KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The mayors of Kansas City, Kansas, Edwardsville and Bonner Springs want to know if their residents want to break apart the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/KCK.
Mayors Tyrone Garner (KCK), Carolyn Caliharr (Edwardsville) and Jeff Harrington (Bonner Springs) plan to hold a news conference at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 11, in the lobby of KCK City Hall, 701 N. 7th St.
They plan to announce an initiative to "engage community concerns about the state of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas."
Voters in 1997 approved the consolidation of the KCK and Wyandotte County governments.
Bonner Springs and Edwardsville voters said no to joining the new governing body, according to a news release from Garner.
The UG’s board of commissioners is made up of a Mayor/CEO and 10 commission members. Eight commission members are nominated and elected from districts, and two at-large commission members are nominated from districts and elected at-large.
The board has policy-making authority over the county of Wyandotte County and the city of KCK. The commission's duties include setting county policies, adopting ordinances and approving the budget of the Unified Government, according to the government's website.
The trio of mayors plans to use Wednesday's news conference to talk about what they say are community concerns including "massive debt, pathway to bankruptcy, consistent property tax increase reliance, BPU PILOT fee concerns, and community questions of accountability as it pertains to effective governance."
A task force will be selected to gather opinions and recommend any changes to the current government.
"The overriding goal of the initiative will be to explore how best to seize on opportunities related to improving consolidation or reimagining a form of government that can better reflect efficiency, effectiveness, and the need for enhanced fiscal responsibility," per the mayors' statement. "Thus, creating a vision where governmental staff is more accountable to elected officials, and the elected officials are more accountable to the residents and stakeholders of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas."
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