By Dan Verbeck
Kansas City, Mo –
A poll of a thousand people, inside and outside Kansas City, in Missouri-side counties, professes to prove most favor a fifteen year, half cent sales tax for tri-county transit. Such a plan is expected on the November ballot. The survey by veteran pollster Pat Gray, commissioned by the city, indicates 49 percent of those questioned inside Kansas City-Jackson county strongly favor the tax. It's 55 percent in Clay and three points less in Platte County. The plan includes express buses, streetcars and light rail.
Mayor Mark Funkhouser stood on a downtown street corner to talk about it. He says local members of congress like the concept enough to pledge support for matching funds. But he's only given them the bare-concept. In the mayor's words:
"I think that the more that they look at the plan, particularly with the idea of moving further to the East .. the light rail coming up Troost.. and so forth, I think we're gonna get more support from our congressional delegation. When I talked to them I heard very favorable."
But the mayor also says the $1.2 billion plan is fluid. He'll learn from fellow local lawmakers and mayors on Friday, how they'd like the transit plan changed to suit their communities.