TKC BREAKING AND EXCLUSIVE NEWS!!! KANSAS CITY PETITION AGAINST TAXPAYER SUBSIDIZED DOWNTOWN CONVENTION HOTEL LAUNCHES TODAY!!!
Once again voters are asking to be included in a process that will spend HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS IN TAXPAYER DOLLARS on a development that may or may not be successful.
To wit . . .
FIRST ON TKC: CHECK THE EFFORT TO PUT DOWNTOWN CONVENTION HOTEL PLANS TO A CITYWIDE PUBLIC VOTE!!!
A big project like this done mostly behind the scenes has very little room for checks and balances . . . It looks like this group simply wants to shed a bit of light on the secretive process.
NEW HYATT ** DON’T BUY-IT
Citizens for Responsible Government (CFRG) has launched an initiative petition drive (see below) that would slow down the Mayor’s and City Council’s irresponsible “fast track” process to finance and build the downtown convention hotel. CFRG IS NOT OPPOSED TO A NEW DOWNTOWN CONVENTION HOTEL-CFRG IS OPPOSED TO THE USE OF TAXPAYER DOLLARS TO FINANCE IT. Kansas City is a great city with limited resources and faces many problems. Problems such as bad schools, high crime, busted sewers and streets, just to name a few. Using Kansas City, MO’s limited resources to fund a hotel directly impedes our ability to rectify our many problems. Slowing the process down will allow the Mayor and Council to address the many questions and concerns regarding the financing of this hotel.
ORDINANCE
Repealing Ordinance No. 150357 and amending Chapter 2, Article II, Code of Ordinances, by enacting a new Section 2-73 entitled “Developing, financing, constructing, and operating downtown convention center headquarters hotels” to require voter authorization before the City or any of its officers or agents may execute any agreement with any party to develop, finance, construct, or operate any downtown convention center headquarters hotel.
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Developing . . .
About time that somebody stood up to the developer class that rules KC.
ReplyDeleteNobody should be able to give away $150 million with no questions asked. That's simply not good business.
I like the slogan! New Hyatt, don't buy it! Yeah! Where do I sign?
ReplyDeleteStopping progress for KC is a hobby for some but they don't have any real alternatives for KC in increase revenue and residents.
ReplyDeleteYou subRUBEan FEARBOTS just don't understand progress!
ReplyDeleteRight, HARDCHARGER!!!???
So the "Citizens for Responsible Government"'s answer to KC's "limited resources" is to make them spend $600,000 on a special election.
ReplyDeleteNow that's responsible.
Take a hint from Gunnar Hand and grab the first U-Haul west.
@5:27PM I guess $600,000=$165,000,000 to you.
ReplyDeleteHow stupid can one be.
Another idea from Sly James going down in flames. Nice work Greater Chamber of KC. Why don't you give your guy a real consultant.
ReplyDeleteShame on you people. You should really want the best for KC, not to hold us back.
ReplyDelete^^^^^^^^
ReplyDeleteShame on you for just being after another payday.
Hold us back from what, exactly? Our finances hold us back... you know, like a budget. We've got failing infrastructure, we can have those other things later. This City can't even commit to moderate snow removal in the winter. Give me a break on holding the City back. Take care of home first. We've got enough debt. Let's get some benefit to residents instead of catering to tourists. We're not being held back more than we are being ignored.
ReplyDeleteBuilding a convention hotel is like a broke, unqualified person blowing 2 grand on a suit for a job interview he is not qualified for.
ReplyDeleteWill we get to vote on subsidized suburban development too?
ReplyDeleteWill I get to vote on the millions being poured into the twin creeks development? Will I get to vote on unecessary road widenings in Clay County that never pay for themselves? Will I get to vote on subsidies for high end condos in Platte County? Will I get to vote on millions of dollars spent on highway interchanges so suburban sprawl bots can shave 15 seconds off their commute?
Tell me Dan Coffey - a man who made is money in a heavily subsidized "industry" a will I?
This thing NEEDs more visibility. I know there are technical and legal reasons why the mayor and council can ram this through and approve it without a vote. But the right thing to do is to put EVERY bit of info on the table and take it to a public vote since it's OUR money that's going towards it.
ReplyDeleteKC is a great place but it also has a lot of great problems (infrastructure, schools, sewers, etc). We need to get back to basics and taking care of those things as opposed to always using tax resources to prop up billionaire developments that should be privately financed.
I'm all for economic development. But KC tax payers have been MORE than generous paying for developments over the last 10 years. It's time to start using our dollars elsewhere and let these developers put up their own funds. Especially when a lot of the times they reap the lion's share of the profits.
TBH, this deal kinda smells fishy anyway. First they said it was only going to cost the city about $35M. Then we hear that it's actually upwards of $150M when it's all said and done. That's a SHIT TON of money that we likely won't see near an acceptable return on investment on. The city and Hyatt have already said, without saying the actual words, that there are great risks to the project meeting projections. If it was such a slam dunk investment then Hyatt and the rest of the development team would be funding it instead of sticking out their hands for tax./cash incentives. "To make the project viable we need x-amount of dollars/incentive". That there tells you that they are concerned about the long term success of the project.
The brakes need to be pumped some on this deal. The city cannot keep playing so freely with public funds. This things needs to go to a city-wide vote. I think, deep down, they know it won't pass if it was put to a vote of the people. But the right thing to do is to let the public have a say.
The weakness of this petition is that it limits itself to "any downtown convention center headquarters hotel". A change in language of future proposals would nullify this petition. Amending a particular ordinance limits it effectiveness. What is needed is a more general limitation on the power of the bureaucracy and council to commit public money, property and credit,in secret, and without public consent.
ReplyDelete6/18 3:24 PM - Tony didn't include the full language of the ordinance. It defines "downtown convention center headquarters hotel" as any downtown hotel using any form of TIF of "Super TIF," including as contemplated in all the previous (specific) ordinances and resolutions about this hotel. It's pretty bulletproof.
ReplyDeleteIf laws and other things could be made bulletproof we would need fewer lawyers!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteStill paying off TIF money on the Hotels we have now.
ReplyDeleteWhat happen to all that money that was to come rolling in when they made Bartle Hall bigger? City Hall always come up short on the income from such projects
200 million from city on a $305 million dollar project. Seems like we the taxpayers should be the owners.
ReplyDelete