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As much as he likes and supports the idea of a proposed $1.1 billion Kansas City Regional Rapid Rail plan, Blue Springs City Council Member Ron Fowler doesn’t agree that $17,958 in public money should be spent on an education initiative supporting it.
The funds will be paid to Jackson County with the sole purpose of funding an educational campaign that will show – through ads, mailings, videos, advertisements and other forms of media and demonstrations – the benefits of the proposal, which is still in its infancy.
“It’s not something I feel we do with taxpayer money,” Fowler said, adding that it felt “backwards” to him that city funding is coming first before definitive plans and designs have been completed and presented.
Council Member Dale Carter, who serves on one of the main committees for the plan, said Tuesday that he looked at the city’s approximate $18,000 portion as an investment for the city’s future.
Carter said the committee has already solicited two groups that were instrumental in getting the issues past in other cities. Carter said the educational initiative is crucial in convincing county residents that the plan is viable; otherwise, federal funding that would help with the project cost, would be lost.
To fund the education initiative will cost about $750,000, and 20 percent of that would come from Kansas City and surrounding municipalities. In more specific figures, the $17,958 is about 40 cents per Blue Springs resident.
Council Member Jeff Quibell said the public does a good job in vetting projects like this, but agreed that funding for an educational initiative is important and justified.
To make the system work, there would have to be a local match, Mike Sanders, the county’s executive, had said earlier this month. The local match most likely will come in the form of a sales tax, though the amount and the time in which it would be placed before voters is unknown at this point.
Sanders told City Council members and Mayor Carson Ross earlier this month that the proposed rail system is a critical component if Kansas City and surrounding areas want to remain competitive with other metropolitan markets.
Sanders had said there has been headway in Washington, D.C., regarding a transit bill, which would earmark funds for at least three cities currently examining a transit system. In the meantime, Sanders and transit team members are working hard on developing a plan that would utilize current and, in some cases, abandoned rail lines.
As much as he likes and supports the idea of a proposed $1.1 billion Kansas City Regional Rapid Rail plan, Blue Springs City Council Member Ron Fowler doesn’t agree that $17,958 in public money should be spent on an education initiative supporting it.
The funds will be paid to Jackson County with the sole purpose of funding an educational campaign that will show – through ads, mailings, videos, advertisements and other forms of media and demonstrations – the benefits of the proposal, which is still in its infancy.
“It’s not something I feel we do with taxpayer money,” Fowler said, adding that it felt “backwards” to him that city funding is coming first before definitive plans and designs have been completed and presented.
Council Member Dale Carter, who serves on one of the main committees for the plan, said Tuesday that he looked at the city’s approximate $18,000 portion as an investment for the city’s future.
Carter said the committee has already solicited two groups that were instrumental in getting the issues past in other cities. Carter said the educational initiative is crucial in convincing county residents that the plan is viable; otherwise, federal funding that would help with the project cost, would be lost.
To fund the education initiative will cost about $750,000, and 20 percent of that would come from Kansas City and surrounding municipalities. In more specific figures, the $17,958 is about 40 cents per Blue Springs resident.
Council Member Jeff Quibell said the public does a good job in vetting projects like this, but agreed that funding for an educational initiative is important and justified.
To make the system work, there would have to be a local match, Mike Sanders, the county’s executive, had said earlier this month. The local match most likely will come in the form of a sales tax, though the amount and the time in which it would be placed before voters is unknown at this point.
Sanders told City Council members and Mayor Carson Ross earlier this month that the proposed rail system is a critical component if Kansas City and surrounding areas want to remain competitive with other metropolitan markets.
Sanders had said there has been headway in Washington, D.C., regarding a transit bill, which would earmark funds for at least three cities currently examining a transit system. In the meantime, Sanders and transit team members are working hard on developing a plan that would utilize current and, in some cases, abandoned rail lines.
The benefits would be many, including commuting options for jobs and transportation to areas like Village West in Kansas City, Kan., Zona Rosa in North Kansas City and Kansas City International Airport.
Plans for the first two lines – one through Independence, Blue Springs and Grain Valley and one through Lee’s Summit – should be in place by May, Sanders had said.
The overall plan is designed around six spokes meeting at Union Station.
In addition to the first two in Eastern Jackson County, lines would run to Grandview, the Kansas Speedway area, KCI Airport and the Liberty/Kearney area.
The final vote for the fund request was 5-1, with Fowler voting against it.
