What To Do With Westbrooke Village

Just returned from a Christmas trip to Sault Ste Marie, MI.  Beautiful country up there.

Anyway, a recent article in the Shawnee Dispatch http://www.shawneedispatch.com/news/2014/dec/22/city-business-owners-talk-westbrook-village/
indicates that certain individuals might be interested in feedback as to what to do there.

Well, I'm sure they really don't want my input.  Primarily because I'm not a loudmouthed owner of a one man (or is it two?) commercial real estate operation.  But, I'll give it a try anyway.  :-)  :-)

First, and I've said it many times before, what Shawnee needs is a destination venue.  Something that would attract folks from all over the metro to specifically make it a point to come here.  Small shopping centers, with local oriented businesses are not the answer to true economic growth.

Currently we have a new Holiday Express nearing completion.  This is good as that will give us 3 hotels in the I-435 corridor, and a chance to get some of the bleed off from Village West in KCK which includes the speedway, the soccer stadium, concerts etc.  There also appear to be plans to build two more hotels in the same general area.  That would bring us to five.  Again, that's good. These are mid priced limited service facilities.  We need them.....but we also need a destination venue.  That brings us to my first idea for the Westbrooke Village property.

A full service hotel with a convention center.  The proximity to I-35 could be very helpful.  major conventions could show large amounts of dollar turnover, and would bring in folks from outside the area.  The space could also be used to build businesses that would be complimentary to such a facility.

Idea number two:  An international market place.  This would be comprised of businesses that would reflect original concepts from foreign countries.  And, NOT just restaurants.  Clothing stores, furniture stores, you name it. Things that people in the metro are looking to get from the "old country".  Naturally, this is a basic concept and would need some serious input.  It could be a legacy development for somebody.  Also, any restaurants that were to be part of the concept would have to be non-chain and a serious cap on fast food, if any.

Anyway, there's my two cents.

Citizen Escorted From Podium at Council Meetuing

Is it true.  Was a citizen escorted from the podium during last night's discussion about a TIF District for the proposed Shawnee Landing project?

I had to miss the meeting because of the need for a super early wake up call.

In all the years I've attended various meetings at city hall I have never seen anything like that.  The person who was supposedly escorted from the podium is not an individual that I would call violent. Anyway, trying to find out more about what happened.

Happy Hiolidays

Wishing all a Happy Holiday season.

For me, it will be fun.  Spending it with the kids, grand kids and great grand kids.

Hope everyone else can enjoy.

Shawnee Mayor's Race - 2015

So far three individuals have filed to run for the Mayor of Shawnee.  Since more than two have filed there will be a primary election on March 3, 2015 and the general election will be held on April 7, 2015.

Between the three who have filed the obvious choice would be Michelle Distler who is currently a Ward IV council person.  Her web site is http://www.michelledistler.com

Folks who are interested may contribute once during the primary cycle and once during the general election cycle.  That becomes important if you are contributing the maximum allowable of $500 per person or business. Would like to see folks get behind Michelle as she would be a definite asset to the city.

The other two who have filed are Jeff Vaught, currently a Ward III council person and John Segale a former council person and county commissioner.  Vaught's site is http://www.jeffvaught.com and Segale's is http://www.johnsegale.org  Vaught's history of arrogance would be one reason that he would not be what Shawnee needs for mayor.  Also, he has insulted approximately 25% of the residents of Shawnee by basically saying if they rent they don't have a stake in the city.  This, at an open council meeting.  Someone like that would not be an all inclusive individual.  On Segale's web site  he is complaining about the things that Vaught is taking credit for.  In the last mayoral election there was a primary and Segale was eliminated from going into the general election by a virtual unknown at the time.  That's gotta tell ya something.

Westbrooke Village Deal - Dead Part II

On 11/17/14 there was a post on this blog in which I said that it appeared that possibly four members of the council were not notified that the deal was dead.

In a November 19 article in the Shawnee Dispatch http://www.shawneedispatch.com/news/2014/nov/19/westbrook-village-developer-terminates-deal/
this appears:

Gonzales is authorized as city manager to make payments up to $50,000 without consent from the city's governing body, although she did notify the City Council of the termination and the amount to be paid in an email dated on Sept. 26.

So, let's see what was said, compliments of a KORA request:  From the 9/26/14 email;

Westbrook Village. The ownership of Westbrook Village has not been interested in pursuing a sale of
the property at this point, so I am expecting a letter from Drew Snyder of MDDS requesting to
terminate the agreement with them. They have substantially completed the first element of the
Agreement, but in light of not being successful any further, they have agreed to reduce the payment
for their efforts from $50,000 to $25,000. The project could very well come back at a future date, but
at this time the owner is not very cooperative at this time .

Guess it is a matter of semantics.  There was NO definitive statement that the project was over, Just a statement that she was expecting a letter that it would be as such.  One would think that certain individuals would know the difference between definitive statements and ones of conjecture.  Heck, in a conversation with the Dispatch reporter even he thinks that a conjectural statement is a definitive statement.  Was there ever a follow up notice that the letter had been received?

Typical non-definitive statements so that a person can eventually "swing" either way.

Back On Line

Have ya missed me?


On Sunday, 11/23/14 my computer got infected with a virus.  Pushed on by what looked like a normal Adobe notice of update for Adobe Flash Player.  In about 23 years of using a computer this was the first time this has ever happened to me.  Or was it a "push" by one of my political enemies?  Nahhhhhh............that's a reach.


Anyway, took the infected unit to the "computer hospital".  Problems were compounded by a failing hard drive and a need to salvage as much of my work files as possible.


Anyway, the unit was discharged from the hospital yesterday, but then took a short trip back for a minor adjustment.


