KANSAS CITY STREETCAR FACT CHECK: HOW MUCH DID THE TOY TRAIN COST???



Quick midweek debate as Kansas City struggles to cope with fake news and propaganda vs. real accounting in all developments.

Here's the question . . .

"Who manages the @kcstreetcar Twitter account? They insist streetcar only cost $102M but the Business Journal documented all the coat increases that inflated the final bill to $114M (and that figure still excludes utility costs) and this figure has been widely cited by numerous publications. I just figured if someone is going to tweet publicly they should be informed about the subject for which they are the voice of. Or at least refrain from responding!"

Fact . . . The Streetcar Authority keeps their social media deets secret, even the poor guy paid to spam this blog whenever we post about the streetcar.

The costs, maintenance and projected expenses are well hidden from the voting public . . . @KCStreetcar mostly tweets promotional junk and fake ridership numbers calculated by very friendly robots.

LIKE IT OR NOT, THE MORE THAN 10% DISPUTE IN ACCOUNTING REVEALS BAD FAITH REGARDING TRANSPARENCY FROM STREETCAR SUPPORTERS!!!

Meanwhile, the anti-union streetcar continues on pace to expand despite a recent election DEMANDING a CITYWIDE election to do so.

Developing . . .

Comments

  1. So there's the business newspaper that lists the cost at 114 million and then a tweet that disagrees and targets anyone who suggests otherwise. Isn't that the same tactic that Trump uses?

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  2. It was $160,000,000 when it was all done, $114,000,000 is a lie, ask someone at public works if they're not afraid of getting fired

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  3. That's a sLIE and fat boy Troy move

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  4. The vote for the Street car which was sent out to the Street car taxing district was a sham which was designed to isolate and eliminate opposition. This vote needs to be eliminated by a Judge and a new vote needs to take place.
    No transparency.

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  5. The "streetcar authority" is just one of far too many "independently created" bodies with their own sources of public revenue, avoid as much oversight as possible, and operate and spend money with no accountability whatsoever.
    A quick glance at the menagerie of "economic development" operations will give you an idea and the expansion of PortKC into the eco devo subsidy game is just the latest example.
    Nice cushy jobs for supporters and friends of the local politicos and great ways to obscure expenditures and blind-side the public for "projects" that would never have any support if they were allowed to see the light of day.
    Some local investigative reporter, if there are any left, should do a feature story about all the public money that's spent year after year, where it goes, who gets what, and why the public is kept in the dark.

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  6. There were over $40,000,000 in utility relocation cost from one utility, the water department, which are not in the totals. This was added into your water bill. Add electric and gas relocation and you're ove $100,000,000. If the streetcar is so profitable, why do they need millions of dollars from PIAC funds to stay afloat??????

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  7. It was profitable to everyone but the taxpayers

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  8. Portland is the oldest of the "modern" streetcar lines having been around since 2001. They also charge. But when they did an independent audit, their numbers were way off. http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2014/12/portland_streetcar_annual_ride.html

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  9. even the poor guy paid to spam this blog whenever

    Wow, then that guy makes more money off this blog than you do, Tony!!!

    We hear the $how-me Institute doesn't pay that much. Because EVERYBODY FUCKING KNOWS you're their paid monkey.

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    Replies
    1. Yeah, sorry about your masters at City Hall going into negative credibility. Don't you get tired of working for that bunch of clowns? Ever?

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  10. 114 million bucks and it was urgent that KC pass an earnings tax to provide basic emergency services that they still don't provided in the city. This is right up there with the hillbilly boon shack with loose boards and a roof caving in while there is a color TV inside and a new licoln parked in the drive. When the hell is KC going to grow the fuck up and put a stop to this juvenile leadership?

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  11. Let's face it when the Council stayed with Light Rail instead of going with Streetcars in the beginning they wasted 7 years and cost when up. They only planned for a small area and not the whole city witch they could of done with streetcars . Hard headed Russ and others finally when to streetcars but it was to late . Just getting 2 more cars cost $10 million and that's not counting the repairs they have had to do up till now . Just the studies and town meeting alone have to be in the $millions .

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  12. I think the street car brought some necessary development to downtown. It is still in it's infancy. Main street will continue to be a slum without lt rail. Rail goes where there is a potential for quick high population density, not expanded into existing suburban low density sprawl.

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  13. In the meantime, smart people take the Max bus.

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  14. @ 1:15 "the Streetcar is still in its infancy..." do you mean by that statement that there still isn't enough support for it that the Authority can start charging so it will become self-supporting and stop depending on the General Tax Fund to cover its overages?

    And when you say "Main Street will continue to be a slum without it{it's?} rail...", don't you listen to our Esteemed Mayor? Main Street has already revived, Sly said so!

    You must think that Main Street is some sort of "slum" with Pretentious Hipster islands and a Drunk Tank attached!

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  15. 2:02, main street between dwntown and the plaza seems pretty slummy to me. i was not talking about dwntwn main street. And yes, once population density increases, should slowly and hopefully support itself. planning around indiv automobiles has always been a mistake and surface parking lots prevent density and requiring a ridiculous amount of parking can also damage businesses or prevent them from opening in the first place. .

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  16. When, if ever, are they going to start charging to ride this "touristy frou frou"? And how much are they going to charge the ordinary people? I know they will give away hundreds of passes to the disadvantaged who do NOT live within walking distance from the trolley line. Let's see some numbers.

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  17. 2:02 just go live in the parking lot of bed bath and beyond FOREVER. The new single airport can go fck itself. Yeah rail.

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  18. Sprint campus is crap. Sprint center i like.

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  19. They can't charge for this tourist attraction because it would reveal the true ridership. Those wild claims they make are beyond laughable.

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  20. rebuilding the urban core requires investment. The core was destroyed by car planning.

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  21. At one time we heard 160 million and then later an additional charge of 12-16 million for two new units. Those were brought because of service and reliability issues. They play a purposeful shell game related to costs, ATA, transit authority, contract amounts with utility, related costs. Note 50 plus million payment for rock island right away that then shorted out for transit. That you can't read an executive cost estimate of this"not really for transportation" project is just more credence regarding the bs artists and their purposeful deception to escalate costs they couldn't sell when the public is not looking. They have now asked for another 350 million and will want more after that. Stop them, consolidate downtown, and stop with the bs she'll games.

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  22. Tech will soon obsolete everything they have planned for much less cost and this will happen soon. Political pork related to outdated info is now driving this. It will be interesting to see tech blow by Sly and this other set of fixes.

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  23. ehhhh mthr fckr, do not disparage rock island trail $. That is infrastructure u autophile.

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