By Jill Draper
Kansas City residents and leaders soon will be making big decisions that shape the city’s future. The status of several of these decisions was explored at the Feb. 12 meeting of the South Kansas City Alliance.
The Royals’ announcement of their preferred site for a new stadium in the Crossroads District was foreshadowed in an appearance by Shawn Foster of the Jackson County Sports Complex Authority, who discussed why city and county voters should support the baseball team’s move.
That support would involve voting yes on April 2 to extend a current 3/8-cent sales tax. The money would help fund a downtown stadium for the Royals and renovate Arrowhead Stadium for the Chiefs.
“I think we’re the smallest market that has two professional teams,” said Foster, who called extending the sales tax for 40 years a no-brainer. “It comes down to if you want to keep the teams or not.”
County Legislator DaRon McGee, who sponsored the ordinance to submit the proposed tax extension to the voters, said losing the teams was “a very real possibility,” noting that Nashville was interested in the Royals and Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly had made a strong play to bring the Chiefs to the Legends Outlets area.
He said extending the sales tax (set to expire in 2031) should generate $750 million for the teams and would include a community benefits agreement that would address a guarantee of local programming of the games and some amount of affordable tickets. “We’re having those conversations now,” he noted.
Municipal Jail
Conversations also are ongoing about a new Municipal Rehabilitation and Detention Center, described as a city jail with extra services. Crispin Rea, 4th District-at-large City Councilman, chairs a committee that will make recommendations on its size, scope, financing and location. He said some decisions will be made in the next six weeks.
“I’m hoping the bed estimate is less than 310,” he said, referring to a 2019 suggestion from forensic consultants for building a $200 million facility. Things like an effective pre-trial services program could reduce the need for beds, he explained, stating, “Incarceration should always be the last resort.”
Rea said the city has re-engaged with the consultants because much has changed since their initial report and they’ve been asked to broaden the scope to address more mental health recommendations.
As a City Council candidate last summer, Rea said he was frustrated at the lack of cooperation with Jackson County in jointly building a new jail. By September he realized “we had to go in a different direction” even though one possible site for a city facility is next to Jackson County’s new jail site at a former mobile home park near US Highway 40 and I-70.
Right now the city pays $5 million a year for 105 beds to house people in Vernon and Johnson county jails, Rea said, observing, “The status quo is not a sustainable solution.”
Rea said the new city jail will have robust rehab programming and most likely would be funded by renewing a public safety sales tax that has been used to complete various police projects. Voters will make this decision, hopefully on an August ballot, he said.
Following Rea, Melesa Johnson spoke about the city’s Alternatives for Incarceration Commission and their recommendations to reduce jail time for non-violent and low-risk offenders. Johnson, director of public safety in the mayor’s office, said the commission’s goals include more emphasis on housing, mental health, a small business security fund and resources for domestic violence victims. She said there has been discussion about adding a city diversion department, but it’s too early to decide.
Gas Station Moratorium
City Councilman Darrell Curls announced that a six-month citywide moratorium on new gas stations and liquor stores begins Feb. 18 so that city staff can study how an oversupply of these businesses in certain areas impacts the surrounding community. The moratorium will not apply to grocery stores, big box stores or convenience stores like QuikTrip, he said.
