Hear area state legislators give an end of session report about the most important bills passed by this year’s session of the Missouri General Assembly and how they will impact our area and us at the SKCA meeting at 6 p.m. Monday, June 12, in the community room in the front building of the South Patrol Police Campus, 9701 Marion Park Dr.
- Confirmed speakers include State Senators Mike Cierpiot, Greg Razer and Barbara Anne Washington and State Representatives Anthony Ealy, Patty Lewis and Mark Sharp.
- Legislation that will be discussed that will have a direct impact on our area once it is signed into law by the governor as expected includes the following measures sponsored by area legislators.Legislation appropriating $300,000 to revitalize Grandview’s historic Main St. area from I-49 to 5th St. and to improve walkability was sponsored by Representative Ealy.
- Legislation removing the non-competitive salary caps in state law for officers of all ranks in the Kansas City Police Department and eliminating the discriminatory language in state law that prohibits hiring anyone over 60 years of age as police chief, no matter how qualified they are was introduced in slightly different versions by Senator Tony Luetkemeyer, Representative Chris Brown and Representative Sharp. Its provisions were added by amendment to an omnibus anti-crime bill (Senate Bill 189).
These out-of-date salary caps make it difficult for our short-staffed police department to recruit new officers and even tougher to retain current officers who can make significantly higher salaries in surrounding jurisdictions once they hit their salary caps. - Blair’s Law making discharging a firearm with criminal negligence within or into any municipality’s city limits a serious state offense instead of only a city ordinance violation which is designed to deter the growing problem of celebratory and indiscriminate gunfire was sponsored by Senator Razer and Representative Sharp who has sponsored it since beginning his legislative service in 2020.It is named after 11-year-old Blair Shanahan Lane who died here after being struck by celebratory gunfire while playing in the yard during the July 4 holiday in 2011. Its provisions also were added by amendment to Senate Bill 189.
Also learn about two city programs that can be of real benefit to Kansas City residents.
KCMO’s new online housing locator program that helps tenants locate affordable housing in the city that best meets their needs and helps landlords and property managers market their rental properties all free of charge will be explained by Tiffany Drummer, rental housing assistance unit manager for the Housing & Community Development Department.
Renters can go to KCHousingLocator.com for detailed information about rental properties such as amenities, accessibility features and neighborhood information using a wide variety of criteria and mapping features. The service also provides links to housing resources such as an affordability calculator, a rental checklist and information about renters’ rights and responsibilities.
Landlords and property managers can include pictures and details about their available properties such as appliances, parking and utilities and neighborhood features such as parks, public transportation and schools and can establish a free account to list properties at any time by going online to KCHousingLocator.com or calling 1-877-428-8844 toll free. The site also allows them to see how often their listings have been viewed and also allows them to easily change the status of listings from available to rented and vice versa.
KC Water’s voluntary and limited time Keep Out The Rain program that helps homeowners find and fix prohibited sewer connections that could be contributing to overflows and basement backups will be explained by Alex Miller, senior communications strategist for Parson + Associates that handles community outreach for the free program which is now available. Installing free sump pumps is one of the most utilized services of the program according to Miller.
