At yesterday’s MainCor luncheon, 4th District Councilperson Jan Marcason said voters will be asked to change the way parks are funded and to ensure more money is dedicated to street maintenance. Marcason said Question 1 is the result of a reform recommendation from the Municipal Revenue Commission, a citizens’ committee appointed by Mayor James.
The citizens recommended changing the way residents fund the parks systems. Currently, three separate property taxes fuel parks. If Question 1 is approved, Kansas City property owners will no longer pay the motor vehicle license fee, the boulevard front foot assessment, or the parkway and trafficway maintenance tax. The tax burden would be shifted instead to a ½ cent sales tax. Since everyone who shops in Kansas City pays sales tax, the city estimates 40 percent of the tax would be paid by people who do not live in Kansas City.
Proponents of the proposal say the tax would generate $30 million in the first year.
“This money would be dedicated to the parks department,” Marcason said. “We will be able to improve tree trimming and mowing and allow the community centers to be open more hours for the kids.”
Another provision of Question 1 creates a dedicated street repair maintenance fund. Marcason said 4th District Councilman Jim Glover fought to guarantee that 7.5 percent of the city’s earning tax receipts would have to be used for street maintenance. City officials at the meeting said the provision would generate $13 to $15 million to repair potholes and resurface streets. Currently, the street maintenance fund often gets raided to pay for other projects.
The August 7 election also includes a city revenue bond for sanitary sewers.
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