Kansas City voters to decide in April whether to approve sales taxes that would fund monorail system

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City, Missouri, voters will decide in April whether or not to approve funding for a citywide monorail system.

Thursday afternoon, the KCMO City Council approved Ordinance 260859, sending the transportation question to voters.

On April 6, 2027, voters will be asked whether to enact an ordinance that imposes a 1/4-cent sales tax and continues a 3/8-cent sales tax to help fund the project. The extension of the 3/8-cent bus sales tax, which expires in 2033, would last 40 years. The new 1/4-cent sales tax would also last for 40 years, beginning in 2026.

If voters say yes, the city would be authorized to seek federal funding for the monorail system, as well as the conversion of existing roads, an electric bus shuttle service, Penn Valley Park improvements and the establishment of a regional transportation hub at Union Station.

City documents state the monorail would run from the Kansas City International Airport to the KC Zoo and Aquarium, making stops in the Northland, downtown and more.

The electric shuttle buses would help “expand [the] service area around monorail stations to nearby neighborhoods, destinations and job centers,” per the question.

The question also mentions adding affordable housing along the monorail corridor, extending the streetcar to 18th and Vine and creating more pedestrian-friendly spaces.

KCMO Mayor Quinton Lucas issued a statement Thursday on the monorail question and a question that would give voters a say on future proposals concerning entertainment venues with more than 2,500 seats.

"Both plans were placed on the ballot in accordance with the City Charter. Neither of the proposals bars City officials from continuing to work on transit issues, including necessarily funding the KCATA regional bus system in the next budget in March, and economic development, including the Crown Center and Berkeley Riverfront redevelopments," Lucas said in part.

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