PRUDENT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT:

Independence has unrealized potential for economic development

WHAT WE KNOW:

It is obvious that we have available buildings and storefronts ready to welcome small businesses. The EastGate Commerce project, by NorthPoint, is developing the Little Blue Valley for large fulfillment centers, manufacturing facilities, and other businesses. New enterprises support city revenues through taxes, bring in new residents, and add new customers for our utilities. Our Chamber of Commerce will soon welcome a new executive director who will build on the foundation for business outreach and development. 

WHAT WE HAVE DONE:

The HUB Shopping area (23rd and 291) received a much needed face lift. The Harmon Heritage shopping area (by Menard’s) has been purchased with plans to fill the available storefronts. The City approved a CID for the Blue Ridge Crossing area to address safety and improve curb appeal. 

WHAT COMES NEXT:

The new Independence Commons building will be a one-stop shop for businesses. This shared location will include the Departments of Community Development, Utilities, and Street/Stormwater Planning for convenient planning and permitting for new businesses.

The City needs to very carefully deploy the variety of tools at its disposal - TIF, CID, Chapter 100 bonds and other economic tools - to complement development. This requires high quality legal review of potential projects to protect the interests of the residents. The City CANNOT guarantee debt on any project.

QUALITY HOUSING:

Preserving housing is one of our greatest opportunities

WHAT WE KNOW:

There is a shortage of housing across the country. Costs of construction have increased dramatically, which has deeply impacted affordability for a growing portion of the population. More kinds of housing are needed for different stages of life – early adults, families, and retirees. Poorly-maintained housing in neighborhoods affects everyone — those living in substandard rental housing, the surrounding homeowners, and the overall neighborhood quality of life. In addition, parts of the city have vacant housing that leads to a host of neighborhood issues.

WHAT WE HAVE DONE:

The city council passed Rental Ready modifications that make sure rental housing is livable. The council modified building codes for northwest Independence neighborhoods to allow for more types of housing. Several apartment complexes are completed and now renting to tenants. We have property tax abatement tools which support residents who are investing in their homes. The City recently established a volunteer program to assist our older neighbors with some of their yard issues that result in code violations. 

WHAT COMES NEXT:

Some neighborhoods are feeling their age. From the micro level, we need to help residents that are already here, such as seniors that need minor home repairs to stay housed and supporting neighborhoods that are trying to make improvements. Some of this includes rehabbing abandoned and vacant structures that are salvageable and demolishing dangerous buildings when necessary. From a bigger picture, we need to find ways for neighborhoods to not become entirely owned by big corporations for rental. We need to encourage responsible developers to rehab homes for homeownership and new housing construction.

IMPROVED PUBLIC SAFETY:

Citizens are concerned about property crime.

WHAT WE KNOW:

The residents of Independence have supported our police force. They invested in salary support and equipment for officers. We have not had any officers leave for surrounding municipalities and have attracted 77 officers in the last 3 years. These hirings are balanced against expected retirements which could have severely crippled the department staffing. While the General Obligation Bond for police buildings failed, the need to address their infrastructure still exists, including training sites, holding cells, and evidence storage. 

WHAT WE HAVE DONE:

While we have made progress in hiring new officers, a fully staffed department will take deliberate recruitment and training of young officers. Cultivation of the next generation of leadership is paramount. We have invested in community engagement efforts such as community outreach officers, Neighborhood Watch, and the Citizens Police Academy. We have invested more heavily in mental health support services for our police and fire departments. License plate readers are now at most major intersections, which aid us in identifying stolen vehicles and people with felony warrants. All patrol officers have body cameras and sophisticated technology in their patrol cars. We have adjusted dispatching to send the appropriate resources to a 911 call (sending only ambulances when appropriate, sending mental health resources when appropriate) so police and fire resources are available when they are the best response. 

WHAT COMES NEXT:

Investment in vetted technology and the new streets crimes unit has been highly successful, allowing us to partner with other cities and the federal government to carry out multijurisdictional sting operations and prosecute higher level offenses. We have better coordination with the Jackson County Prosecutor's Office, which has been more aggressive in prosecuting property crimes. The City has positioned itself to be the community of choice for new officers. We continue to pursue partnerships with Metropolitan Community College and provide apprenticeship opportunities for graduates to join the police force. We must find an answer to police infrastructure needs, which will require many community conversations.

