New petition calls for rail system in Kansas City. Backer is prolific petitioner
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Chastain's committee introduced a petition for a citywide monorail and greenways plan.
- City records show Chastain’s petition collected more than 2,200 verified signatures.
- Council has 60 days to consider the petition before it can go to the ballot.
Another citizen-led initiative petition from transit advocate and repeat mayoral candidate Clay Chastain that aims to bring an extensive rail system plan to Kansas City could soon be on its way to voters.
The proposal appears to be another long shot attempt by the prolific petitioner, who has so far unsuccessfully gained traction for his dreams to revamp city transportation methods.
City documents show Chastain’s newest initiative petition received more than 2,200 verified signatures to advance the proposal to the City Council.
It was formally introduced to council members last week but they did not discuss it. City codes show the council has 60 days to consider enacting the proposal before it can be placed on the ballot. The earliest it could appear on the ballot is seemingly the November general election.
Chastain, who lives in Virginia, has proposed many different rail transit plans for the city through petition initiatives, but none have ever become a reality.
In his newest proposal, Chastain calls for extending the city’s three-eighths-cent bus sales tax and enacting a new 40-year quarter-cent sales tax for capital improvement. The bus sales tax was extended by voters in 2023 for 10 years. Chastain’s proposal would extend it an additional 40 years.
The proposal says the sales taxes would be used to construct a citywide monorail system and convert some roadways into “pedestrian-friendly greenways” that could also be used by cyclists and electric buses. It also requires adding a transportation hub to Union Station to facilitate different forms of transportation, like the streetcar, buses and the proposed monorail.
Chastain did not respond to a request for comment about the plan.
Mayor Quinton Lucas said in a statement to The Star that the city will review Chastain’s latest petition in accordance with the city charter.
Lucas also suggested that Chastain’s abundant use of the city’s initiative petition system should make city residents question whether the practice should continue.
“Kansas City has a robust initiative petition system and no person has availed himself of our petition process more than Clay Chastain for over a generation,” Lucas said. “Kansas Citians at some point in the future should determine whether government by petition is an effective way to manage a growing city with the opportunities and challenges Kansas City confronts.”
Lucas’ comments also come as another petition committee is aiming to force a vote on the city’s plan to help fund a new Royals baseball stadium near downtown. The proposal could also affect the city’s new plan to help fund the expansion of the Current’s riverfront stadium.
