In This Issue

Comprehensive Plan Update

Winter Edition of the Blue Springs Magazine now available

Contact Your

City Councilmember

District 1

Dale Carter

Jeff Quibell

District 2

Kent Edmondson

Chris Lievsay

District 3

Ron Fowler

Susan Culpepper

Need Information?

Stay Connected.

www.bluespringsgov.com

Election Filing Notice

Are you interested in serving on the City Council? On

Tuesday, April 8, 2014, an election will be held for the following positions:

Councilman

District 1 - three-year term

Councilman

District 2 - three-year term

Councilman

District 3 - three-year term

Declaration of Candidacy Forms and instructions for filing procedures are available at City Hall, 903 W Main St., Blue Springs, Mo.

Candidates may file at City Hall beginning Tuesday, December 17, 2013 through January 21, 2014 during normal business hours (8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.)

Fro more information, call the City Clerk's office at (816) 228-0110.

Buy Blue Springs

Did you know that when you pay Jackson County Personal Property and Real Estate tax bills at City Hall, 1% of tax dollars collected stays in Blue Springs?

The City funds the staff positions for the tax collection counter from this revenue, creating a more convenient way for you to interact with your County government, right here in our community.

If you do not need your receipt right away, you can drop off your payment at City Hall and a receipt will be mailed to you within two business days.

Franklin Smith Elementary School Visit

On November 18, I had the pleasure of visiting Franklin Smith Elementary's 3rd Grade Class. We talked about local government and what I do as Mayor. I had a great time and I hope they invite me back next year!

Blue Springs Police Department Awards

I would like to extend my congratulations to the recipients of the 2013 Awards of Valor from the

Kansas City Metro Chiefs & Sheriff's Association.

Congratulations to

Lt. John Kingsolver, Officer Alex McIntyre, Officer Steve Emberton, Officer Sarah Murphy, Lisa

Sidenstick (former Blue Springs Police Department officer now with the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department.)

Officers Emberton, Murphy and

Sidenstick received a Bronze Award for their rescue of residents from a fire; Lt. Kingsolver and

Officer McIntyre received Lifesaving Awards in separate incidents.

12th Annual Blue Springs Police Department Awards Banquet

On Thursday, December 12, the Blue Springs Police Department hosted their 12th Annual Blue Springs Police Department Awards Banquet.

Congratulations to:

Jerry Kaylor, Volunteer of the Year

Tammy Kunkel, Civilian of the Year

Kelly Caster, Officer of the Year

Jeff Sargent, Supervisor of the Year

Life Saving Awards were awarded to:

Steve Decker

Jeff Sargent

Ben McRae

Steve Emberton

Sara Murphy

John Kingsolver

Alex McIntyre

Randal Francis

Robert Unruh- 2

I would like to repeat what Chief McCoy says about the awards,

Congratulations to everyone who was recognized, but remember that these awards would not have been possible without everyone's support and teamwork.

Thank you again for your service to our community!

Girls on the Run Woods Chapel Park Clean Up!

I would like to give a big shout out to the John Nowlin Elementary "Girls on the Run" team for their latest community project!

The team chose to clean up their neighborhood park, Woods Chapel Park and they did a fantastic job! Thank you again for donating your time to help improve Blue Springs!

Upcoming Holiday Events

Strand Light Recycling Program

November 17, 2013 through January 26, 2014

Pink Hill Park Recycling Center 2725 NW Park Road

Wednesdays, Saturdays & Sundays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Do you have a pile of broken or unwanted strand lights? Are you upgrading your traditional strand lights with energy-efficient LED lights? This holiday season, don't throw out your old strand lights - recycle them!

We are teaming up with Southeast Enterprises to offer residents the opportunity to recycle their broke or unwanted strand lights at no cost.

For more information about this program, click here.

Christmas Tree Recycling Program

Dec. 26 through Jan. 18

Pink Hill Park

This free program is a safe and environmentally friendly way to dispose of your Christmas tree. Commercial vendors may also participate for a fee. Drop off location is Pink Hill Park.

Don't throw all of those Christmas cardboard boxes away, recycle them! Make plans to drop off your Christmas Tree and your cardboard boxes at the same time! Contact the Parks & Recreation Office for more information.

Holiday Classic Music

BSSD Radio

Now until January 1

Are you craving the sounds of classic holiday music - commercial FREE? Our friends at BSSD Radio will be playing "The Classic Sounds of Christmas" non-sop through January 1st.

Click here to learn more!

