By Paul Thompson
Northeast News 

What a difference a week makes.

After a Thursday, August 17 legislative session characterized by vigorous debate and uncertainty, the Kansas City, Missouri City Council came together on August 24 to unanimously support language for the November ballot that will allow KCMO voters to decide whether or not to construct a new single terminal at Kansas City International Airport. After years of stops and starts, area voters will indeed have the final say on a new airport this November.

The Council sent indications throughout the week that consensus could be reached, and 4th District Councilwoman Katheryn Shields further signaled that a compromise was on the horizon when she announced early in the August 24 meeting that she would be removing her airport ordinance from the docket. Shields had proposed that airport revenue bonds would be the best vehicle for financing a new single terminal at Kansas City International Airport.

“A number of things have happened that have made this ordinance not in the best interests of Kansas City,” Shields said.

The impetus for the shift towards compromise proved to be a friendly amendment offered by 3rd District Councilman Jermaine Reed. Reed’s amendment added new ballot language which specifically states that construction of a new single terminal would be completed “without the issuance of general airport revenue bonds unless airport revenue bonds have received prior voter approval.”

While the additional language was already a matter of law, City Council members ultimately agreed that the friendly amendment would help curry favor among voters concerned that costs affiliated with the billion-dollar project could ultimately be paid by the taxpaying public. Kansas City Mayor Sly James expressed relief that the ballot language was approved ahead of the August 29 deadline.

“I’m hopeful that with the adoption of this language today, we will be able to get this done,” James said. “I was ready to vote on Jolie’s language weeks ago, and frankly we could have done it weeks ago without any harm.”

The Council referred to the subsequent unanimous vote as a ‘Unity Vote.’

“I can’t think of a better headline than one that says this Council voted unanimously to put this measure on the ballot,” said 5th District Councilwoman Alissia Canady.

The day prior, Councilman Reed laid out an action plan and timeline for the Airport Selection Committee to select the preferred proposer to construct the single terminal at KCI. According to the announced action plan, the Selection Committee met at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, August 29 for a discussion with airline partners and the city’s outside bond counsel. Those conversations were expected to precede an update for the full City Council at 1:30 during the Council’s regular Tuesday work session. The work session was scheduled to be followed by further deliberations in a 28th floor conference room.

All of those meetings should lead to a final decision on Thursday, August 31. On that day the City has set a 2 p.m. press conference at which a preferred proposer is expected be named by the Airport Selection Committee.