ADDRESSING HOMELESSNESS:

The city is experiencing a growing number of unhoused or homeless people, but this is still a solvable problem. 

WHAT WE KNOW:

The Independence Police Department notes a fluctuating number of encampments throughout the city. It is difficult to get an accurate count, but our best number shows 200 homeless people in Eastern Jackson County. Many homeless people suffer from mental health issues and drug addiction. Economic issues have exacerbated food insecurity and housing evictions.

WHAT WE HAVE DONE:

This is a complex issue affecting communities across the country and requires a regional approach to avoid just shifting people from one part of town to another. We can learn from the efforts of others. I have been meeting with a dedicated group of agencies, organizations, and churches to collaborate for the past two years to test projects to see what is effective. We have worked with Kansas City to address some of the encampments on our city border. We have added community partnerships to better access federal grant funds. The City has invested in Independence TOGETHER which is a program that hires people living in homelessness or at risk for homelessness to pick up roadside trash. They have picked up 1 million pounds of trash and all have been moved into housing.

WHAT COMES NEXT:

This program should be a continued investment. In addition to employing and housing more than twenty people, it makes roadside mowing easier, cuts down on the garbage that ends up in the water treatment plant, and makes for a more beautiful city. A partnership with MO DOT has extended the program to the many miles of shared roadsides they maintain (Highway 40, 78, 291, on and off ramps). We need to strengthen partnerships with mental health services, substance abuse services, courts, and housing services so that we can address people already living on the roadside and prevent more from ending up there.

EXEMPLARY CITY SERVICES:

The City is responsible for providing basic yet crucial services (streets, police, fire, water, electrical, parks, and sewer services)

WHAT WE KNOW:

The City of Independence encompasses 78 square miles, which means that it has to provide services across a very large area. For our citizens, we provide 50 million gallons of clean water every day, maintain 1200 lane miles of roads, and process millions of gallons of raw sewage per year.

WHAT WE HAVE DONE:

It is especially exciting that the recently-approved GO Bond will allow us to pave additional miles of roadway, add sidewalks around 7 elementary schools, and address 14 aging bridges. We will stretch every available dollar to cover as much infrastructure as possible. By combining departments, we now address water, sewer, and streets as a unit so construction disruptions only happen once.  Investment in our underground cameras allow us to visualize every foot of pipe to make proactive replacements instead of waiting for water main failures. Our team has worked to secure grants and has shared projects with MO DOT and the federal government to do some of the comprehensive projects like 40 Highway, 24 Highway, and Winner Road.

WHAT COMES NEXT:

It must be the highest priority of the council and staff to provide high quality city functions, coupled with excellent customer service. We have prioritized setting aside funds for future repairs and replacement, but that takes discipline to sustain. We need a public dashboard to help showcase progress in repaving streets, replacing water mains, and maintaining stormwater lines. We want talented people to work for our city so that our city can work for us. That happens when there is a culture of excellence, service, and appreciation.

INDEPENDENCE POWER AND LIGHT:

The city has 55,000 electric customers with the opportunity to grow its commercial and industrial clients.

WHAT WE KNOW:

IPL residential rates are now similar to surrounding municipalities. The Council has settled the issue of keeping IPL, but must make investments to ensure a modern, sustainable and reliable electric utility. Currently, IPL creates only a small percentage of its own energy. The utility primarily acts as an energy pass-through to the consumer. The upheavals in the energy market and new generation/storage opportunities mean that the landscape is rapidly evolving. Control over our own energy in this new landscape provides us with a fiscally sound and reliable path to generating and storing our own energy. This will require a strategic approach with long-term planning and partnerships.

WHAT WE HAVE DONE:

The City has fully committed to keeping and running a quality utility. Studies from industry experts, guided by our in house expertise, have provided a robust roadmap to achieve energy independence, including necessary investments, staffing improvements, long-range energy planning, and appropriate governance.

WHAT COMES NEXT:

We must take a critical look at every option for the future of IPL including becoming a more robust generator of energy and investing more on the efficiency side for energy users. In partnership with a highly skilled board, the city council, and IPL expertise, we can formulate a 10-year plan to supply affordable, reliable energy that takes into account environmental needs and our energy future. Investment in Advanced Metering Infrastructure will support better customer service, staffing efficiency, and household energy management.