Light Rail

I think it’s interesting that Kansas City voters within a certain geographic area elected to pass the light rail initiative before there was more of a cohesive plan in place as to where else it would run to.  The two mile track from City Market to Union Station doesn’t seem, at this point, to have much benefit to other municipalities who could potentially benefit from track being laid to other municipalities, such as North Kansas City, Gladstone, the “Zona Rosa” area, not to mention Overland Park, Roeland Park, etc.  I would think the Mayor of Kansas City would have had much more collaboration and planning put into this $100 million dollar project, as out sewer system and roads are in extreme need of upgrading and repairs. 

I thought it interesting the phrasing that the City Administrator of North Kansas City used when he said he wanted “more insight” into how the track would cross the Missouri River.  Wouldn’t one think that more cooperation and semi-regional planning would have taken place, given the financial and opportunity cost of this $100 million dollar project?  Another interesting point brought up in the article is that in past years, NKC residents passed a sales tax that would have supporting the building of light rail, but it was contingent upon KCMO residents doing the same. As a result of KCMO voters turning it down, NKC’s sales tax never kicked in.  I could now see a separate policy issue for NKC that Sly James may be able to leverage.  It would go something like this – Sly: “You said if we passed it, you’d support it though taxes.  Well, we passed it.  Where’s the money?"