Tagged: KCMO City Hall

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Times have been discouraging for the Kansas City agency charged with keeping old and luring new business. Until a recent trend appeared to surface. It was noticed this week in the business session of the Kansas City Council.

City Council Chambers didn't exactly burst into sweetness and light, but you could almost feel a glow as Jeff Kazmarek laid out his report.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Primaries for Kansas City's next mayor are in just a month. Seven people are vying for the position, including current mayor Mark Funkhouser. All are hoping to lead the city through a challenging time - the city's grappling with a down economy and continuing violence.

Kansas City, Mo. – The man who continues to goad Kansas City leadership toward a light rail system maintains he IS a viable candidate for mayor, despite the City Attorney's opinion he cannot run in the general election as a write-in.

Kansas City, MO – When someone gets tax abatement for a development project, they enter into a contract - they say how much the project will cost, how many jobs created, and often agree to pay the city back for work it has to do.

Kansas City, MO – As the recession continues to plague revenue collections, some Kansas City, Missouri city council members want to consider outsourcing management of some city assets to private companies.

The idea was reborn when Black and Veatch expressed an interest in managing the Blue River Wastewater Treatment facility, but the resolution advanced yesterday by a 2 to 1 Finance Committee vote calls for the city manager to investigate involving the private sector in any city assets and services where there is an interest.

By Sylvia Maria Gross

Kansas City, MO – Kansas City Missouri's redistricting committee members decided they will choose two maps to present to the city council in its final meeting tomorrow. Yesterday's meeting brought out strong support for keeping some district boundaries intact.

Kansas City, MO – A plan to give MAST ambulance employees better retirement benefits is on hold for at least another two weeks after four council members blocked a quick vote on it Thursday.

The non-profit MAST ambulance service became part of the Fire Department this spring. And the plan finally proposed offered full retirement benefits and credit for previous years of service.

The city manager said funding that could cost up to $40 million dollars that could be paid in over ten or more years and in the long run offset by savings.

Kansas City, MO – Ever since the city started talking about taking over the ambulance service about three years ago, it has promised MAST workers they would get a retirement system comparable to that of other public safety employees crediting the time they have worked for the non-profit ambulance service.

With 320 of those employees now working for the city, City Manager Troy Schulte says it could cost the city up to $40 million to fund that pension plan.