I am convinced that, if more neighbors would just talk to each other, the world’s problems would all be solved in short order. I don’t mean the Biblical principle of letting someone know they sinned against you and hashing it out. No, I’m talking about a group of neighbors getting together to discuss legitimate solutions to the problems of this crazy old mind-addling floating rock we inhabit.
If you disagree, then you have either lost (or never properly learned) the fine art skill of the Midwest Driveway Forum. Hollywood likes to portray this time-honored foundation of Midwest culture as nothing more than 3 or 4 middle-aged men drinking beer and discussing their lawnmowers while their wives are inside making meat and mayonnaise salads; but nothing could be further from the truth.
To be sure, the discussion of lawnmowers does come up. After all, one needs to discuss whether a 3” pulley speeds up a mower enough to justify the cost. We also need to know how the guy 2 doors down modified his mower to make it faster and better. (This usually comes up in discussions of racing mowers in particular but can also apply to lawn mowers in general).
Don’t be deceived, though, the conversation is so much richer than Hollywood would have one think. For instance, this past Friday evening, I learned that my neighbor enjoys reading my local humor-ish column (shout out to LJ!). We also discussed the new Costco (we are unanimously pro-new Costco) and which famous little people would be fun to have at our next block party.
It’s not all bulk cheese purchases and famous visiting chefs though. The Midwest Driveway Forum is where neighbors gather to solve serious community issues. Let’s say your town council recently suggested introducing parallel parking downtown, which led to the discovery that a fair portion of the local population under the age of 40 admit to being unable to parallel park a vehicle. What is a town to do? The Midwest Driveway Forum knows! (Take their driver’s licenses until they learn – it’s literally on the driving exam and it’s not that hard. That’s according to the Midwest Driveway Forum, of course. I, personally, don’t mind if non-parallel parkers are out and about – it just leaves more parking spaces for me, a superior driver who can parallel park.)
Recently, a 4-wheeler disappeared from a home in my area and was presumed stolen. The Midwest Driveway Forum was on call with helpful suggestions such as, “Wait until it gets light, you probably just can’t see it outside in the dark,” and “You just forgot where you parked it. That’s a thing, you know!” The 4-wheeler was not found in the morning light, but the Midwest Driveway Forum did play a part in recovering the vehicle in record time and in excellent condition.
At our most recent Midwest Driveway Forum, the subject of the green bridge came up (a natural conversational progression from gold nuggets stamped with the Costco logo – available for a limited time only!). I just really felt like I hadn’t heard enough opinions about the new bridge and was glad for the opportunity to discuss it again to get a good grasp on my true feelings. Loyalties are divided on whether the green bridge was a landmark that should be repaired or an ugly, dilapidated threat to public safety. A compromise was reached, wherein, we decided the new bridge could just be painted green. The Silver Bridge Alliance is out of luck with this one.
Just kidding, I took liberties when I said we solved that issue. The Green Bridge Purists would never stand for painting the new concrete bridge green. The discussion was tabled for the next Midwest Driveway Forum.
Starting your own Midwest Driveway Forum is a simple matter – this is Missouri after all, home to friendly people. All you need to do is open your garage door (or shop door if you are outside city limits), turn on a light, and sit in the driveway with a beer or sweet tea until some neighbors join you. Then, you too, can be part of bringing about world harmony – well, local public parking harmony anyway.
Today I urge you to find joy. Start your own Midwest Driveway Forum. If you need ideas for conversation starters, might I suggest discussing the relative merits of pizza from the new Casey’s versus pizza from the old Casey’s versus the unmatched magnificence of Guido’s pizza?
By Alexander T. Holt, Contributing Writer Connie Whitlock, Publisher & Editor
PLEASANT HILL — Pleasant Hill residents will see higher water and sewer bills after the City Council approved a new rate structure following a public hearing on the city’s Water & Sewer Rate Study.
The study, completed in September, looks at the city’s current utility finances, future expenses, and the cost of needed improvements to the water and sewer systems.
For residents, the biggest question is simple: What will this mean for my monthly bill?
Under the approved rates, water rates will increase by 6%. The sewer base charge will also increase by 6%, while the sewer charge based on water usage will increase by 38%.
For a household using 4,000 gallons of water a month, the current combined water and sewer bill is $120.57.
