Why Does Kansas City Need a Land Bank?
The failed Citadel Development in Kansas City. What would such a development spearheaded by a land bank look like? Photo...
Dough for the Dome
The St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission (CVC) just released its proposal (estimated price tag: $124 million, with the St. Louis...
Making a Good System Better: Suggestions for Kansas City Government
All politics, as they say, is local. But the politics in some places (think St. Louis and St. Louis County)...
Missouri’s TIF Infestation
If I got to pick it, the slogan for my beloved home state of Missouri would be: “Missouri: We’re In The...
Property Assessments and Taxes in the News
As people in Saint Louis County continue to appeal their assessments, the city of Blue Springs on the other side...
David Stokes Appearing on KMBZ with Chris Merrill Monday Morning
I’ll be on the Voice of Merrill this Monday morning at 10 AM on 980 AM KMBZ. We’ll be discussing...
Maybe They Should Try Drive-By Assessments in Jackson County
Last week, the Kansas City Star ran an excellent story on radically higher property assessments in Kansas City. The key...
The Kansas City Earnings Tax Is Bad for Our Health – But Do We Care?
Call it “the smoker’s dilemma”: Everyone knows that smoking kills, but a habitual smoker may be convinced that he requires...
Panel Discussion on Asset Forfeiture in Columbia Tonight
I will be on the panel of Schools Not Guns tonight at the Blue Note in Columbia, at 6 p.m....
Should Jackson County Amend Its Charter?
Today’s Kansas City Star has a good summary of charter amendments being proposed in Jackson County. Charter counties like Jackson —...
Counties, Not Municipalities, Should Determine TIFs
The core of this issue has already been argued on the eastern side of the state. A 2007 change to...
Governmental Things One Should Be Able to Do Online
Over at the Freakonomics blog, they’re discussing a website focused on getting the U.S. Census to be made available online,...
Jackson County Follows Through With Lawsuit
I won’t add much to my TIF post from the other day, I just want to note and link to...
Jackson Co. Hopes to KO TIF in KCMO
All right, so the title of this post is a bit misleading — I just wanted to get as many...
Large Counties Should Reduce Their Commercial Property Tax Surcharges
In 1985, Missouri changed the way that local governments tax commercial and industrial property. Voters approved eliminating the personal property...
SMI Articles on Property Taxes
Today, the Missouri Record carried my article on commercial property tax surcharges in Jackson County / Kansas City. Last week,...
Commuter Rail Plan for Jackson County
I guess because we are always going somewhere, transit issues never seem to go away. Just today, we have the...
Saint Louis County Would Benefit From City’s Return
In his most recent inaugural address, Mayor Francis Slay stated that it is time for the city of Saint Louis...
Ridiculous Lawsuit Over Assessments in Jackson County
Talk about having your cake and eating it, too. School districts loved it when property values skyrocketed throughout this decade along...
“Everything’s Up for Counting in Kansas City”
Recalls, recounts, references to songs in Oklahoma — things are a mite bit interesting in Kansas City, wouldn’t you agree,...
