by coming back early he missed the most important day, the day that local officials get to meet with our congressional delegation. Oh well................
This past November the meeting was in Seattle, Washington. We had six people attend. Needless to say, the biggest spender was Mickey (Traveling Man) Sandifer.
Mickey Sandifer $2,670.00
Jim Neighbor 2,009.30
Jeff Vaught 1,887.41
Neal Sawyer 1,725.05
Carol Gonzales 1,717.98
Mike Kemmling 932.60
=========
Total $10,942.30
The city council has cancelled the council meeting for Monday, March 10, 2014. Probably because that is when the NLC meeting is in Washington, DC. Let's see how many folks are going on that one.
WARNING!!!!!! The City Manager of Shawnee has determined that local bloggers post items that may contain bad or misinformation. Please read these posts with care and determine for yourself whether the information is valid.
Last March, Shawnee only had one person go to the Washington DC conference, and that was Mickey Sandifer. Ironically, he came back early because apparently his vote was needed at a council meeting. Heck, by coming back early he missed the most important day, the day that local officials get to meet with our congressional delegation. Oh well................
This past November the meeting was in Seattle, Washington. We had six people attend. Needless to say, the biggest spender was Mickey (Traveling Man) Sandifer.
Mickey Sandifer $2,670.00
Jim Neighbor 2,009.30
Jeff Vaught 1,887.41
Neal Sawyer 1,725.05
Carol Gonzales 1,717.98
Mike Kemmling 932.60
=========
Total $10,942.30
The city council has cancelled the council meeting for Monday, March 10, 2014. Probably because that is when the NLC meeting is in Washington, DC. Let's see how many folks are going on that one.
WARNING!!!!!! The City Manager of Shawnee has determined that local bloggers post items that may contain bad or misinformation. Please read these posts with care and determine for yourself whether the information is valid.
Saturday, February 01, 2014
Criminal Stupidity
This one is too funny. Now this person could be facing possible federal charges:
Press Release Case Summary
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Case Number:
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CN1400395
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Date Entered:
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01/28/2014 16:06
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Location:
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5800 Block Renner RD
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Type of Incident:
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Classification:
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FRAUD / FORGERY / ID
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Incident Summary:
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Subject used counterfeit bills to pay court fees.
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Thursday, January 30, 2014
Sales Tax Vote - Deception #3
Let's review a couple of things real quick. I am in favor of renewing the parks & pipes 1/8 sales tax. I could support a 1/8 sales tax for pavement. I am against piggy backing them into one question on a ballot. They should be separate questions on a ballot. I am against a spring mail ballot because of the cost, and feel the right way to present it to the citizens of Shawnee would be at the November general election where the cost to the city would be zero.
Senior city staff has stated that a spring mail ballot election could be about $40K but that they cannot give a closer estimate because they don't know how many people would vote and return ballots.
That is deception #3 perpetrated by senior staff, and certain members of the council. The cost associated with the actual number of return ballots is almost negligible when compared to the costs associated with the basics of creating the mail ballot election.
Look to my post below regarding Deception #2 (1/21/14) and you will see how I calculated the estimate that I gave. I will now show how to assign a viable estimate to the cost for the returns. In that previous post I explained how I came up with my figures. So I will just repeat them here:
The figures in the first column are what Olathe actually paid, the second column is the projected for Shawnee. Keeping in mind that we have already calculated that the figures for Shawnee would be approximately 52.85% of Olathe.
Special Board $8,868.69 $4,687.10
Printing $24,379.40 $12,884.51
Stuffing and mail preparation $26,118.00 $13,803.36
Postage $39,216.14 $20,725.66
Envelopes $20,520.00 $10,824.00
Publications $ 281.16 $ 281.16
Total $119,383.39 $63,205.79
OK, what we do know is that Olathe had a 32.5% return and the Shawnee figures are based on that. The postage figures given above include both mail out and return. All we have to do is take the Olathe figure and divide it by 1.325 and that will tell us the cost of the Olathe postage for mailing out the ballots.
$39,216.14/1.325 = $29,597 that would be Olathe's outbound mailing (approximately $10,000 for the return ballots)
$20,725.66/1.325 = $15,642 that would be Shawnee's cost for outbound mailing (approximately $5,000 for the return ballots) (Or you can use 52.85% of Olathe's figure and you come up with the same)
What that means, is that if NOBODY returned a ballot (voted) the city would still have to pay approximately $58,000.
