BonnerSprings.com

It might be many years away, or, worse, it might never happen. But the road to creating a regional transit district that would be responsible for establishing and operating a light-rail transportation system to serve the Kansas City metropolitan area was begun last Friday with a Regional Mayors' Summit on Light Rail.

Edwardsville Mayor Heinz Rodgers and Bonner Springs Mayor Clausie Smith attended the event, which was organized by Mayor Mark Funkhouser of Kansas City, Mo.

The purpose of the summit was to start a discussion among the leaders of municipalities in the metro area on a mass-transportation plan that would include buses, light rail, heavy rail and highway improvements.

Funkhouser's plan as it stands calls for legislation to be passed in Kansas and Missouri, followed by an election to approve a half-cent sales tax which would raise $138 million annually."

Voter approval in all five counties - Wyandotte and Johnson in Kansas, and Clay, Jackson and Platte in Missouri - would be required for the district to be established.

Rodgers agreed with Smith that "probably the most interesting speaker was Clarence Marsella, director of the Denver Regional Transportation District."

Marsella discussed how the Denver system, which consists of light rail, heavy rail and buses, was built and financed.

Rodgers said he was impressed at how the Denver transportation district "approached regional transportation. There was not just light rail, but a combination of light rail, hard rail and bus transportion : and none of which is effective without 'park and ride,'" which are facilities meant to allow daily commuters to park at the nearest stop for the rail or bus transit line they use.

That's important, Rodgers said, "because you can't eliminate cars from most of the people in suburbs, but you can make Park and Ride."

Overall, Rodgers said he found the meeting informative, and he plans to attend future meetings of the group, which have not yet been scheduled.

Of the other mayors in attendance - which didn't include the four of the biggest suburbs, Shawnee, Overland Park, Olathe and Lenexa - Rodgers said he couldn't be sure they were for a light-rail district.

"As a whole it was my impression that all the mayors there are at least interested in a discussion," Rodgers said.

""I think there was obviously some concerns by some of the mayors in the room, as far as what the community would consist of, and who would be representatives," Rodgers said.

"There were complaints from the mayors of a couple of small Missouri cities about lack of representation," Smith wrote in his report for the Bonner Springs City Council. "Both Mayor Reardon and I separately came to the conclusion that Wyandotte County doesn't have enough representation."

But, Smith said, Funkhouser said the representation issue could be resolved.

Funkhouser's plan in its current form has the district governed by a commission that would be composed of 12 resident electors each for Kansas and Missouri: the presiding commissioners of Johnson County, Kan., and Clay and Platte counties, Mo.; the county executive of Jackson County, Mo., the Mayor/CEO of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and a member of the governing body of the UG; and the mayors of Independence, Mo., Kansas City, Mo., Lee's Summit, Mo., Lenexa, Kan., Olathe, Overland Park, Raytown, Mo., Gladstone, Mo., and North Kansas City, Mo.

"But those are details that will come up after the concept."

Regarding such details, Rodgers said he thought the concept itself of a light-rail district should be better worked out "before we get into what color the trains are going to be."

The issue of public transit does need addressing, Rodgers said. Edwardsville residents haven't broached public transportation to him as a concern, he said, but business owners and developers have told him it's an issue.

Smith said the lack of transportation was definitely affecting local businesses in their ability to find employees.

"If you have a beginning-level job and you live in downtown Kansas City, Kansas or Missouri, and you have to get Legends you can hardly afford the gas for $7 an hour or $6.50 an hour," Smith said. "A great many people want to work."

Other speakers besides Marsella at the meeting were Missouri State Sen. Yvonne Wilson, Kansas State Rep. Mike Kiegerl, Phelps Murdoch, president and CEO of environmental nonprofit organization Bridging the Gap, Clyde McQueen, president and CEO of the Full Employment Council, and Funkhouser.

"I think it was very good to begin the discussion," Smith said. "No one knows where it's going to end."

Rodgers said he thought the issue will be a topic at the Edwardsville Town Hall Meeting set for sometime later this month.

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