RESOLUTION NO. 081147, AS AMENDED

Establishing State legislative priorities and positions of support for matters before the 2009 Session of the General Assembly.  

WHEREAS, the Missouri General Assembly will convene January 7, 2009; and 

WHEREAS, the City has engaged in a process by which it has identified major priorities on matters before the General Assembly and has identified additional priorities and matters for support or opposition; NOW, THEREFORE,   

BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF KANSAS CITY:   

Section 1. Major Priorities. That the following legislative priorities, listed in alphabetical order, are established for the 2009 Session of the Missouri General Assembly:  

1. Economic Development - Duty Free Zone. Support State designation of a Duty Free Zone in Kansas City.
2. Economic Development - Eligibility for Child Care Subsidies. Support an update of State income eligibility guidelines for receiving child care subsidy benefits to ensure access to quality child care facilities to enable parents to enter the workforce and to advance in the workforce without losing their eligibility.
3. Economic Development - Grow Me State Initiative. Support the implementation of the Grow Me State Initiative with particular emphasis on the Angel Investor Tax Credit.
4. Economic Development - Tax Increment Financing and MODESA. Oppose any efforts that restrict the use of Tax Increment Financing for economic development or redevelopment, but support meaningful reforms that implement statewide the Citys current TIF policies and procedures.
5. Economic Development - Urban Land Assemblage. Support modification of the Urban Land Assemblage language to allow for use within Kansas Citys urban core.
6. Public Health - Life Sciences. Oppose all legislation that would restrict the development of the life sciences in Missouri, including proposals to limit Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer research, aimed at developing more effective therapies and cures for disease and disability.
7. Public Health - Restoration of Medicaid Cuts. Support restoration of the Medicaid benefit cuts made in 2005 to provide the indigent with access to adequate health care.
8. Taxation - Earnings Tax. Support maintaining the current system of earnings tax collection in Kansas City.
9. Tourism - Festivals. Support revising the festival district statute to allow other districts to schedule events with one annual permit.
10. Neighborhoods - Receivers for Vacant Substandard Housing. Support for authorizing the courts to appoint a receiver for the purpose of selling vacant, substandard housing at public auction.
11. Economic Development - Port Authority Act. Support modifying the Port Authority Act to allow for establishment of a Port Authority Environmental District allowing Port Authorities to generate their own revenues to fund certain environmental and conservation projects.

Section 2. Capital Improvement Projects. That the City will continue to seek State funding for major public capital improvement projects and opportunities to maximize State funding of other important City projects and programs.

Section 3. Additional Priorities and Positions. That the City adopts the following additional important priorities and positions on matters that may come before the Missouri General Assembly during its 2009 Session: 

1. Economic Development 

Eminent Domain. The City opposes any efforts that restrict the Citys use of eminent domain by impeding the Citys ability to provide core services to its citizens or limiting the ability of the City to protect and build revenue through economic development or redevelopment. 

MO - Build Program. The City supports raising the cap by $10 million on the MO-Build bond program.

Missouri Housing Trust Fund. The City supports an increase in the Missouri Housing Trust Fund.

Job Training and Retraining. The City supports providing sufficient funding for job retraining and new job training programs to allow expansion of such programs. 

State Economic Development Programs. The City supports the continuation of tax credit programs such as Historic Preservation Tax Credits, special economic districts such as Community Improvement Districts and other appropriate sales tax relief and business development financing mechanisms as economic development tools.  

Support of State TIF. The City supports any additional State tax increment financing projects endorsed by the City. 

Development Tax Credit. The City supports modifications to the Development Tax Credit Law to make it more effective.

2. Education

Health Care Programs. The City supports the Caring for Missourians program to increase the number of health care professionals graduating from Missouris institutions of higher education.

Higher Education Funding and Capital Improvements. The City supports increased funding for higher education and funding for capital improvements at the Citys institutions of higher education.

School Foundation Formula. The City supports fully funding the States foundation formula for distributing state aid to public education and revising the formula to provide adequate and equitable funding for Kansas City-area schools and state mandated programs.

