Newsletter - Fall 2022
Mission Woods Newsletter-Fall Edition October 14, 2022
Financials.
Mission Woods remains in a strong financial position. Through August our revenue exceeded expenses by $142,442 for the year and we have cash of $1,011,239 with no long-term liabilities. The 2023 budget was approved after a public hearing during our August Council meeting. Mission Woods continues to see an increase in revenue from The 1900 Restaurant’s sales and liquor tax, an increase in overall sales tax and a slight increase in tax received from the assessed values of properties in our city. As a result, we were able to reduce our mill rate for 2023 from 15.043 to 15.028.
Ordinance 245 regarding Short Term Rentals in Mission Woods.
To protect the character and stability of our residential areas, preserve the value of land and buildings throughout our city and limit the potential negative impact of short-term rentals, the council approved Ordinance 245 during our September meeting which states all rental properties within the City of Mission Woods must be rented for at least 30 consecutive days by the same tenant. Any rental property found in violation may be subject to revocation of its Rental License and be subject to a fine. The Ordinance may be found on the city website.
Ordinance 246 regarding Swimming Pool rentals.
This Ordinance was passed during our October meeting for the same reasons as the Short-Term Rental Ordinance. This Ordinance states “no private swimming pool within the City of Mission Woods may be rented, leased, or otherwise let out for financial compensation”. Any property found in violation may be subject to a fine. This Ordinance may also be found on our website.
Fall Leaf Pickup.
The city has contracted with Heinen Landscape Company again this year for leaf pick-up. There will be three pick-ups:
- October 22-26.
- November 12-15.
- December 3-5.
Heinen does a great job for us. They ask residents to remember pick up is restricted to LEAVES ONLY. Sticks, branches, rocks or trash are not allowed. Heinen requests that leaves will need to be in the turf, within 5 feet of the curb. DO NOT RAKE LEAVES INTO THE STREET OR ON SIDEWALK. These requests facilitate Heinen and Mission Woods. Leaves in the street present slipping hazards after the leaves become flattened by car tires and make for difficulty in picking up by the vacuums. Vehicles should be kept off the streets during these dates. If cars prevent Heinen from reaching the leaves, the area will be passed over. Leaf clean up provided by Mission Woods is a much appreciated, and anticipated service. Let us do all we can to facilitate Heinen.
City Planning Commission Hearing.
Karbank and Company acquired the 1968 Building earlier this year. This is the middle building between the two Karbank buildings along SMPW. They now own the entire NW corner of SMPW and State Line Road. Karbank would like to establish a new zoning district for their properties within Mission Woods. The Planning Commission, chaired by Rick Ralls, will hold a public meeting on the proposed ordinance which will include an opportunity for public comments. We expect the meeting to take place in November. All our residents will be given at least a 20-day written notice of the meeting. Once the date has been established, I will send out an email notification as well.
Holiday Lights on Islands.
Beaver Creative Environments will decorate our two islands again this year. The lights will be ready to turn on Thanksgiving weekend.
Connected Community Sidewalk Project.
This is the project that would have constructed new sidewalks north along SMPW from Rainbow to State Line and north on State Line to 50th Terrace. This project had strong citywide support in 2019. Former Councilwoman Selina Bur and I spent a considerable amount of time on this working with property owners along the route and identifying potential sources of funds to help pay for the project. In the second quarter of 2021 we received a projected cost estimate of the of $1.2 million. A great majority of this could have been funded by county and regional organizations. When we requested updated bids in the 2nd Q of 2022 to submit with funding requests, we received bids of $2.1 and $2.4 million. We were told this was a result of increased material and labor costs as a result of COVID. This increase was consistent with increases other cities are seeing in NE Johnson County. Two of our funding sources had a maximum contribution amount. These new bids put the cost of the project out of our reach at this time. At our July meeting the Council moved to table the project. We will monitor if costs eventually come down and if additional funding sources can be found to help pay for this.
License Plate Readers.
Recently, the subject of License Plate Readers was introduced at a council meeting. LPRs are another law enforcement resource primarily used as an investigative tool after a crime or a traffic accident has occurred. Like the use of ‘red-light’ cameras, installation of LPRs present concerns in issues of civil liberties. LPR data is collected and stored often by private companies that then share data between jurisdictions. In these broad captures of data, LPRs are used to monitor different groups for a variety of reasons. Reporting has shown that monitoring of this type could possibly be used against patients seeking access to abortion providers across state lines, where these procedures have been banned and criminalized. The council will continue to discuss this subject at future council meetings. Please feel free to address any comments or concerns with me or any council member. The best deterrent to the types of crime experienced in Mission Woods is to keep your vehicle(s) locked with no valuables inside and secure house and garage doors. Let us continue to be good neighbors and watch out for each other and lock our vehicles and doors. Prevention is the best deterrent.
In closing, please be aware that our dedicated mail people have been delivering late, often when it is dark. Know that the USPS could be approaching your house or front door at different times at different times of the day or evening.
Darrell Franklin, Mayor
Phone 913 708 2181
dfranklin15@gmail.com