So, we are now back on line.  Look for some updates in the very near future.


Also, a reminder that the spring city general elections are April 7, 2015.  If you're not registered to vote, please do so.  And, please vote.  Let's get a decent turnout this year.  We have the mayor's position and four of the council seats on the ballot.

Westbrooke Village Deal - Dead

As you may know from previous posts, the City entered into an agreement with MDDS to arrange for redevelopment of the Westbrooke Village shopping center.  The City was scheduled to pay the developer incremental payments, totaling $300K based on certain performance levels being met.  The City was also planning on spending an additional $85K for a blight study and related issues.


The last thing that was in the local newspaper was that the first plateau that MDDS was to achieve was being extended by 60 days.  That would be from 6/1 to 8/1.  Not having heard anything in awhile a KORA request was submitted for info.


This was the response:

The agreement has been terminated.  None of the scheduled payments were made according to the Master Developer Agreement.  However, the City made a payment of $25,000 to MDDS on 10/16/14 to compensate them for some of their time and expense already incurred for their studies and discussion with the retailer and the owners of Westbrooke Village.

If the payment was made 10/16, when was the agreement terminated?  I'm guessing one to two weeks prior to that payment. If not even longer. That would be at least 6 weeks ago, or longer.  I believe that at least four if not all members of the council had not been informed as of this morning of the status by the city manager.  Is the city still going to spend the approximate $85K for the blight study and the related issues?


Sidebar:  There is a rumor on the street that they are now looking at Olathe..............


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. 

Tomorrow's Sales Tax Questions

Two questions regarding sales taxes in Shawnee are on the ballot.


1.  Renewal of the 1/8 cent for Parks & Pipes:  vote yes
2.  New 3/8 for Pavement:  vote no   This one needs to be much less and more funds need to come from the Deffenbaugh impact fee


More background:


http://www.shawneeray.blogspot.com/2014/10/green-means-go-red-means-stop.html


http://www.shawneeray.blogspot.com/2014/09/sales-tax-questions-on-november-ballot_23.html


http://www.shawneeray.blogspot.com/2014/09/sales-tax-questions-on-ballot-in.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. 

Agendas & Special Interests - Revisited

Next Tuesday is election day and as it approaches I feel the need to mention how much I dislike the use of these two terms.


Agenda:  What's wrong with an agenda?  It's a plan that a candidate wants to follow.  I want my choice to have an agenda.  I want that person to know what they want to do.  A candidate without an agenda does not know where they are going or what policies they support.  The only time an agenda is a "bad" agenda, is if it is contrary to your agenda.


Special Interests:  C'mon folks get real.  So a candidate is supported by "special interests".  ALL candidates are supported by special interests.  People who agree with a candidate's agenda support that candidate, including you.  Like an agenda, the only time being supported by special interests is bad is when those interests conflict with yours.

Reelect State Reps That Work to Protect 2d Amendment Rights

The NRA and the KSRA (Kansas State Rifle Association) have endorsed Shawnee's three State Representatives for reelection, Charles Macheers, Brett Hildabrand and John Rubin.


One of their opponents (Cindy Neighbor) has received an "F" rating based on her previous voting records.  The other two (Larry Meeker and Vicki Hiatt) got "?" for their failure to return their questionnaires.


If you want to view these ratings for yourself you can at http://www.ksraweb.net/PDF/Grades%20and%20Endorsements%20for%20KSRA%20Website.pdf


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. 

John Rubin - Needs to be Reelected

John Rubin is definitely a man that needs to be reelected as a Kansas State Rep.


Recently, the Shawnee Dispatch asked John to fill out a candidate questionnaire.  It can be found here:
http://www.shawneedispatch.com/news/2014/oct/26/candidate-questionnaire-john-rubin-house-district-/


John's values and dedication are beyond reproach.

Voter Apathy - Revisited

At the bottom of this post is a link to a video that was sent to me by a friend.  It's a short video, but very interesting concerning voter apathy.  Some may find it more than just interesting.  Some may find it very telling.


In a little over a week voters will go to the polls to elect a governor, US Senator, Congressmen, etc.  But in 6 months (April 2015)  voters will also be asked in Shawnee to elect a mayor and 4 members of the city council. 


Let's look at what happened in 3 previous elections.  Figures are for Shawnee only.


2010 (Governor)  Registered voters 40,639  Voted 20,765  pct voting  51.10%
2012 (President)  Registered voters  42,344  Voted 30,718 pct voting   72.54%
2012 (Local)       Registered voters   40,105  Voted 5,229   pct voting    13.04%


Let's look at the above.  Especially the city elections. Those numbers are abominable.  Think about it from this point of view, look out your front door.  Then realize that approximately 1.3 people (a little more than one person) on your block has determined who will be the mayor of the city and the council rep in your ward.  Ironically, it is the city government that has more of an effect on our daily lives than any other.  Safety (police/fire), roads, property taxes, snow removal etc etc etc.  Also, the city government is the one where citizens have the easiest access and ability to voice their opinions.


A couple of years ago I had the opportunity to kid the mayor.  He had written an item in the city's newsletter basically about the above subject.  I teased him and asked how much of previous posts of mine, on this blog, on this subject, did he lean on.


Anyway, here is the link I mentioned:
http://www.ted.com/talks/dave_meslin_the_antidote_to_apathy?language=en


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. 

U S Senate Race in Kansas

Only once in awhile do I comment on elections above the city level. 


This is going to be one of those "once in awhiles".


Greg Orman, a supposed independent candidate (who has financially supported various Democratic candidates, including Obama) has said on many occasions that if he was elected he would "caucus with the majority".


