Raymore staff recommends quarter‑cent public safety sales tax; council signals support to place measure on ballot

Raymore City staff told the City Council on Dec. 16 that it should place a quarter‑cent sales tax dedicated solely to public safety on the next municipal ballot, and council members signaled broad support to move an ordinance forward without a sunset.

Feuerborn, speaking for staff, said the council should “only go for the public safety sales tax,” arguing that presenting two distinct tax measures at once would dilute voter support. He recommended raising the rate from one‑eighth to one‑quarter of a cent and said the revenue would be used “for hiring, paying, equipping, and training new police officers” and could not be commingled with non‑public‑safety funds or replace existing public safety budget items.

Staff projected the measure would fund eight additional officers beyond positions approved for fiscal 2025, along with necessary equipment and vehicles, which Feuerborn described as nearly a 33% increase in boots on the ground. He also tied the tax to longer‑range facilities planning, saying passage would set the stage for a future bond issue for a Justice Center.

Council members pressed staff on staffing math and alternatives. Miss Baker asked how close the additional hires would bring the city to typical staffing levels for a community of Raymore’s size; staff cited the International Association of Chiefs of Police’s urban and suburban ratios and said optimum staffing involves many variables beyond a simple per‑1,000 formula. A council member recalled that Grandview Police Department served about 24,000 people with 55–60 officers to illustrate higher staffing norms.

Feuerborn recommended postponing a separate economic development sales tax proposal aimed at Highway 58 improvements, noting that two current tax increment financing (TIF) districts (for the Galleria and for a Culver’s) will expire in roughly two years and that the city could have a clearer picture of revenues then. Meanwhile, staff said the city has about $3.6 million in street preservation fund balance and is working on interim maintenance options for Highway 58; staff suggested carving off roughly $200,000 for intensive maintenance until a longer‑term funding plan is available.

The staff packet referenced a legal basis for the public safety measure as discussed in the meeting materials. Feuerborn also presented optional sunset language allowing the tax to continue “not to exceed 20 years,” but he and several council members said they opposed a sunset because it could create a perception the city would return soon for more revenue. “I am against the sunset because… I don’t think that the need for this is ever going to go away,” Sonja said.

The presiding official said he saw “pretty much support for moving forward with an ordinance putting this on the next ballot,” and staff said it would present ordinance language beginning the next Monday night meeting. No formal ballot ordinance vote was recorded during the session; staff will bring formal language and any required motions at a subsequent meeting.

What happens next: staff will draft and present the ordinance language for council consideration at the next regular meeting; if the council adopts an ordinance it would place the quarter‑cent public safety sales tax measure on the ballot as described.