My estimates for the cost to Shawnee are actually low because:
1. The cost of the board would probably be somewhat higher because of certain basic costs.
2. The cost of postage (outbound and return) would be higher because of postage increases
3. Printing would be higher than projected because of the lower volume (higher cost per page) The total would not as high as Olathe but probably higher than my estimate. The ballots are not on thin paper either.
4. Envelopes - the return envelopes which have to be included with every ballot are not your ordinary run of the mill BRE type of envelopes. They require certain legal statements and certain tear off segments for accountability purposes. And, the envelopes for the outbound mailing are somewhat unique. (Base on previous mail ballots that I have received).
I'll stand by my estimate of $63,205.79, which would probably be on the low side. And, IMHO, those that can't see that might be suffering from a deficiency in basic mathematical calculations. Nothing fancy or super scientific here.
WARNING!!!!!! The City Manager of Shawnee has determined that local bloggers post items that may contain bad or misinformation. Please read these posts with care and determine for yourself whether the information is valid.
Senior city staff has stated that a spring mail ballot election could be about $40K but that they cannot give a closer estimate because they don't know how many people would vote and return ballots.
That is deception #3 perpetrated by senior staff, and certain members of the council. The cost associated with the actual number of return ballots is almost negligible when compared to the costs associated with the basics of creating the mail ballot election.
Look to my post below regarding Deception #2 (1/21/14) and you will see how I calculated the estimate that I gave. I will now show how to assign a viable estimate to the cost for the returns. In that previous post I explained how I came up with my figures. So I will just repeat them here:
The figures in the first column are what Olathe actually paid, the second column is the projected for Shawnee. Keeping in mind that we have already calculated that the figures for Shawnee would be approximately 52.85% of Olathe.
Special Board $8,868.69 $4,687.10
Printing $24,379.40 $12,884.51
Stuffing and mail preparation $26,118.00 $13,803.36
Postage $39,216.14 $20,725.66
Envelopes $20,520.00 $10,824.00
Publications $ 281.16 $ 281.16
Total $119,383.39 $63,205.79
OK, what we do know is that Olathe had a 32.5% return and the Shawnee figures are based on that. The postage figures given above include both mail out and return. All we have to do is take the Olathe figure and divide it by 1.325 and that will tell us the cost of the Olathe postage for mailing out the ballots.
$39,216.14/1.325 = $29,597 that would be Olathe's outbound mailing (approximately $10,000 for the return ballots)
$20,725.66/1.325 = $15,642 that would be Shawnee's cost for outbound mailing (approximately $5,000 for the return ballots) (Or you can use 52.85% of Olathe's figure and you come up with the same)
What that means, is that if NOBODY returned a ballot (voted) the city would still have to pay approximately $58,000.
My estimates for the cost to Shawnee are actually low because:
1. The cost of the board would probably be somewhat higher because of certain basic costs.
2. The cost of postage (outbound and return) would be higher because of postage increases
3. Printing would be higher than projected because of the lower volume (higher cost per page) The total would not as high as Olathe but probably higher than my estimate. The ballots are not on thin paper either.
4. Envelopes - the return envelopes which have to be included with every ballot are not your ordinary run of the mill BRE type of envelopes. They require certain legal statements and certain tear off segments for accountability purposes. And, the envelopes for the outbound mailing are somewhat unique. (Base on previous mail ballots that I have received).
I'll stand by my estimate of $63,205.79, which would probably be on the low side. And, IMHO, those that can't see that might be suffering from a deficiency in basic mathematical calculations. Nothing fancy or super scientific here.
WARNING!!!!!! The City Manager of Shawnee has determined that local bloggers post items that may contain bad or misinformation. Please read these posts with care and determine for yourself whether the information is valid.
Another Example of Vaught's Hypocrisy
Just a short note this morning. Thinking back to some of Jeff (The Arrogant One) Vaught's comments about a special mail ballot election just makes me see more and more as to what kind of a hypocrite he is.
He is the most vocal of the council members who is willing to spend over $63K on a special election, in order to "stack the deck", when the same election can be held in November at no charge. But, that would not necessarily "stack the deck".
Why do I say he is a hypocrite? Because he was probably also the most vocal opponent of restoring full minutes of council and council committee meetings. His reasoning: cost. Fortunately more intelligent minds prevailed on that one
So he wants to spend the money to "stack the deck" in an election but was against spending the money to keep the people fully informed about what their government was doing.
