There's an important debate over a line item in Kansas City's budget that's being ignored so far despite the fact that topic is part of a larger discussion about youth violence in local entertainment districts.
To wit . . .
COMMUNITY COMPLAINTS OVER THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE COSTLY MAYOR'S NIGHTS PROGRAM HAVE EMERGED!!!
Here's what we know for sure . . .
- There's public outcry that the program isn't part of a competitive and open bidding process.
- Programing complaints have emerged and community members want something a bit more educational than just pizza and dance parties.
- The 12-week duration of the program has been debates . . . There's discussion better agencies could do more with less.
We'll try to find out more on this topic but for now here's a money quote:
"The total budget for the entire program is $750,000, $400,000 for Club KC and $350,000 for Night Hoops. The past 2 years an individual received close to $375,000 each year. This organization did not conduct educational programs as the contract requires. The whole point of the program is to keep African-American kids off the plaza. They are basically spending $26,000 per week for 12 weeks of twerk parties."
And this is a good way to think about this topic . . . Not just as a hot button "culture war" issue but as part of Kansas City's financial priorities and considering that some denizens of the African-American community have a problem with the "content" of Mayor's Nights programing.
Developing . . .
Just more evidence that this town is TWERKED AND JERKED OUT.
ReplyDeleteAll a waste of money that a white Mayor wouldn't have allowed to happen.
ReplyDeleteThese complaints may be legitimate, although most of these "programs" have no accountability for results whatsoever.
ReplyDeleteBut it's more likely that the complainer is just unhappy that someone else got all the action.
If anyone had the guts to do a serious objective audit of the tens of millions of taxpayer dollars that pour through endless nonprofits, COMBAT, neighborhood groups, and all the rest, they'd find that the reason that the problems and issues that these programs are supposed to address NEVER get any better is because most of the organizations and groups getting the money have no idea what they're doing and there's no scrutiny or accountability by the foundations, levels of government, or corporations who shovel the money into the till.
An endless shakedown.
What a fucking waste of a million dollars.
ReplyDeleteGive the scholars a shovel and rake and let them become productive...
The Funk didn't allow this crap.
ReplyDeleteFunk Wins
Pizza is not a healthy food.
ReplyDeleteTwerking and Jerking Capital of the Midwest
ReplyDeleteWho is the person receiving the money and what EXACTLY is the money being spent on?
ReplyDeleteI don't care so much about this. But how many children are attending? If it was a math tutoring session I don't think many kids would show up, and we would have them on the Plaza. So what do you people want?
ReplyDeleteWhat about all the new and crazy staff positions in both the City Managers office and Mayors office. Troy and Sly like "Yes" men.
ReplyDeleteFunk wins ?
ReplyDeleteIs he related to that sheep fucking Byron by chance ?
That ass clown needs a dirt nap injection.
I was told by a reliable source within the Park & Recreation Dept. That each year the city places the Night Hoops Program up for bid by the general public. The last 2 years they have added the Mayor's Club KC to the bid. However the public don't know of the bid because it doesn't stand out like a contractors bid or a vendors bid.
ReplyDeleteInformation is fed to certain individuals while withheld from others. The reason that the programs don't fall directly under the guidance of the Park & Recreation Dept. is mainly due to the fact that the program is dealing with kids form the inner city sector. The city does not want to be held liable if one of the kids commits a heinous crime while in attendance of an event.
The individuals that determines who is awarded the bid, simply hands the bid over to friends and family with a large kickback coming to them. The only reason that there is a bid is merely for public deceit.
The program calls for educational programs to be implemented but there is no such programs. The Club KC runs from 8pm-midnighton Fridays and Saturdays during the summer months. Kids line up as early as 6 pm to wait to gin entry and those who are not allowed in are left out. So when do the educational programs take place.
The city provides the community centers at no cost. The vendor only responsibility is to hire a DJ, which come a dime a dozen. The kids simply come in and dance for 4 hours and then released back to the streets at midnight.
Again, I was informed that one organization offered to run the program free of charge with 100% of the funding going to the program and not compensation. The same organization offered to turn the program into a year round program without any additional funding. The top of the cake is this organization submitted a proposal to bring additional private funding to the program.
This information is all coming from a credible inside source who mans the phone at Park & Recreation. This individual is in charge of transferring calls but in order to do so they must gather information to determine who to transfer the call to within the dept.
Do the math and ask yourself how much it cost to host a 4 hour party for 2 nights a week for really 10 weeks not 12 as they advertise. There is no free pizza, the vendor runs a concession stands and the city receives a percentage of sales. The last 2 years the city paid out close to $400,000 each year.
Majority of the individuals that bid on the program
"There's public outcry" = someone who didn't get the contract left a comment here yesterday.
ReplyDeleteThere were a lot of shirty comments about blacks, Mexicans and Jews yesterday at this shut heap of a website. You gonna write about those too?
TKC BREAKING NEWS!!! NOBODY LIKES MEXICANS!!! OR JEWS!!!
I was told by a reliable source that Parks and Recreation IS RUN BY A AN ILLUMNATI FREEMASON REPTILE, so you know he's credible.
ReplyDeleteI was told by a reliable source that Tony has no reliable sources.
ReplyDeleteI've read some crazy things on this site for the last few years but I must say I believe there is credibility to this story. If you think about it and look back at the root of the problem. This all came about because of the mayhem that was taking place on the Plaza. Who were the groups starting the problems on the Plaza and who now benefits from this tax burden program. Now the teens who are responsible and carry themselves as respectable citizens are now the ones who have to suffer. Because of the curfew they aren't allowed to hang out at the Plaza or Zona Rosa and the city government didn't provide funds for them an alternative. Of course their parents won't consider taking them are allowing them to attend a community center that sits directly in the middle of a crime ridden area. So the disruptive kids causes problems, then get rewarded with an alternative while the good behavior kids are punished and limited to their choices of inexpensive things to do. On top of that insiders get to profit off the problem instead of being held to the task of preventing the problem.
ReplyDelete8:44-9:09: Lost weekend, Mensa boy?
ReplyDelete^^^^^^^^^ Dumber than Mensa Boy
ReplyDeleteEverybody's going twerking
ReplyDeleteJerking USA!
It's an irresponsible allocation of State dollars.
ReplyDeleteIn addition to that, there would be an out cry if we were to spend that amount of money on a program for "Caucasian" teens.
Thanks for all of the good local info Tony's Kansas City, good stuff.
Voice your concerns at 816-513-7300. I just called and the two women I spoke with were very rude.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, nice job Tony. There us some fire in this smoke.
ReplyDeleteI know this isn't funny, but this statement, just had me LMAO.
"They are basically spending $26,000 per week for 12 weeks of twerk parties."
It is just so fucked up what the city and this country has to spend to keep African Americans from tearing the hell out of neighborhoods, shopping areas, whole cities and even this entire country.
My suggestion, would be to spend the same 26,000 on some badaasss fucking security with cameras and when the "skolars" get physical, beat the fucking shit out of them.
Problem solved in 2 weekends.
26 Large would bring some real presence down to the Plaza in terms of security.
Quit fucking around and knock the shit out of these pukes, whose puke parents drop them off at 6pm and forget about them until the next day.
Maybe you will accidentally kick the shit out of the "skolars" who killed me.
"It's for the children" is a statement that really means tax payers are going to get screwed.
ReplyDelete