OFFICIAL - Main Street Streetcar Extension

[beautyfromashes]

I'm a streetcar supporter but I think the mail in ballot request and district boundary carve out is wrong. It's 'the ends justify the means' and creates voting barriers to the democratic process. Two cents, not going to change anything though.

[KCPowercat]

I like the idea because it's who pays is who votes.

I do think just mailing out ballots to all active voters in defined border would be better.

[DaveKCMO]

find me an extra $100,000 and the mail-in election goes away (well, just $50K since the first election is underway).

not shitting you.

[KCPowercat]

I like mail in. Auto sending ballots to all voters would be cooler.

[kboish]

I like mail in. Auto sending ballots to all voters would be cooler.

agree. though i'm pretty sure thats a state law issue we can't fix here (not that you're suggesting that).

and i also like the TDD mechanism. To me, it is democracy at its most hard core. Citizen driven and paid for by those that it benefits (although the property owner-driven special taxing jurisdiction are as anti-democratic as it comes).

[beautyfromashes]

I just don't like the gerrymandering aspect of it. You basically are stacking the deck to get what you want. Should we set up an airport vote but remove those areas we know will vote no based on their prior voting record, even eliminating certain buildings or streets? Are we a community or not? It is beneficial for me this time as I'm excited about the streetcar expansion, perhaps next time it's not.

[KCPowercat]

I don't feel like the map for this TDD is gerrymandered. It's basically equidistant away from the asset (streetcar line). I'd think that's one thing the judge would look at when looking at the map they are approving...that it's not gerrymandering.

[chingon]

I just don't like the gerrymandering aspect of it.

That's not what that word means.

It would be gerrymandering if a city wide vote for a streetcar was set up in a way that there was a majority of yes votes in a majority of districts, and the district votes determined the outcome. It is not gerrymandering to establish a taxing district where the voting residents of that proposed taxing district have repeatedly indicated they are in favor of a service the tax would provide. That is called "democracy".

[flyingember]

If you want to see what a Gerrymandered TDD would look like, pull up the city of Higginsville in google maps.

They follow along the street so as to include a specific property they want to tax at I-70, and by avoiding farms, they reduce the number of voters that can turn down the expansion.

If the property tax area conveniently managed to only cover commercial property outside of the current boundary that would be unfair gerrymandering

[beautyfromashes]

It was said on this board before that 1 Park Place was purposefully left out of the district and that voting patterns were used to help determine the boundary. I don't see how that wouldn't be considered gerrymandering. But, like I said, I'm voting for it. I just see where others would have an issue with it.

[KCPowercat]

Where was that posted and by whom?

There is no odd line around 1 Park place. The property tax line goes straight north and south.

The sales tax goes around that building but there is no retail there?

[beautyfromashes]

1PP is outside of the special assessment zone while the park around it to the direct north and east was included.

https://www.connectkc.org/wp-content/up ... carmap.pdf

[KCPowercat]

Ignore my prior post. Thanks for setting me straight.

[pash]

.

[flyingember]

42% of KCMO residents (those people who return surveys) have ridden the streetcar. I bet this is WAY higher in midtown, closer to 80%.

https://twitter.com/TomGerend/status/867095883686588418

[DaveKCMO]

Court estimates about 5,800 ballot applications received. Final number due later this week.

[hartliss]

Court estimates about 5,800 ballot applications received. Final number due later this week.

Kudos to the all of the efforts to get folks signed up.

[DaveKCMO]

well over 6,000 ballot applications received.

[WSPanic]

well over 6,000 ballot applications received.

What percentage of the eligible or registered voters is that? And how many were you expecting? You don't have to answer. Just curious.

[kboish]

well over 6,000 ballot applications received.

Congrats, Dave. I'd say that is well done.

well over 6,000 ballot applications received.

What percentage of the eligible or registered voters is that? And how many were you expecting? You don't have to answer. Just curious.

I don't know how many Dave was expecting, but that is certainly more than I was expecting. It has been reported there are 30,000 eligible voters in the TDD area- so that would be about a 20% response. That is a higher percentage than our last mayoral election.

Now we just need to make sure all of these people actually mail in their ballots.