Resident opposes backyard parking limits; aldermen discuss out‑of‑state vehicle registrations and a voicemail concern

A Grain Valley City resident used the public comment period to oppose any proposed ordinance that would limit what residents can park or store on their private property, and to raise a separate concern about a city-provided voicemail greeting that still names a former mayor.

Brian Schongert, who identified himself as a Ward 1 resident, told the board he was “not in favor of it as a taxpayer and as a property owner in this city” when speaking about renewed discussion at a Planning and Zoning workshop about restricting backyard storage or parking on private property. Schongert said the measure had been “beaten down twice” and said he opposed further restrictions on private property use.

During the same public comment, Schongert said he had left a voicemail for Alderman Soule and that the recorded greeting uses the name of the former mayor, which he said gave the impression messages were not being handled correctly. He asked that the alderman or city staff correct the greeting.

Later, during board reports, an alderman read an anonymous letter from a resident who said he had noticed a rise in out‑of‑state license plates — especially South Dakota plates — and asked whether the city could respond. City staff explained that vehicle registration and taxation are primarily state matters and that there are many legitimate reasons for out‑of‑state plates, including temporary work assignments, fleet vehicles, or military personnel. Staff said that when plates are expired the police department would have jurisdiction to enforce citations. The board also discussed that some states (residents mentioned South Dakota, North Dakota and Montana) have been the subject of litigation with Missouri over certain registration practices; that litigation was referenced in the meeting but no local enforcement change was proposed.

No formal action was taken on the backyard-storage discussion or the voicemail complaint during the meeting. Board members noted the limits of local jurisdiction on vehicle registration issues and suggested that enforcement questions would be handled by the police department when violations such as expired plates are evident.

Additional staff notes from the meeting: occupational license renewals will begin the first week of April, and city recreation staff reported about 451 youth registered so far for the spring youth sports season (T-ball, boys baseball and girls softball).