DaveKCMO wrote: ↑Wed Nov 08, 2023 3:55 pm
The next step to actually improve is to get dedicated regional funding going in Johnson, Wyandotte, Platte, Clay, and Jackson counties. The counties will make different decisions than the cities -- as we've seen with how service is funded today (with general fund dollars) in Johnson and Wyandotte.
It's very likely Johnson will be first out of the gate since they've proven that there's a need and a willingness to expand (which they did last year with one-time federal funds that will run out soon).
Thanks Dave and thanks for your continued advocacy for this initiative and transit. I signed up for the Regional Transit Alliance email list but need to get time to actually attend a meeting despite all the family and work obligations.
I think most on the forum know that regional cooperation and funding are the answer and now we have the Feds shown clear interest in getting transit done with the Build America financing initiative. Now it's just a matter of how we decide what is a fair and reasonable tax and sell it to so many more skeptical, car-dependent suburban and rural voters. The last thing we want is to be lumped in with failed regional initiatives like Nashville or Atlanta, which had strong proposals but were still rejected for one reason or another.
Instead of just the immediate TDD, in a 5 county measure voters from all the way in Smithville, Kearney, and Excelsior Springs out to Gardner-Edgerton, De Soto and Jone Jack would vote and definitely would be less willing to do so if they didn't get any even reasonably direct service.
I would be curious if it would be legal or possible to instead have like a 'mega TDD.' IIRC, all KCMO has to vote on any future streetcar expansions. So have KCMO + voting in all precincts that are only within X distance from proposed transit- which would be a much wider swath than in the Main Street TDD. As much as I would love to rebuild connections to Excelsior Springs etc, it's probably not the best use of transit dollars for how little those smaller towns would contribute.