TKC BREAKING AND EXCLUSIVE NEWS!!! AMID INCREASING GO BOND RESISTANCE, DOGGIE LOVERS CONSIDER ALTERNATIVES FOR NEW KANSAS CITY ANIMAL SHELTER!!!
First and foremost, let's acknowledge that upcoming April election Question 3 is the only part of an upcoming $800-MILLION proposal going before Kansas City voters that has a groundswell of support.
Animal lover organization across the metro have thrown their support behind Question 3 but even they are starting to see the writing on the wall.
To wit . . .
CHECK THIS LATEST SOCIAL MEDIA BLAST ASKING DOGGIE LOVERS FOR OPTIONS IF THE GO BONDS FAIL AND REVEALING JUST A BIT OF SKEPTICISM ABOUT THE NEW ANIMAL SHELTER AS PART OF A BIGGER SCHEME!!!
Here's the word from a tireless local lady reaching our to other community animal rights advocates . . .
"I've spoken to many of my neighbors about this and I'm hearing the same thing. KC will agree to pay for a new animal shelter because we so desperately need it. But as part of this general obligation bond package, there's a lot of distrust out there. I'm assuring people that there is at least $25 million guaranteed for the shelter but there's nothing in the ballot language I can point to and say that for sure. It's just what we've been promised. When I tell people that, they immediately scoff. Question #3 asks for $50 million but doesn't provide any clear indication of how that money is going to be spent. When you talk about construction for buildings and sidewalks, that could easily incur tens of millions around the city with very little left over for our shelter . . .
I think we need to consider the possibility of making the new shelter part of a separate proposal.
There's just so much controversy about about this vote that it threatens to overshadow the really great work that we've accomplished creating a metro wide coalition of non-profits and volunteers. I'd hate to see that ruined over all of this political bickering. The new animal shelter is something that will help all of Kansas City, it deserves to have a fair representation before voters and so far we haven't seen that. Maybe that will change but if it doesn't we need to think about another plan . . ."
To be fair, this is anecdotal testimony but it offers a glimpse into GROUND LEVEL ADVOCACY for the GO bond campaign that's meeting with a great deal of opposition and skepticism even among otherwise generous doggie lovers.
Developing . . .
better title: put down question 3.
ReplyDeleteEverybody wants their slice of the pie.
Delete^^^ that's mean. But I can't argue with her logic here. I would vote for a new shelter but not if it's just one line in a 50 million dollar package. I'd like to see the funds dedicated to the new building.
ReplyDeleteThese GO Bonds are just a bad deal. Vote NO on all three questions.
ReplyDeleteGood points here. This winter has been so mild I wonder why the city can't use some of the money they didn't have to spend salting and clearing streets on fixing them.
ReplyDeleteThe animal shelter is just bait to get people to buy the con.
ReplyDelete^^^^^^^^^^Deqd on the money
ReplyDeleteWho is this person or should we just assume she is imaginary?
ReplyDeleteA name might help.
I mean, if she's black, forget it, we don't need any more ape cages, but...
Let's look around! There is a Great Plains SPCA shelter in Independence, MO. It is a no kill shelter, relatively new with excess capacity. They operate 100% on donations, no taxpayers dollars. They handle 30,000 pets per year,3 times what KC Pet Project handles. So they know what they are doing. Their annual budget is $7 million. The Go bond is asking taxpayers for at least $14,000 plus $4-6 million ANNUALLY for upkeep. KC PET Project handles 10,000 animals peryear. WaySide Waifs also handles 10,000 pets per year and gets no taxpayer dollars! Let's negotiate a merger with Great Plains and save probably $20,000,000!
ReplyDeletewhat would Caire do?
ReplyDeleteAnon 10:04
ReplyDeleteQuick Fact Check.
For the Independence, MO Shelter (Population 117,000) - taxpayers paid $5.5 million for the shelter. The city of Independence is paying Great Plains SPCA $435,000 per year. Jackson County is contributing $130,000 per year, for a total of $565,000 per year from taxpayers.
http://fox4kc.com/2013/02/12/new-jackson-county-animal-shelter-to-open-in-april/
Kansas City (4x the population at 460,000) is looking to spend approximately $14 million to build a new shelter (3x the Independence amount not counting inflation), and is currently paying KC Pet Project $1.3 million (just 2x what GPSPCA gets paid). So by comparison, KCMO taxpayers are getting a much better deal than Independence.
The GPSPCA "30,000" animals cared for isn't just animals impounded - -it also includes the animals served at their for-profit vet clinic in Johnson County.
The bottom line is that picking up stray/lost/aggressive animals is a city service that it is unrealistic to expect the not-for-profit community to provide free of charge, but the current relationship with KC Pet Project is affordable and works for the city.
Isn't animal control really a County function in Missouri? Why is the City even involved?
DeleteThis bond/tax is like walking into a General Store and not being able to buy anything Specific.
ReplyDeleteAs Pelosi would say: We have to pass it to see what's in it.
What could go wrong?
SAT analogy: KCI needs updating: Build a billion-dollar new terminal:: Animal shelter needs updating: $800 million go bond issue
ReplyDeleteTKC analogy: HURF DURF ORK JORK ADORKA: OOF DOOF::GRUGA BRUNGA: HONGA BONGA ADONGA
ReplyDeleteHi there City Hall! I know Mayor Bullhorn is no fun to work for. Does he ever give you a day off? The strain of shining shoes is starting to show. :)
DeleteI support the animal shelter and I will vote for Question 3 but I don't trust the mayor or the council to give us what we need. Maybe we should look at other avenues and stay away from that City Hall mess.
ReplyDeleteThe money will not go to the Dogs The tax abatements,Has the city in a bind,YOU notice they keep coming to the voters for more money and Ifor you keep falling for there con eventually you will have over A 15 percent sales tax out of control property taxes people will move to smaller towns and will not move into the city limits
ReplyDeletethe Problem isn't the mayor, its the city manager. Vote agianst this question--that lack of transparency is a big problem
ReplyDeleteI can agree with what your tipster says Tony. I will not vote for this measure or tell my friends to support it because I don't want us to become beggars at City Hall. They aren't showing us facts or figures, it's all just promises. That's not good enough when we're on the same question with some very costly items.
ReplyDeleteWe only asked for $11 million to start with a promise of continued funding. We could have worked with even less as long as we knew we had the city's support. But the wrapped us up into a bill of goods that questionable at best.
I so no.
No, I'm not going to become a supporter for this slate when it has put me on the back burner and our community of animal rights workers has been ignored.
Folks, this isn't money to take care of dogs. It's money to feed the hogs at City Hall.
ReplyDeleteNO GO BONDS NO GO NO GO NO GO BONDS NO GO NO GO NO GO BONDS NO GO NO GO Vote NO NO NO
ReplyDeleteVOTE NO on GO