Today, Mayor Sly James and area leaders gathered to oppose legislation, including House Bill 2168, that would restrict the City’s ability to collect voter-approved sales taxes. Sales taxes account for 25% of the city’s budget and funds critical city services and infrastructure, including public safety, parks, public transportation, and capital improvements. Additionally, legislators in Jefferson City have not enumerated steps to apply the cap to localities, especially in accounting for overlapping taxing jurisdictions with multiple, voter-approved sales taxes in effect.
Last Tuesday, 79% of voters overwhelmingly renewed Kansas City’s capital improvements sales tax. Funding from this sales tax is needed to help pay for a new Buck O’Neil Bridge, since lawmakers in Jefferson City have yet to coalesce around a sustainable solution for the state’s infrastructure crisis.
“Legislation that caps our sales taxes doesn’t solve any problems and it flies in the faces of the voters who have approved them,” Mayor Sly James said. “Kansas City’s momentum is undeniable, and our community wants to keep it going. Once again, I’m not asking the State Legislature for anything other than to simply leave us alone.”
A list of stakeholders joining Mayor James today is below:
- Chief Gary Reese – Kansas City Fire Department
- Dept. Chief of the Patrol Bureau Sharon Laningham – Kansas City Police Department
- Dept. Chief Karl Oakman – Kansas City Police Department
- Jim Kissick – Heavy Constructors Association of Kansas City
- Clay Calvin – International Association of Fire Fighters Local 3808
- Pat “Duke” Dujakovich – Greater Kansas City AFL-CIO
- Joe Hudson – St. Louis-Kansas City Carpenters’ Regional Council
- Patrick Geschwind – VisitKC
- Anthony Inzenga – International Association of Fire Fighters Local 42
- Robbie Makinen – Kansas City Area Transportation Authority
- Mark McHenry – Kansas City Parks & Recreation Department
- Joe Reardon – Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce
- Mayor David Slater – City of Pleasant Valley
- Representatives from the Building Trades