New Pay-by-Phone Service

Pay-By-Phone

(816) 228-0220

Did you know that Blue Springs water and sewer utility customers now have the convenience of paying their bill 24 hours a day, seven days a week by phone using an interactive voice response system?

Pay-By-Phone payments can be made by calling (816) 228-0220. Customers will need to have their Utility Bill Account Number located in the upper right hand corner of their bill to process payment. Blue Springs utility customers will have the option of paying by credit or debit card.

The Pay-By-Phone program joins other payment options the City offers such as online bill pay, Automatic Bill Payment Plan, the drop-off box located at City Hall or in person at our payment counter.

If your services have been disconnected or at risk of being disconnected, please call the Utility Billing and Collection Division at (816) 228-0134 during business hours with your verification number.

Municipal Court Temporary Hours

The Blue Springs Municipal Court office hours will be Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. due to staff shortages. The office will remain open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on days evening court is scheduled.

Municipal Court customers can lookup violations by citation number, driver's license number, social security number or vehicle information and pay fines 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by clicking here.

Municipal Court also has a payment drop box located in the lobby of the Howard L. Brown Public Safety Building located at 1100 SW Smith Street, Blue Springs, Mo.

Winter Resources

Snow Removal

The Snow Removal Hotline number is (816) 228-0295. If you would like to learn more about the City's Snow Removal Program, click here.

Potholes

To report a pothole, call the Pothole Hotline at (816) 228-0291 and leave the exact location of the hole, the nearest cross street and your name and phone number so we can contact you if we have problems locating the pothole.

To learn more about the City's Pothole Repair Program, click here.

Power Outages

If you are experiencing a power outage in your area, call 1 (888) 544-4852. To learn more about KCP&L's Winter Storm Program, click here.

Let's Move! Saturdays!

These events are free and open to the public! (unless noted) To view the entire Summer schedule, click here.

Gage Center

1101 NW Jefferson

December 21, 10:30 a.m. to noon

Join us for a Somersaulting With Santa.

Club 7 Fitness

1241 SW Highway 7

December 28, 9-11 a.m.
Join us for Kids Fit Boot Camp, fitness activities and open gym for adults.

Action Martial Arts

1241 SW Highway 7

December 28, 1-2:30 p.m.
Join us for kids kickboxing and cross training for kids ages 7-13, limit 25 participants. Register by calling (816) 224-4105.

City Government on

CTV-7

Check out what's new and going on in Blue Springs, 24 hours a day,

7 days a week.

Watch Comcast Cable
Channel 7

News Happenings
Around Town
A bi-weekly message from your Blue Springs Mayor and City Council

Greetings!

Hello and welcome to News Happenings Around Town, your one-stop source for City information and news updates, including those items most important to you.

The Christmas holiday is quickly approaching and I wish you and your family a safe and Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. If you are looking to get into the holiday spirit, you can listen to commercial-free holiday music on BSSD radio by clicking here.

December is a busy month here in Blue Springs. Below you can catch up on the Mayor's Christmas Tree Lighting, Shop with a Blue Springs Cop and several other holiday related events around town.

I invite you to "Buy Blue Springs" if possible and keep your dollars in our community. To learn more about shopping local, click here.

As always, please continue sharing this timely publication and spreading the word about what's good and going on in the City of Blue Springs.

Mayor's Christmas Tree Lighting

Top to Bottom: First Methodist Church of Blue Springs; Event Emcee Pete Grigsby, Mayor Carson Ross and Joe Haney; Cordill Mason 4th & 5th Grade Extra Curricular Choir directed by Robin Stockdell; John Nowlin Girl Scout Choir directed by Denise McCain; Mayor Carson Ross with Seth Porter, Haiden Cooper, Mac from the Missouri Mavericks, Logan Dovel and Pete Grigsby; Fireworks flash as the Mayor's Christmas tree is lit.; Daniel Young Elementary Choir directed by Debby Gray

On Tuesday, December 3, hundreds of residents joined me as we lit the Mayor's Christmas Tree outside of City Hall. The weather was remarkably mild, considering the weather for this event is generally very chilly.

First Methodist Church of Blue Springs, Cordill Mason's 4th & 5th Grade Extra Curricular Choir, John Nowlin Girl Scout Chior and Daniel Young Elementary Choir entertained the audience with their melodic programs.

We were also joined by the Maverick's mascot Mac, Lil' Blue, Cow from Chick-fil-A, Blue Springs South Jaguar, Frosty the Snowman and of course, Mr. and Mrs. Claus!