Huh? So, if elected he would wait to see which party held a majority in the Senate and then caucus with them.  Sounds like somebody who is trying to curry favors for choice committee assignments, or whose vote is for sale.

Green Means Go, Red Means Stop

See that post below?
See the pic of those signs?


Note, the one for the Parks and Pipes is green and the one for Pavement is red.  Whoever paid for those signs must have had a Freudian slip.  Their real feelings came out via the color choices.


That's the way to vote..............green=go=yes for the Parks and Pipes.............red=stop=no for the pavement.


We need to stop that 3/8th sales tax and the council as a whole needs to listen to its members who want to transfer additional funds from the Eco Development account which comes from the Deffenbaugh Impact fee.


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. 

Sign. Sign. Everywhere A Sign

A bunch of signs have popped up promoting the two sales tax initiatives on the Nov 4th ballot.  One side of the sign promotes the Parks and Pipes and the other side promotes the Pavement.


These signs are perfect examples of our First Amendment right to speak our minds on issues.  Heck, if it wasn't for the First Amendment this blog might not even exist.


What bothers me about the signs is that nowhere is there an indication of who paid for/sponsored these signs.  Now, here in Kansas there is a quirk in campaign laws.  Yard signs seem to fall into the same category as pencils, bumper stickers and certain other items (trinkets) that do not require identification of the person or group paying for them.


Personally though, I think that is a bunch of nonsense.  If you're willing to spend your money to create and place these signs, you should have the intestinal fortitude to let folks know who you are.
I have my suspicions, but without proof I can't say.  Oh well...........cowards in the night.

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. 

Shawnee Citizens Blew This One

Last night the City held a community meeting to discuss the proposed sales taxes that will appear on the Nov 4th ballot.


This was an opportunity for the citizens to ask questions, make comments, or whatever.  Here is what happened.  I counted 19 people there.  Twelve of them were city staff (to answer questions), 1 media rep, and 6 citizens.


When it coms to city affairs it is amazing how apathetic the people of Shawnee are.  This is evidenced by the fact that in the spring (April) elections for mayor and council only 10% of the registered voters actually vote.


Now, the Nov 4 election should show a higher turnout because we have a gubernatorial, US Senate and US Congressional race in the mix. But how will the folks vote on the sales tax issues?  Do they understand them?  Do they know whether or not there are other potential sources?  Last night was an opportunity to find out.


What is going to happen Nov5?  Folks are going to wake up and ask themselves "How did that happen (or not happen)?"  Then they need to ask themselves whether or not they got involved, studied the issue(s) and asked questions.


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

Community Meeting Wed 10/1/14

The city will be holding a community meeting at city hall, 11110 Johnson Drive at 6:00PM to discuss the two sales tax ballot questions.


The questions are:
1.  Whether to renew the 1/8 parks & pipes
2.  Whether to levy a new 3/8 tax for pavement

Old Scam - New Twist

There is a new twist on an old scam.  Even though many of us feel we are too sophisticated to fall for it, there are some out there who probably will.  Those folks could be friends or relatives.  With that in mind, and I hate to say this, a common phrase used in urban legends, pass this info on.  Info has been given to local law enforcement.  Since most of these scams originate outside the U.S. they are close to impossible for our law enforcement to shut down and prosecute.


OK, here's what the email said (note the poor English, as usual):

Airport Storage and Cargo Unit

Kansas City International Airport
601 Brasilia Ave, Kansas City, MO 64153, United States

ATTENTION:Notice On Your Package reg #: JG1N8875BS

In view of your inability to receive your package reg #: JG1N8875BS originally scheduled to be delivered to you by the agency foreign payment service Seattle. This package in a metal box valued 2,316,000USD (Two Million, Three Hundred and Sixteen thousand United States dollars) arrived at Kansas City International Airport via Delta Airlines flight no.DL 9182.

The agency Foreign payment service Seattle staff came and applied for the release of this package for delivery to your address but has since not shown up.

I am writing to inform you that we have intercepted and investigated the said package and investigations proved the legitimacy and that the package was initially scheduled for delivery to you, you are therefore advised to make contact with Mr. David Beardsley, All American Courier, llc Director of Delivery to recover your package and deliver it to you. email is:

(davidbeardsley30@yahoo.com.ph)

Note that this notice serves as our last recovery notice to you as the grace day given to you has expired and we shall begin to charge $20.00 for each day the package stays in our custody, you are therefore advised make move to recover your or we will be compelled to list your package as an unclaimed and maybe forfeited and moved to the United States Treasury Department for holding.

Best regards,

Brian R. Adams, Director,
Airport Storage and Cargo Unit
Kansas City International Airport.


As a side note, there is a way to track flights and flight numbers, so I checked DL9182.  Delta, from what I can tell last used that number 9 years ago on a flight from Atlanta to Pittsburgh.  The contact email address is a Philippines address and a review of the internet routing of the item indicates it may have originated in Russia.  'Nuff said.

Sales Tax Questions on the November Ballot Part 4

This post is concerning the proposed 3/8th sales tax for pavement.  As previously stated, we probably do need a new tax but not necessarily 3/8ths.  There are other sources as stated in other posts here.


What I'm going to discuss tonight is a question that has really been bothering me.  We know that Jeff "The Arrogant One" Vaught had stated that 40% of our sales tax revenues came from non-residents of Shawnee.  We also know that he could not/would not produce documents to back that up.  We know that as the result of a KORA request the city said they could not confirm that info.  And last but not least, we know that in a recent article in the Shawnee Dispatch the city manager was quoted as saying that the city could not provide info as to sources of sales tax revenues.


