ORDINANCE
NO. 180665
Authorizing an application to the
Missouri Development Finance Board for the authorization of state tax credits
in the amount not to exceed $4,000,000.00 to make possible the restoration and
renovation of the Kansas City Museum in downtown Kansas City to be located at
3218 Gladstone Boulevard, Kansas City, Missouri; and authorizing the City
Manager to execute a tax credit agreement in the event that the application is
approved.
WHEREAS, the Kansas
City Museum’s mission is to preserve, interpret, and celebrate Kansas City
through collections, exhibitions, and bold programs that reflect the City’s
evolution and spirit and engage visitors in unfolding stories about Kansas
City’s vibrant history, cultural heritage, and pride; and
WHEREAS, the
Kansas City Museum’s vision is to be a hub of learning, creativity, and
collaboration where individuals and communities innovate and inspire engagement
and civic unity; and
WHEREAS, for the
purpose of fulfilling the mission and vision of the Kansas City Museum, the
museum seeks to partner with the City of Kansas City and other organizations to
educate and preserve the rich cultural history of Kansas City; and
WHEREAS, the Kansas
City Museum is an integral part of developing Kansas City into a true cultural
hub of the Midwest, in conjunction with other nationally recognized museums
located within the City limits, including but not limited to the Nelson-Atkins
Museum of Art, the National World War I Museum and Memorial, the Negro Leagues
Baseball Museum, and the American Jazz Museum; and
WHEREAS, the Kansas
City Museum provides vast historical and cultural education to the greater
Kansas City area as well as Western Missouri as a whole, serving up to 150,000
visitors annually in previous years; and
WHEREAS, the Kansas
City Museum renovation will continue the City’s efforts to revitalize the
Historic Northeast area of Kansas City, a historically distressed region of the
city currently targeted my numerous city, state, and federal initiatives for
improvement; and
WHEREAS, the Kansas
City Museum renovation will further remediate blight and provide neighborhood
stabilization for the Historic Northeast area of Kansas City; and
WHEREAS, the Kansas
City Museum will serve as a draw for additional tourism into the downtown area,
increasing revenue flows into not only the Historic Northeast region, but the
City and Western Missouri as a whole; and
WHEREAS, the Kansas
City Museum is committed to creating at least 10 new high-paying jobs within the
museum, in addition to over 200 jobs created through the construction and
renovation process; and
WHEREAS, the location
of the Kansas City Museum within a distressed census tract has the potential to
motivate and educate generations of future leaders, committed to improving
their communities, their city, their state, their nation, and their world, whom
may otherwise not have had opportunities afforded by the Museum; and
WHEREAS, the City
Council has committed $14 million generated through a combination of GO Bonds
and a Museum Mill Levy to assist with the renovation of the Kansas City Museum;
and
WHEREAS, the Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners has
authorized the Director of Parks and
Recreation or his designee to proceed with obtaining City Council
approval to submit an application with the Missouri Development Finance Board;
and
WHEREAS, the
City Council desires to instruct the City Manager to file an application for
contribution tax credits in the amount not to exceed $4,000,000.00 with the
Missouri Development Finance Board for financing the Kansas City Museum
renovation through the State’s Tax Credit for Contribution Program; and
WHEREAS, the City
Council desires to authorize the City Manager to execute a tax credit agreement
in connection with the issuance of state tax credits, in the event that the
City’s application is approved; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT ORDAINED
BY THE COUNCIL OF KANSAS CITY:
Section 1. The City
Council expresses its intention to support the Kansas City Museum renovation.
Section 2. The City
Council states that the Kansas City Museum renovation will serve to achieve its
vision of acting as a hub of learning, creativity, and collaboration where
individuals and communities innovate and inspire engagement and civic unity for
the residents of Kansas City and all of Western Missouri.
Section 3. The City
Council states that the Kansas City Museum renovation will greatly benefit the
residents of downtown Kansas City and the surrounding neighborhoods of Western
Missouri by expanding and generally improving the Kansas City Museum and aid in
the cultural education and community involvement programs carried on by the
Museum.
Section 4. The City
Council states that the Kansas City Museum will encourage Kansas City and
Western Missouri youth to develop a greater understanding of the importance of
history and education in their daily lives.
Section 5. The City
Council instructs the City Manager to work with the Kansas City Museum on the
preparation of an application to be filed with the Missouri Development Finance
Board that, subject to receipt of contribution tax credits, makes possible the
financial feasibility of the Kansas City Museum renovation.
Section 6. The City
Council then instructs the City Manager to file the completed application with
the Missouri Development Finance Board in the amount of $4,000,000.00 for
financing of the Kansas City Museum renovation through the State Tax Credit for
Contribution Program.
Section 7. The City
Council authorizes the City Manager to execute a tax credit agreement in
connection with the issuance of state tax credits, in the event that the City’s
application is approved. Such agreement is approved in such form as the City
Manager shall determine to be appropriate for the purposes contemplated by this
ordinance.
Section 8. That the
City Council finds and determines that the project will significantly benefit
the City and the State and the project would not proceed without the assistance
provided by the MDFB.
_____________________________________________
Approved
as to form and legality:
___________________________________
Brian
T. Rabineau
Assistant City Attorney