Under the new rates, that same bill will be $140.98 per month — an increase of $20.41, or about 17%.
The council unanimously approved Bill No. 26-35, amending the city’s fee schedule to put the new rates into effect Nov. 1.
Why is the city raising rates?
According to the study, the city is facing increasing costs to operate and maintain its utility systems, along with major improvements that will be needed in the coming years.
During the public hearing, the city’s rate consultant explained that without an increase, existing revenue will not be enough to cover the utility’s expenses and debt obligations.
“Right now our revenues will not pay our O&M and our debt service,” he told the council. “And this is not a sustainable position, obviously.”
One of the largest pressures is on the sewer side.
The consultant said the analysis separated water and sewer expenses as much as possible and found that sewer needed the larger adjustment.
“What we found is sewer is the one that really needs larger rate increases than water,” he said. “Water is in okay shape. Sewer is the one.”
A major reason is what Pleasant Hill pays Middle Big Creek for wastewater treatment. According to the presentation, the charge increased from approximately $49 to $54 per connection per month this year — an increase of more than 10%.
The consultant described Middle Big Creek as one of the city’s largest sewer expenses and said there is little reason to expect those costs to decline in the near future.
Putting more of the increase on usage
While the sewer usage rate will increase substantially, the city chose to limit the increase to the sewer base charge to 6%.
The consultant said the structure was intentional because it places more of the increase on customers who use larger amounts of water while reducing the impact on low-volume users.
“By increasing the base charge only 6%, and the volume charge getting a majority of the revenue increase necessary, it’s going to have the lowest impact on our low-cost users,” he said.
That means a customer using the minimum 1,000 gallons will see a smaller dollar increase than the average household.
During discussion before the council vote, officials clarified that the minimum combined water and sewer charge will increase from $53.70 to $60.29.
For the average customer using about 4,000 gallons per month, the increase is $20.41.
The study provided several examples of how bills will change.
Those figures represent water and sewer charges. Trash service, which also appears on city utility bills, is not included in the comparison.
The study provided several examples:
Monthly Usage
Current Bill
Proposed Bill
3,000 gallons
$98.28
$114.06
4,000 gallons
$120.57
$140.98
8,000 gallons
$209.73
$248.66
10,000 gallons
$254.31
$302.50
Two rate increases rolled into one
The consultant also emphasized that residents should not expect another rate increase six months from now.
“We’ve taken the rate increase that should have been done, that usually would have been done six months ago, and the rate increase that usually would be done six months from now,” he said. “We’ve merged them together.”
Under the financial plan presented to the council, another rate increase is not scheduled until April 1, 2028.
“This is basically two years of rate increases pushed together into one,” the consultant said.
Millions in improvements ahead
The study projects approximately $9.15 million in capital needs between FY2027 and FY2031.
Those needs include regular improvements to the water distribution and sewer systems as well as replacement of lead service lines.
The FY2027 plan includes approximately $171,000 for water distribution improvements and $93,000 for sewer improvements.
Lead service line replacement is projected to cost approximately $500,000 per year in FY2028, FY2029, FY2030, and FY2031.
“We have to address lead service lines,” he said. “Federal mandate: the utility is responsible for replacing any lead service in our service area.”
The city also has approximately $4.2 million in remaining voter-approved bond authorization available for utility projects. Based on the current capital plan, the consultant said the city may need to consider seeking additional bond authorization in approximately five or six years.
What happens without an increase?
The study estimates the city would have about $533,815 in reserves in FY2027 but could face a deficit of about $350,000 if no rate increases are made.
The increases are intended not only to cover expenses and debt payments but also to rebuild the utility’s fund balance.
The consultant said the city expects to draw down reserves in the near term before rebuilding them to a level that provides enough money to cover ordinary expenses.
The financial challenge, he said, is that some expenses are not discretionary.
“We have payroll there, we have to keep operating our system, we have to pay our debt service because we promised our people who lent us money we would pay it,” he said.
High-volume residential discount eliminated
The new rate structure also eliminates a discount that residential and irrigation customers previously received when their water use exceeded 30,000 gallons per month.
The consultant said there was no cost-of-service reason to charge residential customers less for water once their usage passed that threshold.
