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Transit activists interrupt Jackson County Legislature to demand bus funding: ‘Do your job’

A crowd of people holding yelling signs stands up while sheriffs, to the right of the photo, begin ushering them to the back of the room.
Savannah Hawley-Bates
/
KCUR 89.3
One person was detained and about 50 others were removed from the Jackson County Legislature meeting Monday. Sunrise Movement KC disrupted the meeting to call for the county to fund KCATA.

Monday marked the third protest in just one week from Kansas City-area climate activists, who demand that Jackson County step up to fund the KCATA. One protester was detained and more than 50 activists were removed from the legislature's chambers.

Bus riders across the region will likely endure more service cuts if the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority can’t secure more funding to cover its long-anticipated budget shortfall.

That urgency is why about 50 people with climate activist group Sunrise Movement KC rallied at the Jackson County courthouse Monday. The group is calling on legislators to put a county-wide sales tax on the ballot that could provide a consistent source of revenue to the agency

KCATA’s multi-million-dollar budget hole has been well publicized for years, raising concerns that the agency might end free bus fares or eliminate more routes.

In the middle of Monday’s meeting, Sunrise Movement members stood up and shouted at legislators for their inaction.

“The blood of our bus system is on your hands,” said Adin Alem, a member of Sunrise Movement. “In April, when budget cuts happen, Kansas Citians will ask who to blame and we will say it’s you. Do your job and fund our buses!”

Three officers with the Jackson County Sheriff's Department move a crowd towards elevators at the end of a marble hallway.
Savannah Hawley-Bates
/
KCUR 89.3
After interrupting the Jackson County Legislature meeting, activists with the climate action group Sunrise Movement KC were removed from the legislature chambers. They continued their chants in the hallway.

After kicking out the crowd, the Jackson County Legislature continued on with its meeting. Public transit funding was not on the agenda.

Outside the legislative chambers, activists continued their chants while officers from the Jackson County Sheriff ushered them into elevators.

One member of the group who led the chants was detained by officers after holding the elevator open. Sunrise Movement identified the member as Russell, but did not provide his last name.

“I know that I speak for everyone in this room when I say that we are not just going to sit down and let our bus system die,” Russell said during the meeting. “Not on my watch. Tell Jackson County to ‘do your job.’”

Two officers with the Jackson County Sheriff's Department usher people into an elevator. One person holds a sign that reads "strong buses = healthy city."
Savannah Hawley-Bates
/
KCUR 89.3
Activists with the climate action group Sunrise Movement KC were ushered out of the building after disrupting the Jackson County Legislature meeting. They wanted legislators to put a county sales tax to fund the KCATA on the ballot.

This is the third rally in the last week where bus riders and transit advocates demanded more money for the agency.

Last Monday, about 20 people from Sunrise Movement gathered outside the house of County Executive Frank White Jr.

Two days later, 100 bus drivers, riders and low-wage workers rallied outside of KCATA’s headquarters to protest a lack of public transit funding from Kansas City and other area governments.

A group of people holding yellow signs stand in front of a blue house
Sunrise Movement KC
Activists with Sunrise Movement KC rallied outside of Jackson County Executive Frank White Jr.'s home last week demanding more funding for the KCATA.

White said in a statement last week that “a strong public transportation system is one of the most important investments a region can make in its future.” He asked for the Mid-America Regional Council’s help to create a plan on how regional funding could work.

“The reality is that this kind of investment will be necessary if we want to remain competitive and ensure that our communities remain vibrant, connected and forward-thinking,” White said.

The KCATA said in a statement last week that it doesn’t want to eliminate routes.

“However, KCATA is reliant on funding it receives from contracting partners throughout the region,” Reginald Townsend, chair of the agency’s board of commissioners, said in the statement. “Those contracts have not been finalized yet. Once that funding is determined, KCATA will be able to let our employees and the public know how service may be impacted.”

A person holds a sign that says "Keep our buses rolling yes"
Savannah Hawley-Bates
/
KCUR 89.3
About a hundred bus riders, drivers and activists with Stand Up KC and the Amalgamated Transit Union, which represents bus drivers, rallied last week to demand more funding for the KCATA. Without it, the agency said it would likely need to cut routes.

The regional transit agency is funded mainly by Kansas City, Missouri, which provided about $70 million in its 2024-2025 fiscal year budget. That money comes from the city’s public mass transit tax and KCATA sales tax.

Mayor Quinton Lucas has said, however, that Kansas City can’t continue to “subsidize transit for communities not electing to fund it for themselves.”

Johnson and Wyandotte counties both contribute money to the KCATA, but Jackson, Clay and Platte counties don’t.

Activists with Sunrise Movement KC protest at the Jackson County Courthouse on Jan. 27, 2025, urging county legislators to place a sales tax for public transit on the ballot.
Savannah Hawley-Bates
/
KCUR 89.3
Activists with Sunrise Movement KC protest at the Jackson County Courthouse on Jan. 27, 2025, urging county legislators to place a sales tax for public transit on the ballot.

Other than Kansas City, though, few individual municipalities are chipping in to pay for bus service — especially now that they’re facing steeper KCATA bills. Independence, Blue Springs, Raytown, Grandview, Liberty, Gladstone and Riverside have all decided to eliminate bus service.

“If there is one thing that any leader in Kansas City can do to make a generational investment in the lives of young people, it’s giving us access to jobs, education, and health care without the thousands of dollars that a car costs,” said Laela Zaidi, a leader with Sunrise Movement KC.

As KCUR's local government reporter, I’ll hold our leaders accountable and show how their decisions about development, transit and the economy shape your life. I meet with people at city council meetings, on the picket lines and in their community to break down how power and inequities change our community. Email me at savannahhawley@kcur.org.
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