Category: Unified Government Commission

Proposed bistate corridor would travel from Independence to Legends

A proposed bistate corridor would run from Independence, Missouri, to The Legends Outlets area of Kansas City, Kansas.

A plan for a bistate transit corridor was announced on Monday by U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Missouri.


The proposed bistate corridor would travel from Independence, Missouri, to the Legends Outlets area of Kansas City, Kansas. It would be an electric bus route. Funding for the project would come from the $1.2 trillion federal infrastructure bill.

According to a news release from Rep. Cleaver’s website, the Bi-State Sustainable Reinvestment Corridor will provide investments to sustainability, mobility and economic development.

“President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for our entire region to create sustainable communities, provide greater opportunity for economic mobility, and ensure our jurisdictions have the energy efficient infrastructure necessary to remain competitive throughout the 21st century—but coordination is critical,” Rep. Cleaver said in the news release.

The news release announced support from area communities and officials, including Kansas City, Kansas, Mayor Tyrone Garner and U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, D-3rd Dist.

“Part of the Kansas City Metro’s strength is our interconnection and collaboration. We should absolutely leverage that to bring smart, sustainable investments to our communities,” Rep. Davids stated in the news release. “Working together, we can use the historic bipartisan infrastructure law to make lasting improvements in our local economy, our climate impact, and our quality of life. I appreciate Congressman Cleaver’s leadership and look forward to working together with local and state partners in Kansas.”

“We look forward to catalyzing growth and opportunity within Kansas City, Kansas and Wyandotte County through the development of sustainable economic development strategies that are enabled by the Bi-State Sustainable Reinvestment Corridor and enhanced federal funding the corridor will bring to our community,” Mayor Garner said in the news release.

The bistate corridor would include State Avenue, Independence Avenue and Truman Road.

According to the news release, the bistate corridor would target federal funding to support:

• Zero-emission transportation options: Electric buses; new and upgraded mobility hubs; expanded KC Streetcar and MAX services; and pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure.
• Affordable housing: Energy-efficient retrofits; new units and construction; transit-oriented/connected development.
• Green infrastructure: Enhanced tree canopy coverage; upgraded stormwater systems; electric vehicle charging stations; residential solar panels.
• Broadband Access: Implementation of wired and wireless service; increased capacity; updated equipment.
• Safety and security enhancement: Shot spotter; license plate readers; Community Improvement Districts; other public safety technologies.
• Economic development: Workforce training; access to child care; private investment along the corridor.
• Public schools and libraries: Renewable energy and energy efficiency projects to reduce utility costs.

Grant to improve traffic flow at Legends not moved forward

In other recent news about The Legends Outlets and transportation, a grant application for improving traffic flow near The Legends did not move forward on Feb. 10.

At the Unified Government Commission’s Feb. 10 meeting, UG commissioners decided not to move forward with a grant application to the state of Kansas that would improve traffic flow and pedestrian access at the State Avenue and Village West Parkway area at The Legends Outlets. The project also would have redone an intersection, created opportunity for future growth at The Legends, and more access for those who are there for a game to walk to shopping areas while they are there.

The commission felt it did not have the $6.2 million required for the local match for the project. The $25 million project was through the Kansas Department of Transportation.

Economic reasons were cited for not moving the grant application forward.

The UG Commission did agree to move forward with two projects on the east side of Wyandotte County, an Armourdale project and the KC Riverfront project.

According to UG officials, there has already been enough funding invested in the Armourdale and KC Riverfront projects to provide the local match, without more being required from the UG.

UG’s ARPA subcommittee scheduled to meet today

The Unified Government’s ARPA subcommittee is scheduled to meet at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 22, online.

The subcommittee will discuss the American Rescue Plan Act and nonprofit – UG services grants web portal; ARPA adopted allocations update; infrastructure, facilities and parks and recreation proposals; and opportunities ahead for grant submissions.

The public may access the meeting through Zoom or phone. Also, the public may view the meeting from the lobby of City Hall, 701 N. 7th St., Kansas City, Kansas. The meeting will be online.

The Zoom link is at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81354129293?pwd=cGN6QzJ4SnoyczRMaHFPUTZXSENSUT09.
The passcode is 481994.

A toll-free telephone number for the meeting is 888-475-4499 or 877-853-5257.

The webinar ID number is 813 5412 9293.

This meeting had been scheduled last week but was rescheduled because of the weather.

