A Letter to the Residents of Ward 2 in Carl Junction

January 20th, 2011

Dear Ward 2 Resident:

The people of Ward 2 have allowed me to serve as an Alderman in Carl Junction since 2003 and for that I thank you. This year is the first time someone has put their name forward in addition to my own so you will have a choice in whom you select for Alderman in the election on April 5th.

Since taking office in 2003 we have accomplished many things in Carl Junction. We have been very proud, as a council and your city staff, of the fact that while constantly seeking to improve the services provided to the citizens of all of Carl Junction, we have done so while being very conservative in spending the money that each of you pay out of your hard earned dollars.

Here is a sample of some of the accomplishments we've made as a team since 2003 when I was first elected to the position of Alderman:

1. New Police Department and Courtroom building - After the May 4th, 2003 tornado destroyed the building that housed police department and court we were able, with the help of grants and insurance money, to build a new state of the art police department and courtroom building without asking the citizens of Carl Junction for an increase in taxes. This building also includes a storm shelter capable of housing up to 200 people for a short time in case of emergency.

2. Parks and Pool - In 2006 the people of Carl Junction voted to impose a ½ cent sales tax on purchases for the purpose of improving our city parks. Since passage here are just a few examples of how that money and other city money has been spent improving your parks. Installed over $300,000 in new playground equipment in Memorial, Center Creek, Country Club and Four Oaks Parks. Along with energy efficient lighting for all the ball fields at those parks. We also reduced the costs to manage and operate the city pool from $82,000 in 2003 to $24,000 in 2010

3. Sidewalks - we've poured literally miles of new sidewalks within the city and will soon be putting sidewalks on both sides of Pennell, a long time dream come true for a lot of citizens within Carl Junction.

4. Trails - using grants we've been able to create several miles of hiking/biking trails from Allen St. south into Briarbrook. This will eventually tie into the network around Joplin and from Carthage.

5. Sewer System - in 2003 over 1/2 the capacity of the waste water treatment plant was being consumed by storm water infiltration during heavy rains. We've been able to repair or replace enough sewer line and manholes to significantly reduce the I&I problem.

6. Trash Pickup - successfully transitioned to a Poly Cart system and established a rate structure based on the consumer price index to minimize price increases in trash pick-up fees.

7. New Community Center and City Hall - another long time goal was realized when, with the help of the citizens of Carl Junction, we were able to construct a state of the art facility to house our Seniors, Chamber of Commerce, recreation needs and a new City Hall. Since its completion this has been a much used facility.

8. Long Range Planning Committee - Not wanting to rest on our laurels we are seeking to research just where we might be in 2030 and what our needs will be. This will allow us to plan for the future growth of the city rather than react to issues brought up by that growth.

All of these things have been accomplished and we will continue to work on these items without picking your pockets to do it. City property taxes have only risen from .7545 to .7558 in this time. For someone living in a $100,000 home that's only a 24₵ increase in your annual city real and personal property taxes since 2003.

On a more personal level during this period I've been involved in the community in the following ways:

1. Economic Development Committee: 2003 - 2005

2. Carl Junction Chamber of Commerce where I served for 1 year as vice president and 2 years as president.

3. Carl Junction Planning and Zoning: 2002 - 2005; 2010 - Present

4. Webb City Carl Junction Rotary Club: 2005 - 2007

5. Charter Member of Carl Junction Lions Club.

6. Mayor Pro Tem of the City of Carl Junction: 2006 - Present

7. Owned RE/MAX New Directions which operated in Carl Junction from 2001 – 2007

8. Served as either a member or chairman of the Budget, Code Review and Long Range Planning Committees.

9. Participated in the development of Schoolview Estates which was developed by the Hayes Family and to date has added 64 families so far to the City of Carl Junction and raised the total valuation of properties in the city by over $8 million helping to keep your property taxes lower.

As you can see I have been very involved in helping Carl Junction be the absolute best that it can be. I've been part of creating solutions to help Carl Junction and have enjoyed seeing the results of our hard work.

It's important to note that the position of Alderman is not one of power or money. The only power an Alderman has is the single vote he casts while in a City Council Meeting. In Carl Junction Alderman are paid $21.00 for each council meeting they attend. There is no pay for the countless hours spent in committee meetings, planning sessions and time answering questions from the public. This is a position of service to the community and nothing more. City Alderman are the truest form of citizen legislators.

If you want someone in the office of Alderman that will continue to put the needs and welfare of the entire city of Carl Junction first and serve your best interests, then I humbly ask for your continued support by voting for Walter Hayes on April 5th, 2011.

Please do not hesitate in contacting me by emailing me at walter@walterhayes.com if you want to discuss what is going on in the city.