December 30, 2023

By Tribune Staff

Recently, the Missouri Ethics Commission found that two different campaign committees organized in Raytown to oppose ballot issues in 2022 violated state ethics statutes.

The Not the Time for This Tax campaign committee filed registration with the Missouri Ethics Commission on June 23, 2022 to oppose Raytown’s 2022 ballot questions 1, 2 and 3 on the August 2, 2022 ballot. Questions 1 and 2 were related to the issuance of general obligation bonds to repair city road and sewer infrastructure. Question 3 was related to a tax levy for municipal purposes.

After having received a legal complaint and conducting an investigation, the Missouri Ethic Commission found that the Not the Time for This Tax campaign committee and its treasurer, Jayne Loulos, failed to accurately report multiple expenditures and failed to accurately report certain in-kind expenditures.

According to the Commission’s report, the campaign committee and its treasurers failed to correctly report three expenditures for printing brochures, flyers and yard signs made on July 6, 2022, and totaling $2,393.51. The committee failed to itemize the expenditures on the 8-day Before Election Report and failed to report them on the 30-Day After Election Report. Also, the committee failed to correctly report two additional expenditures on their 30-Day After Election Report. One expenditure was $174.45 for postage and the other was $20 for envelopes.

Also, the Commission found that the committee failed to report on the 30-Day After Election Report an in-kind donation of bags, rubber bands and candy valued at $277.19 made on August 1, 2022.

In addition to requiring that the campaign committee amend and correct its reports, the Commission fined the committee $2,864. However, according to the Commission, if the campaign committee pays $286 within 45 days of the Commission’s findings, the remainder of that penalty will be stayed. The Commission filed its findings December 15, 2023.

Still Not the Time for This Tax filed its campaign committee registration with the Missouri Ethics Commission on September 19, 2022, to oppose Questions 1 and 2 on the November 2022 ballot. Questions 1 and 2 were related to the issuance of general obligation bonds to repair city road and sewer infrastructure.

The Commission found that Still Not Time for This Tax campaign committee, its treasurer Elisa Breitenbach and deputy treasurer Greg Walters, failed to terminate the committee more than a month after the election. By state statute, an unsuccessful committee with no debt is required to be terminated within 30 days of the election.

The Commission ordered the committee to amend its reports and fined the campaign committee $1,000. If the campaign committee pays $100 within 45 days of the Commission’s report being issued, then the remainder of the amount is stayed.

The Commission filed these findings on December 13, 2023.