TKC SUNDAY SPECIAL!!! CITY HALL SIDEWALK FREEBIE REPAIR PROMISE TO KANSAS CITY GO BOND VOTERS FAILS!!!
One of the biggest freebies pledged to Kansas City voters who supported $800-MILLION worth of GO Bond bad debt was that City Hall would amend longstanding policy which charged homeowners for sidewalk repairs.
Here's how that bit of campaign hype played in the often gullible mainstream media after the election . . .
Multi-million dollar bond opens door for city to repair sidewalks at no cost to homeowners
But better than media hype, let's take a look at the legislation . . .
#170298 - Abatement of sidewalk special assessments
Here's the money line that might have offered just a bit of well-deserved financial relief . . .
"Issuance of special assessments for sidewalks suspended . . . No special assessments shall be issued for the cost of the repair or replacement of sidewalks, curbing, drive approach or guttering after April 4, 2017, and continuing for all such repairs or replacements made until the 2017 general obligation bond authorization for sidewalks is exhausted."
Following the City Council session on Thursday that mostly focused on passing big tax breaks for the proposed Downtown Convention Hotel . . . Follow-up on this measure was totally ignored by "journalists" covering City Hall.
But here's the reality . . .
THE CITY HALL SIDEWALK ORDINANCE FAILED AND HOMEOWNERS REMAIN ON THE HOOK FOR EXPENSIVE REPAIRS!!!
Here's how the vote went down . . .
Councilmember Justus (Second by Fowler) Move To Introduce
Committee voted to advance for final consideration. The motion failed.
Seconded by Councilmember Fowler
Ayes: 8 - Wagner, Hall, Fowler, Shields, Justus, Canady, Taylor, McManus
Nays: 3 - Lucas, Reed, Barnes Jr.
Changing the muni-code and ordinances often needs a Super-Majority and this obviously didn't meet that threshold.
Urban core resistance to the effort might have a lot to do with concern about slumlords and big banks owning a great deal of property that they should pay to restore instead of KCMO picking up their tab.
Nevertheless and no matter the excuse . . .
IN THE AFTERMATH OF GO BOND VICTORY, CITY HALL POLITICOS HAVE SO FAR FAILED TO KEEP THEIR PROMISE TO VOTERS!!!
In fairness, this ordinance is going back to the Finance and Governance Committee so that Council can hopefully work out their differences. In the meantime, OUR AWESOME TKC BLOG COMMUNITY is the only media outlet keeping track of 12th & Oak breaking their word. We can only hope the public will keep watching closely given that covenants with City Hall are often and easily ignored and then ultimately broken or unfulfilled.
Developing . . .
Doing this fairly will be very hard. Next to impossible. Slum lords or banks will benefit with the ordinance the way it was written.
ReplyDeleteBut residents will lose out and feel cheated if this promise is unfulfilled.
The best kind of thing would be an assistance program with a set of qualifications. But then banks would find it worth it to sue over special legislation to exclude their properties.
It's a bad ordinance and an even worse promise to make to voters. That's why the ballot language should have been clearer.
It will die in committee. We won't hear about it ever again.
DeleteDon't believe me?
What ever happened to the nhl team that kay barnes promised us?
You can keep your doctor!
DeleteI'll repeal obama care on my first day.
ReplyDeleteTHANKS SLY!
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame that the such a small part of the city aka the "Hood" is screwing the rest of the city out of getting the much needed repairs needed or even sidewalks they never had. But then again this is part of the plan to not spend any money on sidewalks. They'll just shuffle that money to toy train or cover all the lost taxes from sweetheart deals they make with big development.
ReplyDeleteAssistance for single family homes that are owner occupied.
ReplyDeleteIt would work if there was more than 3 owner occupied homes on each block in the central core. Too many City owned dangerous buildings and rentals and bank owned properties so if you skipped all those it would only improve a small section of each block. But in rest of the city that would be an excellent idea!
ReplyDeleteWhere was Teresa Loar?
ReplyDeleteLOL, and you voters thought the city would keep it's word about what the money was for.
ReplyDeleteHow can we screw thee? Let us count the ways.
ReplyDeleteSly needs that sidewalk money for streetcar expansion.
ReplyDeleteUm okay so they rewrote that section and we residents are now responsible for not only sidewalks but curbs and guttering?
ReplyDeletePhew Boy
That'll be of the deal, you let us do street car and we'll fix your your streets at the same time but only the streets that it runs on! See how smart our Mayor is, it's a two for one deal you should be thankful for such a crooked i mean great Mayor and city manager LMFAO!!!!!
ReplyDeleteWTF IS THIS SHIT?
ReplyDeleteLook at the east crossroads you have thriving businesses and very bad sidewalks,
ReplyDeleteFool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. KCMO voters have been fooled dozens of times in the last decade, at this point it's their own fault.
ReplyDeleteNot enough money for both sidewalks and streetcar so something must give.
ReplyDeleteAnd now they want money for the airport..... I won't be able to live on what's left of my hard earned money after all these freakin taxes
ReplyDeleteApparently sly thinks we're all millionaires
ReplyDeleteUltimately it's the Mayor and city managers fault for not taking care of basic infrastructure to begin with. With the police who don't work for us but use up half the budget and fire who take up another third that leaves less than a quarter of the budget for the entire city. This madness has to stop.
ReplyDeleteSo who is responsible for injuries caused to pedestrians who trip and fall on already reported but unfixed broke n sidewalks? Who gets sued?
ReplyDeleteWhat a shame!
ReplyDeleteAnd, what a scam!
These issue elections in KCMO are like watching the movie "Groundhog Day".
The residents are sold hope and regularly end up with an empty sack.
Over and over and over again.
Why did anyone think this time it would be different?
Damn we have nice sidewalks out here in the burbs. Of course when you elect a boon mayor you are bound to get boonville for a city. Learn anything yet ya little libtrad snowflakes?
ReplyDeleteDemocrats and their special identity groups keep scamming working Americans--
ReplyDeleteScrewing KC voters very, very hard on this one. if it sees the light of day, home owners will be on the hook for even more money.
ReplyDeleteTHIS is why voters should not trust KCMO.
Many parts of Kansas City don't even have sidewalks. The sidewalks are mostly in the urban core.
ReplyDeleteNo you mean those pieces of shit in city hall lied. Best part is people were stupid enough to vote for it. Why are you all so stupid. All these crooks do is,waste money on the ghetto and say fuck the rest of the city. This is exactly why people move to joco. At least out there the tax raping is used to make things nice.
ReplyDelete