All of this coming from a man who, on his campaign web site and in a media session with the KC Star claimed to be a patriot. I still ask, what has he ever done to be considered a patriot?
His actions have leaned more towards the dictatorial (to include attempts to restrict public input at meetings).
And rumor has it (this is a rumor) that he wants to run for mayor. Is it a rumor?
WARNING!!!!!! The City Manager of Shawnee has determined that local bloggers post items that may contain bad or misinformation. Please read these posts with care and determine for yourself whether the information is valid.
He is the most vocal of the council members who is willing to spend over $63K on a special election, in order to "stack the deck", when the same election can be held in November at no charge. But, that would not necessarily "stack the deck".
Why do I say he is a hypocrite? Because he was probably also the most vocal opponent of restoring full minutes of council and council committee meetings. His reasoning: cost. Fortunately more intelligent minds prevailed on that one
So he wants to spend the money to "stack the deck" in an election but was against spending the money to keep the people fully informed about what their government was doing.
All of this coming from a man who, on his campaign web site and in a media session with the KC Star claimed to be a patriot. I still ask, what has he ever done to be considered a patriot?
His actions have leaned more towards the dictatorial (to include attempts to restrict public input at meetings).
And rumor has it (this is a rumor) that he wants to run for mayor. Is it a rumor?
WARNING!!!!!! The City Manager of Shawnee has determined that local bloggers post items that may contain bad or misinformation. Please read these posts with care and determine for yourself whether the information is valid.
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
KC Star Profiles Local Bloggers
In today's 913 section of the KC Star six local bloggers are profiled.
It is available in both the hard copy and on line at:
http://www.kansascity.com/2014/01/28/4782673/these-concerned-citizens-go-the.html
Note: There is a typo, it's been over 40 years since I ran for state assembly in NY not 20.
WARNING!!!!!! The City Manager of Shawnee has determined that local bloggers post items that may contain bad or misinformation. Please read these posts with care and determine for yourself whether the information is valid.
It is available in both the hard copy and on line at:
http://www.kansascity.com/2014/01/28/4782673/these-concerned-citizens-go-the.html
Note: There is a typo, it's been over 40 years since I ran for state assembly in NY not 20.
WARNING!!!!!! The City Manager of Shawnee has determined that local bloggers post items that may contain bad or misinformation. Please read these posts with care and determine for yourself whether the information is valid.
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Stephanie Meyer 1 - Mickey Sandifer 0
Are we keeping score?
About two weeks ago I sent both council members Stephanie Meyer and Mickey Sandifer some opinions regarding the proposed sales taxes. Specifically, I was concerned what would happen if the pavement item was piggybacked on top of the parks & pipes and folks voted it down. Then, the city would lose the parks & pipes.
Anyway, the next day Stephanie Meyer sent me a reply, and I guess to be courteous she cc'd Mickey Sandifer. She had some good comments and appeared that we were having a polite discussion about the topic. I then replied, and since she had cc'd Sandifer, so did I.
Ironically, to this day, Sandifer still has not replied. That is funny, since he is my council member, and she isn't. I guess Sandifer is joining that dumbonic duo of Neighbor and Vaught who feel they don't have to reply to citizens of Shawnee (previous experiences with both). Mickey, that's not cool for someone who has aspirations of becoming mayor.
Ironically, knowing Mickey, I can just hear/see him running to Neighbor and Vaught and saying something like "Stephanie Meyer is a bad girl. She's replying to Ray Erlichman's emails". The result of that, if it ever happened, would probably be the dumbonic duo jumping on Meyer for replying to me.
Anyway, Stephanie Meyer gets 1 for replying, Mickey Sandifer gets a goose egg.
WARNING!!!!!! The City Manager of Shawnee has determined that local bloggers post items that may contain bad or misinformation. Please read these posts with care and determine for yourself whether the information is valid.
About two weeks ago I sent both council members Stephanie Meyer and Mickey Sandifer some opinions regarding the proposed sales taxes. Specifically, I was concerned what would happen if the pavement item was piggybacked on top of the parks & pipes and folks voted it down. Then, the city would lose the parks & pipes.
Anyway, the next day Stephanie Meyer sent me a reply, and I guess to be courteous she cc'd Mickey Sandifer. She had some good comments and appeared that we were having a polite discussion about the topic. I then replied, and since she had cc'd Sandifer, so did I.
