KSHB 41 reporter Isabella Ledonne reports on stories in Overland Park, Johnson County and topics about government accountability. Share your story idea with Isabella.
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The debate over whether to authorize $1.4 billion for the County Club Plaza redesign and development will continue into the new year.
Port KC Commissioners decided to delay the vote after more than 100 parents and community members virtually attended a special meeting to share their voice on the economic development package.
Under the tax incentive package for Gillon Property Group, the Dallas-based developers asked Port KC for a property tax abatement incentive, which includes not paying property taxes for 30 years. The company would have payments in lieu of taxes (PILOT) to Kansas City Public Schools (KCPS), the Kansas City Public Library (KCPL) and other taxing jurisdictions.
But critics spoke up at the meeting that the proposed payments won't make up for the estimated loss in revenue to schools, asking Port KC to delay the vote until more information or a revised package comes out.
"I'm beyond frustrated that I do not see the same kind of enthusiastic support for our schools in this proposal that is before us today," KCPS superintendent Dr. Jennifer Collier stated at Monday's meeting. "This proposal is a betrayal of our community's commitment to our schools."
Attendees at Monday's virtual-only meeting also raised concerns about Port KC's transparency, arguing that the community has not been an informed stakeholder during the redevelopment proposal process for the Plaza.
"These decisions raise important questions on whether the public benefits achieved are proportional to the revenue being relinquished or taken," KCPL executive director Abby Yellman said. "We have not received updates about this project. We did have one meeting with the developer, but outside of that, we haven't had updates regarding where the numbers sit, what the abatement looks like outside of this meeting [on Monday]. The lack of communication makes it difficult for all of us to really assess what those impacts are and it also makes it hard for us to be a partner in this work."
Ultimately, the vote was tabled following the comments and calls to delay the vote until a later meeting.
Port KC is expected to take up the vote again at an upcoming meeting in January. Commissioners responded to the dozens of comments opposed to the issuance of the bonds by stating Port KC deeply cares about the community.
The Port KC meeting resumed after hackers took control of the virtual meeting and played pornographic clips and displayed graffiti for several minutes before Port KC ended the meeting. Children were present during the meeting. Port KC commissioners apologized for the display of offensive material and stated the three individuals involved were reported and removed.
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