Freshly returned from Thursday's ground breaking for phase one of the streetcar system, the Kansas City city council committed $8 million to getting started on phase two.
Two area firms – HDR Engineering and Burns and McDonnell – were chosen to plan southward and eastward extensions of the streetcar line.
Ed Ford, who cast the lone dissenting vote, said he is not among the streetcar opposition, but is concerned about whether voters faced with multiple tax increase issues will approve the streetcar sales tax. Ford said the council should have waited six months before committing to extension expenditures.
Ford and John Sharp were able to persuade their colleagues to wait six months on an another issue. The council will give existing employees the added time implement their ideas on improving billing for ambulance services before voting on an outsourcing bid from a Florida medical billing company.
