Kansas City
Neighborhood Action Group It seems that some
people feel that the funds will be "lent" to build
a jail. There is a humerous
but real question circulating "HOW COULD WE COLLECT
THIS COMBAT TAX FOR TWENTY YEARS DURING WHICH TIME
JACKSON COUNTY HAS BECOME ONE OF THE LARGEST METH
PRODUCING AREAS IN THE UNITED
STATES?" Looking for TRUTH
and JUSTICE?
So are
we
The Kansas City Missouri
Police Department will revise its take-home-car policy and
revoke the take-home status of 60 vehicles in response to an
internal audit released at today's Board of Police
Commissioners' meeting. The Department's Internal
Audit Unit does an annual review of take-home cars to
determine who is using them, how much fuel they used and
whether they are being used according to policy. The last
audit, completed in August 2008, revealed a 7.3 percent
increase in the take-home fleet from 2007 to 2008. It also
showed some of those vehicles had fuel usage that was above
the Department average. Auditors began to examine the
reasons for the increase and found that the self-reporting
process for take-home cars is flawed, and not all vehicles
being operated as take-home cars were being properly
reported. In response to this audit,
Chief James Corwin asked the Internal Audit Unit to
physically verify the location of all the department's
1,000-plus vehicles, including bicycles, trailers and
specialty vehicles like Tactical Unit tanks. This audit was
released at the Board of Police Commissioners' July 9
meeting and is available at www.kcpd.org. Chief Corwin
wanted that audit completed before the release of the August
2008 Take-Home Vehicle Audit, which is now available on the
department's Web site. In response to both of the
audits, Chief Corwin ordered that 60 of the take-home
vehicles have their take-home status revoked. This will save
an estimated $178,080 to $179,400 a year. He also ordered
the policy regarding take-home vehicles to be revised, a
task which is now underway. He further has requested a
follow-up audit in February 2010 to ensure the reductions in
the take-home fleet and conformity to the Department's
policy. "I'm grateful to our
Internal Audit Unit for seeing that a problem existed with
take-home vehicles and doggedly working to find out why,"
Chief Corwin said. "This is an excellent example of our
commitments to be transparent and to be good stewards of
taxpayers' money. When we have a problem, we let the public
know about it, and we fix it." The full audit report is
available
http://www.kcpd.org/kcpd2004/1/Annual%20Take%20Home%20Car%2008-02.pdf Want to receive our
newsletter? Send future
contributions to: Neighborhood Action Group
of KC
Uneven
Patchwork:
Tax Increment Financing in Kansas City
http://www.reclaimdemocracy.org/KC
NEIGHBORHOOD
UNDER
SEIGE
_____________________________________________________
email
to
info@kcnag.com
Newsletter
Archive Vol.#1
Vol.#2
Vol.#3
Vol.#4
P.O. Box 8493
KansasCity, MO 64114-0493
TOP
TEN---
1) Billboards-- Non property tax paying billboards, no yearly inspections or safety fees, no excise tax
Institute a building fee that is a % of the total cost of the billboard just like with residential building permits.
2) Raise Impact Fees--What Impact does each new development project have on the enviroment?
3) Merge the Kansas City Election Board with the Jackson County Election Board--
4) QUIT giving 2 Millionto the BALL TEAMS ------------- QUIT playing games with our money
5) Put Cordish on a short leash - Quit accepting their excuses and whinning
6) Egalatarian dispersal of any ART & Cultural Tax Racially and Culturally
7)Tax Increment Financing -New taxes must be TIF EXEMPT ---especially Light Rail.
8) Raise the water and sewage treatment rates to wholesale and commercial accounts. Require that they pay their fair share. Especially Johnson County.
9)Institute a national assessor system like Iowas Collect on ALL of the assets a business trys to hide.
10) Quit the Police Automobile
Loan System to off duty police, particularly for use at some off duty
job.
No more "off duty" dog patrol cars running on taxpayer
gas.
Those who truly knew him honor Craig Davis. His spirit will continue to inspire us long after his passing. He stood tall when most sat idly by. He chose action when most chose to merely observe. His penchant for what was right set him apart from most men. He boldly championed any issue that was right for most and rejected those that benefited only the special few. His way was always forward and always guided by a fundamental set of principles that were in short supply among our elected leaders. There was never any doubt in his mind about what was right and never any reluctance to fight for it. When the facts were known and the issue defined he was always first to say, "I'm ready to go, what can I do to help." He was an essential part of a group of citizen activists who never took a vote; just talked until they reached a consensus made better by his ideas.
Craig was a threat to an arrogant power structure that governs by deceit and guile and whose decisions seem always guided by what's in it for them. He was a threat simply because he wanted nothing for himself and everything for the people. History tells us that people like Craig have always been a threat to bigots and tyrants precisely because they want nothing for themselves.
He was the living embodiment of an old idea that says, "I shall walk this way but once. Any good thing, therefore, that I can do, let me do it now. Let me not delay or defer it for I shall not pass this way again." He did not delay or defer and those of us who were privileged to know him are all the better for it.
Wef July 06, 2009
Neighborhood Action
Group WILL: 1. Monitor city
actions that affect local neighborhoods 2. Provide
information to neighborhoods about city
actions 3. Continue creating
a process for sharing information among
neighborhoods 4. Advise
neighborhood groups of ways to defend and improve their
neighborhood 5. Communicate with
the city regarding common neighborhood
problems Neighborhood Action
Group WILL NOT: 1. Seek to replace,
or supercede, the functions of any neighborhood or
coalition 2. Seek to speak for
any neighborhood group or coalition 3. Give preference to
any political candidate or appointee seeking a government
position