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Funkhouser Delivers State of City Message

Kansas City Mayor Mark Funkhouser delivers his 2008 State of the City address.
Video frame courtesy KCCG, Channel 2
Kansas City Mayor Mark Funkhouser delivers his 2008 State of the City address.

By Steve Bell

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kcur/local-kcur-699377.mp3

Kansas City, MO – Mayor Mark Funkhouser delivered his State of the City address yesterday, emphasizing the power of the council and the Kansas City spirit to solve serious problems.

Funkhouser praised the council for having already passed an incentives policy and reining in city spending and outlined ten priorities for the coming year. He admitted that he hadn't been able to deliver on a campaign promise of TIFs for distressed areas

"What I didn't understand then was that the tools we have, like TIFs, don't work well there. Those tools are geared toward big projects in wealthier areas."

But he also vowed to develop new tools, saying...

"I intend for us to take a national lead - to make Kansas City a model for other cities to look to for the problem of disinvestment in the urban core."

The Mayor says he will convene a symposium May 5th to brainstorm new ideas to encourage urban redevelopment and repopulation.

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