“There’s really no justification for allowing the residential and irrigation users to use more than 30,000 gallons a month and saying, ‘Oh, some of that water is even cheaper than the first 30,000,’” he said.
The discount will remain for commercial and industrial customers with high water usage.
The consultant said those customers typically use large volumes throughout the year, including during winter months, which justifies maintaining the lower high-volume rate.
Could rates come back down?
During the ordinance discussion, a Pleasant Hill resident asked whether residents would be locked into the higher rates if circumstances improved.
“Are we locked into this for a long time, like a miracle happens, and things would happen to come down?” the resident asked.
“No, we’re not,” the consultant responded.
He said refinancing the city’s debt could potentially help if interest rates fall enough to make refinancing advantageous, although those opportunities have been less common in recent years.
But he cautioned against assuming utility costs will fall substantially.
“A utility faces the same inflationary pressures as any other place,” he said.
The more realistic possibility, he said, is that future increases could be smaller than currently projected if inflation and other expenses improve.
“What we can hope for is that rates will not have to go up as much in the future as what we’re projecting,” he said.
He also cautioned against lowering rates because of a temporary improvement in finances, describing another Kansas City-area utility that reduced rates only to reverse the decrease and impose additional increases a few years later.
“Structurally, we have to continue to provide this service to the citizens forever,” he said.
How affordable are Pleasant Hill’s rates?
The study also examined the proposed bills in relation to household income.
At 4,000 gallons per month, the new bill represents approximately 1.77% of Pleasant Hill’s median household income and 3.38% of income for households at the 20th percentile.
The consultant said a commonly used affordability measure begins identifying water and sewer costs as high when they reach around 4% of household income.
The study also compared Pleasant Hill with other communities in the area. The consultant said the new rates move Pleasant Hill slightly higher in the middle of the comparison, but not to the top.
“Right now we’re kind of on the lower end of the middle, and with this increase, we’ll be still in the middle, a little more on the higher end, but not above,” he said.
He also noted that other communities are likely to increase their rates before Pleasant Hill’s next planned adjustment.
Residents will receive notice
Following the public hearing, the council unanimously approved Bill No. 26-35.
City officials said residents will receive information about the change directly on their utility bills rather than having to find it online.
“We are sending these letters out with utility bills,” a city official told the council. “It’s not just on the internet.”
The new rates take effect Nov. 1, meaning customers should begin seeing the increase reflected in bills received at the end of November.
October Brings Festivals, Authors, Ribbon Cuttings and Fall Fun to Pleasant Hill
October is arriving with a busy calendar in Pleasant Hill, bringing everything from barbecue and live music to a bestselling author, ribbon cuttings, classic cars and plenty of opportunities to support local organizations.
The first weekend of the month is especially packed, with several events happening Friday and Saturday, Oct. 2–3.
Friday, Oct. 2, begins with a welcome for one of Pleasant Hill’s newest businesses. The Pleasant Hill Chamber of Commerce will hold a ribbon cutting for Dream Vacations at 10 a.m. at the Chamber office, 100 Wyoming St. The community is invited to help welcome Sheila and Jeff Bryan and celebrate their business.
Later that afternoon, readers will have an opportunity to hear from New York Times bestselling author Lisa Wingate as part of the Cass County Public Library Author Series. Wingate will talk about her life and work as an author and take questions from the audience beginning at 3 p.m. at the Pleasant Hill Branch of the Cass County Public Library. Registration is required. For additional information, contact Teresa Schaefer at 816-987-2231.
Meanwhile, one of Pleasant Hill’s biggest fall weekends will be getting underway with the Big Creek Fall Festival Oct. 2–3.
Friday evening, Oct. 2, festival activities include more than 20 vendors from 5 to 9 p.m., along with food, drinks and live entertainment. A beer tent featuring wine slushies and other selections will be open from 5 to 11 p.m., while Taste the Que and VIP barbecue dinners will be offered from 6 to 8 p.m. A whiskey and spirits tasting follows from 8 to 11 p.m., and Mudflap Mafia will provide live music from 7 to 11 p.m.
The festival continues Saturday morning, Oct. 3, with a Boy Scout pancake breakfast from 8 to 10 a.m. From there, the day fills up with Kids Que and Junior Que barbecue competitions, a cornhole tournament, more than 20 vendors, food trucks, a silent auction, bounce house, home brew competition, Boy Scout demonstrations, whiskey and spirits tasting and the Dammit Don Dunk Tank.
