I received this today from Friends of KCI who is launching a referendum effort to overturn the City Council vote of April 11. The next step is to collect about 7200 valid signatures in the next 30 days to place the question on the ballot. Look for more details in the coming days.
NOTICE FOR REFERENDUM
Subject of This Notice: City Council Resolution 130234, adopted by the City Council of the City of Kansas City, Missouri on April 11, 2013, adding the New Terminal Advance Planning study as an amendment to the 2008 KCI Master Plan (“Resolution”).
To Marilyn Sanders, City Clerk, City of Kansas City, Missouri:
We, the undersigned, registered voters of Kansas City, Missouri respectfully provide this notice to you stating our intention to cause referendum petitions to be circulated to submit the Resolution, described above, to the electors. Each of us for himself or herself says: I am a registered voter of Kansas City, MO, I have personally signed this petition in ink or indelible pencil, on the date so stated, and my residence address is correctly written after my name.
I’ve always said, one can’t have too many friends.
UPDATE 4/22/13: The Kansas City Star reports this morning that this particular referendum process cannot go forward.
…city spokesman Danny Rotert said today that City Attorney Bill Geary has determined the petition was invalid. That’s because a referendum is designed to overturn a council ordinance, or law. The council’s vote on April 11 was just a resolution –– an advisory measure directing the city manager to continue the planning for a new KCI terminal.
Our intent does not change as a result of the city of KCMO invalidating this petition signed by Kansas Citians. We are exploring alternatives to force the city to only go forward with the approval of the voters by ballot. $1.2 Billion is too large an expenditure for only a few to decide on.
Having returned after years on the east and west coasts, I am thrilled to be back in the midwest. My only significant complaint is the lousy KCI airport. I must travel on business several times a month. The highly inconvenient bus system between terminals, the fact that one must transfer busses to get to a different long-term parking lot, the high airfares out of KCI and the lack of direct flights because we are not a hub make traveling a great burden. PLEASE bring this airport into the current century and attract a more significant presence with major airlines. Complaints abound among fellow business travelers. KCI condemns Kansas City as a third-rate business community.
RM, a minuscule amount of travelers switch airlines; those red busses are empty. I also travel frequently and there are plenty of direct flights. Where else can you walk from plane to car in under 5 minutes? MCI is the best airport, period. I could care less if it is not a hub. Its priority is to serve the Kansas City area, not connecting flights.
Totally agree with Lois.
I fly in & out of MCI every week. It is by far the most convenient airport I have to endure in my travels.
1. Covered parking literally an escalator ride away from the gate.
2. Rarely a wait of more than 5 minutes to get through security.
3. The last thing i want to do with my time is hang around an airport so no need for a stop at a restaurant inside of security.
4. MCI is not a hub so why is anyone hanging around in the airport for any extended length of time anyway?
5. Before you retort – yes, I understand one could be delayed. So exit security, even take a red bus to another terminal if you don’t like the restaurant/bar choices where you are. Big deal – its just another 5 minutes back through security.
Also – MCI is not a tourist destination and sits right in the middle of ORD, DFW & DEN (all much larger Primary Statistical Areas) so not likely to become a hub anytime soon.
6. BTW – i can’t think of a decent restaurant in any airport, world wide, that i have been stuck in.
7. I do regret that AA closed the Admirals Club although I doubt that a new terminal will bring it back.
8. So many gates require too many security personnel? The interest alone of $1.2 billion will be about $50 million per year (let alone paying the principal back). Guessing that even the interest payments are more than enough to cover a few “extra” personnel
I totally agree with Returned Midwesterner. Kansas City is a great center of innovation and a great city, period, but the current KCI reflects none of that. It’s not about being a hub, it’s about trading in your outmoded, totally inefficient “car” for something that actually functions in the way things need to function in the 21st Century. Progress takes place in Kansas City – but often in spite of some Kansas Citians!
Perhaps they should put all that money into their schools. Just sayin..
I hate to say that this will happen; however, it will. The city will spend literal millions to get their way. Even if the citizens of Kansas City takes this to the voters for approval. The city will just ignore the vote as invalid and if it goes to court; the city has deep pockets to defined there decision.
This is a renegade City Council and the only way it can be stopped is a clean sweep of the council and all departs of city government.
Can’t we update the airport just like we did Kaufman and Arrowhead and appease all parties. The upper level alternative seems to accomplish that goal for far less than $1.2 billion, what’s the issue?
And the main reason it might happen is because some very powerful, very rich people want to become even more powerful and richer. This has nothing to do with a better airport. This is all about money and making more money.
KCI was just rehabbed, it is fine the way it is. We need to tell the construction companies, and their bought and paid for cronies, to go set their sights on something else.
PS
Does anyone really understand how much profit is made on a 1.2 Billion Dollar project like this?
$1,200,000 is 1,200 Millions…. that is a lot of Millions of Dollars and “they” are already counting their chickens. Some individuals will make 20-30 million Dollars by themselves on this deal…. and it has NOTHING TO DO WITH A BETTER AIRPORT, it is all about some construction companies looking for business.
The people of KC have seen this happen one too many times where something was fine and “they” stepped in to make some money anyway.
Kemper arena was fine, with great parking, but “they” decided to build the Sprint Center anyway, and now the City (you and I) write monthly check to cover the losses.
We built the Sprint Center even though we had just spent millions to rehab Kemper, and now they want to do it again. I guess this is their new business model, get rid of, tear down perfectly fine city owned structures, and rebuild them, so “they” make millions while the tax payers pay the bill.
NOT THIS TIME!!!
oops…..
There are so many extras zeros on $1,200,000,000 that I left 3 off….. and it still looked big.
Maybe the moderator here will fix my mistake, other wise, you know what I mean…… WOW!! THEY ARE WANTING TO MAKE A LOT OF MONEY ON THIS DEAL.
$1,200,000,000 IS 1,200 Millions, OVER A THOUSAND MILLION DOLLARS!
This is ridiculous. I am totally in favor of the new terminal. While I understand there is significant cost to it, it is amazing the number of people who impede progress. As a newer resident (4 years) to the KC area, I was appalled the first time I flew into the ghetto airport. It is gross, outdated and doesn’t represent the type of city KC strives to be.
The airport is inefficient, costs millions of dollars of year more than it should in operating expenses (due to age, too many TSA agents, etc), and is just a terrible airport. It worked beutifully in the 1970s, but not today.
Oh Brandon, don’t you know we can spot a shill a mile away, but keep trying, maybe you can do better.
And even using you wildly over estimated of $1,000,000 too much per years to operate, we could continue to operate KCI for 1o00 years, and still be ahead by 200 millionDollars, instead of spending that 1.2 Billion Dollars ripping it down and building a worse airport
Yes, that would One Thousand Years, Brandon….. with 200 million left over.
Bob, in 1,000 years you’ll probably still think the airport is nice. We get it, you’re a shill too, just on the other side.
Gross??? Not sure where you are from or what your standards are…but terrazzo floors are not “gross”…your baggage is available within 50 yards and you can actually wait at the gate for your loved ones return. The restooms are close and clean without anyone asking for a tip to keep them that way.
Perhaps some modifications with one security gate per terminal may be warranted…but certainly not the destruction and constuction of a new airport with all of the clogs and inconveniences o=f every other airport in our nation.
And a $250 million overall that was just completed 7 years ago was just a waste of time and money?
Where is the Petition so i can sign it?? I can’t find it on here??
Where can we go to sign the petition?
There should be a list of locations available by Wednesday. We will publish it here as soon as it is ready.
Thank you. I’ll be only too glad to work on this.