10000 E. 59^th Street
(816) 737-6000
www.raytown.mo.us

Raytown continues to propel itself toward the future as first tier suburbs around the country are being rediscovered.  As transportation costs and environmental concerns have reignited older suburbs adjoining urban areas, Raytown is garnering the interest of local and national development initiatives sure to spur an even greater Raytown in years to come.  This is evident as the city continues to experience a wave of redevelopment in the midst of a very challenging recessionary economic cycle.  While many communities have seen dramatic reductions of new capital investment, amenity development and job creation, Raytown is making enthusiastic strides to secure the welfare of the area economy.

Economic development continues to be a priority for the community and such emphasis is enabling the city to achieve even greater economic growth and success by marketing the community (internal and external) emphasizing business retention, business attraction and entrepreneurship.

Since 2010, Raytown has been instrumental in attracting a number of high profile redevelopment projects including:

•The demolition of the former Holiday Motors building at Gregory Boulevard and 350 Highway and development of a  4-acre site featuring a new 17,000 square foot Aldi grocery store and a soon to be erected multi-tenant building featuring restaurants.  The developer of the property has also publicly stated his desire to acquire additional adjoining properties to expand the scope of the retail district named Gregory Square.  As the project resides directly across the street from a new Hy-Vee grocery store and assorted retail tenants, the Gregory Square project provides a dramatic aesthetic improvement and completely reinvents the “feel” of the 350 Highway & Gregory intersection.

•The demolition of the former Dodge Dealership at Raytown Road and 350 Highway has allowed for the planned placement of four new buildings emphasizing restaurants and retail.  The first phase of the project was completed in August 2011 and features a new IHOP restaurant and significant infrastructure improvements.  The master development will be known as Raytown Crossing East and, like Gregory Square, will replace blight with reinvigorated commercial projects designed to provide our citizens with new options.  The project is also near the city’s new Wal-Mart Supercenter, further contributing to greater commercial synergy in the area.

•The City is has also diligently worked to recruit Sutherland Lumber Company to fully occupy the 90,489 square foot former Wal-Mart building at 6709 Blue Ridge Boulevard.  The project will thoroughly stimulate the vacant shopping area which also includes the former Hy-Vee grocery store building.  Sutherland Lumber opened at the new location in October 2011.

Raytown is also beginning to see a greater interest in the 353 Tax Abatement Program, which was adopted in 2007.  The program emphasizes the removal of blight from our Central Business District by providing tax abatement on aesthetic and building improvements made to properties within the District.  In 2010, the city received five applications for the program which will result in dramatic improvements to five commercial properties.

The city continued to invest in the community’s infrastructure with completion of a new $2.3 million bridge on 63^rd Street over the Rock Island Railroad corridor. The new bridge not only accommodates vehicle traffic but also bicyclists and pedestrians and features monumentation and landscaping at the intersection of 63^rd Street and Raytown Trafficway that provides a gateway into the Raytown Central Business District.

The City of Raytown provides various public services to the residents and businesses in Raytown. These services are provided  by the Public Works Department, Police Department, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Community Development Department, Economic Development Department, Finance Department, Parks & Recreation Department, Municipal Courts and City Hall Administration.  These services are paid for by various traditional revenue sources such as property tax, sales tax, franchise fees and user fees.  The City supplements these revenue sources with federal and state grants whenever possible. With the recent economic downturn the city has placed a greater emphasis on pursuing these alternative funding sources as a means to supplement the city’s finances. The following is a summary of various grants that the City has obtained and what those funds will be utilized for in the coming two years.

•Federal Transportation Highway Authorization Bill: The City received $800,000 in the Federal Highway Transportation Bill for engineering services to design improvements to Highway 350 as identified in the   Highway 350 Corridor Plan.  The City is working with the Missouri Department of Transportation on this project.  An engineering consultant will be hired and begin work in 2012 focusing on improvements to Highway 350 near   Raytown Road.

•Surface Transportation Program (STP) Grant: In 2011 the City received $637,500 to help fund construction of highway improvements at Highway 350 and Raytown Road that will be designed with the funding received through the Federal Highway Authorization Bill described above. The City will be working with the Missouri Department of Transportation to determine the timing for these improvements after the specific improvements to Highway 350 have been identified and designed.

