Silence Rules Kansas City Royals Deal For New Stadium

Just a quick reminder for those who don't know how KC politics works . . . Demands for public votes typically get smacked down. 

- Locals didn't vote on the downtown convention hotel that loses money every year. 

- Most of Kansas City didn't vote on the streetcar line and only a small swath of mail-in ballots were allowed. 

- We didn't vote on HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS worth of taxpayer spending for the World Cup that resulted in a "negative impact" for most Missouri restaurants.  

And so . . .

Whilst we encourage locals to participate in Democracy . . . Big money deals without public consent aren't at all unprecedented and mostly seem like biz as usual in this cowtown.

Check-it . . .  

"If things had gone according to plan, the Kansas City Council could have been voting on the deal to provide $600 million for the project on the afternoon of Aug. 13 — less than three days after paperwork was distributed to City Council members on Monday night.

"Instead, the city’s Finance, Governance and Public Safety committee held the ordinance on Tuesday, delaying the vote for at least a week. 

"But the public still has precious little information about where the money will come from, whether the deal will impact other taxing jurisdictions or whether Hallmark and the Royals intend to deliver any of the community benefits the City Council previously promised to negotiate.

"And the clock is ticking."

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

As Kansas City Council rushes towards a Royals stadium vote, key questions go unanswered

Kansas City could approve a deal with the Royals within the next two weeks. But the public still doesn't know where the $600 million will come from or whether the city was successful in negotiating community benefits.