The Unified Government Economic Development and Finance Standing Committee voted 6 to 1 Monday night to recommend allowing 23-hour alcohol sales during the FIFA World Cup, but only at bars and restaurants. The committee carved gas stations, convenience stores, and liquor stores out of the ordinance after extended debate over […]
Politics
Commission overrides planning panel to approve battery storage project
The Unified Government Board of Commissioners voted 8-2 Thursday night to approve a controversial $250 million battery energy storage facility on Metropolitan Avenue, overriding the planning commission and sparking an hour and a half of questions and debate. Commissioners also approved the first round of spending from the American Royal […]
NorthPoint bond expansion approved as commission delays utility rate hikes
The Unified Government Board of Commissioners cleared a $95 million expansion of industrial revenue bonds for NorthPoint Development at its Thursday meeting, while tabling three separate utility rate proposals and failing twice to muster enough votes for an eminent domain request from the Board of Public Utilities. Three of ten […]
Bipartisan bill seeks to designate Quindaro Townsite as National Historic Landmark
A bipartisan coalition of lawmakers from Kansas and Missouri introduced legislation this week to designate the Quindaro Townsite in Kansas City, Kan., as a National Historic Landmark, a move that supporters say would secure federal recognition for a site that played an outsized role in the fight against slavery and […]
Development committee gets update on rewrite of outdated zoning
The Unified Government’s Neighborhood and Community Development standing committee denied a proposed storage facility that conflicted with the Northeast Area Master Plan, approved a batch of land bank applications and received updates on a comprehensive rewrite of the county’s 40-year-old zoning code during its Monday, Mar. 30 meeting. The committee […]
Grocery deal, senior rebate funding advance in packed Finance meeting
The Unified Government’s Economic Development and Finance standing committee approved a letter of intent to reopen the former Merc grocery store under new management, okayed a $4.35 million workforce housing investment from Homefield, increased the industrial revenue bond cap for North Point Development and transferred emergency funds to a surging […]
Pacheco to propose property tax rebate program funded by development
District 5 Commissioner Dr. Carlos Pacheco III will present a property tax relief plan to the Economic Development & Finance Committee on Monday, Mar. 30, that would rebate a portion of property taxes to homeowners whose bills are rising faster than they can absorb, capped at $1,000 per household per […]
Edwardsville council approves pay adjustments, tables regional aid agreement
The Edwardsville City Council met Monday, Mar. 23 at 6:00 p.m. with Mayor Carolyn Caiharr presiding. Councilmembers Camila Adcox, Garrett Mellott, Christy Everhart, Michael Moulin and Margaret Shriver were present. Regional resource sharing agreement tabled The council deferred a decision on joining the Kansas City Regional Resource Sharing Agreement, a […]
Employee residency requirement removed in divisive 6-5 vote
Mayor Watson casts tie-breaking vote, calling decision “the hill I choose to die on” The Unified Government Board of Commissioners voted 6-5 Thursday night to lift a decades-old requirement that most government employees live within Wyandotte County — a polarizing decision that split the board down the middle and required […]
UG Public Works Committee talks dangerous roads and utility rate increases
The Unified Government’s Public Works and Safety Standing Committee voted unanimously Monday evening to send proposed rate increases for sanitary sewer, stormwater, and solid waste utilities to the full Board of Commissioners, while also receiving updates on a plan to pursue millions of dollars in federal funding to improve the […]