So, here's the question that has been bothering me for quite some time:  When Vaught made his comment about the 40% why didn't the city manager state at that committee meeting that there was no way to determine that info?  Why didn't she correct him on the spot?  It's not like he hasn't been corrected about misinformation in the past.  Heck, even the fire chief had to correct him one evening recently.


Anyway, it is interesting to note that he was not corrected that night.  One can only surmise that the city manager did not make the correction at that meeting for one of the following reasons:
1.  She didn't hear him make the statement
2.  She didn't want to make him look foolish (even though he was providing misinformation)
3.  She knew it was wrong, was hoping nobody would pursue it, since if the figure was perceived to be accurate it would be a help to the plan. That would mean that theoretically a major portion of the taxes would be paid for by non-residents of Shawnee.


So, which one was it?  Or was it for another reason? 


How many pieces of misinformation will the city be passing on to the voters at the dog and pony road show?  How many pieces of viable information will not be given to the citizens?


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. 

Citizen Letter to the Shawnee Dispatch About Pavement Sales Tax

This week saw a letter by Greg Snell published in the Shawnee Dispatch.  Over the course of the past few years Greg has attended many City Council and Council Committee meetings.


His observations in the letter are something that Shawnee citizens need to look at, concerning the proposed 3/8ths of a cent sales tax for pavements (streets etc). 


The letter can be viewed here http://www.shawneedispatch.com/news/2014/sep/18/letter-editor-city-needs-be-better-about-watching-/


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 Questions on the November Ballot Part 3

As previously stated, I feel the city does need an increase but not the 3/8ths  being asked for, for pavements.  There are other sources.


That now brings us to this article in the Shawnee Dispatch http://www.shawneedispatch.com/news/2014/sep/03/city-hits-streets-promote-parks-pipes-and-pavement/


As the city continues its dog and pony show will it be up front about certain things?  As an example, this from the above article:


Although Council Member Jeff Vaught said at a public meeting this summer that the city generates about 40 percent of its sales tax revenue from non-Shawnee residents, Gonzales said the city doesn't have statistics that show revenue breakdown by resident or nonresident. An email requesting the source of Vaught's information was not immediately returned.


There are folks out there who know of Vaught's comment but are not aware of the fact that it cannot be substantiated.  When these presentations are made is the city going to tell folks that if they heard of Herr Arrogance's comments that they cannot be substantiated?  (Previously covered on this blog)  It's nice that the city manager mentions that in this new article, but what about the folks that haven't read it but read the previous one where he was quoted with that misinformation.
Hmmm, and only bloggers disseminate misinformation?   


It's also nice to see that Jeff "the arrogant one" Vaught also does not respond to media emails.  Now I don't feel so bad that he didn't answer mine.  Good move for a man that has his eye on the mayor's seat.  Heck, forget that, good move for an elected official..............it's called not being open and transparent.

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 Questions on the Ballot in November Part 2

OK, this is going to be about the proposed 3/8th of a cent sales tax for pavements.


Do our streets, curbs, sidewalks, gutters need work?  Yepper, they sure do.  And unfortunately it looks like we are going to have to have an increase in sales taxes to pay for it.  But does it have to be 3/8ths?


In my opinion I'd like to know why certain senior city officials didn't push for a smaller sales tax 2, 3 or even 4 years ago?  Instead, these officials were "high fiving" themselves because when the 2014 budget was completed in 2013 they were ecstatic that they did it without a tax increase.  See this post please http://www.shawneeray.blogspot.com/2013/09/shawnee-open-wide-and-say-ahhhhhhhhhhh.html


One of the reasons for asking for the 3/8ths is that as time goes on prices go up.  True, but if we had a 1/8th increase 2, 3 or 4 years ago wouldn't that have reduced the problem?  Couldn't that have reduced the number of streets that became severe problems?


What certain city officials have done here is, as I mentioned at a council meeting, like the student who has to read Moby Dick for a school assignment.  The teacher hands out the assignment around Labor Day and says that a report is due the Monday after Thanksgiving.  So, what happens?  The student starts to read the book while dad is carving the turkey.  That is what has happened here.  Instead of going smaller, a few years back, we are now getting hit with "we must do this higher amount or the sky will fall" type of situation.  Didn't they see this coming?  If they did their projections correctly they did.


My opinion is that unless there is a strong push for a destination venue in Shawnee that additional funds from the Deffenbaugh impact fee should be used for pavements.  Enough already with additional retail, what with all the other incentives it takes years before  the city sees any real tax money.  A destination venue on the other hand could be very beneficial.  Streets are very important for economic development.


I firmly believe that certain city officials have actually attempted to suppress the info over the years.
Here are two comments from Jeff "The Arrogant One" Vaught:


Fiance & Administration Meeting 7/5/2011 while discussing how to use the landfill impact fee:
Councilmember Vaught stated it goes back to reinvestment.  They could spend it on roads and there are roads that need it, but the City does have a Mill and Overlay Program and a road program.  They have been working towards that program and have not totally abandoned their roads and are back on track to get things done and have a schedule.




Shawnee Dispatch article 3/26/2013 Ward 3 candidates disagree on packing heat, shape of city:  "I don't have an agenda or some notion that Shawnee is broken and needs to be fixed," Vaught said.  "On the contrary, Shawnee is in great shape and, because of good government, we are seeing good things happening all over the city.  Housing starts are way up, commercial development is moving, and Shawnee is ranked with the best for quality of live.


So, as the city goes around "educating" folks about the 3/8ths tax, think about the comments above.  Ask, why didn't we go for 1/8th 2, 3 or 4 years ago?  There will be certain things that the city's dog and pony show won't bring out in the presentation.  Like the fact that certain officials may have Moby Dicked us.