A+ Schools Program. The City supports continuation of the program and efforts to broaden its participation and funding.

Continuation of Workforce Investment Act and Summer Youth Employment Program. The City supports reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act and the Summer Youth Employment Program.

School Bonds. The City supports submission to State voters of a Constitutional Amendment to enable local voters to authorize the sale of bonds for their local school district up to 20% of that districts assessed valuation.

3. Funding for Kansas City Projects 

Continuation of State Funding. The City supports continued and increased ongoing funding for programs traditionally and appropriately supported by State funding including all current local State TIF and MODESA line items, Bartle Hall convention facilities, the Jackson County Sports Complex, higher education, health services, mental health services, the life sciences and Missouri Arts Council. 

4. Health Care/Public Health

Immigrant Health Care. The City supports programs that allow local public health agencies to serve all persons in a community to help stop the spread of communicable diseases and promote public health.

Increased Funding. The City supports increased funding for mental health services and for local public health services.

Public Access AED Usage. The City supports legislation to facilitate the publics use of automated external defibrillators and protection from liability for the members of the public who utilize such defibrillators to render emergency care.

5. Neighborhood / Environmental Issues 

Short Term Loan Industry. The City supports reform of Missouris short-term loan industry ensuring access, but protecting citizens and local communities from unscrupulous lending practices and artificially high interest rates.

Energy Efficiency. The City supports state legislation to provide financial incentives for utilities to promote energy efficiency that simultaneously provide utilities with a return-on-investment (ROI) for assisting residential, commercial, and industrial customers in using less energy; protect low-income and fixed-income households from adverse financial impacts on their utility bills; and ensure that customers who implement energy efficiency measures see cost savings in their utility bills.

Foreclosure Notification. The City supports state legislation to mandate 90-day notification of tenants of foreclosure of their dwelling units.

Landmark Local Parks. The City supports re-establishment of the Landmark Local Parks Program and funding for the program.

Recreational Use Legislation. The City supports holding donors of land for recreational purposes harmless from civil liability from the use of that land for public recreation purposes.

Katy Trail. The City supports the connection of the Katy Trail to the Kansas City, Missouri trails system.

6. Public Safety

Ambulance Reimbursement Rates. The City supports increased Medicaid reimbursement rates for ambulance services.

Federal Reimbursement Allocation. The City supports the creation of a self tax on ground ambulance services to leverage additional federal funding for Medicaid.

EMS Peer Review. The City supports extending protections to emergency medical services for peer review to support quality improvement efforts by local agencies without fear that quality improvement records would be used against the agencies in litigation.

9-1-1 Funding. The City supports a state surcharge on wireless communication services to adequately fund 9-1-1 services as done in the other 49 states.

7. Transportation/Public Transit 

Greenways and Trails. The City supports authorization allowing the public to vote on the creation of a metropolitan park district for greenways and trails.

Multi-Modal / Public Transit Funding. The City supports appropriate increased funding for multi-modal transportation, especially public transit, to create access to jobs and for seniors and disabled citizens.

Primary Seat Belt Law. The City supports a primary seat belt law. 

Public Transit Operators. The City supports efforts to classify an assault upon a public transit vehicle operator as a felony.

Transportation Development Districts. The City supports legislation to exempt tax revenues for Transportation Development Districts from TIF.

8. Water 

Collection of Bills. The City opposes any efforts to impede its ability to collect amounts owed for water and sewer services.  

Continued Funding. The City supports continued revolving loan programs, grants and funding for improving and replacing combined sewers, sanitary sewers and storm sewers to achieve a cleaner, safer environment and for projects to better control storm water and flooding. 

Drinking Water Revolving Fund. The City supports sufficient funding of the Drinking Water Revolving Fund.

9. Miscellaneous 

Towing. The City opposes any efforts to restrict the ability of cities to regulate towing activities.

Advance Voting. The City supports any efforts to authorize advance voting in Missouri and to facilitate ease of voting.

Fiscal Year. The City supports authorization to allow a one-time extended fiscal year in order for the City to consider changing its current fiscal year while maintaining a balanced budget.

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