Kansas City voters will head to the polls on August 8 to vote on three ballot initiatives, two of which concern streetcar expansion.
If it passes, question 1 on the ballot would fine city employees $1,000 for planning a streetcar expansion without getting voter approval first.
SMART KC, the PAC behind the proposed ordinance, described it as a way to save taxpayer dollars.
"Don't deplete our coffers on a project we don't want," SMART KC Treasurer Sherry DeJanes explained.
The Kansas City Regional Transit Alliance is voicing its opposition to the idea, saying the ordinance doesn't add up.
"It seems patently illegal and probably unconstitutional," KCRTA Chairman David Johnson said. "If you say streetcar twice in one day is that $2,000?"
According to DeJanes, the fine will only be imposed if city employees spend taxpayer money to plan a streetcar expansion that hasn't gone to the public for a vote. She added the money would go to the city, but DeJanes doesn't expect the fines to stick around.
"My anticipation is that it's going to be severed," she said.
In other words, if the proposed ordinance passes, DeJanes expects the thousand-dollar clause will be challenged in court.
