Kansas City Ballot Issues Pass

Voters say yes to jail (Question 1)

By Kathy Feist

The Public Safety Tax renewal included much more than the construction of a city jail, but to almost 40% of voters, it was a reason to vote no.

The Public Safety Tax renews a 20-year quarter-cent tax first approved in 2002 and renewed in 2010. This time, $24 million a year will be earmarked for the construction of a $250 million city jail, emergency 911 improvements, and fire and police equipment, including police car camera systems, body cams and a new building for the Central Patrol Office. The total tax will bring in $360 million over 15 years.

Kansas City has not had its own city jail since 2009, relying on the Jackson County jail until 2019. Since then offenders have been sent distances away to the Johnson County or Vernon County jails.

In November, $2.3 million was approved by the Kansas City City Council to purchase land for a city jail on the same property as the new Jackson County Detention Center, currently under construction near Hwy 40 and I-435. Both jails include plans that focus more on rehabilitation than lock up.

Ronald McDonald House gets park (Question 2)

By John Sharp

KCMO voters passed Question 2 by an overwhelming 79.5% majority in the April 8 election according to unofficial results to authorize the city to sell the 3.4-acre Longfellow Park between 25th & 26th streets and between Cherry St. & Gillham Rd. to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Kansas City so it can expand its facility on a leased part of the park that provides free housing and supportive services to families whose children are undergoing lengthy treatment at Children’s Mercy Hospital just a few blocks away.

The specialized pediatric hospital draws patients from throughout the Midwest whose families often have to rent hotel or motel rooms in the Kansas City area when Ronald McDonald House is full unless they have friends or relatives with spare space in the area.

Families of hundreds of patients have to be turned away annually due to high demand for the 41 rooms for families in the Ronald McDonald House facility. Plans call for the expansion to add at least 40 more rooms which also are available to families of young patients undergoing lengthy stays at other area pediatric facilities.

Ronald McDonald House officials have pledged to maintain about 1.5 acres of green space at the park site for public use which contains a walking trail and outdoor fitness equipment and to enhance these amenities at its expense without cost to taxpayers.

$474 million bond approved for KCPS

By Max Goodwin

On Tuesday, a resounding 84.9% of voters in the Kansas City Public School District boundaries approved a historic general obligation bond of $474 million.

This bond will allow KCPS to fund construction and renovation projects for school buildings around the district. Nine charter schools will also receive $50 million of the bond funding.

Out of the 22,226 votes cast on the question, 18,870 were in favor of the KCPS bond. The initiative required support from more than 57% of voters.

The bond’s approval will raise property taxes by about $231 per year for a home worth about $200,000 to fund district improvements. This is the first time a bond for KCPS has been approved since 1967. KCPS had been the only school district in the region without bond funding.

The district can now implement its plan to renovate school buildings with new heating and cooling systems, roofs, plumbing, and other deferred maintenance. Each district school building will receive at least $5 million in improvements.

“This bond will allow us to move beyond temporary fixes and invest in sustainable improvements for our facilities,” said KCPS Superintendent Jennifer Collier in a statement released by the district. “It’s time to match our actions with our words and invest in our children’s present and future.”

Part of that plan is renovating the former Southwest High School building at 65th and Wornall as a new middle school for KCPS. This project is estimated to get $45.1 million of the bond funding. The last time the building was used was in 2016.

Southeast High School will undergo a $16.7 million renovation project focusing on a heating and cooling system, plumbing, and new windows.

“In the coming months, you will see these projects come to life,” Collier said. “This is just the beginning of our journey to provide the best educational environment for our children.”