The Raytown School District and Kansas City Mayor Sly James have come to an agreement about the contested Winchester TIF (Tax Increment Funding) and proposed soccer facility.
As part of the original TIF agreement, all taxing jurisdictions, including the city, county and school district, will share in the improvement costs for the Swope Park neighborhood, estimated at approximately $3.5 million. Neighborhood improvements are set to include:
· Neighborhood and housing program
· Upgrades to Bennington Avenue
· Curb and sidewalk construction
Following the completion of neighborhood improvements, the Mayor has committed his support to ending the Winchester TIF which will, by law, require that the remaining funds in the Special Allocation Fund (SAF) be returned to taxing jurisdictions, giving a payment of approximately $3.8 million to the District and near $4.5 million to the City of Kansas City in the coming months.
“We are pleased to have come to a consensus that protects not only Raytown School District patrons’ tax dollars, but also those of other taxing entities with the ending of this TIF,” Dr. Allan Markley, Superintendent of Schools, said.
“I am proud we were able to work together to find a solution that both gives the Raytown School District most of what they asked for, and allows Kansas City and Jackson County to construct a world-class soccer facility in partnership with Sporting KC. It is not often a Major League team makes a commitment to local youth like Sporting has, and I could not be happier with the opportunities these fields will provide,” said Mayor James.
Final legal language is being developed for review and the joint proposal will be presented for approval to the TIF Commission at its next scheduled meeting. The compromise is the result of weeks of conversation and give-and-take between the Superintendent and Mayor culminating in a positive outcome.
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