Kansas attorney general asks Legislature to prohibit sanctuary cities

In a reaction to last night’s Unified Government Commission vote approving a Safe and Welcoming ordinance for Kansas City, Kansas, the Kansas attorney general today urged the Kansas Legislature to prohibit sanctuary cities.

At last night’s meeting, UG officials stated this was not a sanctuary city ordinance that passed. The ordinance was to provide a city identification card, and also to state that local authorities would not notify federal immigration officials about undocumented workers.

The KCK ordinance states that UG resources cannot be used to enforce federal immigration law. It also establishes a local identification card program for people who do not have ID. The ID program will be run through a third-party contractor, not directly by the city. The ordinance also welcomes immigrants and their families to the community.

Attorney General Derek Schmidt’s statement, however, called it a sanctuary city ordinance.

“The local government in Kansas City last night narrowly adopted an ordinance that, in colloquial terms, designates Wyandotte County in some ways as a ‘sanctuary’ jurisdiction for illegal immigrants,” Schmidt stated in a release on Friday. “In part, the ordinance attempts to prohibit or impede Kansas City law enforcement officers from participating or assisting in the enforcement of immigration law. This action is the latest by a Kansas municipality to limit local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration authorities. In my view, it is unwise to inject a patchwork of local immigration politics into law enforcement activities in this manner, particularly at a time when the Biden administration continues to fail in its duty to secure our southern border. It is possible to welcome immigrants without ordering the police to ignore the law.”

“Despite these serious concerns, it is not entirely clear that current state law prohibits what is being done in Kansas City,” Schmidt wrote in his statement. “Even after years of discussion and debate, the State of Kansas has not adopted a state statute specifically prohibiting local ‘sanctuary’ jurisdictions for illegal immigration. I believe it is now necessary and appropriate to do so, and I call upon the Legislature to enact a clear, strong and effective state law on this subject this year.”

Kansas City, Kansas, Police Chief Karl Oakman spoke at the Thursday night meeting, and he said that the KCK police are not currently notifying immigration authorities about undocumented workers, and he is not aware of any cases where they have not done so for some years. It is not a current practice at the KCK police department, he said. The law asks federal authorities to enforce federal immigration laws, according to police, while the police enforce state and local statutes and ordinances, not federal ones.

Sheriff Dan Soptic also spoke at the meeting and told the commission that his office routinely will notify immigration authorities of the presence of an undocumented person if they are doing a background check at the jail and the name comes up with a federal judicial warrant. The sheriff’s office is not under the new ordinance, however, since the sheriff is an elected county official who is responsible for all the policies in the department, according to UG attorneys. The UG Commission is not over the sheriff’s office in the area of policies, although there is some budgeting that the UG Commission does.

There is nothing in the UG ordinance that would prevent police from enforcing any of the laws, according to supporters of the Safe and Welcoming ordinance who spoke at the Thursday night meeting. Supporters said the new ordinance will make it easier for crime victims who don’t have IDs to come forward and work with the police.

Also, educators who attended the meeting said it will now be easier for parents without IDs to enroll their children in local schools, and it will be easier to get the children and families health care. Only UG departments are required to accept the ID; it is optional for other organizations and businesses whether to accept it, according to UG lawyers. It might also be easier to collect local taxes.

UG Commissioner Melissa Bynum, who supported the ordinance, said nonprofits have estimated there are about 14,000 undocumented adults already in Wyandotte County. She said she is a strong supporter of local law enforcement, and that she sees this new ordinance as an extension of the community policing model that KCK adopted in the 1990s, working more with the community and building trust with the police.

“This is an ordinance that breaks no law,” Commissioner Christian Ramirez said at the Thursday night meeting. “It does not hinder our police. It is something our Police Department is already doing, and we are just putting it in policy.”

Most critics of the new ordinance who spoke at last night’s meeting did not discuss the law enforcement aspect, but instead said that they wanted a citywide vote on the issue.

Lawrence, Kansas, and Roeland Park, Kansas, already have Safe and Welcoming ordinances in place.

To see a story about Thursday night’s UG meeting, visit https://wyandotteonline.com/category/unified-government-commission/.

More information about the meeting, including public comments by many speakers, is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGfQkbCorks.


To see an earlier story about a UG committee where this topic was discussed in January, visit https://wyandotteonline.com/modified-safe-and-welcoming-ordinance-receives-committee-approval/.