Letter to the Editor from Ward I Alderman Joe Creamer

I recently brought to the BOA meeting a discussion item in regard to solid waste. The Municipal Committee which I am a member of had just voted down sending out a 2 yr letter to local trash haulers with the intent of considering going to single trash hauler in the City of Raytown. The reasoning with voting down the 2 year letter was that we want to promote free enterprise in our community.

The reason for bringing up the solid waste issue again came from reviewing our current ordinance on the books. I believe our current ordinance needs to be updated to current standards comparible with other cities. The thing that I found was that the minimum insurance requirements set forth in the ordinance are way under valued. The standard for liability insurance in other communities is $5,000,000, the current ordinance requires $500,000. There are other things that stand out in the current ordinance but this is one example of what needs to be changed. I believe that we owe it to our community that the ordinance be updated.

I want to make it real clear that it is not my intent to put any trash hauler out of business or prohibit them from hauling in our city. I do not want to create a war among trash haulers or make citizens feel like they need to battle their neighbor for who should haul trash on their street. It is my goal however to bring common sense to the situation.

If you have any questions or concerns please contact me at 816-517-4773, I will be happy to discuss this with you.

Alderman Joe Creamer