Tax increase to pay for Raytown parks repairs on August ballot

RAYTOWN, Mo. (KCTV) - The safety of city parks, and how much to pay for repairs, will be on the ballot in Raytown in August.

Earlier this week, aldermen approved putting a new tax issue to fund parks and storm water issues on the Aug. 5 ballot.

Voters will decide whether a quarter-cent sales tax should replace the current eighth-cent sales tax. The current tax expires early next year.

“Parks are the big picture. Parks bring a lot of younger folks here. I see a lot of older folks use it. The trail is used by a lot of people,” Mayor Michael McDonough said during Monday’s meeting.

This is the ballot language Raytown voters will see when they vote.

The parks department expects the proposed tax to raise about $1 million dollars a year. The parks would get 80% of the money raised by the new tax, according to the proposal. The other 20% would fund storm water improvements.

The city’s parks are already starting to become too dangerous for visitors and caused the city to make some tough decisions, according to Parks Director Dave Turner.

“We have reduced the size of Coleman Park’s main playground by taking components off of it instead of making repairs. That structure has actually shrunk,” Turner said.

“Instead of making expensive repairs on a 25 year-old structure we’ve just taken out portions of that structure. The wall at Kenagy Park around the pond is not in good shape and that’s not cheap, that’s one of those million-dollar projects.”

Turner said a higher sales tax won’t take care of all of the city’s parks issues, but it’s a start.

“What this would do would basically increase the parks annual budget by about $400,000. Over seen years you’re looking at $2.7 million. That still leaves us a bit short, but it does leave us in a position where we can fund a 50% grant project,” Turner said.

He told the aldermen that the city has a list of parks projects that need to be complete. It will likely take five years and $5 million to complete the list.

“Aging playgrounds are very expensive to upkeep. Kids are not safety minded. They are not always looking at those kinds of things. So we do have a couple of playground portions that are either blocked off or prevented from being able to be used while we are figuring out ways to make repairs and bring them back open to the public,” Turner said.

Supporters said even if the higher tax passes, it will still keep Raytown’s overall sales tax lower than some surrounding cities.

This is how taxes compare, according to information provided by Raytown:

• Blue Springs
  • 8.725%
• Grandview
  • 8.725%
• Independence
  • 8.6%
• Lee’s Summit
  • 8.475%
• Raytown
  • 8.475% (currently)

The tax would increase by 13 cents based on a $100 purchase if voters approve the higher tax in August.

If the tax isn’t passed in August the parks board would still have the opportunity to ask voters to renew the current quarter-cent tax in November.

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