Hotel Challengers Win Right to Stay in Fight January 22, 2016

A Jackson County judge has refused the City hall’s plea to throw a challenge to it downtown convention hotel out of court.

Judge Jennifer Phillips ruled against the city’s motion to dismiss the case.

The Citizens for Responsible Government wants a city-wide vote on the $311 million convention hotel project.

The group says its entitled to the vote because it submitted enough valid signatures, as the Kansas City charter requires.

The city says the vote can’t proceed because it violates Missouri state law.

The city says the voter would interfere with tax increment finance agreements already in place.

The city is planning to put about $40 million dollars into the convention hotel up front.

It is also committing another $42 in various tax breaks.

Judge Phillips, however did agree to let the hotel development team, KC Hotel Developers LLC join the case to fight against the public vote.

A hearing is set for February 2.

Hotel Opponents Say Issue is Growing November 30, 2015

Opponents to the downtown convention hotel in Kansas City say the issue is growing.

“It has become a full-fledged attempt to dismantle the petition process and disregard or destroy the city charter,” wrote Dan Coffey of the Citizens for Responsible Government in a letter to supprters..

Coffey’s group got a letter late last week telling them the city would not place the hotel issue on the ballot. The city says it has been warned it could be violating agreements and pledges it has made if the hotel is delayed much longer.

The statement said it was sending the letter of rejection on to members of the City Council.

“We are sending a copy of the letter to city council members as it appears they were not included in the mailing,” it says

KCI Petition Drive Gets Good News January 2, 2014

One Terminal Opponents Turn in More KCI Petitions December 23, 2013

Additional petitions at City Hall Today.
Kansas Citians who want a public vote on renovations to KCI Airport delivered almost 1600 more signatures to City Hall today.
The added names of valid Kansas City voters were submitted after the first petition drive came up about 550 signatures short.
The petitions were collected by Citizens for Responsible Government and the Friends of KCI group.
The oppose the plan of a $1billion dollar renovation that could convert KCI’s three terminal arrangement of today into a single terminal concept.
” We should not have to go to these lengths to get the citizenry involved in a project this large but several of our city leaders would like to ram this project through without the voting public having a say,” according to a statement t from the group.
A Citizens Panel, appointed by Kansas City Mayor Sly James, has been looking at the potential trial renovations of the airport single the spring.
That group is expected to deliver its recommendation in the first quarter of 2014. Sent from my iPhone