NewsLocal News

Actions

KCMO committee to discuss renaming Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard to The Paseo Wednesday

paseo.JPG
Posted at 7:45 AM, May 22, 2019
and last updated 2019-05-22 08:45:51-04

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Petitioners asking for leaders in Kansas City, Missouri, to rename Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard back to The Paseo Boulevard may get one step closer to their goal Wednesday.

The city's Finance and Governance Committee is scheduled to discuss the issue at 8:30 a.m. on the 10th floor of city hall.

Earlier this month, the city clerk certified a list of signatures petitioning the city to ask voters whether to rename the street The Paseo. Wednesday, the committee will recommend when to put the question on the ballot. It could go before voters in August or November.

In January, the city council approved renaming The Paseo as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard. In February, the city started the roughly $60,000 process of installing new signs on the nearly 10 mile-long road.

All the while, some citizens have questioned whether the city followed its own rules and charter when it approved the name change and said they didn't get a fair say in the process.

"I'm very proud of the citizens who engaged in this process and I'm very excited to see my colleagues let democracy work," Councilwoman Alissia Canady said earlier in the month.

The committee's recommendation Wednesday will have to go the full city council for approval. The city council could review the recommendation as early as Thursday. The KC Election Board previously said the deadline to get a question on the August 6 ballot is Saturday, May 25.