KCMO having major budget problems, I think it's time for the city to get tough with the burbs.

[Samantha S]

Originally Posted by kcmo

I think it would be pretty difficult for the Nelson, the Sprint Center, the Zoo, Union Station, the WWI Museum, Kauffman Stadium, Arrowhead Stadium etc to jump to the KS side "where the money is".

But for all the times I didn't have to some to the MO side for a specific event, I'd stay on my side and spend my money.

Just try to get the KC businesses and restaurants on board with charging me to cross the state line. See how well that flies.

PS, the Money is not on the KS side, it's pretty evenly spread across both sides. Remember there are over 2 million people in metro KC, at best, one fourth of that is from JoCo. There are at least as many wealthy people on the MO side as the KS side. I know this is nearly impossible for many to comprehend, but it's true. You see, the MO side is more than one suburban county, it has several upscale areas, (each smaller than JoCo yes) and an urban core that has many wealthy people living in it. Plus in raw population, over 60% of the metro lives on the MO side and WyCo IS very poor. The Zoo, Starlight, Royals, Chiefs etc all have more season ticket holders from the MO side than the KS side.

But if JoCo is where the money is, which is one of the many things that MO residents hear all the time, then what is the problem with paying a regional cultural tax? Why should the poor people in KCMO pay for the toys that the people that live in 400k JoCo homes get to entertain themselves in.

And if the MO side has so much and so many more people, which is what you keep saying, why not pass your own sales tax increases and quit whining?

You not only want the "cultural tax" to fund the cultural venues - you want it to pave your streets as well. Why should I be paying more to pave your streets????

[RjRobb2]

Originally Posted by kcmo

Yea, because the burgers you buy in KCMO that one time you came to visit the WWI Museum really helps! I’m also sure the soda you buy at the Sprint Center or Kauffman Stadium goes a long way too.

Actually, it does. Anytime a non-KC resident spends money inside KC limits it goes a long way. It all adds up and adds up quickly.

You dont want to do anything to discourage non-KC residents from coming into the city. Even if they just buy a candy bar at the gas station, it adds up. It helps that particular business as well as the city with the sales tax revenue it generates.

[kcmo]

Originally Posted by RjRobb2

Actually, it does. Anytime a non-KC resident spends money inside KC limits it goes a long way. It all adds up and adds up quickly.

You dont want to do anything to discourage non-KC residents from coming into the city. Even if they just buy a candy bar at the gas station, it adds up. It helps that particular business as well as the city with the sales tax revenue it generates.

True, but I was being facetious with my comment about charging people to cross state line.

Regardless, a lot of people spend money in the opposite state they live in. It's a wash.

It doesn't change the fact that metro KC needs a dedicated source of revenue for regional assests and venues.

People in suburban Denver or StLouis spend money in the city all the time. They still need a dedicated sourse of revenue to pay for the stadiums, zoo, museums etc though.

I understand that is difficult to undertand. That's why KC is one of the only cities where the core city pays for nearly everything with little regional help. It's not just Kansas, it's also the MO suburbs and Jeff City.

[skrazzle]

Johnson County has all the jobs (at least many of the IT and health/science related jobs) and KCMO has all the entertainment.

One thing that would solve a lot of problems is if KC changed its law for businesses, and encouraged more business to open up here. Ever wonder why so many of the jobs are found on the KS side? it is easier to open up a business in KS then it is in MO, and cheaper for the business to do so.

Most people want to live close to where they work. Johnson County itself has a higher population then the city of Kansas City.

KC should make it more attractive to open a business on the MO side of KC. This would bring more jobs, more people, more people to collect taxes from and just over all help the economy.

I do think people in the metro should help out with some of the burden since all the entertainment is in KCMO, but no politician would try to push that, they'd be very unpopular. When people from KS come and spend money in MO they ARE helping out, those business they spend money at do pay taxes... the bigger answer really is to increase KC population.. so people don't just come here to have fun, they want to live here too. The northland it would be easy to do, there is still a lot of land to use, a lot of places to develop. South has a lot of area that could be revitalized and hopefully it is.... more business and an imrpoved school system would help. I know if I had kids i'd love to send them to a historic school like Westport HS, but not while its all ghetto...

But anyways... my point is, our city should do more to attract business owners... right now from a financial stand point JOCO wins in everyway.