The Ruskin Hills Home Association hosted a Mayor's Town Hall meeting on June 24 at the Symington Elementary School in the Hickman Mills School District. Kansas City residents were engaged and clearly interested in learning about issues affecting their neighborhoods.
Following Mayor Mark Funkhouser's introductory remarks, participants posed numerous important questions. Some of those questions, along with the Mayor's responses follow.
Q. Why are businesses leaving Kansas City, and shouldn't we be concerned about that?
The Mayor responded that businesses leave Kansas City for economic reasons that are related to the loss of population. He explained that businesses move into and stay in locations where the population and associated income can support them. Since 1970, Kansas City has lost 100,000 people from the city core, and the city's proportional share of metro income has shrunk from 40% in 1970 to 18% today. When the population and income base declines, business can no longer grow or remain viable and must leave the City. He said that he is very concerned about this issue, and has built his administration's policies around trying to combat the conditions that have led to the City's declining population. Central to this effort are the City that Works Initiative and the New Tools Initiative.
Q. Why does it seem like only the business and moneyed interests in Kansas City are reaping the benefits of our tax dollars? Neighborhoods like Ruskin Hills are suffering while the City Council is doing things like giving a $600,000 loan to a Trolley Company and $500,000 to a consultant for building a thousand-room hotel in downtown.
The Mayor said that he shares the neighborhoods' frustrations, and has made economic development throughout Kansas City a priority of his administration. He pointed out that one of his first actions after being elected was to develop and implement an Economic Development Plan for the City, which had never been done up to that point. The plan lays out strict requirements for how and where tax financed programs such as TIF can be used, which is designed to help prevent over-exposure of the City's financial system. He stated that the Ordinance authorizing money for the consultant was approved during his absence. He will remain watchful on the thousand room hotel issue, and should a tax incentive be sought for building such a hotel, he will insist that the Economic Development Plan be followed and on being presented with solid financial proof that such a project will actually benefit the City. He will also keep track of the Trolley loan to make sure that all the terms are met, he said.
Q. What is happening to all the money that is being collected by the city in the form of fines for people who run the newly installed red lights at certain intersections downtown?
The Mayor responded that the red lights were not installed in order to collect money, but for safety reasons. Far too many people were running red lights and putting themselves and others in danger of being killed.