I would like to thank Pete Grigsby from the Blue Springs School District and Chuck Johnson for joining me, and a special thanks to Haiden Cooper, Logan Dovel and Seth Porter for helping me flip the switch to light the Christmas Tree this year.

If you missed the tree lighting, you can see photos from the event by clicking here. JAG-TV also featured it on their Holiday Episode and you can view that by clicking here. A longer video from the event will soon be airing on CTV-7 and will be available on the City's YouTube Channel.

This year's event was made possible thanks to: the Mayor's Christmas Tree Committee, Cosentino's Price Chopper, VFW Post #6603, Blue Springs Chamber of Commerce, America's Community Bank, Three Pigs BBQ, Former Mayor Steve Steiner, Warren Hintz, Jerry Kaylor, Boy Scouts Troop #763, Volunteers in Police Services, Downtown Alive and the Blue Springs Art League.

Shop With A Blue Springs Cop

Top to Bottom: Group photo at Target; Mayor Ross and First Lady Eloise pose for a photo with a program participant; "Doc" Golden pushed his 'helper' and is joined by program volunteers; Officer David Brotherton, Shop with a Blue Springs Cop program manager with his 'helper' and assistant; VIPS volunteers join Councilman Kent Edmondson and Councilman Chris Lievsay; Sgt. Rapp poses with a photo with his 'helper' and volunteers.

On Saturday, December 14 at the Target store in the Adams Dairy Landing shopping center, the Police Department and members of the Blue Springs Citizen's Police Academy Alumni Association participated in the fourth annual 'Shop with a Blue Springs Cop' event. This event was hosted by Target as part of their Heroes and Helpers Program.

This event partnered 30 Blue Springs School District students with 30 Blue Springs Police Officers. This program is an opportunity for at-risk children to socialize with officers in a positive atmosphere and reinforce that police officers are friends in the community.

This event really showcases what a dynamic and wonderful community we have here in Blue Springs. Thank you again to all the event sponsors and volunteers that helped make this event possible.

To see photos from this event, click here.

Comprehensive Plan Update

Top: Photo from a public meeting to discuss the Specific Area Plans. Bottom: This map is part of the updated Comprehensive Plan and the plan will detail unique facets associated with individual specific areas.

The 2013 Comprehensive Plan Update is on the move. The vision, goals and targets are nearing completion for inclusion in the framework of the plan. Chapters are currently being prepared for the final draft of the plan.

The City has held a series of public meetings in the north, central and southern sections of Blue Springs. These meetings focused on specific area plans within each section to identify context, opportunities and constraints of those individual areas.

City staff are moving towards putting the final touches on the updated Comprehensive Plan and preparing for the final public hearings before the Planning Commission and City Council presentations.

It is NOT too late for you to provide your comments! Let us know how you would like to see your community grow. Click here to take a quick survey!

Winter Edition of the Blue Springs Magazine now available

Do you want to know more about what's new and going on in Blue Springs? The Blue Springs Magazine keeps you up-to-date on all the news, events and community developments taking place in the City. The winter 2014 issue has been mailed to residents' homes, and is now available online.

This issue is our special community issue in which we take a look back at some of the accomplishments made in city government. Also included are updates from the Blue Springs Chamber of Commerce, the Blue Springs School District and the Central Jackson County Fire Protection District.

Featured are our 2013 edition are our "My Blue Springs" Photo contest winners! Congratulations to: Kristi Branstetter, Over All Winner; Mackenzie Walls, Youth Category; Chris Mancini, Adult Category; Diana Hughes, Senior Category. Thank you again to everyone who entered. To see the photo contest winners and entries, click here.

To view the Blue Springs Magazine, click here. To view the Activity Guide, click here. If you would like to learn more about the Blue Springs Magazine or review past editions, click here.

I hope you have found this issue of News Happenings Around Town to be both informative and timely for your City information needs. Is there anything we missed? Do you have questions about any of the articles from this issue? Share your thoughts with me and the City Council by calling City Hall at (816) 228-0110. Know that we truly value your time and support for our City and hope you join us for the next issue of News Happenings.

Sincerely,

Carson Ross, Mayor

City of Blue Springs

Our
Mission

The City of Blue Springs is a unique community where families, visitors and businesses share a special quality of life and an abundant spirit of community closeness and cooperation.

Our number one goal is to ensure that our residents, visitors and patrons receive quality customer service and attention with every program and service the City provides. Just as you stand by a community that strives to meet your family's needs, we promise to do our best to meet these needs and anticipate what's best for you and our community, to the best of our ability.