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God certainly did receive much thanks and gratitude during the installation ceremony for re-elected Independence City Council members Monday, and it got me thinking. What is the status of the Freedom From Religion Foundation and city council correspondence that I first reported on in January?
At the beginning of March, the foundation’s staff attorney, Rebecca Markert, mailed Independence Mayor Don Reimal a follow-up letter to an initial letter sent on June 5, 2009. An unidentified person or family filed a complaint with the foundation, located nearly 500 miles away, with hopes of removing prayer prior to Independence City Council meetings. The issue remained quiet in public for more than six months until Reimal mentioned it publicly at the January Ministerial Alliance meeting.
“To date, we have not received a response,” Markert’s follow-up letter reads. “It is my understanding that the Independence City Council continues to include sectarian prayers or invocations as part of its regular meetings. It is also my understanding that members of the public attend the meetings and all in attendance are asked to stand for the prayers. Upon reviewing the prayers since our initial June 5th letter, many of the prayers continue to implicitly or explicitly invoke Jesus Christ.”
The letter provides transcripts of several prayers, including prayers spoken by At-Large Council Member Jim Schultz. The foundation’s letter claims that the council’s practice “of hosting overtly Christian prayers” violates the First Amendment and “inappropriately alienate(s)” non-Christians and non-believers in Independence.
“At a minimum, the city should require that any invocations given before City Council meetings comply with Supreme Court dictates and be non-sectarian and non-denominational,” the follow-up letter states.
City Council members remain firm on their position to allow any and all forms of prayer prior to council meetings. Though the current prayer sign-up list is administered through the Independence Ministerial Alliance, Schultz said different faiths and religions are invited to contact the Mayor’s Office at 816-325-7030 to arrange a prayer before meetings.
“I think it’s our freedom to be able to pray,” Schultz said. “At our council meetings, we allow people of any faith to come up and pray. I think we’re entitled as Christians to pray in public.”
The foundation requested a written reply from city officials that addresses the steps the city is taking “to remedy this constitutional violation,” the letter reads.
God certainly did receive much thanks and gratitude during the installation ceremony for re-elected Independence City Council members Monday, and it got me thinking. What is the status of the Freedom From Religion Foundation and city council correspondence that I first reported on in January?
At the beginning of March, the foundation’s staff attorney, Rebecca Markert, mailed Independence Mayor Don Reimal a follow-up letter to an initial letter sent on June 5, 2009. An unidentified person or family filed a complaint with the foundation, located nearly 500 miles away, with hopes of removing prayer prior to Independence City Council meetings. The issue remained quiet in public for more than six months until Reimal mentioned it publicly at the January Ministerial Alliance meeting.
“To date, we have not received a response,” Markert’s follow-up letter reads. “It is my understanding that the Independence City Council continues to include sectarian prayers or invocations as part of its regular meetings. It is also my understanding that members of the public attend the meetings and all in attendance are asked to stand for the prayers. Upon reviewing the prayers since our initial June 5th letter, many of the prayers continue to implicitly or explicitly invoke Jesus Christ.”
The letter provides transcripts of several prayers, including prayers spoken by At-Large Council Member Jim Schultz. The foundation’s letter claims that the council’s practice “of hosting overtly Christian prayers” violates the First Amendment and “inappropriately alienate(s)” non-Christians and non-believers in Independence.
“At a minimum, the city should require that any invocations given before City Council meetings comply with Supreme Court dictates and be non-sectarian and non-denominational,” the follow-up letter states.
City Council members remain firm on their position to allow any and all forms of prayer prior to council meetings. Though the current prayer sign-up list is administered through the Independence Ministerial Alliance, Schultz said different faiths and religions are invited to contact the Mayor’s Office at 816-325-7030 to arrange a prayer before meetings.
“I think it’s our freedom to be able to pray,” Schultz said. “At our council meetings, we allow people of any faith to come up and pray. I think we’re entitled as Christians to pray in public.”
The foundation requested a written reply from city officials that addresses the steps the city is taking “to remedy this constitutional violation,” the letter reads.
“I don’t think there’s a case yet,” Reimal said. “We haven’t really done anything in return. I feel that the next move is not ours. We’re doing what we’ve done for years and years and years, and we feel like it’s within the bounds of what we’re allowed to do.”
The subject matter has proven itself as a touchy one that yielded many letters to the editor at The Examiner. Regardless of which side residents may find themselves supporting, the issue is best summarized in the following quote from Mary McCoy, president of the Independence-based Cultural Crossroads Inc., a nonprofit organization that aims to provide education on cultural and ethnic practices:
“They may think they’re mutually exclusive, but I bet you there’s a way to make it work,” McCoy said in January of the two sides. “There are very few topics that people are going to feel stronger about.”
Business owner prompts ordinance suggestion
City Council members had a first reading Monday night on an ordinance that would amend sign permit fees within the City Code. City Manager Robert Heacock said the ordinance started with a business owner’s suggestion to Reimal nearly three weeks ago. Though the amendment, if approved, would reduce the city’s revenue by about $1,000 to $2,000 annually, Heacock called the change “an effort to be fair” among local business owners and would keep sign permit fees in line with Kansas City area municipalities.
Instead of charging a graduated fee as the size of a sign increased, the proposed amendment would change the fee to $125 for a sign permit, regardless of the sign’s size. The ordinance also would create a new fee of $50 for replacing or changing a sign face.
Council members will vote on the ordinance May 3.
