If you love Independence like I do, vote yes on GO bonds for our future | Opinion
I love Independence. It is a kind, hardworking city with a deep appreciation for its community and history. It has been the home of so many wonderful stories — including mine. My husband and I are longtime residents of our beloved Independence, having chosen to live and raise our family here. I am one of 120,000 others who love our community and want to see it flourish.
Now, for the first time in our nearly 200-year history, Independence residents will have a true opportunity to invest in our future.
On April 8, we can decide whether Harry Truman’s hometown will finance its first ever general obligation bond.
It will be up to us to decide how the Queen City of the Trails — the place where so many great American stories started — will continue into its next chapter. Three questions on the GO bond ballot will shape our city for the next generation.
Should we invest in a new justice center? The current Independence Police Department headquarters was built to accommodate 100 people and opened in 1973 — the year after Truman died.
It currently costs $225,000 a year for upkeep of IPD HQ — with three plumbing problems in the last 18 months, a women’s locker room that was once a storage closet and evidence piling in every available space. Limited space forces our officers to work in five buildings scattered across Independence, impacting response times.
A new justice center would be centrally located at Route 291 and 23rd street — perfectly positioned to respond to our older sections and the growing east side of our 78-square-mile city. The $127 million facility would bolster our officer recruitment efforts, address the space and storage concerns and send the message that we support the brave law enforcement and court officers who work to keep our city fair and safe every day.
An additional $3 million would allow us to purchase the animal shelter — which we operate on city land — from Jackson County and provide much needed repairs.
Should we invest in our infrastructure? Independence has more than 500 miles of roads with more than $430 million of deferred maintenance on them. At current funding levels, it would take 91 years to address each lane mile. Passing the GO bond would more than double the funding for our roads, infusing an extra $6 million a year.
Five of our city’s bridges are currently closed, and it is forecast that another seven will fail in as many years — and $15 million would allow us to address them all in the next five years.
The final $10 million would go to build or repair sidewalks around seven city elementary schools, making safe, walkable communities for our youngest residents.
Should we preserve the gems of our city’s history — some of the most storied buildings in the Kansas City metropolitan area?
The Vaile Mansion is a gem, renowned for its festivals, holiday events and beautiful architecture. The front yard of the Bingham-Waggoner Estate still has the wagon wheel ruts left by pioneers caravaning across the three trails to great adventures. And the Truman Memorial Building still hosts weekly basketball games, band concerts and political debates. All those, plus an infusion into the Independence Athletic Complex, would build on the promise of not just our history, but our future in Independence.
Independence remains one of the most affordable cities in the Kansas City area, but that comes at a cost. We had $1 billion in deferred maintenance — eight years ago.
Our city is the second largest in the county, but 13th in tax levies. Blue Springs, Lee’s Summit, Liberty — our surrounding cities have all passed GO bonds to safeguard their future. It is finally time for Independence to invest in itself.
I love my city, the history it has and the history it is still writing for itself. I believe in it, and that’s why I’m voting yes on all three Independence bond questions.