KCMO Mayor and Council are leading the cause for light rail
November 9, 2007
The mayor and city council of Kansas City, Mo., took the courageous steps yesterday at its legislative session to allow the light rail issue to move forward in a productive manner.
After much discussion that spanned committee hearings and a business session, the mayor and council debated the measure and Ordinance 071130 was passed by a 10-3 vote to repeal the Chastain Plan. This responsible action cleaned the slate for the Mayor and city council to move forward and deliver what the citizens truly want — a viable plan to improve public transit by adding a fixed-guideway component into a coordinated, multimodal system.
The mayor and council also passed other legislation that will help keep the issue moving forward by unanimously adopting Resolution 071202 which expresses the commitment of the mayor and council to place a plan for light rail before the voters no later than November 4, 2008; and unanimously passing Ordinance 071131 which placed a citizen-led initiative petition measure on the February 2008 ballot in case the council's own repeal should be challenged in the courts within the 10 days that are prescribed by the City Charter.
These actions exhibit great leadership on the part of the mayor and council and take what has been a situation steeped in confusion and unsolvable problems and opened the door for clarity as a plan for light rail that can be constructed in KC continues to be developed.
We urge you to take the time, especially if you reside in Kansas City, Mo., to write or e-mail the mayor and council to thank them for their leadership on this issue, express your support as they continue to face tough decisions and urge them to use this momentum to keep the issue moving ahead in a timely manner.
The mailing address for City Hall is 414 East 12th Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64106. The mayor's office is on the 29th floor and the council's offices are on the 24th floor. E-mail address links can be found on the city's Web site.
