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Council Endorses Mayor's Tax Plan

Mayor Sly James presents his tax revision plan to a joint city council committee
KCCG Channel 2
Mayor Sly James presents his tax revision plan to a joint city council committee

Kansas City voters are likely to be asked to swap motor vehicle “city stickers” and some special property taxes for a 1/2-cent sales tax increase.

Mayor Sly James says the plan will raise millions but cost the average resident almost nothing.

The mayor says the financial magic in the plan a council committee endorsed in switching to a sales tax.  " The sales taxes, unlike the taxes we are repealing, are paid by people outside of Kansas City so the entire burden would not fall on Kansas City," he told a joint committee which was first to vote on the proposal.

 

James says with the sales tax the city can come up with almost $20 million at a cost of $15 per year or less to the average resident. The extra money would go for maintenance of the streets, parks and community centers.

 

A full council vote next week would send the plan, which James calls "Reform and Repair" to the voters in August.

 

A companion measure would authorize a half-a-billion dollar bond issue for federally mandated sewer improvements. The city manager says bonding the project will save the taxpayers money.

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