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Election primer: Jackson County consolidating polling places from 131 locations to 43

See what’s on the ballot for your city

By: Tod Palmer

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Missouri Gov. Mike Parson postponed the scheduled April 7 election by executive order amid a statewide stay-at-home order due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Instead, polls will be open from 6 a.m. until 7 p.m. next Tuesday, June 2, for the delayed election.

Voters are urged to pay close attention to letters being sent from the Jackson County Election Board, which include significant changes to poll locations. The Election Board has consolidated polling places from 131 locations to 43.

Tammy Brown, the election board's Republican director, said they lost "so many" polling places.

"We have so many churches and they weren’t having services," Brown said. "They didn’t feel like they could open themselves up to be a polling location so we started focusing on large schools, gymnasiums where we could put several polls."

Each polling location, according to Brown, will be equipped with hand sanitizer for voters who walk through the door. Voters will receive an "I voted" sanitized stylus pen to vote with, and take home with them. Poll workers will be asked to wear masks and gloves.

"Voters, we cannot tell them what to do," Brown said. "If they wear a mask, great. If they don’t, we cannot mandate they do."

Voters who are too uncomfortable walking into a polling location can vote at the Jackson County Election Board office in Independence on Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.. Voters can also elect to vote curbside and have a poll worker deliver a ballot to their car.

Polling location information can be found on the election board website.

Issues on the Ballot

In addition to a handful of mayoral races and more than a dozen city council races across the county, there are a litany of tax questions on the ballot, including a possible $21 million windfall for the Kansas City, Missouri, Fire Department.

KCMO voters will decide on the fate of a 0.5% sales-tax increase to benefit KCFD, which plans to use the money to make improvements to facilities and purchase equipment for the department, including a new fleet of ambulances.

Currently, KCFD receives proceeds from a 0.25% sales tax, which was renewed for 15 years in 2014 but would be replaced by the new tax.

The department will receive an estimated $158.5 million from KCMO’s general fund, according to the 2020-21 city budget, plus another $21 million from the existing sales tax.

Passage of the proposed 0.5% sales tax would boost KCFD’s overall budget to an estimated $200 million.

Three other fire departments also have tax questions before voters:

The Sni-Valley Fire Protection District, which serves parts of Jackson and Lafayette counties, is asking for $3 million in general obligation bonds for the purchase of new equipment and facilities upgrades.

Sni-Valley Fire Chief Carl Scarborough said this would be a no-tax-increase renewal of an existing bond levy, essentially extending the renewal passed in 2012 for an additional eight years to allow the department to secure the funds necessary for its capital improvements master plan.

The Fort Osage Fire Protection District is asking for a $0.14 tax-levy increase — or $26.60 in additional annual property taxes on a $100,000 home — to fund its ambulance service and EMT paramedic program.

Sugar Creek also has a 0.5% sales tax on the ballot, which would be used to fund the Sugar Creek Fire Department.

Voters in two Jackson County municipalities — Lee’s Summit and Grain Valley — will see bond questions from both the city and local school district.

Lee’s Summit voters will decide whether to impose a city sales tax on online purchases, which will be pegged to the current municipal sales tax — currently 2.25% — for brick-and-mortar stores.

If approved, the additional tax money would be used for basic city services.

The Lee’s Summit R-7 School District has proposed a $224 million bond question, which won’t require an increase of the current tax levy set at $1.07 per $100 of assessed value.

The school district hopes to use the money to build a new middle school, renovate or add on to several existing schools, beef up security at district buildings and possibly spruce up the district’s athletic facilities.

Voters in Grain Valley will see a similar range of issues, including three bond questions.

The city of Grain Valley has two questions on the ballot, asking voters to approve general obligation bonds totaling nearly $39 million for a new municipal complex — which will include a new city hall, courthouse, community center and police facilities.

The Grain Valley R-V School District is asking for voters to maintain the current tax levy, which would provide $14.5 million for facilities upgrades without increasing the property tax rate.

Three other Jackson County cities have sales-tax hikes on the ballot:

Grandview is asking voters to approve a 0.5% sales tax hike to pay for infrastructure maintenance, including the repair of roads and bridges.

Buckner placed a 1% sales tax initiative on the ballot again after it deadlocked in November, when 145 people voted for and against the question.

The money would be used for the municipal police force and to retire some of the city’s debt.

River Bend is asking for a tax levy increase from $0.33 to $0.50 per $100 of assessed property value for the township’s general fund.

Finally, two other school have proposed no-tax-increase bond levies, which require voter approval:

The Lone Jack C-6 School District hopes voters will approve a $4.5 million bond question, which would allow for the expansion, repair and improvement of the district’s school buildings.

Oak Grove also wants voters to sign off on a levy question to provide $22.5 million for safety and security as well as technology upgrades, renovations at the elementary school, new HVAC systems and other facilities maintenance.

The current levy for the district is $1.6123 per $100 of assessed property value.

Click below for sample ballots in your city and to read specific ballot language. Elections with only one candidate per contested seat are marked as “uncontested”: