KANSAS CITY, Kan. — The next time a developer receives incentives to build in Kansas City, Kansas, the government will transfer money from some of the fees the developer pays to a new fund to pay child care, affordable housing, and home repairs for senior citizens.
This month the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, adopted a community benefits ordinance. Cities like Cleveland, Detroit and Sacramento also have community benefit ordinances.
The goal of these ordinances is to take the positive impact of a new development in one part of the county and spread it to other parts by setting money aside for specific needs. Developers will not have to pay any new fee connected to the community benefits ordinance.
The UG will redirect some of the money developers currently pay in administrative and issuance fees to the new funds. Only developers who receive incentives like property tax breaks, a community improvement district or sales tax exemptions have their fees redirected to the new funds.
“They know some of that investment, no matter where they lay ground, will be invested on the other side of town that so desperately needs those dollars,” explained Harold Johnson, a former UG commissioner, who voted in support of these ordinance before leaving office in December.
He stressed how the community helped the government determine which three needs to fund with the new program. Beginning next year, the UG could provide grants for child care facilities to increase salaries, or help families pay for tuition. Money will go into an affordable housing trust fund to help develop more housing. The community benefits ordinance will also boost the county’s already existing program to do minor home repairs for senior citizens.
“I think about my mom who is on a fixed income,” Johnson said. “There will always be times that she needs things done around the home.”
Commissioner Andrew Davis helped create the ordinance. He looks forward to long term impacts of the program.
“Nothing that we do solves everything, but we needed something we could put in place because you have to start somewhere,” he said. “I see this as the beginning, not the finality of our efforts.”
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