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. 

Back From Vacation

Well, I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack.


Took a short hiatus before going on vacation and then went on vacation.  Had a great time.


Got to spend quite a bit of time with the grandkids.  They wore this old man out, so much so, that I actually dropped over 6 pounds while there.  Needed that anyway (and more). Where I was, daytime temps were in the mid 60s to low 70s most of the time and nights were mostly in the 50s.


I have some comments that I will be posting in the very near future about various topics to include the proposed 3/8th cent sales tax ballot question for pavement, the November elections and the coming spring city elections.

Sales Tax Questions on the Ballot in November Part 1

There will be two sales tax questions on the November ballot.

Let's talk about the easy one first............the 1/8 for Parks and Pipes.

This has been around for about 14-15 years, and the voters of Shawnee have previously approved it twice.

One half of the money goes to storm water projects and the other half goes to acquire new land for parks and to make improvements to parks.

At a recent council meeting some of the council members wanted to include park maintenance in that as a possible "relief valve" from the general fund.  That didn't pass.

This dedicated sales tax has shown to be effective in the past.

So, this is an easy one.  Vote to keep it.

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. 

Contract Sewer District

OK, I'm not going to voice my opinion.  At least not at this time.


Just thought that the people of Shawnee might want some reference information.


What we will do is work our way backwards.


This is the article that appears in the KC Star today regarding the county commissioners' meeting


This is the article that appeared in the Shawnee Dispatch on 6/30/14


And last but not least, the City Council meeting of 6/23/14


Click here to read the minutes  or click here and scroll down to item "G3", click on that to listen to the discussion


Read/listen to all the information and make up your own mind.

Did Vaught Make Up the Numbers?

If you scroll down to my posts of 6/18/14 and 6/23/14 you will see where I was trying to get verification from Councilmember Vaught about a statement he made.  That statement was that 40% of the sales taxes collected in Shawnee were from non-Shawnee residents.  Believe his point was that with a sales tax increase for roads that a good portion would be coming from folks who live outside of Shawnee.  If true, that would be a nice shot in the arm.


So, I sent him an email, asking for verifiable documentation that would back up his statement.  He never replied. So, what was my next step?  To submit a KORA (Kansas Open Records Act) request to the city to see if they could help to verify the info.


What was the official response from the city?


The finance director receives sales tax documents from the state department of revenue, but they are not an open record. She is not permitted to distribute them. The city does not have a document that confirms or refutes Councilmember Vaught’s statement.


Unfortunately his original statement was picked up by the media, and published with no verification.  The Dispatch reporter that published that eventually emailed the city manager asking about it (info I got based on another KORA request), but there is no indication that the email was responded to within the time frame of the request.  Maybe it was responded to by phone?  Thereby eliminating a paper trail?  (See my posts about the cheerleading)


The sad part is that Jeff (the arrogant one) Vaught, in his big, booming, intimidating voice can apparently make up whatever he wants to and it gets accepted as gospel truth.



So, did Vaught make up the numbers?  Did he slip and disclose information that he was not supposed to reveal, or possibly even have access to?  Does the city even get figures broken down by residency, or do they just get sales tax info by business?  Thereby making residency an undetermined number?  What do you think?

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. 

Hmmmm, who dispenses misinformation?

DTJVSD

Reporting or Cheerleading?

In my post below about the loss of the most recent Shawnee Dispatch reporter it was indicated that he may have been more of a cheerleader for the city than a reporter.


Now, wait until you read this information gathered from a KORA request.  There were various back and forth emails between the city manager, Carol Gonzales and the reporter, Michael Terry concerning the Westbrooke Village project and MDDS (the development company).  In an email dated 6/19/14 to the city manager, Terry is quoted as follows, and pay special attention to the last three sentences (underlining mine):


"Can you offer me a few updated quotes from my story for next week.  I'm basically saying MDDS was granted a 60 day extension.  They are continuing to work on meeting the new deadline.  No money has been paid out and will not be paid out until deadline is met.
I assume issues like this pop up in complicated development deals.  Maybe you could say something like that.  Reassuring residents that MDDS is still committed to the project, if that remains the case."


Wow, a reporter/editor feeding a city manager ideas for possible quotes concerning a city redevelopment deal.  Is that the function of a newspaper?  With a news reporter like that, did we really need to spend money on a PIO?

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. 

Shawnee Dispatch Needs a New Reporter

Ever since Rob Roberts left the Shawnee Dispatch we have had a revolving door of folks covering the city.  The Dispatch will have to look very hard to find a replacement for Rob, as he told it the way it was.  The good, the bad and the ugly, and made a few enemies at city hall because of that. Various members of the city government have at times indicated that the Dispatch should basically be a cheer leader for the city, rather than actually report what was happening.

The most recent reporter for the Dispatch made it a point to email various city officials that he was relocating out of state, but I don't remember him writing a farewell note to the people of Shawnee. (KORA  requests can produce interesting documents)

Upon receiving his email the city manager responded: (underlining mine)

Michael, I am really, really sad to hear this news.  I want to thank you

for all you've done for Shawnee in a very short time - you brought a level

of professionalism to the Dispatch that had been sorely missing for several

years and had truly caused significant harm to this community.  Through

your diligence and energy, along with fact based and very well written

stories, you brought credibility back and made the Dispatch a community

newspaper again.   People have come to rely on it, and quote from it, and

it has helped our citizens and our businesses become more educated and more

engaged in a very positive way.

I know before you came here you knew nothing of Shawnee, Kansas, but you

jumped in with an open mind and you made it your mission to learn about us.

