Tuesday, Jan. 26 2010 6:01PM
City, schools, chamber outline legislative priorities
U.S. 50, M-291 redevelopment tops city’s concerns
Miranda Wycoff, Journal Staff
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ReprintThe 2010 regular session of the Missouri General Assembly began only recently, but the city of Lee’s Summit, the R-7 School District and the Lee’s Summit Chamber of Commerce have already put in their requests to the local legislators.
Rep. Jeff Grisamore, R-District 47, Rep. Will Kraus, R-District 48 and Sen. Matt Bartle, R-District 8 were at the Legislative Kick-Off luncheon at the Gamber Center Jan. 22 to listen to the agenda and priorities for each group.
Each year, the city council passes a resolution outlining the city’s legislative priorities. But this year, instead of focusing on several priorities like in years past, the council decided to focus on two.
“This year we’re taking a much more directed and planned approach,” said Mayor Karen Messerli.
The biggest concern for the city, Messerli said, is redeveloping the U.S. 50 and M-291 South area.
“This area has been a great concern for the council and the entire community since three major industrial businesses have closed within the last five or six years,” Messerli said. “With them, they took jobs and tax dollars to other communities.”
Calmar, Pfizer and most recently, the Adesa Auto Auction have left the area, leaving behind their vacant facilities.
Additionally, the council believes the transportation infrastructure in the area is inadequate, as approximately 45,000 vehicles travel through the intersection at M-291 South and U.S. 50 each day.
“This is a highly visible area with 60 acres for potential redevelopment,” Messerli said. “It has so much potential to be the thriving economic engine it once was.”
According to the council’s adopted legislative program, the city “wants to develop a working partnership with our legislators to create a plan to bring jobs and economic viability to this area.”
Messerli said the council also hopes the area legislators focus on the Rock Island Railroad Corridor that runs from Pleasant Hill to Kansas City.
Local officials from Lee’s Summit, Pleasant Hill, Greenwood, Raytown, Kansas City and Jackson and Cass counties have been working together for more than a decade to develop a plan for the future of the corridor, Messerli said.
She said the communities hope the area can be secured for re-use in conjunction with the extension of the Katy Trail and as a possible corridor for future mass transit.
“On behalf of all of those communities, we ask for assistance in securing the needed funding to purchase the Rock Island Railroad corridor and securing forever all our futures,” Messerli said.
Dr. David McGehee, superintendent of the R-7 School District outlined several priorities including fully funding the state school financing formula.
Earlier this month, Gov. Jay Nixon proposed a budget that would give the state’s school districts less than one-sixth of the funding increase that was scheduled to occur under the formula in the next school year.
Additionally, McGehee said the school district opposes any kind of voucher or open enrollment legislation.
“We ask that if you are going to do something with open enrollment, allow (school districts) to say ‘no,’” McGehee said. “In a district like ours, we will get 1,000 students on our door step and the taxpayers will have to supplement their education.”
In light of the recent lawsuit from Jackson County school districts, including the R-7 District, on the county’s tax assessment practices, McGhee also pushed for “sound and timely tax assessment practices.”
“We want to try and create a situation where we know better what to expect and ensure that sound practices are being used,” he said.
Although the Lee’s Summit Chamber of Commerce did not get to present its legislative priorities at the luncheon due to an oversight by the mayor, Mark Dickey, the chamber’s governmental relations director, told the Journal the chamber’s main priorities included the reconstruction of Strother Road, state tax credits for economic development and healthcare.
Dickey said the chamber supports funding for the realignment and reconstruction of Strother Road from Interstate-470 to Lee’s Summit Road.
“At the current time Strother Road does not meet the design criteria to take full advantage of its economic potential,” according to the chamber’s legislative priorities.
The chamber also says that Strother Road is in disrepair and represents safety risks to those who use it.
Therefore, the chamber hopes that the city council will place the Strother Road Reconstruction Project on the ballot for the 2010 No Tax Increase Bond Issue election in November.
Additionally, Dickey said the chamber opposes the tax credit legislation that reduces economic development tax credits and incentives.
“The legislature is considering a complete overhaul and elimination of a number of under-perfoming state tax credits,” Dickey said.
While Dickey said the chamber doesn’t necessarily oppose the overhaul, it does oppose eliminating the tax credits for economic development.
“The economic development tax credits are performing and they are creating jobs,” Dickey said.
And finally, Dickey said the chamber supports legislation that will transform the healthcare industry by addressing the provision for adequate, affordable medical care to the uninsured and the underinsured; create and economic environment that is fair; equitable to healthcare providers and the provision for access to affordable health care insurance to small businesses; creates transparency at all levels of the healthcare system; and create an incentive-based system that encourages prevention and healthy lifestyles.
Messerli later told the i>Journal the luncheon’s exclusion of the chamber’s priorities was simply a “huge mistake on my part.”
Messerli said she is working to get the chamber in front of the groups again so it can adequately present its priorities.
To reach Journal reporter Miranda Wycoff, call 816-282-7017 or e-mail mwycoff@lsjournal.com
