It’s PIAC time

South KC Perspective

By John Sharp

Residents, businesses and other organizations that want improvements to city infrastructure such as parks, sidewalks and streets in their neighborhoods in south KCMO should attend hearings later this month of the city’s Public Improvements Advisory Committee (PIAC) to present their requests. (Check out the list of approved PIAC requests for 2024.)

The PIAC hearing for requested projects in the 5th Council District which covers most of southeast KCMO will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, June 12, in the Hillcrest Community Center, 10401 Hillcrest Rd.  The PIAC hearing for projects in the 6th Council District which covers much of southwest KCMO will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, June 26, in the South Kansas City Chamber of Commerce office at 1300 E. 94th St. in the Blue River Commerce Center which can be accessed from Troost.

A second PIAC hearing for 5th District projects will be from 6 to 8 p.m. August 13 at the Southeast Community Center, 4201 E. 63rd St., and a second PIAC hearing for 6th District projects will be at the same time August 19 at the Plaza Branch of the Kansas City Public Library, 4801 Main. 

PIAC members are residents of the city – often neighborhood activists and/or community leaders – who volunteer their time to make recommendations to the mayor and city council for funding neighborhood capital improvements that are almost always approved by the city council.  The mayor and each member of the city council appoint a member of PIAC so they generally work together closely, and councilmembers usually attend the PIAC hearings in their council districts.

Typical projects funded through the PIAC process include street improvements such as widening, resurfacing or installing curbs and gutters; installing or repairing sidewalks; improving city parks by adding or upgrading playgrounds, shelters or trails; installing traffic signals or traffic calming devices such as speed humps; making storm drainage improvements to reduce the risk of flooding; and improving city community centers.

Persons may go to Public Improvements Advisory Committee to submit an online application for funding through the PIAC process.  Only three attachments such as pictures can be added to the online application.

They may also email the PIAC office at piac@kcmo.org or call the office at 816-513-1062 to have an application mailed to them or for other assistance.  Applications may be mailed back to the PIAC office or submitted at one of this summer’s PIAC hearings.  The deadline for receipt of applications is August 31.

Regardless of how a person applies, it is always wise to attend one of the PIAC hearings to explain in person to PIAC members and councilmembers why the project is important.  Bringing pictures of the problem and others who supporter the project is also very helpful. 

Projects that can improve public safety such as constructing sidewalks where children and other pedestrians frequently walk in the street such as around schools or shopping areas are generally given high priority. 

PIAC never has enough available funds for every worthy application, and in recent years has been able to allocate about $5 million for projects in each of the six council districts which makes it difficult to fund multimillion construction projects unless they are phased or funding is split between adjoining council districts when the project impacts more than one council district.

For more expensive projects, applicants are encouraged to suggest phasing the projects and specifying how they would like them phased.  

Applicants also are encouraged to keep applying if their initial application is turned down. It often takes a few years to win approval even of the most worthy projects due to the city’s backlog of deferred maintenance and the complete lack of even basic infrastructure such as sidewalks, curbs and gutters in many of the annexed areas of the city such as in much of south Kansas City, many areas north of the Missouri River and areas in the eastern portions of the city such as much of the area east of Raytown. 

Funding for PIAC applications submitted this summer must be formally approved by both PIAC and the mayor and city council and included in the city’s budget for fiscal year 2025-26 that begins May 1, 2025.  When projects need time-consuming extensive design work or right-of-way acquisition, it may be the following fiscal year before construction actually starts.