Kansas City voters will decide the future of infrastructure in the city in just eight days.
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The GO Bond, an $800 million, 20-year investment plan is separated into three questions on the special election ballot.
#1 - $600 million for Streets, bridges and sidewalks
#2 - $150 million for flood control
#3 - $50 million for a new animal shelter and public building upgrades to become Americans for disabilities act compliant.
Some critics suggest Kansas City’s track record should make voters think twice before approving the spending.
“This is the same reason why people don’t give money to alcoholics on the street. It’s because they fear that the future behavior is going to match the past behavior,” said Patrick Tuohey with the Show-Me Institute, a Libertarian think tank.
Tuohey says the reason the city needs infrastructure funding is because for decades, city council misspent money.
“It gets distracted by neat, shiny things,” said Tuohey.
Tuohey provided the Streetcar and convention hotels as examples, examples that Mayor Sly James scoffs at.
“None of those things have anything to do with this. There is no city in this country that doesn’t need to do things on multiple levels,” said James.
James said to the contrary, the Streetcar investment improved infrastructure as well by upgrading piping, adding fiber lines, taking more drivers off the roads and creating Wi-Fi along the route. He points to the difference in downtown Kansas City in the last 10 years as proof that city investments are spent well.
“Look at the change. That’s not a shiny object, that’s absolutely essential economic development and progress,” said James.
James also responded to the suggestion that voters should be concerned with possible diversion of general funds currently being used on infrastructure.
“No, we’ll still be using general fund money for roads and streets and bridges but we’ve only been able to use about $10 million a year,” said James. The city has identified roughly $6 billion worth of infrastructure shortfalls.
James says the true reason Kansas City finds itself needing a significant infrastructure upgrade isn’t because of improper spending in the past, rather improper dedicated revenue.
“No money was collected,” said James. “There’s no real option here. It’s either we fix it or we watch it continue to crumble. It’s not something that people should be critical of. We’re taking care of the foundation of our city just like people need to take care of the foundation of their house. Without the foundation the rest of it falls apart.”
Tuohey doesn’t disagree with the status of KC’s infrastructure, but isn’t convinced that the funds will be properly dispersed.
“I live in Kansas City. Anyone who lives in the city will tell you these are legitimate needs,” said Tuohey. “We have sidewalks that are crumbling if we have sidewalks at all, but what frustrates us is that the behavior that got us in this mess, which is the city not spending money as it should, is likely to happen after we give them a whole bunch more money. The worst case scenario is that in 20 years we are right back here saying these things haven’t gotten fixed.”
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Brian Abel can be reached at brian.abel@kshb.com.
