Streetcar tax ballots will be available beginning Friday

Several hundred voters this summer approved formation of a special taxing district for the proposed downtown streetcar starter line. Now it’s time to vote on the tax in another mail-in election.

Beginning today, the 5,500 registered voters living in the district may request a ballot by applying to Jackson County Circuit Court. Applications will be accepted until Oct. 2.

Ballots will be mailed out Oct. 30 and are due back by Dec. 11.

You needn’t have voted in the first election to cast a ballot in this one. Ballot applications may be picked up in Room 303 of the Jackson County Courthouse, or download them at www.16thcircuit.org/streetcar.

At issue is a proposed 1 cent sales tax increase to be collected within the downtown streetcar district’s boundaries for the next 25 years. Also up for a vote is a special assessment of up to 48 cents per $100 of assessed value on commercial properties and up to 70 cents per $100 of assessed value on residential properties, along with assessments on city-owned property and a special assessment on surface pay parking lots.

City officials are hoping to get federal funding to help defray some of the $100 million cost of building the system.

Kansas City plans to borrow about $73 million for its share, to be paid back with proceeds from the sales tax and property assessments.

If all goes according to plan, streetcars will be traveling from the River Market to Crown Center by 2015, city officials say.