Ironically, to this day, Sandifer still has not replied. That is funny, since he is my council member, and she isn't. I guess Sandifer is joining that dumbonic duo of Neighbor and Vaught who feel they don't have to reply to citizens of Shawnee (previous experiences with both). Mickey, that's not cool for someone who has aspirations of becoming mayor.
Ironically, knowing Mickey, I can just hear/see him running to Neighbor and Vaught and saying something like "Stephanie Meyer is a bad girl. She's replying to Ray Erlichman's emails". The result of that, if it ever happened, would probably be the dumbonic duo jumping on Meyer for replying to me.
Anyway, Stephanie Meyer gets 1 for replying, Mickey Sandifer gets a goose egg.
WARNING!!!!!! The City Manager of Shawnee has determined that local bloggers post items that may contain bad or misinformation. Please read these posts with care and determine for yourself whether the information is valid.
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Sales Tax Vote - Deception #2
Deception #2 is the fun one. This is the one regarding the cost of a spring mail ballot for the sales tax. See, the item could go on the November general election ballot, at no charge to the City of Shawnee. But, there are some individuals who feel that if that happens then the citizens of Shawnee will vote it down. So they are opting to spend money to make it a mail ballot election in an attempt to "stack the deck".
The council was told by the city manager that the cost of the mail ballot would be approximately $110K, and then that was changed to an estimate of $40K. Well, it appears that both numbers are wrong. The figures were being based on the November 2013 mail ballot election in Olathe.
So, what is a guy to do? Easy, obtain copies of the appropriate documentation from the JoCo Election Office. Specifically, the amount Olathe was billed by the county. Are ya ready? Here goes.
Olathe voters:
Registered voters (active and inactive) 77,662
Voters receiving ballots (active) 72,369
(Note: active voters represent 93.18% of the registered voters)
Shawnee voters:
Registered (as of last spring election) 41,043
Potential to receive ballots 38,244 (93.18% of the above)
(Personally, I think we probably have a higher % of active voters, but we'll use the known % from Olathe)
Shawnee active vs Olathe active:
That becomes 38,244/72,369 which means Shawnee has 52.85% of Olathe's voters
So, what do we do now? We take the dollars billed to Olathe and to get a real close approximation for Shawnee, we multiply that figure by 0.5285.
The figures in the first column are what Olathe paid, the second column is the projected for Shawnee.
Special Board $8,868.69 $4,687.10
Printing $24,379.40 $12,884.51
Stuffing and mail preparation $26,118.00 $13,803.36
Postage $39,216.14 $20,725.66
Envelopes $20,520.00 $10,824.00
Publications $ 281.16 $ 281.16
Total $119,383.39 $63,205.79
Fairway is going to have a mail ballot but their voter rolls are so small that the $$ involved will be negligible
Postage has increased. Keep in mind postage is based not just on the ballots returned (probably less than 35% of those mailed) but also on the number mailed. Also, there may be certain fees associated with permitted reply postage. Printing could also be higher, per page, because of a reduced quantity.
Now, there will be certain individuals who will try to discredit my calculations. They will attempt to use all kinds of smoke and mirrors to bring the estimate down. Please, don't be fooled.
So, there is the 3d choice the council has to make on Feb 10, 2014. Set the vote for the November general election for no charge or pay approximately $63K to attempt to "stack the deck".
The other two choices are keeping the pipes and parks separate on the ballot from the pavement question or combining the two taxes into one question (another deck stacking move). The other is whether the pavement tax should be 1/8% (0.125) or 2/8% (0.250)
I feel the Feb 10, 2014 council meeting is important that all who can need to attend. It's your tax dollars.
WARNING!!!!!! The City Manager of Shawnee has determined that local bloggers post items that may contain bad or misinformation. Please read these posts with care and determine for yourself whether the information is valid.
The council was told by the city manager that the cost of the mail ballot would be approximately $110K, and then that was changed to an estimate of $40K. Well, it appears that both numbers are wrong. The figures were being based on the November 2013 mail ballot election in Olathe.
So, what is a guy to do? Easy, obtain copies of the appropriate documentation from the JoCo Election Office. Specifically, the amount Olathe was billed by the county. Are ya ready? Here goes.
Olathe voters:
Registered voters (active and inactive) 77,662
Voters receiving ballots (active) 72,369
(Note: active voters represent 93.18% of the registered voters)
Shawnee voters:
Registered (as of last spring election) 41,043
Potential to receive ballots 38,244 (93.18% of the above)
(Personally, I think we probably have a higher % of active voters, but we'll use the known % from Olathe)
Shawnee active vs Olathe active:
That becomes 38,244/72,369 which means Shawnee has 52.85% of Olathe's voters
So, what do we do now? We take the dollars billed to Olathe and to get a real close approximation for Shawnee, we multiply that figure by 0.5285.