I can't begin to tell you how much we appreciate that, and I want you to

know that as you head down to Florida, you should be very proud that in the

brief time you were here, you made a significant impact.

On behalf of all of us here at the City, I wish you good health and much

happiness, and know that you will always be welcome here!

Any time a city manager praises a "journalist" so effusively, you know they're not doing their job. If they were doing their job they would be rattling some chains.  But, if a city manager is totally happy with a reporter, then by golly, is that person reporting, or are they a cheerleader for the city? Cheer leading can be harmful, as it does not allow for the citizens of the community to be told the full story.

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. 

One More Week

Yepper, one week to go.  Then the council will discuss putting a sales tax increase on the ballot, with the funds going for road maintenance.


Do our roads need work?  Yepper  Do we need a 3/8th sales tax?  I don't think so, and I think we can get by with a smaller one.  As I said in my post last week I will explain how at the meeting. 


This could be a very important meeting.  Try and be there.


Rumor time:  Now this is a rumor, not a fact, but word on the street is that the city manager might try and get the council to put the sales tax question on a mail ballot, instead of the general election ballot.  Figuring  lower turn out would make it easier to get the voters to approve it.  Here's the kicker, putting it on the general election ballot won't cost the city a penny.  Creating a mail ballot would run about $70K.  And we need a tax increase for road maintenance?  Something does not make sense 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. 

Sales Tax Question - City Council Meeting 7/28/14

Based on what happened at the council committee meeting on 6/17/14 it appears that the city council will determine on 7/28/14 whether or not to put a sales tax increase on the November general election ballot. The increase would be for street maintenance.  Right now, the number being tossed around is 3/8ths of a cent.

Some additional information can be found at this KC Star Article

My opinion is that an amount of 1/8th or 2/8th of a cent can be used.  At the meeting I will voice my opinion as to how the city can get other funds for street maintenance.

If the item goes on the ballot the city is prohibited from advocating for or against the measure.  But, the city is permitted to "educate".  I am curious if during the education process the city will inform its citizens that if the 3/8th amount is approved, by the voters, that the sales tax will go to 9% at most locations.  But, at some locations it can go as high as 9-1/2% and even 10%.

There are some questions also, about why something wasn't done earlier, at a lower amount.  But, more on that in a future post, or at least at the council meeting.

Here is your opportunity as a citizen to get involved by showing up at the meeting on Monday 7/28 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. 

Two Great Programs in Shawnee

The City of Shawnee currently sponsors two really great programs for its citizens or for folks who work in Shawnee.

CITIZENS POLICE ACADEMY

From the city's web site:  The Citizen Police Academy is an opportunity for members of our community to see and experience the role of the law enforcement officer at a deeper level. Participants in the academy will meet and interact with officers and see how the members of the Shawnee Police Department work to maintain a safe community for all who live in, work in, or visit Shawnee.

For more info, including how to participate, please go here: 
http://gsh.cityofshawnee.org/WEB/PoliceCMS.nsf/vwContent/CitizenAcademy?OpenDocument

C.E.R.T. (Community Emergency Response Team:

The first class has recently graduated and planning is being done for the next class.

From the city's web site:  The CERT course is taught in the community by a trained first responders who has completed a CERT Train-the-Trainer course conducted by their state training office for emergency management, or FEMA's Emergency Management Institute (EMI). CERT training includes disaster preparedness, disaster fire suppression, basic disaster medical operations and light search and rescue operations., 

For more info, please go to   http://www.cityofshawnee.org/WEB/ShawneeCMS.nsf/vwContent/EmergencyManagement?OpenDocument 

Happy Birthday America

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA

One of the best renditions of the Star Spangled Banner.
The choirs of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard Academies accompanied by the US Army's Herald Trumpets.  Yes, it was at a Super Bowl, but no big time rock/pop stars or vocal show offs.

And to many of you out there, "Welcome home brother"

Good Blocking - Bad Blocking

Good Blocking


When the KC Chiefs block a field goal.
When the KC Royals' catcher blocks the plate and tags the runner out.
When a KU (or K-State or MU) defender blocks a 3 pointer on the basketball court.
When law enforcement blocks the scene of an accident so injured can be moved safely.
When traffic cones get placed blocking pot holes so they can be repaired.
When the Chiefs offensive line sets up blocks so a running back can score.


Bad Blocking


When a government entity blocks certain websites/blogs just because they disagree with the philosophy of the author.  Or they don't like the truth to come out.  That's OK, folks can usually access those things from other sources. 


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. 

CERT & Flags for Freedom

On Saturday, June 28, 2014 various volunteers from across Shawnee got together to help place flags along Johnson Drive.  There were boy scouts, church groups and others.

Seven members of the Shawnee CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) and the Shawnee Emergency Coordinator were there.

Upcoming Meeting - Budget and Sales Tax Increase

On 7/28/14 the city council will hold its public hearing on the new budget, starting at 7:30PM at city hall.


One of the items that will be discussed at the meeting is whether or not to put a sales tax increase on the November ballot.  The council committee voted to present a 3/8 of a cent tax to the voters.  This can change at the 7/28 meeting.  First, the good news.......it goes to the voters to decide.  The amount to be presented to the voters will be decided at the meeting.


This sales tax would be specifically directed at street maintenance, and cannot be used for anything else.  Though there is a definite need for something to be done for the roads maintenance program is the 3/8 of a cent the right amount? Or, are there other options?  Or a combination of options? I will voice my opinion on those questions in future posts on this blog.


What I will say now is let's look at a few situations.
Current sales tax:  8.625%  with a 3/8 increase it goes to 9.0%
Sales tax at 10 Quivira:  Currently 9.125% (includes a .5 CID tax) would go to 9.5%
Sales tax at Shawnee P'kwy Plaza:  Currently 9.625 (includes a 1.0 TDD tax) would go to 10%
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. 

