Raymore City Council Approves Bill 3783 in Historic Meeting
Post Date:02/17/2023 1:52 PM
RAYMORE, MO (Feb. 17, 2023) – In a special meeting on Feb. 16, 2023, the Raymore City Council unanimously approved Bill 3783 to invoke Missouri Statute 260.205(9) to oppose the development of a landfill within one-half mile of the City’s shared northern border with the City of Kansas City, Missouri.
More than 400 concerned residents of Raymore and the surrounding communities attended the meeting at Raymore’s Centerview event space and several attendees voiced their concerns about the landfill development proposed within a 960 acre area extending from 155th Street north to 150 Highway between Peterson and Horridge Roads.
U.S. Rep. Mark Alford, Sen. Rick Brattin, Rep. Mike Haffner, Rep. Sherri Gallick, Rep. Kemp Strickler, Rep. Chad Perkins, Presiding Cass County Commissioner Bob Huston and Associate Cass County Commissioner of District 2 Ryan Johnson attended the meeting and addressed the City Council and audience during the public hearing. Belton Mayor Norman Larkey and South Metro Fire District Deputy Fire Chief Eric Smith were also present.
The Raymore City Council meeting is historic – it’s the first time this action has been taken to invoke the Revised Missouri State Statute 260.205(9), which prohibits the Missouri Department of Natural Resources from issuing a permit for the operation of a solid waste disposal area designed to serve a city with a population of greater than four hundred thousand located in more than one county, if the site is located within one-half mile of an adjoining municipality, without the approval of the governing body of such municipality.
While the current state statute offers protection of one-half mile, Rep. Mike Haffner recently introduced House Bill 909 in the Missouri House of Representatives, which would extend the current one-half mile buffer to a one mile buffer. The bill now has bipartisan support from 13 co-sponsors of the bill: Reps. Sherri Gallick, Michael Davis, Anthony Ealy, Kemp Strickler, Bill Falkner, Greg Sharpe, Donnie Brown, Bradley Pollitt, Terry Thompson, Keri Ingle, Rodger Reedy, Richard Brown and Jerome Barnes.
“We are profoundly grateful for Rep. Haffner and Sen. Brattin for introducing House Bill 909 and Senate Bill 590 to extend what is now an antiquated half mile to one mile from this border,” City Manager Jim Feuerborn said in his staff report.
The Missouri House’s Local Government Committee held a public hearing on HB 909 at the Missouri State Capitol on Feb. 14. The committee holds its next hearing on the bill at 10 a.m., Tuesday, Feb. 21, and it’s possible the committee will vote on whether to advance the bill to the full Missouri House of Representatives.
The City of Raymore urges concerned citizens to contact all of the members of the Local Government Committee before Feb. 21 to tell them your story and respectfully encourage them to support HB 909:
