Commissioner Ann Brandau-Murguia took the Unified Government to task at the last budget meeting, July 19, over a sidewalks and curbs project.
She told the commission and staff that she had asked for the project near the Edison elementary school area on the south side almost a decade ago, it was funded, but then nothing was ever done.
“Where is the $400,000 that was supposed to be spent in 2017? Where is it?” she asked.
She and residents went door-to-door to get signatures on a petition for this project, she said. It required the residents of the area to match part of the costs.
“The woman who worked the hardest for me moved to Rosedale from Johnson County, because she liked the atmosphere,” Murguia told the commission. “All she wanted to do is take her stroller out and walk in the sidewalk. That baby’s 8 years old and not in a stroller any more. They moved.”
She said she saw a lot of other projects that were not on the list move ahead of this one.
The public works staff replied that they spent $50,000 on a consultant in 2016, and received a report with four options in 2017. They are currently looking at options, and it could cost each resident in the project area $200 to $600. Costs went up about 25 percent.
Mayor David Alvey pointed out the UG could not proceed with the benefit district, as they have to get the consent of the residents again.
“I don’t care how it’s done, it just needs to happen,” Murguia said. “If the UG has to bear the entire cost, maybe we won’t do this ridiculous runaround (again).”
Commissioner Mike Kane said he felt the same way about the Piper fire station, which was pushed back.
The public works department will put together more information on it and give a ballpark estimate this month, according to staff members.
The UG meeting can be viewed on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siZ7517LY2E.
The UG Commission plans another budget meeting after the Public Works and Safety Committee meeting tonight. The committee meeting is at 5 p.m. Monday, July 23, in the fifth floor, City Hall, 701 N. 7th St., Kansas City, Kansas.
Possible topics of discussion at the July 23 budget meeting are a capital maintenance improvement program update, including street preservation program, K-7 and Parallel, western fire station timeline, dedicated sales tax projects, Public Building Commission debt project with the juvenile project; as well as building security and the Kaw River levee.