Vaught Can't or Won't Back Up Statement

With a pending vote on a sales tax increase coming up for road repairs, Jeff Vaught made a statement at last week's council meeting that 40% of the city's sales tax revenue comes from non-Shawnee residents.


On 6/18/14 I sent him an email and asked him to provide certain back up information for that statement.  One would think that since he had made that statement he would have the back up info readily available.


So why hasn't he replied to my email?  I'd say it was for one of two reasons:
1.  He can't provide it
2.  He won't provide it (doesn't feel that he has to respond to citizen inquiries)


The original blog post is at http://shawneeray.blogspot.com/2014/06/can-jeff-vaught-back-up-his-statement.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. 


DTJVSD

Math for the Below Post

$65,000  x  1.25 = $81,250  (approximate total compensation, salary & benefits)

Part II of How To Get a 35% Salary Increase

Reference my post below (6/14/14) about the salary for the new Communications Manager (Public Information).  Here is some additional information, which now begs the questions of did the city manager exceed the authority or the intent of the council?  Read and decide for yourself. The point being that an amount equal to approximately 25% of salary has been the guideline for the value of benefits.  Fortunately, we have had full minutes restored for meetings, otherwise this info would not be readily available.  Some individuals (like Jeff Vaught) were against full minute restoration.  I wonder why?   


From the 5/21/2013 committee meeting:

CITY MANAGER GONZALES: Yes. And just to clarify on the Emergency Management position, because Terry is here and the position -- if we were to approve that position, we would actually just replacing the Records Clerk position that Terry would be vacating. So, that’s why that’s a lower number.

COUNCILMEMBER PFLUMM: Well, I was wondering, well, how do we get a public information person for 70 and an emergency management position for 45.
CITY MANAGER GONZALES: Right. Right. That’s a net number of -- as actually more of a records clerk and then a little bit of additional funding for the creation of the position. Good question.
COUNCILMEMBER SAWYER: But that includes all benefits, the retirement, the whole nine yards?
CITY MANAGER GONZALES: It does. And these are round numbers, so --
(then some other stuff)
COUNCILMEMBER KUHN: Well, which is probably ironic right now, because I -- when we talk about the salaries and how it goes like that, it gets so easy to get it kind of convoluted. So, can we go back to the two positions that you’re looking at in here, both the emergency manager position and the public information position?
CITY MANAGER GONZALES: Uh-huh.
COUNCILMEMBER KUHN: You know, we kind of hear a lot of talk about them and so we’re talking about whether or not they include benefits. You’re telling us they do. So, can you give me a ballpark of what the actual salary that we would pay somebody for that is? Are you saying, I mean, is it about 25 percent less? Is that what your estimate is?
CITY MANAGER GONZALES: Yeah. That would be my estimate. And again, I don’t know yet what kind of skills we’re going to need or what kind of person we’re going to get. You know, it might be that we have a classification position called regular part-time that 30 hours a week might be adequate if we found the right person that that’s the schedule that matched for them. So, I’ve tried to just plug a certain amount of money in there and hopefully you all -- there’s some flexibility and latitude within that, but.
COUNCILMEMBER KUHN: Right. I think it’s going -- it’s so easy I think when we see that number out there, you know, we get a lot of grief when we don’t include benefits, because then we say it’s not enough.
CITY MANAGER GONZALES: Right. Right.
COUNCILMEMBER KUHN: But when you do include them, somebody goes --
CITY MANAGER GONZALES: No. It absolutely is intended to include benefits.
COUNCILMEMBER KUHN: -- $70,000 is a lot of money. So, we’re really talking about a $45,000 probably position plus benefits that go in, potentially in there.
CITY MANAGER GONZALES: Give or take, right.

From the 3/24/2014 City Council meeting:

COUNCILMEMBER MEYER: Yeah. Thank you. I don’t want to belabor the meeting certainly as it’s already ten o’clock. But I wondered -- I know Carol and I have had a number of conversations about kind of where the PIO position is, communications manager. I wondered if maybe we could get a high level kind of evolution of what it is just for everyone’s information, because we’ve had so many chats back and forth about it.

CITY MANAGER GONZALES: Yeah. And I included that in my updates e-mail. So, just a repeat of that pretty much?

COUNCILMEMBER MEYER: Yeah. That would be good.

CITY MANAGER GONZALES: As you all know we advertised and went through a selection process. We did not find a good fit. There were plenty of good candidates, good people, but not quite the right fit for us. So, we have re-advertised. We did re-brand the position as a communications manager thinking that might appeal more and describe more of what we were looking for. We did advertise the salary a little differently. Same salary range, but we pumped it up just to start it at 61, I think, which is within the same salary range. Again, hoping we get a different -- a few different people looking at it and then maybe get some good candidates that are a good fit for us. So, we are actually meeting tomorrow to review, and according to our Human Resources Manager Liz Crawford, we’ve got -- she thinks there’s several good folks and so we’ll move forward. I hope that we will find someone good for that. I think it’s an absolutely critical position for the City and I’m not willing to compromise on the quality of the person that we’re going to hire, because there’s good people out there and we need a good person. So, I’m hoping we’ll move forward soon.

MAYOR MEYERS: Mr. Sawyer.

COUNCILMEMBER SAWYER: I have a question. So, we’ve opened it up to 61 with benefits, we’re going to be over the 70 mark, right?

