The latest blog post from Kansas City's Mayor regarding his plan for more bonds and a sales tax increase:
REFORM AND REPAIR
The money quote before the tax language . . .
"The City must build residents’ confidence in our ability to implement reasonable reforms and deliver much needed infrastructure repairs. The first priority will be fixing our current system and addressing our maintenance backlog. A concentrated, long-term effort to reduce deferred maintenance should begin – now."
Here's the white paper . . .
KANSAS CITY’S REFORM & REPAIR INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN
CLICK ON AN IMAGE FOR A BIGGER VIEW . . .
Developing . . .
How long have "we" been talking about this and how much money has been given to do just this?
ReplyDeleteSO, when does all THAT kick in?
The first "Reform" should be to ensure that everyone shares in the tax burden FAIRLY and focus should be on funding essential functions FULLY.
ReplyDelete"Fairness" means the City must employ objective and consistent study methodology and evaluation criteria in determining which projects they will support. TIF is fine, but developers should also be responsible and held accountable for calculating and capturing the life cycle costs for infrastructure maintenance, upkeep and replacement. And there should be an offset to TIF when projects result in demands for additional City services (e.g. TIFing a residential development that will require expanding trash collection, park maintenance, etc.)
Developers must be held accountable for financially backstopping the deals they pitch AND be subject to clawbacks for projects that underperform to projections.
"Full funding" means that there is a core "basket" of services, whatever that is, that EVERY resident in EVERY neighborhood receives- from serviceable streets and sidewalks to parks that are maintained and sold waste services that are planned, routine and responsive.
Establishing confidence in KCMO city government doesn't involve slick campaigns or three-color brochures.
ReplyDeleteBehavior has consequences and the constant passage of "emergency" legislation to slip important issues through the council, the continuous moving of money from one purpose to whatever is neat at the time, and the endless focus on whatever issues the usual insiders and hangers-on demand, is not helping build confidence.
Can't the mayor and council try to behave responsibly for just a few months and see how it feels?
Orbably not.
As to the $3.5 Million budget shortfall for Parks fom th loss of the license fee, 1) That's roughly on par percentage-wise with the cuts to the Fire Department's budget. Yes, I know the Parks budget has been subjected to cuts over the last few years. But even so, Parks continues to EXPAND their system with new aquatic facilities, the drag strip acquisition, more trails, etc.
ReplyDeleteP&R should establish strict performance measures (financial and otherwise) and privatize or outsource the operation of certain aspects of their department (zoo, Liberty Memorial, Starlight, community and aquatic centers). Include life cycle costs and replacement costs in any new system expansion.
Completely agree, 4:46.
ReplyDeleteI have lived in KCMO for 4 years and never experienced how bad local government could be. It's my take that City Hall serves to meet the needs or a limited few insiders who either leverage insider information or a couple of dozen fat cat bureaucrats that hang on for years and do nothing and draw serious bank. I Didn't like paying taxes in Minneapolis, but found it tolerable beacuse of the good performance and service of City Hall. Would not have came here, except my employer made me. And he did it without tax breaks.
ReplyDeleteThe Slytmare is just beginning.
ReplyDeletePLEASE.
ReplyDelete"Midwest Voices" KC Star comment forum.
Never miss an opportunity to share your knowledge.
Call in to KMBZ talk shows.
Thanks Tony for your hard work.
Right, water department just botched a sewer line repair here and they have to dig it up and do it over again. Reform what?
ReplyDeleteContinued . . and still wasting time on the job doing nothing but joking around for hours at a time, sometimes half a day waiting for supplies, trucks idling for hours at a time burning fuel . . Firing the Water Department Maintenance and Repair division alone and replacing it with competent people would be a great start. Maybe the State can take over that also in addition to the Schools.
ReplyDeleteGet rid of local 500 and replace them with competent people to work for the City who are not-related nor required to live within city limits. Think you might see more improvements.
ReplyDeleteSorry 6:19, but I believe there are a couple of department heads inside City Hall that keep themselves employed by keeping Local 500 in power.
ReplyDeleteMayor Sly needs to crack down on Water Services. Make sure the union is strictly held to the contract. Make sure Water Services has the materials it needs to do its job so people are not waiting around idle.
ReplyDeleteThe reality is that KCMO has a deadline to fix its sewer system. The City entered into a consent decree with the EPA and there are huge penalties if the city doesn't meet the deadline. Granted, it is years away (I forget exactly when), but sewers need to be fixed. I'm not sure borrowing $500 million right now is the way to go. The City needs to cinch its belt tight and develop a plan to fix as much as it can within its current replacement budget. As things are replaced, there will be fewer and fewer emergency pipe breaks, which will free up more and more budget dollars, IF IT IS MANAGED CORRECTLY.
KCMO does not want to wind up like Jefferson County, AL. Look up that debacle. If you don't think it can happen here, think again.
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/timstanley/100158834/obama-used-to-be-a-kenyan/
ReplyDeleteScare us 9:29.
ReplyDelete