Saturday evening, Oct. 3, will put local talent in the spotlight. The Pleasant Hill Talent Show will be held at the Cass County Fairgrounds, with singers, dancers, musicians, comedians, magicians and other performers invited to take the stage. Five judges will select the winners, with cash prizes of $100 for first place, $75 for second and $50 for third. Those interested in competing can register through Downtown Pleasant Hill under the Fall Festival information.
Admission to the Big Creek Fall Festival and pavilion entertainment is free, although some food, tasting and competition activities require tickets or advance registration.
Saturday, Oct. 3, also brings a celebration along the Rock Island Trail. Missouri State Parks will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Ted and Pat Jones Bridge at 10 a.m. at the Pleasant Hill trailhead. The community event is free and marks the official opening of the bridge.
The following week shifts from festivals to regional business and economic development. The Pleasant Hill Chamber will host the Cass County Coalition of Chambers Luncheon from noon to 1 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8, at the Pleasant Hill Police Department Training Center. Guest speakers from the Missouri Department of Economic Development are scheduled to speak. The luncheon costs $20 per person, with RSVPs requested by Oct. 2 at phillmochamber@gmail.com.
By mid-month, another Pleasant Hill tradition will wrap up its season. Pleasant Hill Cruise Nights will hold its final cruise of 2026 from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16, in downtown Pleasant Hill. Classic cars, trucks and automotive enthusiasts will gather for one last evening of chrome, horsepower and conversation. The event is sponsored by the Pleasant Hill Historic District and Steve & Anthony’s TLC Auto.
Also on Friday, Oct. 16, Rainbow Kingdom Preschool and Parent’s Day Out will host its Chili Supper and Silent Auction Fundraiser from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the United Methodist Church Community Life Center Gym, 1300 Lexington Road. Dinner includes chili, hot dogs, cake, lemonade and tea, while the silent auction will feature themed baskets, baked goods, gift cards and certificates, home décor and other items.
The silent auction closes at 7 p.m., and dinner will be served while supplies last. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children ages 3 to 10, with children 2 and younger admitted free. No ticket is necessary to participate in the silent auction. Proceeds will help Rainbow Kingdom with school supplies and playground needs.
Fall shopping will also be on the calendar Friday–Saturday, Oct. 16–17, as Paula’s Petals Greenhouse & Floral hosts its second annual Fall Vendor Event. Visitors can browse local vendors, shop the greenhouse and stop by the floral bar from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 33607 E. 199th St. Admission is free.
From a major festival weekend to authors, ribbon cuttings, cars, fundraisers and fall shopping, October is starting with plenty of reasons to get out and spend some time around Pleasant Hill.
And there’s still plenty of October left.
Cascade KC Developers Provides Update on New Price Chopper
PLEASANT HILL, Mo. — The future of Pleasant Hill’s new Price Chopper continues to move forward, with major site work already completed and the project currently projected to open in July 2027.
Trip Ross of CascadeKC Developers provided the Pleasant Hill City Council with an update on the development during the council’s Sept. 28 meeting, outlining construction progress, recent changes to the store’s design and plans for additional commercial development surrounding the grocery store.
The Price Chopper project is located near 163rd Street and Missouri Highway 7 and is expected to bring a new grocery store and additional retail opportunities to the area. Ross said there was some interest in the pad sites but no closed deals.
Trip Ross of CascadeKC before Council (photo/Connie Whitlock)
According to Ross, construction on the development began during the summer. One of the first major components of the project was extending a sanitary sewer line from the school property. A temporary construction easement was also required to allow the work to be completed. That sewer work has now been completed.
Following completion of the infrastructure work, crews moved into site preparation for the shopping center. Ross told the council that the building pad for the Price Chopper has been completed, marking another significant milestone for the project.
The development was approaching the next stage, including footing work and construction of the building, when the project encountered a pause. Ross explained that the pause was related to changes requested by Price Chopper concerning the interior design of the store. “As we were going to turn things over and start footing and construction, our tenant decided to make some design changes to the interior of the store,” Ross told the council.