The figures in the first column are what Olathe paid, the second column is the projected for Shawnee.
Special Board $8,868.69 $4,687.10
Printing $24,379.40 $12,884.51
Stuffing and mail preparation $26,118.00 $13,803.36
Postage $39,216.14 $20,725.66
Envelopes $20,520.00 $10,824.00
Publications $ 281.16 $ 281.16
Total $119,383.39 $63,205.79
Fairway is going to have a mail ballot but their voter rolls are so small that the $$ involved will be negligible
Postage has increased. Keep in mind postage is based not just on the ballots returned (probably less than 35% of those mailed) but also on the number mailed. Also, there may be certain fees associated with permitted reply postage. Printing could also be higher, per page, because of a reduced quantity.
Now, there will be certain individuals who will try to discredit my calculations. They will attempt to use all kinds of smoke and mirrors to bring the estimate down. Please, don't be fooled.
So, there is the 3d choice the council has to make on Feb 10, 2014. Set the vote for the November general election for no charge or pay approximately $63K to attempt to "stack the deck".
The other two choices are keeping the pipes and parks separate on the ballot from the pavement question or combining the two taxes into one question (another deck stacking move). The other is whether the pavement tax should be 1/8% (0.125) or 2/8% (0.250)
I feel the Feb 10, 2014 council meeting is important that all who can need to attend. It's your tax dollars.
WARNING!!!!!! The City Manager of Shawnee has determined that local bloggers post items that may contain bad or misinformation. Please read these posts with care and determine for yourself whether the information is valid.
Monday, January 20, 2014
Sales Tax Vote - Deception #1
We'll keep this one short and simple. On Monday, Feb 10, 2014 the council will be voting on whether and how to put a new sales tax on the ballot for pavements and whether or not to continue the sales tax for "Parks & Pipes"
So, where is the deception you may ask? That's easy.
The "Parks & Pipes" does not have to come back before the voters for another year based on its expiration date.
So why do some members of the council and the city manager want it voted on now? Because some members of the council and the city manager do not think that the voters of Shawnee are intelligent enough to make a decision on the pavement tax unless it is tied to something that is popular like the "Parks & Pipes". They want to use the "P&P" as the coattails for the pavement tax. Let the pavement tax stand on its own merit. They keep mentioning the recent mail ballot in Olathe. Well, Olathe voters did approve a pavement tax, at an even higher rate. That apparently was based on what the voters there wanted, after reviewing the pertinent information without trying to piggyback it to a more popular program. Are the ones who want this piggyback saying that the voters of Shawnee are not intelligent enough to review the information and vote accordingly?
Most notable of the council members who is pushing for this piggyback arrangement is Jeff "The Arrogant One" Vaught. His favorite comments lately have been about how he was elected, by a large majority, to represent his ward. Key word/phrase: represent, not dictate to. Again, he needs to retake Civics 101.
Hmmm, and we're told by certain folks that local bloggers disseminate misinformation. Physician heal thyself.
More coming on what initially appears to be misinformation presented at the council committee regarding the cost of a spring mail ballot election (as opposed to a November no charge/free general election ballot).
WARNING!!!!!! The City Manager of Shawnee has determined that local bloggers post items that may contain bad or misinformation. Please read these posts with care and determine for yourself whether the information is valid.
So, where is the deception you may ask? That's easy.
The "Parks & Pipes" does not have to come back before the voters for another year based on its expiration date.
So why do some members of the council and the city manager want it voted on now? Because some members of the council and the city manager do not think that the voters of Shawnee are intelligent enough to make a decision on the pavement tax unless it is tied to something that is popular like the "Parks & Pipes". They want to use the "P&P" as the coattails for the pavement tax. Let the pavement tax stand on its own merit. They keep mentioning the recent mail ballot in Olathe. Well, Olathe voters did approve a pavement tax, at an even higher rate. That apparently was based on what the voters there wanted, after reviewing the pertinent information without trying to piggyback it to a more popular program. Are the ones who want this piggyback saying that the voters of Shawnee are not intelligent enough to review the information and vote accordingly?
