Prairie Village Residents Push Back Against 30 MILLION City Hall Project Price Tag

This week there was suburban resistance against a pricey building project . . . Here is followup and a great summary sent our way . . . Check-it:

Oppose the $30M City Hall Project – Let the Residents Vote!

Dear Prairie Village City Council Members,

In light of the current disastrous economic news and predictions of a coming recession or depression, I am writing, once again, to reiterate my strong opposition to the proposed $30 million City Hall project. This is an unnecessary and excessive expenditure of taxpayer dollars—especially given the uncertain economic climate. Rising living costs—including the extreme declines in the stock market, soaring gas, food, essentials and energy prices—combined with increased taxes and job insecurity, make this an especially irresponsible time to pursue such a costly project, especially without direct voter approval.

Furthermore, Johnson County is now considering two new sales tax proposals, adding yet another financial burden on residents. Sales taxes disproportionately impact lower-income households, who spend a larger portion of their income on necessities. Adding more sales taxes will make it even harder for struggling Prairie Village families to afford basic goods and services.

We can learn from recent events in Westwood, where residents fought a two-year legal battle to have their voices heard on the sale of their only park—despite being threatened. After thousands of taxpayer dollars were wasted in legal fees, the citizens finally prevailed and earned the right to vote. Prairie Village residents deserve that same right on a major financial decision that will commit tax dollars for the next 30 years. This isn’t just about today’s taxpayers—it’s about future generations who will inherit this debt.

Our city is not expanding like others in Johnson County. We are a built-out, landlocked community, yet we're being asked to foot the bill for a City Hall designed for a government far larger than necessary. Spending $5 million to purchase and tear down a perfectly good building—then an additional $25 million on construction and renovations—is simply reckless. Residents are already overtaxed and financially burdened. It is time for that to stop. Forcing this unwanted project down the citizens' throats is unconscionable.

It’s also deeply troubling that our former city attorney, David Waters—a vocal proponent of this project—is a partner at Spencer Fane, a corporate law firm that represents developers, contractors, and municipalities, not residents. He is also the mayor of Westwood who actively and illegally pushed the controversial park redevelopment and even sued his own residents to stop them from voting. Sound familiar? [Note: He lost.]

Just because the city has the means to spend our tax dollars doesn’t mean they should. And no matter how much you try to justify this obscene level of spending and confuse residents by throwing out figures like a Powerball drawing, the reality is clear: this project will ultimately be paid for by Prairie Village residents [and not by the staff who work there and aren't residents.] Residents who want their taxes and debt burdens to go down—not stay the same, and certainly not go up. This project does the exact opposite. The responsible course of action is to reduce the financial pressure on residents—not add to it through unnecessary and extravagant spending.

Meanwhile, the optics of this plan continue to deteriorate, reinforcing the growing perception that the City Council is out of touch and tone-deaf to the concerns of its residents.  Prairie Village senior residents on fixed incomes are deeply scared for the future of their Social Security and Medicare benefits. Seniors and others who rely on 401(k)s or investment income are watching their assets nosedive—and they are deeply scared. While other residents who depend on social services are in fear of their needed services being reduced or cut. Many working residents are anxious about potential job cuts, while countless others are already struggling to make ends meet, living paycheck to paycheck.

It’s time to stop this plan—or at the very least, allow the residents who will bear the debt burden for decades to decide through a vote. The City Council has not only the authority, but a moral obligation, to amend or repeal the charter ordinance and put the issue on the ballot. It could be done with a single motion at a council meeting as it has done in the past.

Yet many of our City Council members continue to ignore hundreds of requests from their constituents—aka taxpayers—who are asking for a vote or seeking ways to stop this project. Pushing it through without public approval is a blatant disregard for responsible governance.

We need fiscal responsibility, not vanity projects. Please represent the taxpayers of Prairie Village and either halt this project or put it on the ballot.

If the Council refuses to act, I will continue to speak out—and I will share my deep concerns about the City Council’s fiscal irresponsibility with all of our neighbors and friends throughout Prairie Village.

And please—don’t sue your own residents if they take lawful steps to get this issue on the ballot. That didn’t end well for Mayor Waters and his Karbank developer associates.

Prairie Village deserves better.

Sincerely,
Concerned PV resident Carla

CC: Kansas City Star, Johnson County Post, KCUR, TKC

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Developing . . .