Big Creek BBQ Bash Grows Into a Multi-Day Fall Festival
What started as a barbecue competition in Pleasant Hill is growing into a multi-day fall festival. The Big Creek BBQ Bash returns to the Cass County Fairgrounds Oct. 2–3, but this year the Kansas City Barbeque Society-sanctioned competition will be just one part of a much larger weekend.
Banner at the Fair Grounds (photo courtesy of Downtown Pleasant Hill Inc.)
Now expanded into the Big Creek Fall Festival, the event will include live music, more than 20 vendors, food trucks, a pancake breakfast, children’s barbecue competitions, cornhole, a homebrew competition, whiskey tastings, a talent show and, of course, plenty of barbecue. The expansion marks a significant change for an event that began with competitive barbecue at its center, although the smokers, teams and judges aren’t going anywhere.
Barbecue is still at the heart of Big Creek
The Big Creek BBQ Bash is a KCBS-sanctioned Backyard BBQ competition, which means the contest follows Kansas City Barbeque Society rules and judging standards and uses KCBS representatives to help oversee the competition.
Pleasant Hill residents Bunny and Rich Tuttle are distinguished KCBS representatives and have served as representatives for two of the event’s past three years. A KCBS judging class was held in Pleasant Hill in August, giving residents the opportunity to become certified judges. Depending on the number of teams entered, Big Creek typically uses between 12 and 24 judges.
Last year’s competition brought 23 Backyard teams to Pleasant Hill. Organizers expect fewer teams this year because the American Royal, also a KCBS event, falls on the same weekend. While the number of barbecue teams may be smaller, everything happening around the competition is getting bigger.
Friday night brings barbecue and live music
The festival opens Friday evening with vendors, food and drinks beginning at 5 p.m. Scouts will kick off the festival with a Presentation of the Colors, followed by one of the weekend’s main attractions, “Taste of the Que.”
Instead of simply watching the competition teams cook, festival attendees can eat some of what they’re making. From 6 to 8 p.m., teams will prepare a dinner featuring pulled pork, chicken, wings, sides and desserts. Tickets for “Taste of the Que” will be available at the event for $35.
A $60 VIP experience includes the dinner, reserved seating and a private whiskey and spirits tasting. VIP tickets must be purchased in advance by Oct. 1. Then the focus shifts from barbecue to music. Mudflap Mafia will perform a free public concert at the pavilion from 7 to 11 p.m., giving visitors a reason to stick around long after dinner.
Saturday starts early
Saturday’s schedule begins with another Presentation of the Colors by the Scouts, followed by a Scout Troop 300 fundraising pancake breakfast from 8 to 10 a.m. Then some of the youngest cooks at Big Creek get their turn in front of the judges.
Kids Que, for children ages 5 to 10, challenges competitors to create their best hot dog. Junior Que, for ages 11 to 15, moves up to hamburgers. Both competitions take place Saturday morning from 9 to 11 a.m. and require advance registration by Oct. 1.
Meanwhile, a cornhole tournament begins at 9 a.m., vendors open for the day and more than five food trucks are expected to be serving at the fairgrounds. A free bounce house will be available from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Scout Troop 300 will hold demonstrations from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Homebrew, Whiskey and a Dunk Tank
Barbecue won’t be the only thing being judged Saturday. A Home Brew Competition is planned from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., adding another competitive element to the festival.
The expanded event also includes whiskey and spirits tastings featuring Missouri distilleries Barewood Spirits and Blacksmith Artisanal Distillery. The ticketed tasting is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., with Bale and Ash setting up a nearby cigar tent. And then there’s the event that may draw a crowd all by itself. Mayor Don Donovan is scheduled to take his seat in the “Dammit Don Dunk Tank” from 1 to 3 p.m.
The barbecue competition returns to center stage later in the afternoon, with awards presented at the pavilion at 3:30 p.m. A talent show from 6 to 8 p.m. will help close out the festival Saturday evening, with advance registration required for those who want to compete. For organizers, adding more activities to the weekend is ultimately about getting more of the community involved.
The Big Creek Fall Festival will be held Friday, Oct. 2, and Saturday, Oct. 3, at the Cass County Fairgrounds in Pleasant Hill. Admission to the festival and Friday night’s concert is free. Some meals, tastings, and competitions require tickets or advance registration. Downtown Pleasant Hill has more information.
