Re: World-class research institute could come to Kansas City
Posted: Mon Aug 19, 2013 3:28 am
And add the food and beverage sales tax at restaurants for Bartle Hall debt. Think it is 2% on top of the other sales taxes.
I suppose. But allowing people to oppose projects and also make the claim that there's no overall plan for how to spend the money seems much worse.grovester wrote:I hear you, but I often feel that linking projects that way is helping the opposition. "Why are we funding a streetcar when we need sewers?" Usually the funding has nothing to do with each other and is project specific. No way we can use KCI funding for anything else.
I agree on a vision thing, and I guess that needs to come from Sly in State of the City speeches and the like. I guess I feel that we know about the upcoming projects and ultimately it's up to the voters to acquiesce or not.
passed, passed and funded through another source.FangKC wrote: Or would voters rather see sales tax money levied going for crime reduction, rebuilding streets and sidewalks, abandoned house demolition, etc.? One would improve their lives faster than another?]
Wait, I thought we were talking about how/when to ask for money. Once it's passed, spending should be proscribed in the measure.chaglang wrote:I suppose. But allowing people to oppose projects and also make the claim that there's no overall plan for how to spend the money seems much worse.grovester wrote:I hear you, but I often feel that linking projects that way is helping the opposition. "Why are we funding a streetcar when we need sewers?" Usually the funding has nothing to do with each other and is project specific. No way we can use KCI funding for anything else.
I agree on a vision thing, and I guess that needs to come from Sly in State of the City speeches and the like. I guess I feel that we know about the upcoming projects and ultimately it's up to the voters to acquiesce or not.
Not a process like that, but there would be some smoke filled room discussions. Get a list of possible improvements or items to be funded and then go out to the community to get feedback on priorities and how to fund. Getting initial community support should help in getting voter approval for any tax increase, property or sales.AKP says that "leaders should get together and decide", sounds a bit like smoke filled rooms.
Sorry, I wrote that too early this morning and it didn't come out very clearly. But, yes, it was about how/when to ask for money.grovester wrote:Wait, I thought we were talking about how/when to ask for money. Once it's passed, spending should be proscribed in the measure.chaglang wrote:I suppose. But allowing people to oppose projects and also make the claim that there's no overall plan for how to spend the money seems much worse.grovester wrote:I hear you, but I often feel that linking projects that way is helping the opposition. "Why are we funding a streetcar when we need sewers?" Usually the funding has nothing to do with each other and is project specific. No way we can use KCI funding for anything else.
I agree on a vision thing, and I guess that needs to come from Sly in State of the City speeches and the like. I guess I feel that we know about the upcoming projects and ultimately it's up to the voters to acquiesce or not.
I guess my question would be how does one go about prioritizing these various things without opening themselves up to political shenanigans? Or losing public support for a project due to perceived low priority? What exactly is the venue or vehicle for coming to consensus? AKP says that "leaders should get together and decide", sounds a bit like smoke filled rooms.
The city already sort of prioritizes when it come to when to ask, scheduling votes at certain times, and trying to not compete with each other.
On Sunday, the Kansas City Regional Transit Alliance ripped into the proposed half-cent sales tax, which would last 20 years and raise $40 million annually.
Today, the Jackson County Legislature is poised to put the tax on the ballot, after pressure from the Civic Council of Greater Kansas City to rush the issue to the Nov. 5 ballot. Tuesday is the deadline for that action.
The rush irritates the alliance, partly because it has supported a long process to place a commuter rail plan before voters, something that would probably require funding from a large, a one-cent sales tax increase. But that effort was put on hold earlier this year (creating the opening on the ballot for the medical research tax) because of disagreements between two major railroads on where the commuter line could run.
Here’s part of the press release from the alliance and Chairman Kite Singleton:
“This new tax proposal fails to recognize the importance of what Jackson County has been doing over the past three years. Mike Sanders’ energetic regional transit proposal is in a time-out. This is not a time to redirect our community’s focus to another interest. How can we expect to attract these talented young health care researchers to a town that won’t invest in the kinds of urban amenities that these people will demand?
Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2013/08/26/44 ... rylink=cpy
Hall foundation pledges $75 million for medical research building
Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2013/09/04/44 ... rylink=cpyThe Hall Family Foundation on Wednesday announced that it would commit $75 million to construct a medical research building at Children’s Mercy Hospital, but only if voters in November approve a half-cent sales tax geared to raise $800 million for such research over 20 years
Given this pledge it looks like most of the tax will go to salaries and other costs of research. Sounds like there will be more than just a few high paying jobs that will be attracted to the city's core.what Jackson County residents will receive for providing $40 million a year.
Yes, understood, but what I mean is what will Jackson County get out of taking on this risk (as some posters have already mentioned). Just getting a few high paying research jobs is not enough and I agree with others that I would rather see an expansion of transit (mainly the streetcar).aknowledgeableperson wrote:Given this pledge it looks like most of the tax will go to salaries and other costs of research. Sounds like there will be more than just a few high paying jobs that will be attracted to the city's core.what Jackson County residents will receive for providing $40 million a year.
Gotta admit, it does manage to make $75m look less enticing.aknowledgeableperson wrote:I have to admit that just might be a first. You don't vote for or against an issue because of its merits or lack of. You vote because of a way a building might or might not look.