COMMENTARY
Approved bus sales tax puts city closer to light-rail system
By STEVE PENN
The Kansas City Star
The passage of the bus sales tax puts Kansas City one step closer to light rail.
That’s just the way things are done here. Progress in Kansas City most often comes cautiously and incrementally. Rarely do upgrades come by leaps and bounds.
Take for instance the way the community dealt with its stadium upkeep. It first committed to renovate Kauffman and Arrowhead stadiums. Once that was decided, voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot measure to build the Sprint Center.
The approval of one had to happen first for the second initiative to succeed.
That same pattern more than likely will hold true with light rail, and that’s why supporters should be encouraged about the passage of the 3/8 -cent sales tax to fund the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority’s bus system.
A positive vote for the bus system more than likely translates into a positive vote for light rail down the road.
That was the prevailing sentiment Monday night at the Blue Room at 18th and Vine streets, where supporters of the bus tax converged to watch the election returns.
As soon as supporters of the bus sales tax declared victory, they started setting their sights on a potential light-rail initiative. Mayor Mark Funkhouser, who watched returns at the Blue Room, wants to lead the charge.
“I appreciate this vote from people who are basically saying that our bus system is fine,” Funkhouser said. “They’re saying it’s underfunded but that they don’t want it to have less funding. For me, personally, what this vote signifies is that there is a real solid platform for a regional transit system. Now we can go forward.”
Funkhouser reiterated that a regional light-rail system is a top priority.
“If this effort today would have lost, it would have crippled that effort,” Funkhouser said. “Instead, with the solid numbers and the campaign that was run, it shows that Kansas City is ready for a state-of-the-art regional transit system.”
The bus-tax campaign took a late hit from a group attempting to sabotage the ballot proposal. City Councilman Ed Ford, who helped lead the bus tax campaign, said an organization identified as Kansas Citians Against Taxpayer Abuse spent about $100,000 on TV ads opposing the tax.
“All I can say is, the person who blew 100 grand blew it,” Ford said. “I suspect they will never come out of the shadows.”
At the gathering, Mark Huffer, general manager of the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority, thanked the ATA’s 800 employees for the job they do every day.
“Quite honestly, without their efforts in doing what they’re supposed to do, this wouldn’t have passed,” Huffer said. “People wouldn’t have cared about it. You’ve got to have buses running if we’re going to move forward with light rail at a later date.”
City Councilman John Sharp said passage of the bus sales tax was absolutely necessary.
“If we didn’t have a bus service, a lot of those people you see every morning wouldn’t have jobs,” Sharp said. “This was a crucial vote for this city. It passed throughout our city. It carried north of the river just like it carried south of the river. This campaign lays the groundwork for the next step, which is to build a light-rail system, hopefully a regional light-rail system.”
Alvin Brooks, who served as co-chairman of the bus sales tax, was extremely pleased with the results.
“I love Kansas City,” Brooks said. “It’s a progressive city. It’s a city where people travel not only by bus, but soon by rail. I certainly hope to be around to see that happen. We have to have a bus system to make the rail system work.”
Now that funding for the bus service has been secured, it’s time for Kansas Citians to prepare to take the next step.
To reach Steve Penn, call 816-234-4417 or send e-mail to spenn@kcstar.com.
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