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Yael T. Abouhalkah writes about Kansas City metropolitan issues and his columns are published on Thursday. To reach him, write in care of the Opinion desk at 1729 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64108, call (816) 234-4887 or send e-mail to abouhalkah@kcstar.com. |
The creation of a Capital Projects Department would be a huge change of how business is done at City Hall. Of course, that means this idea is leading to all kinds of backroom maneuvering by elected officials and city department officials.
Today — after plenty of contentious debates, too many delays but also many positive moves by elected officials and voters — good laws now protect the great majority of area residents from second-hand smoke in restaurants, bars, office buildings and other public places.
It’s time for a bistate wrap-up of interesting developments from the past week. First, Missouri-side voters were in a positive mood Tuesday and deserve a pat on the back for endorsing several needed issues.
During 22 years of evaluating tax and fee elections in the Kansas City area, I’ve found they fall into three general categories: “Thumbs Up,” “Thumbs Down” and “Nose Holders.”
The suits were in the room Wednesday at Bartle Hall, and grand talk was in the air. Developers Whitney Kerr Sr. and Ron Jury pitched their competing ideas on where to build a 1,000-room hotel downtown, during a meeting of the Hotel Site Selection Subcommittee.
Here’s another sign the recession is easing: Economic development deals are coming together again in the area. That means taxpayers will be put on the hook for financing large parts of projects in Kansas City, Kan., Kansas City, Overland Park and elsewhere.
When it comes to COMBAT, Jackson County officials offer many statistics to “prove” that it works. However, the data about the anti-drug tax are tricky and sometimes misleading.
In an early 2005 column about population trends in the Kansas City area, this conclusion stood out: “The real stampede in the region continues into the suburbs — especially those far, far away from downtown.” But since then, the Power & Light District and Sprint Center have come to downtown Kansas City. In Kansas City, Kan., the city’s Village West area has exploded with even more shops and attractions. And close-in suburbs such as Independence have pursued economic development deals trying to keep themselves financially healthy.
Louie Wright’s dream could come true today if the City Council rushes to approve a Fire Department takeover of ambulance service. But I’m afraid it’s going to wind up being a costly nightmare for Kansas Citians.
The first quarterly survey for 2009 showed that — even in a bad economy and in a city mired in political squabbling — residents are more pleased than they were in 2008 with some services. But I’m attaching a long list of “howevers” to the new report.
