All Elections Matter

Hello everyone.  I hope all is well.  Things at the City are moving along smoothly.  The holidays are just around the corner.  Fall is in the air.  We live in a wonderful place!

With less than two weeks remaining before the November 8^th elections, many people are focused on the candidate races and ballot issues that will be decided that day.  Rightfully so.  Many things hang in the balance with this election – I’m certainly watching it with great interest.

But the November election isn’t the only election that I’m following.  While it’s received almost no attention, the results of the April 2016 board election for the Neosho TDD are still in dispute and little has been done to resolve the issues.  What are those issues?  Well, there are two of them.

Issue one:  there is a question of how many “votes” the Neosho R-5 School District was entitled to cast in that election.  The court has previously ruled that landowners inside the TDD get to cast 1 vote per acre.  The question then becomes “How many acres does the Neosho R-5 owns inside the TDD?”  The City believes (and others have affirmed) that number is around 24 acres.  Those advising the TDD (and printing the ballots) believe it is closer to 29 acres.  29 “votes” were cast by the Neosho R-5 in the April election.  The school district voted for the two incumbent TDD board members and those two candidates were declared the winners – but both by less than 5 votes.  Said another way, getting an answer to the question of 24 vs. 29 could change the outcome of the election.

Issue two:  as part of the construction process, MoDOT took ownership of an additional 20+ acres inside the TDD between December 2015 and January 2016 – months before the April ballots were cast.  However, it is unclear whether or not those 20+ acres were deducted from the voting acreage that was used to cast “votes” in the April 2016 TDD election.  As a reminder, the courts have also ruled that land owned by MoDOT isn’t allowed to be voted.  Those votes could also change the outcome of the election. 

That brings forward the bigger question – Should election results of the Neosho TDD be subject to review?  More importantly, when irregularities such as vote counts are raised, is that something courts should act on quickly?  Don’t forget, those “elected” board members are responsible for imposing, collecting, and spending millions of dollars in taxes?  That requires oversight!

The City of Neosho City Council months ago challenged the results of the April 2016 TDD election seeking clarification on the acreage.  The TDD’s written response to the court indicates their position that the TDD election cannot be challenged or reviewed - period.  I’m no attorney, but would it ever make since that Missouri laws would NOT allow a challenge to an election if improper votes were possibly cast – especially if those very votes could change the outcome of the election?  Don’t forget – the TDD board members are the ones spending millions in taxpayer funds paid by local citizens?  Where is the oversight?  It certainly makes no sense to me!

As to November, I hope all of you will show up at the polls and cast your ballot for the candidates of your choice.  As to the April TDD election, I hope common sense prevails sooner than later.  There are many questions that need answered.  Taxpayers deserve a voice.  I’ll certainly be pushing for those answers and to protect that voice.  As more information comes to the surface, I’ll keep you posted!

Until next time:  stay the course, keep the faith, and may God continue to bless Neosho!

Data, Not Deadlines, Should Drive Decisions

Hello everyone.  I hope you're having a great week!

In the past few days, the Neosho TDD has once again tried to grab the headlines.  That means they are likely once again trying to cast blame toward the Neosho City council.  The latest issue revolves around delays by the TDD to provide basic financial data followed by an artificial deadline for action.

For those that haven't followed the news, the issue at hand was very simple.  The Neosho TDD board had proposed a new project - one that had never before been discussed or presented to the public for review as part of the original TDD plan.  That project involved road work on Kodiak Dr. north of Waldo Hatler Dr.  The proposed work would widen the road between Waldo Hatler and Maple Dr. to help traffic flow in and out of the future Neosho Jr. High.

On the surface, it seems like a reasonable project.  In fact, the City has publicly supported the general idea of the project.  So what's the problem?  Well, your City's elected leaders had one simple question for the TDD:  Can you afford it?  I never dreamed finding the answer to that question would be so hard.  After all, the Neosho TDD board had already stated in court filings that the project would not impact its ability to repay its debt.  That told me they had already done the leg work.  A quick review of their financial analysis on the project should give the answer.  But not so fast!

As the city dug deeper, the information was somewhat surprising.  When asked how much the project was going to cost, the reply from the Neosho TDD was "we don't know."  When asked to provide financial data, we were first told by the TDD that our request was "unreasonable."  At that point, I knew that what should have been a somewhat simple process was once again going to be turned into a circus.