Most notable of the council members who is pushing for this piggyback arrangement is Jeff "The Arrogant One" Vaught. His favorite comments lately have been about how he was elected, by a large majority, to represent his ward. Key word/phrase: represent, not dictate to. Again, he needs to retake Civics 101.
Hmmm, and we're told by certain folks that local bloggers disseminate misinformation. Physician heal thyself.
More coming on what initially appears to be misinformation presented at the council committee regarding the cost of a spring mail ballot election (as opposed to a November no charge/free general election ballot).
WARNING!!!!!! The City Manager of Shawnee has determined that local bloggers post items that may contain bad or misinformation. Please read these posts with care and determine for yourself whether the information is valid.
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Citizen and City Recognition
At last night's city council meeting recognition was given to two young citizens and to the city.
Daryn & Damian Duncan two very young men, were recognized for their actions that quite possibly saved the lives of some neighbors. On December 14, 2013 there was a fire next door to the house that the Duncan brothers were visiting. They notified the adults in their group and then got them to go next door to wake the residents of the house that was on fire. Their actions allowed for the Shawnee FD to respond in a timely manner and to minimize damage and injury. It's heartwarming to see that these young folks apparently paid attention to what they had been told to do in the event of an emergency. Good education on the part of the parents.
The city received the Above and Beyond Award and the Seven Seals Award by the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserves-Kansas Committee. Shawnee has for many years gone the extra mile when it comes to supporting its employees in the Guard and/or Reserve who get activated for duty, especially for assignment to hostile areas of the world. Being called to active duty under these circumstances is never easy for the service member, or their family. Knowing that your employer has your "six" can be very comforting.
Congrats to the Duncan brothers and the City.
Daryn & Damian Duncan two very young men, were recognized for their actions that quite possibly saved the lives of some neighbors. On December 14, 2013 there was a fire next door to the house that the Duncan brothers were visiting. They notified the adults in their group and then got them to go next door to wake the residents of the house that was on fire. Their actions allowed for the Shawnee FD to respond in a timely manner and to minimize damage and injury. It's heartwarming to see that these young folks apparently paid attention to what they had been told to do in the event of an emergency. Good education on the part of the parents.
The city received the Above and Beyond Award and the Seven Seals Award by the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserves-Kansas Committee. Shawnee has for many years gone the extra mile when it comes to supporting its employees in the Guard and/or Reserve who get activated for duty, especially for assignment to hostile areas of the world. Being called to active duty under these circumstances is never easy for the service member, or their family. Knowing that your employer has your "six" can be very comforting.
Congrats to the Duncan brothers and the City.
Friday, January 10, 2014
Proposed Sales Tax Renewal & Increase
This past Tuesday the council committee again discussed the renewal of the "Parks & Pipes" sales tax, a new sales tax for pavement and at which election to present these items to the voters.
Jeff "The Arrogant One" Vaught was pushing for:
1. A continuation of the 1/8 % (0.125) Parks and Pipes sales tax
2. A new 2/8% (.025) for pavement improvements
3. Placing both items on a mail in ballot this spring, and as one question
His attempts at bullying his fellow council members did not appear to work. First, he is slowly taking over former council member Kuhn's proclivity for being a motormouth. Second, for an individual who claims to want to see more civility, he has this unique ability to demean his fellow council members if they don't agree with him. Additionally, he appears to have attempted to appoint himself as a leader on the council. This seemed to backfire when he indicated that the council should be united in its support for these items and he then received a group blank stare. This man shows no leadership or motivational/inspirational qualities.
This matter will now be presented at a future meeting of the council, as follows:
1. A continuation of Parks & Pipes at 1/8% (0.125)
2. A new 1/8% (0.125) sales tax for pavement
3. A spring mail in ballot.
All of the above is subject to change at the actual council meeting. Vaught wants to combine the two taxes into one question on the ballot. He wants to piggyback the pavement tax on the Parks and Pipes because he feels that by itself the pavement tax won't pass. The majority seems to want the items to be separate questions.
The cost of the pavement tax is a question. The city manager is asking for the 2/8% (0.25) because of a budget shortfall. Most of the council seems to think that is too much and that the 1/8% (0.125) would be more palatable.
There is really still a lot of division as to whether it should be a spring mail ballot (at a potential cost of $40K - $110K) as opposed to a November election with no cost to the city. The council would consider the spring mail ballot with the money coming from the economic development fund.
