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Raymore staff to present revised Chamber memorandum of understanding; council asked to consider raising annual contribution to $12,000
Summary
City staff reviewed a revised memorandum of understanding with the Raymore Area Chamber of Commerce and asked the City Council to consider increasing the city’s annual contribution from $10,000 to $12,000 for the next fiscal year.
City staff reviewed a revised memorandum of understanding with the Raymore Area Chamber of Commerce and asked the City Council to consider increasing the city’s annual contribution from $10,000 to $12,000 for the next fiscal year.
The request came during the Raymore City Council work session on Monday, when a staff presenter described the document as a streamlined MOU that “expands on what both sides do” and reframes the city payment as a “partnership payment” rather than a line-item reimbursement.
The memorandum was introduced to the council by staff and accompanied at the meeting by Bob Houston, identified as the Chamber president, and Melissa Ferrari, identified in the meeting as the Chamber director. City staff said the revised MOU clarifies the chamber’s duties — including assembling new-resident packets and organizing ribbon-cuttings — and reduces line-item detail in favor of a broader partnership description.
“Mister Fearborn” (staff) summarized the recommended change and asked the council to consider increasing the annual contribution to $12,000, saying the chamber has grown its membership from “below 200” to “over 300” members and provides substantial services to the city beyond simply hosting a desk.
The mayor (name not specified in the transcript) explained the payment history, saying the city contribution was $6,000 when he first took office in 2016 and that the council later approved the $10,000 level to help stabilize the chamber’s operations. The mayor said the new MOU is “an indication of the streamlining” staff and chamber representatives completed.
Staff told the council that, if the council is agreeable, the memorandum of understanding on the work-session agenda would be presented formally for consideration at the next legislative meeting.
No formal council vote on the MOU or the proposed increase was recorded in the work session transcript. Staff described the next step as bringing the MOU back “in formal fashion one week from tonight” for council consideration.
If approved at that meeting, the MOU would replace the existing agreement and reflect the partnership framing and the funding level discussed during the work session.
