This week’s meeting of Platte County’s commission-appointed tax committee started off with miscommunication and ended with suggestions for better organization.
The meeting, scheduled for Monday, Dec. 2 at the Platte County Resource Center, was relocated to the Platte County Administration Building. However, not everyone received this updated information, including presiding judge James Van Amburg, who was scheduled to speak to the committee. Committee member Gordon Cook as well as members of the public, the media and even commissioner John Elliott were misinformed of the location.
At the end of the two-hour meeting, Cook suggested committee chair Sandra Thomas hand over meeting notifications to the county commission, suggesting director of administration Dana Babcock could post notices online. He also asked for creation of a formal agenda for each meeting moving forward.
“We can do better than this,” Cook said. “Judge Van Amburg’s time is valuable – everyone’s time is valuable.”
With just over a quorum of the committee members present, Van Amburg presented the state of the Platte County Circuit Court. Currently, he said the ratio of judges to cases was on par with state standards. With future growth, he predicted another division of the court could be needed in seven to 10 years.
He also voiced his concerns with the overburdened state-funded public defender system.
“It’s frustrating from the judicial side when cases can’t move forward,” Van Amburg said. “It’s a public safety and due process concern, but it’s out of my control.”
Trial dates get pushed back when the public defender is too overloaded to prepare a case, he said. This often leads to a defendant sitting in the detention center until the attorney can catch up.
The committee also heard a presentation on the county’s Parks Master Plan by Daniel Erickson, who serves as head of parks and recreation, planning and zoning and facilities when the departments were consolidated. The original master plan was created in 1999 and 2000 when the half-cent parks, recreation and stormwater tax was passed by voters. It was updated in 2009 when the tax was renewed, but Erickson said it was created as a 20-year plan, outlining parks planning until 2030.
While some of the parks projects outlined in the 2009 plan have been completed, some have yet to begin development, including 97 acres of Benner Park phase two near Weston and 115 acres off Northwest 52nd Street and Northwood. The 130-acre Platte Landing Park was turned over to the City of Parkville and Shiloh Springs Golf Club was sold to a private owner.
Erickson said by the sunset of the current tax, the department will have about $10 million in reserve that could be used for future capitol improvements at these regional parks.
As a long-time county official who was involved in the master planning process, Erickson said he keeps in mind what was promised to voters. Trail projects have proved popular and he said the stormwater grant program will always be in need of funding.
“There is no shortage of culverts collapsing or in need of updates in the county,” he said.
Committee member Jim Kunce, himself a former assistant director of parks for the county and current chair of the county parks board, said the stormwater and parks outreach grants are important programs worth preserving. The two grant programs allow municipalities, homeowners associations and non-profit organizations to leverage matching funds to improve facilities in their communities.
Thomas suggested that for the next meeting the committee should start to look at the potential revenues a new sales tax could generate. Cook said the committee was still awaiting updated information from the Sheriff’s Office. Thomas agreed, and said she could see if sheriff Mark Owen was available for a meeting Monday, Dec. 9.
Along with the suggestion for an official agenda, audience member Bill Hillix said the public should be allowed to speak at meetings. Thomas said he was welcome to speak, at which point Hillix told committee members he had previously served on the county parks board and was part of the master planning committee.
“Some of the things on the master plan have changed because of the changing of the guard,” Hillix said. “New commissioners all have their own agendas, just like the commissioners now have their own agenda.”
He suggested the current commission increase the property tax levy to fund law enforcement needs.
Elliott, who was present as an observer, said the current property tax levy funds the county’s radio update. Should the county be on the losing side of an appeal filed by UMB Bank regarding bond payments on garages at Zona Rosa, Elliott said the commission may be forced to double the six-cent property tax to cover the payments.
Additionally, there are constraints on the calculation and use of levies. Cook said it would be helpful to understand these, with Elliott suggesting auditor Kevin Robinson could answer such questions.
Community member David Park, who plans to run for second district commissioner next year, suggested the county engage in a public process – similar to the last parks master plan process in 2009 - to determine what the public wants.
“The public wants safe communities and parks and recreation opportunities – it’s not just one or the other,” Park said.