My opinions on each item:
1. Parks & Pipes sales tax: continue this item, as it has shown to be beneficial for the city.
2. Pavement sales tax: I would support the 1/8% (0.125) but not 2/8% (0.25). If this does not generate sufficient funds, then take some more out of the impact fee that Deffenbaugh pays to the city ($3 million). Currently that is split 50/50 for roads and economic development. Take another $1 million for the roads and apportion $500K for economic development. Why wasn't a plan put into place for possible sales tax increases done earlier when we have these multi year projections, as opposed to this "it's got to be done now" approach. A full public audit of how the eco development funds have been used would be appropriate.
3. How many questions on the ballot: Two, keep them separate
4. When to have the vote: November general election, as it provides for a larger turn out and at no cost to the city. Those individuals wishing to advocate/educate for approval/disapproval of the sales taxes can form groups, raise funds, and state their positions pro or con. to the general public.
Sidebar: The city had ETC institute conduct a survey on these issues last week. Supposedly they had 2,500 frequent voters to contact and were able to establish contact with approximately 400. I was one of the ones contacted. When the survey taker and her supervisor were queried as to who was paying for the survey, they would not admit to it being the city. A KORA request has shown that the city is paying $7,500 for the survey. Comments made by various council members indicate that I was not the only person who ran into that situation.
WARNING!!!!!! The City Manager of Shawnee has determined that local bloggers post items that may contain bad or misinformation. Please read these posts with care and determine for yourself whether the information is valid.
Jeff "The Arrogant One" Vaught was pushing for:
1. A continuation of the 1/8 % (0.125) Parks and Pipes sales tax
2. A new 2/8% (.025) for pavement improvements
3. Placing both items on a mail in ballot this spring, and as one question
His attempts at bullying his fellow council members did not appear to work. First, he is slowly taking over former council member Kuhn's proclivity for being a motormouth. Second, for an individual who claims to want to see more civility, he has this unique ability to demean his fellow council members if they don't agree with him. Additionally, he appears to have attempted to appoint himself as a leader on the council. This seemed to backfire when he indicated that the council should be united in its support for these items and he then received a group blank stare. This man shows no leadership or motivational/inspirational qualities.
This matter will now be presented at a future meeting of the council, as follows:
1. A continuation of Parks & Pipes at 1/8% (0.125)
2. A new 1/8% (0.125) sales tax for pavement
3. A spring mail in ballot.
All of the above is subject to change at the actual council meeting. Vaught wants to combine the two taxes into one question on the ballot. He wants to piggyback the pavement tax on the Parks and Pipes because he feels that by itself the pavement tax won't pass. The majority seems to want the items to be separate questions.
The cost of the pavement tax is a question. The city manager is asking for the 2/8% (0.25) because of a budget shortfall. Most of the council seems to think that is too much and that the 1/8% (0.125) would be more palatable.
There is really still a lot of division as to whether it should be a spring mail ballot (at a potential cost of $40K - $110K) as opposed to a November election with no cost to the city. The council would consider the spring mail ballot with the money coming from the economic development fund.
My opinions on each item:
1. Parks & Pipes sales tax: continue this item, as it has shown to be beneficial for the city.
2. Pavement sales tax: I would support the 1/8% (0.125) but not 2/8% (0.25). If this does not generate sufficient funds, then take some more out of the impact fee that Deffenbaugh pays to the city ($3 million). Currently that is split 50/50 for roads and economic development. Take another $1 million for the roads and apportion $500K for economic development. Why wasn't a plan put into place for possible sales tax increases done earlier when we have these multi year projections, as opposed to this "it's got to be done now" approach. A full public audit of how the eco development funds have been used would be appropriate.
3. How many questions on the ballot: Two, keep them separate
4. When to have the vote: November general election, as it provides for a larger turn out and at no cost to the city. Those individuals wishing to advocate/educate for approval/disapproval of the sales taxes can form groups, raise funds, and state their positions pro or con. to the general public.
Sidebar: The city had ETC institute conduct a survey on these issues last week. Supposedly they had 2,500 frequent voters to contact and were able to establish contact with approximately 400. I was one of the ones contacted. When the survey taker and her supervisor were queried as to who was paying for the survey, they would not admit to it being the city. A KORA request has shown that the city is paying $7,500 for the survey. Comments made by various council members indicate that I was not the only person who ran into that situation.
WARNING!!!!!! The City Manager of Shawnee has determined that local bloggers post items that may contain bad or misinformation. Please read these posts with care and determine for yourself whether the information is valid.