•Transportation Enhancement (TE) Grant: In 2011 the City received two Transportation Enhancement Grants. One is a $433,100 grant that will help construct curbing and a separated 10 foot wide bicycle and pedestrian trail along the south side of eastbound Highway 350 from Blue Ridge Boulevard to Maple Avenue as identified in the Highway 350 Corridor Plan. The second Transportation Enhancement Grant is for $483,750 for construction of the first phase of streetscape improvements in the Central Business District which will occur on 63^rd Street from the east side of the bridge over the Rock Island rail line to Blue Ridge Boulevard. The City hired a consultant in 2011 to complete the final design for these improvements which will be constructed in 2012.

•Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Grant: In 2011 the City received a $175,000 CMAQ Grant that will supplement the City’s asphalt overlay program by laying new asphalt and installing bicycle lanes on Blue Ridge Boulevard from 59^th Street to the north city limit line at 51^st Street.

•Energy Efficient Street Light Grant: In 2011 the City received a $120,000 grant to replace approximately 190 street lights along Blue Ridge Boulevard from the Raytown’s Central Business District to the north city limit at 51^st Street as well as street lights along a portion of 63^rd Street and at each of the city’s gateway locations.  The new street lights will be more energy efficient that will reduce the cost of street light operation.

In addition to changes in the physical appearance of Raytown the demographic makeup of Raytown is also changing. The 2010 Census showed that Raytown’s population is 29,526 down from 30,326 in 2000.  While the population dropped slightly, demographic projections show that Raytown is getting younger.  Over the past couple of decades Raytown has been seen as an aging community.  That, however, is changing. There is now evidence that Raytown is growing younger as many long-time residents of single-family homes are downsizing to senior-oriented housing.  The result is a strong supply of available housing options in a wide price range.  Households in Raytown are becoming younger and more affluent than the region.  Here are some of the numbers:

While results from the 2010 U.S. Census showing the demographic makeup of Raytown will be available in 2012 the following projections provide insight as to how the Raytown community is changing. In 2000, the median age of Head of Households in Raytown was 50.5.  By 2010, the median age of 45.9 for Head of Households in Raytown is projected to equal the median age for the entire KC metropolitan region

Between 2000 and 2010, the increase in the percentage of Raytown households headed by “under-25″ year olds is expected to explode, with 229% growth over the decade.  The growth in “under-25″ headed households in Raytown (229%) outpaces the significant (158%) increase at the regional Kansas City level.  It is projected that by 2010, there will be a greater percentage of Households led by “under-25″ year olds (14.2%) than in the KC metropolitan area as a whole (12.6%).

In 2000, in Raytown there were less than   30% of households headed by someone “under-45″.  By 2010, the percentage of households headed by “under-45″ in Raytown (48.6%) will be slightly greater than the percentage in the region (48.1%).

The current generation of “Young Raytown” citizens will be on a par with the economic position of their peers in the region.  By 2010, it is anticipated that 25% of the Head of Households “under-25″ in Raytown will earn in excess of $75,000 per year.  This edges out the 24.1% level anticipated at the regional level.  Moreover, with housing costs in Raytown expected to remain under regional levels, this means “Young Raytown” purchasing power is well in excess of the “under-25″ crowd in the Kansas City metropolitan area.  (Source: DemographicsNow.com)

Some of the community strengths in Raytown are accessibility, affordability and community values.  Raytown is strategically located 12 minutes from downtown Kansas City, Missouri and only 8 minutes from the Country Club Plaza.  Easy access to Interstates 70 and 435 provide quick and easy travel to the entire metropolitan region.

Raytown has a full range of commercial options and some of the most competitive commercial rents in the KC Metro area.   Opportunities exist for businesses to locate in a “downtown” environment or in a highway commercial corridor with 35,000 cars per day.

The greatest asset in the City remains the people.  Neighborhoods and business associations are an important aspect of life here. People are engaged, friendly and proud of their community. The city boasts a full range of civic, social and church opportunities to meet the needs of its citizens.  The City of Raytown is a great place to live and do business.

HOW YOUR TAX  DOLLARS ARE SPENT

The Finance Department is the steward of both the property tax and sales tax revenues collected by the City.  These revenues are used to fund City services and run day to day operations of the City.

SALES TAX  (AS OF NOVEMBER 1, 2011)

The 2012 City Sales Tax rate is 8.10% of gross sales. Sales tax revenues are used to support several taxing entities including the City, State and County, as well as several special interests.