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Suburbs in south Kansas City want the Missouri legislature to help kill a landfill project

A man wearing a suit and tie sits inside a radio studio talking at a microphone.
Carlos Moreno
/
KCUR 89.3
Raymore Mayor Kris Turnbow says the proposed landfill in south Kansas City could affect everything from the city's health and environment to its home values and economy.

The city of Raymore has been battling a proposed landfill on its northern border for more than a year now. Mayor Kris Turnbow, along with other leaders in the area, have been pushing for legislation in the Missouri General Assembly to stop the project before it begins.

Raymore Mayor Kris Turnbow hopes that proposed legislation in Jefferson City could prevent a landfill from being built near Raymore's borders in south Kansas City.

If passed, the legislation would create a one-mile buffer zone that would prevent landfills from being built on the doorstep of cities.

Members of the community were pushing for this legislation to pass in the 2023 legislative session, but it hit a wall when it was filibustered in the Senate. This year, though, Turnbow says they'll have another shot at making this happen.

"We've been told that if it gets in early in the Senate, that it will hopefully get to the floor by mid-February," he told KCUR's Up To Date. "And if that happens, it won't get caught up in the clamor that usually happens at the end of session like it did last year."

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When I host Up To Date each morning at 9, my aim is to engage the community in conversations about the Kansas City area’s challenges, hopes and opportunities. I try to ask the questions that listeners want answered about the day’s most pressing issues and provide a place for residents to engage directly with newsmakers. Reach me at steve@kcur.org or on Twitter @stevekraske.
As Up To Date’s senior producer, I want to pique the curiosity of Kansas Citians and help them understand the world around them. Each day, I construct conversations with our city’s most innovative visionaries and creatives, while striving to hold elected officials accountable and amplifying the voices of everyday Kansas Citians. Email me at zach@kcur.org.
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