A majority of people in Jackson and Clay counties in Missouri, and Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas, support regional sales taxes to help fund public transit.
That’s according to the Kansas City Regional Transit Alliance, the group that commissioned the poll. Vice Chair Michael Kelley says the poll shows that people across the metro will support public transit if their local governments invest in it, especially at a time when the state and federal governments are pulling back transit funding.
“People want and need options so that they can thrive in the Kansas City region without needing to drive,” Kelley said. “Investing in transit, whether it be up in the Northland or down out in southeast Johnson County, makes sense because it is ultimately a public good that works for public users.”
The poll, which the group conducted in July of this year, asked voters in Clay, Jackson, Johnson and Wyandotte counties to measure support for countywide sales taxes for transit.
The alliance asked 1,600 people — 400 in each county — the same question: “Next year, there may be a measure on the ballot in [COUNTY] that would increase the local sales tax by 1/2¢ for 10 years to fund public transit bus services in [COUNTY]. If the election were held today, would you vote yes to approve or no to reject this measure?”
The polling found that a majority of voters in each of the four counties said they would support a 10-year, half-cent sales tax to fund bus service in their respective counties.
The alliance estimates that if all four counties established a half-cent tax for bus service, it would bring in more than $180 million per year.
'It's just the beginning'
The poll results were released ahead of a regional summit set for Friday by the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority. The event, which the agency will host alongside the Mid-America Regional Council, will gather metro leaders and transportation advocates to discuss ways to increase funding and find a stable regional funding source.
Frank White III, CEO of the KCATA, said the agency has never brought regional leaders together like this in its history to talk about what regional funding would look like. He said he’s optimistic that the summit, alongside the voter polling from the regional transit alliance, will get the ball rolling. But he said people shouldn’t expect the issue to be solved quickly.
“It's just the beginning, and there’ll be plenty of work to do after Friday,” White said. “We have to make sure that whatever solutions are provided meet the needs of that community that wants to tax themselves, and so that's the exciting part. It doesn't have to be the same.”
The KCATA provides bus service across seven counties between Kansas and Missouri. But transit costs have been rising nationwide, and many of the region’s suburbs have ended their contracts with the KCATA, putting more stress on the agency’s finances.
KCATA was formed under a bi-state compact but has no independent taxing authority. That means it can’t raise its own taxes for revenue and must rely on money from the municipalities it serves.
Right now, Kansas City is the only municipality in the area that funds KCATA through two sales taxes dedicated to public transportation. Other cities and counties fund the bus service with their general revenue, which can be unpredictable and means less money for buses. It also means Kansas City currently covers nearly all of KCATA’s overhead costs.
Most leaders in the metro agree that the area needs a stable, dedicated regional funding source for transit. But they’ve yet to propose one, or agree on how it would work.
The regional transit alliance that sponsored the poll is used to getting big projects like this passed. It has helped get money and support for the KC Streetcar’s Main Street extension.
Any new taxes to fund the KCATA will require voter approval, and one big tax that stretches over multiple counties in Kansas and Missouri is unlikely. The group is advocating for each county to establish its own dedicated funding source for KCATA through multiple countywide sales taxes.
Getting local leaders and voters on board
Local leaders have distrusted the KCATA for years. Kansas City built accountability measures into its long-delayed contract with the transit agency. Johnson County now runs its own transit agency and hasn’t relied on KCATA for bus service in years.
Changing the governance structure of the KCATA would take an act of Congress. The alliance is urging elected officials to pass funding for bus service anyway — and establish any contract agreements and accountability measures they feel are necessary.
Tristin Amezcua-Hogan, chair of the alliance, said voters support more funding for buses despite any issues with the KCATA.
“Our polling shows that KCATA is more popular than almost every elected official in town,” Amezcua-Hogan said. “We're not telling the counties that you have to only ask for bus funding, but we are saying that's the baseline. You can do a lot with this, and you can keep a comprehensive bus system in your area.”
Robert Puentes, a national transportation expert with the Brookings Institute, said a robust public transportation system is expensive and requires resources from each jurisdiction that receives service.
Puentes said taxes like these to support public transit almost always pass, even in places like Kansas City that don’t have big public transportation systems, and even with voters who may never use the buses.
“We see almost every single election day that, across the country, people are willing to pay for the public transit that their regions need,” Puentes said in a previous interview with KCUR.
Approximately 8% of people who responded to the poll regularly use public transit, meaning the vast majority of respondents don’t use it but still see it as a public good.
The survey also found that a majority of people in all four counties wanted funding to help protect pedestrian safety, improve the safety of buses and bus stops, and increase the number of bus routes and stops.
Kelley said that shows that people across the area want a better public transportation system overall.
“What ultimately helps to grow the tent of supporters is also tying in elements of ‘let's improve our trail network, let's invest more in pedestrian safety,’” Kelley said. “It ultimately gets to this point of creating a better transportation system, and that's something that you can get behind regardless of whether you use public transit regularly or not.”
Funding a bigger, better transit system
In less than a year, multiple World Cup games are coming to Kansas City. The city and KC 2026, the group that’s planning the event, have said they hope to increase public transit in the metro to help the 650,000 visitors who are expected to get around.
KC 2026 has leased 200 buses for the event and has said it wants to build a regional transit network that works for visitors and residents in the long run.
More money and regional cooperation are necessary to make a regional transit network happen for the World Cup or at all. Amezcua-Hogan said countywide sales taxes to support public transportation could sustain the transit that crops up for World Cup tourists and soccer fans.
The regional group is urging politicians to move forward on these sales taxes to seize the momentum they say is already there.
“For a very brief moment, Kansas City might experience a real transit system,” Amezcua-Hogan said. “But then it'll be gone, and there won't be anything to sustain or replace that level of transit. We should be pushing forward as if we want to build what we're advertising to the world for our public on a general basis.”
