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Raytown community development director outlines online licensing, heavier code enforcement and animal-control gains
Summary
Community Development Director Diane Egger told the Board of Aldermen that business licensing went online, code enforcement doubled case activity after a mobile enforcement rollout, and animal-control returned hundreds of animals to owners and boosted adoptions in 2024.
Community Development Director Diane Egger gave the Raytown Board of Aldermen a progress report on March 18, saying the department has modernized licensing, added enforcement staff and expanded animal-control services since she started in July 2022.
Egger said business licensing moved from paper to an online system in 2024 that sends renewal notices by email 30 and 15 days before expiration and allows businesses to apply and renew online. She said the city created a dedicated Business License Enforcement Officer and recovered more revenue that otherwise would have been unrecognized, reporting roughly $14,000 captured in late 2022, a little over $80,000 in 2023 and about $81,000 in 2024.
Egger also described changes to code enforcement: the department split Code Enforcement and Animal Control into separate divisions, added staff and launched a Mobile Code Enforcement process that allows officers to document violations on site and post notices immediately rather than relying on first-class mail. She said that code cases rose from 153 in January–February 2024 to 455 in the same period in 2025, which she said reflects a more proactive approach.
On animal control, Egger said the city expanded services in 2024 to include field vaccinations, veterinary care, meet-and-greets for adopters and return-to-owner efforts. She reported 421 dogs were returned to owners in 2024 at no impound charge and more than 100 adoptions that year. The Minor Home Repair program has produced over 100 calls and the department aims for 20 projects this year, Egger said.
Council members praised the changes. Mayor and several aldermen credited staff for increased responsiveness; Alderman Myers asked how many enforcement actions are resolved without court and Egger estimated 10–20% proceed to municipal court (Judge Phan). Egger said staff attempts remediation first, using assistance programs and extensions where residents show progress. She also said a rental-property inspector will start on April 24 to support the city’s rental-inspection efforts.
The presentation closed with requests from aldermen for ongoing reporting; several members recommended quarterly updates to track outcomes, cost savings and the effect of the new processes on compliance.
Egger stood for questions and thanked the board for its support.