CITY MANAGER GONZALES: Possibly. Again, I am open to, depending on what kind of candidate we get, we may get someone who wants a 30-hour work week. And if so, it would be a prorated amount. Again, as I said during the budget process, at that point we hadn’t even identified exactly what skill sets we’re looking for. And now we are more certain of those. So, it could go up, could go down. Just depends on what kind of person we get.

COUNCILMEMBER SAWYER: But with benefits we’re -- all right. Sixty, whatever the salary is, we need to add 25 percent on it.

CITY MANAGER GONZALES: About. If we hired someone at the 61.

COUNCILMEMBER SAWYER: All right. All right. Just so I know.

CITY MANAGER GONZALES: Uh-huh.

COUNCILMEMBER SAWYER: So, that, you know, we need to try to come in under, you know, at budget at least on something.

CITY MANAGER GONZALES: Well currently, and that number was budgeted for an annual and actually we have money budgeted in ‘13 for that position so, that we’ve never spent, and now we’re going to be April, end of April probably before we get someone on board. So, there is budget authority to cover that amount or even more. But that’s the target range that we’re looking at. And hopefully we’ll find the right person, good person with that pay range.






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.

 

Can Jeff Vaught Back Up His Statement?

At last night's council committee meeting Jeff Vaught made a statement that 40% of Shawnee's sales tax revenue came from folks who don't live in Shawnee. 


The point he was trying to make is that by adding a new sales tax for street maintenance, folks from outside, who use our streets, would be paying part of the repair costs.  That idea by itself has merit.  I just question the 40% figure.  Sometimes, elected officials repeat an item often enough so folks start believing the information. 


So, what do we do?  We asked Jeff Vaught to provide documentation to back up his statement.  Will he provide it?  Can he provide it?  Does it exist?  We'll see.  Below is the email I sent to him.


Wed 6/18/2014 5:49 PM


At last night’s council committee meeting you again stated that 40% of the sales tax money received in Shawnee was from individuals who lived outside the city.  It would be nice to make folks who live outside the city contribute to street maintenance.


Since Kansas statute prohibits the city from being furnished the sales tax revenue by retailer, it seems strange that a determination can or has been made as to how much of that revenue was from individuals who shop in Shawnee but don’t live here.

As an elected official it is imperative that you be able to substantiate these kinds of statements.  Not just repeat them and having folks think they are accurate.

Therefore, kindly furnish me with the following items:

1.  Verifiable source document that contains that information.
2.  The methodology used to determine that information.

Thank you




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.

DTJVSD

A Piece of History

We'll make this short.  A couple of weeks ago I approached the council about an old map of Johnson County that Glenn Pilcher has in his home.  He has offered this map to various museums in the area, but each one of them wants to file it away as opposed to putting it on display.  What a shame.


I have a suggestion as to where it can be placed, right here in Shawnee.  On the wall next to the Planning Department at city hall.  With the historical mural painted in the lobby it would make perfect sense.


Anyway, more information about this can be found in this article in the Dispatch
http://www.shawneedispatch.com/news/2014/jun/09/historic-johnson-county-map-searching-home/




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.

A Note About the Possible Sales Tax Increase

There was one thing about the original discussions on this item that really bothered me.  That was Jeff (The Arrogant One) Vaught's insistence that his fellow council members all get on board in a unified position. 


What bothered me is this was not the first time that he had said they must all be on board.  He has said that in reference to other things.  A former council member from Ward III was also notorious for making the same suggestion. 


Why does this bother me?  This kumbayah  approach is bad.  City councils, and all legislative bodies, to be effective, must have disagreements and differing opinions.
We have council members who think that disagreements on the council make the council and the city look bad.  And that the council and the city only look good if everybody agrees on all subjects.


I'm reminded of a quote by Gen. George Patton:  "If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking."


Be at tomorrow evening's committee meeting, 7:00PM

How To Get a 35% Salary Increase

Like the subject title?  It's easy.  Leave your job in Jackson County, Missouri and come work for the City of Shawnee.

The city's new Communications Manager (Public Information), Dan Ferguson, will be making $65,000 with us. His salary at Jackson County was $47,964.  Not a bad jump, eh?

Last year when the city manager asked for the position (PIO) there was much discussion by the council as to a.) was the position really necessary and b.) compensation..

Well, the position got approved and was advertised.  The first job posting was on 11/1/2013
JOB POSTING 2013
DEPARTMENT: Administration
JOB TITLE: Public Information Officer
STARTING SALARY: Starting Salary:  $56,388 - $64,800 (DOQ)
Application Deadline: First review of resumes beginning November 15, 2013, open until filled

When the position was not or could not be filled it was reposted on 2/19/2014
Job Posting
Position:  Communications Manager
Department:  Administration
Hiring Salary:  $60,000 - $69,000 (DOQ)
Position Open Until Filled
First review of application materials beginning March 21, 2014.

Apparently the city could not find a qualified individual at the original stated salary range?  So it was advertised again, at a higher salary range.  Heck, a 20% bump would have put the individual in the first salary range, and under $60,000.

Is this person going to truly and honestly disseminate information to the public or will we get city sanctioned deception & misinformation.  We know that the city manager thinks that local bloggers pass along bad info.
Will we get a bunch of "two man race" statements.  Reporter and PIO get in a two man race.  Reporter wins.  When asked, reporter says he won.  When asked PIO says he came in second and reporter came in next to last.

Anyway, click on the embedded image below and look at the salaries for various PIO individuals at the Kansas State government level.  Note that the Director of Communications for the Governor was paid less than $42K last year.  I wish Mr. Ferguson well.  He himself can't be faulted for getting the most out of the deal.  Oh, before anybody has a tizzy fit, the salaries of ALL individuals paid with tax dollars have to be made available to the public.

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.