The good news is Mr. Royer ultimately received most of the data he needed to do his analysis.  (I say 'most' because the actual project cost is still only an estimate.)  Building on his expertise and experience working as a state auditor, he spent countless hours over a couple of weeks reviewing and analyzing the data.  He had planned to brief the city council last night on his finding so we could make our decision for support.  But that turned out to be unnecessary.  Why?  Because last Friday, the Neosho TDD, after blaming the city for not meeting a short and arbitrary deadline, decided the project is no longer going to be pursued.  Well, that's their decision - not ours.

For the record, I support the City's insistence to let the data, not deadlines, determine our decision for commitment and official support for this project.  We've learned the hard way when people simply say "trust us" when it comes to spending taxpayer funds.  Our view was much more objective - similar to how a bank would look at a project: let the financial data drive the decision.

In the end, only the Neosho TDD can decide whether or not to reopen the discussions on whether or not to pursue the project.  But regardless of what they do or don't do, the City's desire to review the public financials of the TDD was not only reasonable, it was responsible.  Taxpayer funds deserve a little more protection and oversight than a simple "we don't know" and "trust us".

TDD Views Failure to Provide Financials as Small "Technicality"

Hello everyone.  I hope you're having a great (dry) day.

This morning, you'll likely read or hear about the latest discussions between the Neosho TDD and the City of Neosho.  In what should have been a 10 minute meeting this past Tuesday turned into a 2-hour ambush to once again belittle the City Manager and the city council for our decision to NOT support new projects inside the Neosho TDD.

For the record, the issue at hand was one of oversight, not opposition.  For months, the city Manager and others inside the city had requested basic financial data from the NTDD to show the district could afford the new proposed project.  Unlike projects completed to date, the proposed extension of Kodiak Road north to Maple Dr. was never part of the original plan presented to the public during MoDOT's May 28, 2014 meeting at the Neosho Lampo building.

Wanting to ensure the NTDD could afford the new project, the city council unanimously voted back in March (and again in May) to request some basic financial information from the NTDD.  It should be noted that the NTDD had already stated in their court filing that "...[n]either the funding nor development of the proposed Second Additional Transportation Projects will impair the District’s ability to repay any liabilities...."  Our position was simple:  let us see the data that was compiled to make that assertion.

What was the response from the NTDD?  Nothing.  Silence.  No response.  No reply.  When asked this week why they didn't take five minutes out of their day to reply and give us the financial information, they told use they weren't required to and that our request was "unreasonable".  What?  When pressed more, one NTDD board member, Gene Schwartz, said not giving the financial data was a "little technicality."  That's not an honest answer.

When ANY taxing entity describes their own failure and refusal to provide basic financial data as "a little technicality", it should raise a number of flags.  The city's desire to review financial records before endorsing a plan to spend more taxpayer money was not only reasonable, it was a responsible act I'd expect of any elected official.

I'm disappointed the project wasn't approved, but that outcome rests solely on the shoulders of the NTDD.  A simple reply to a basic request was all that was required.  I hope the TDD will reconsider their position.  There is still time to make this happen.  But it all starts by answering the most basic of questions:  can you afford it?

MODOT

FTZ Closer to Reality

For close to three years, there has been a lot of talk about a Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) being formed in the Neosho Industrial park.  Several months ago, the FTZ application hit a snag in Washington D.C. when the folks from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) weren't on board with the proposal. It appears some wrangling and arm twisting has changed that.  According to sources within the FTZ board office in D.C., NABIFI has modified the FTZ application and boundaries and removed the land associated with a proposed inter-modal facility from the FTZ site plan.  That change has allowed the CBP folks to now get on board.  FTZ Board review is now expected to happen as early as mid-July.

Below is a link to the original presentation to the Springfield Airport Board back in 2014.  While some of the information is inaccurate, it gives you an idea of what was proposed at the time.

FTZ Presentation to Springfield Airport Board - Dec 2014

The Boulevard Blog is Back!

For the past 5 years or so, I spent a few minutes every Thursday writing an article that was published each Friday in the Neosho Daily News.  After almost 6 years as mayor and over 200 articles, that routine rolled to a stop as the torch was passed to Mayor Collinsworth.  

Over that 5 year period, the column became a great communication tool for the city as well as a good exercise for me to keep my writing skills in shape.  Not wanting to lose either, I will soon be restarting my Boulevard Blog to keep those who are interested abreast of a variety of happenings in the area.

I hope you enjoy it.

- Richard