Saturday, January 04, 2014
Shawnee, Open Wide and Say Ahhhhh, Revisited
Back on September 13, 2013 the original "Open Wide" was posted on this blog.
With the pending committee meeting regarding sales tax increases coming up, it might not be a bad idea to read that post again. Please note the suggestion about what to do with the $3 million we get annually from Deffenbaugh.
The original: http://shawneeray.blogspot.com/2013/09/shawnee-open-wide-and-say-ahhhhhhhhhhh.html
WARNING!!!!!! The City Manager of Shawnee has determined that local bloggers post items that may contain bad or misinformation. Please read these posts with care and determine for yourself whether the information is valid.
With the pending committee meeting regarding sales tax increases coming up, it might not be a bad idea to read that post again. Please note the suggestion about what to do with the $3 million we get annually from Deffenbaugh.
The original: http://shawneeray.blogspot.com/2013/09/shawnee-open-wide-and-say-ahhhhhhhhhhh.html
WARNING!!!!!! The City Manager of Shawnee has determined that local bloggers post items that may contain bad or misinformation. Please read these posts with care and determine for yourself whether the information is valid.
Friday, January 03, 2014
Sales Tax Ballot Question
It's good to be home after a holiday vacation. And look what is now happening.
On Tuesday, January 7th, 2014 the Council Committee will again view proposals to:
1. Continue the sales tax for "parks & pipes"
2. Add a sales tax for pavement repairs.
3. Discuss whether or not to put these items on the November general election ballot (at no cost to the city) or to make it a spring mail in ballot (at a cost of up to $110,000 to the city).
IMHO, the first question that needs to be resolved is which ballot it is to go on. It needs to go on the November ballot. As Council member Kemmling pointed out the last time this came up, he felt those that were pushing for a spring mail ballot were attempting to rig the outcome.
It is also interesting to note that in the packet for the meeting, information is given about a survey being conducted by ETC out of Olathe. It is only partially completed and is still ongoing. I know ETC is doing this. I was one of the individuals contacted last night. When I asked them who was paying for it they told me it appeared to be an internal survey that they were doing on their own. I have the names of both the survey taker and her supervisor who told me that. Apparently that was wrong info. Are the questions on this survey examples of a "push poll". I think that is a strong possibility.
The thing that really ticks me off is that the last budget that was approved was done so with various individuals patting themselves on the back about no tax increases. Now we come down to the wire and we are told how bad things will be if the sales tax (especially for pavements) is not approved. We need to reexamine how we are splitting the $3 million we get from Deffenbaugh for the landfill use.
Anyway, please contact your council members and tell them with regards to the election on the tax questions you want them on the November ballot at no charge to the city.
We can discuss the actual merit of each later.
WARNING!!!!!! The City Manager of Shawnee has determined that local bloggers post items that may contain bad or misinformation. Please read these posts with care and determine for yourself whether the information is valid.
On Tuesday, January 7th, 2014 the Council Committee will again view proposals to:
1. Continue the sales tax for "parks & pipes"
2. Add a sales tax for pavement repairs.
3. Discuss whether or not to put these items on the November general election ballot (at no cost to the city) or to make it a spring mail in ballot (at a cost of up to $110,000 to the city).
IMHO, the first question that needs to be resolved is which ballot it is to go on. It needs to go on the November ballot. As Council member Kemmling pointed out the last time this came up, he felt those that were pushing for a spring mail ballot were attempting to rig the outcome.
It is also interesting to note that in the packet for the meeting, information is given about a survey being conducted by ETC out of Olathe. It is only partially completed and is still ongoing. I know ETC is doing this. I was one of the individuals contacted last night. When I asked them who was paying for it they told me it appeared to be an internal survey that they were doing on their own. I have the names of both the survey taker and her supervisor who told me that. Apparently that was wrong info. Are the questions on this survey examples of a "push poll". I think that is a strong possibility.
The thing that really ticks me off is that the last budget that was approved was done so with various individuals patting themselves on the back about no tax increases. Now we come down to the wire and we are told how bad things will be if the sales tax (especially for pavements) is not approved. We need to reexamine how we are splitting the $3 million we get from Deffenbaugh for the landfill use.
Anyway, please contact your council members and tell them with regards to the election on the tax questions you want them on the November ballot at no charge to the city.
We can discuss the actual merit of each later.
WARNING!!!!!! The City Manager of Shawnee has determined that local bloggers post items that may contain bad or misinformation. Please read these posts with care and determine for yourself whether the information is valid.
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