Jackson County Executive Confronts COVID Cash Catastrophe

For months we've been talking about a crisis in the making and now the Courthouse might be nearing the point of no return. 

Remember . . .

WE'RE TALKING ABOUT 70 MILLION BUCKS THAT MIGHT SLIP AWAY FROM JACKSON COUNTY IF THE EXEC CAN'T START WORKING WITH THE LEGISLATURE!!!

Another facet of this debate that deserves attention if only because it reveals the sketchy state of the downtown office space market . . . 

JACKSON COUNTY PLANS TO SELL BACK OFFICE SPACE PURCHASED FOR MILLIONS IN A TRAGIC "FLIP" THAT WILL LIKELY RESULT IN ANOTHER EPIC LOSS!!!

Don't worry . . . It's just taxpayer money. 

Again . . .

We talked about this DEAL WORTH 9 MILLION BUCKS that hasn't turned out well and didn't do much but provide another location for property tax complaint disappointment.  

There's a great deal of background chatter about the office space FAIL but the most reliable info we've heard is that Team Frank bought a LEMON and the building requires MILLIONS worth of retro-fitting to meet ADA standards along with maintenance demands. So it'll be cheaper to sell it.

At one point . . . The fighting over the structure was so heated that there was a proposal to mandate a sale for A DOLLAR. 

And so . . .

The the real estate loss plays a major role in distributing the remainder of these federal funds that were intended for COVID relief but now seem likely to fund pet projects pushed by politically connected locals.

And all of this might explain a great deal of voter frustration with Jackson County along with an ongoing recall effort that MIGHT get a bit more attention this week. 

For now . . .

Here's a worthwhile debate that shouldn't get lost in primary election day coverage . . .

"Jackson County Executive's chief of staff Caleb Clifford also presented White’s proposals on how to use the funds, including the potential sale of a county-owned building at 13th and Washington. Legislator Manny Abarca pushed Clifford for direction on what he called “last-minute decisions” on the funds and clarification on potentially selling the building. He then shared a letter he and others received from the U.S. Department of Treasury providing clarification on where funds from the potential sale would go."

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Officials share communication concerns surrounding ARP funds

Jackson County elected officials are in disagreement on how to spend the remaining funds from the American Rescue Plan Act.

Developing . . .