Saturday, February 9, 2013

RevolveKC Brings Bikes to Central Avenue

I got a lot of good feedback after my most recent blog entry. Thanks to everyone who took the time to give it a look and send me a note.

One note stuck out over all the others. I'm paraphrasing here, but the basic message was:

Yeah, yeah, this was interesting and all, but what happened to:
  • Good people doing great things
-and-
  • Figuring out what we collectively want to accomplish in our community and then finding ways to make it happen no matter who or what is in our way

You know what? Those are two *great* points.

So, while I will still try to educate people on how the Unified Government works, I'm going to do my best to turn more of my attention back to good people doing great things and to all the game changing things we plan to accomplish in our community.

With that as background...here's another fantastic example of good people doing great things.


I had the distinct privilege this morning of sitting in on a strategic planning session for RevolveKC, an organization that is new to Kansas City, Kansas and has the potential to make a huge and very positive difference in our community.

The RevolveKC story started in August 2011 when Kansas City, Kansas native Elizabeth Bejan teamed up with colleague Theresa Van Ackeren to open a community nonprofit bike shop at 5100 Troost Avenue in Kansas City, Missouri.

Original location at 5100 Troost

They started their work with a vision that, "Revolve acts on the belief that the bicycle is the simple solution for healthy lifestyles and affordable, earth-friendly transportation."

Through their shop they worked to collect donations of used bicycles, then refurbished them and put those good as new bikes in the hands of community residents...either through outright sales or through a free and very innovative Earn-a-Bike program.

In their first 15 months of operation, Elizabeth and Theresa sold 339 bikes at the Troost location and gave away 217.

Bolstered by their success on Troost, Elizabeth decided it was time to achieve another goal that is close to her heart. She began working to establish an outreach program aimed at getting free bicycles into immigrant (especially Latino) neighborhoods.

She looked all around Kansas City and realized that the neighborhood of her youth in the many blocks around 7th and Central was an ideal spot for such a program.

RevolveKC will open its second location very shortly at 554 Central Avenue. It will be the only dedicated bike shop in Kansas City, Kansas / Wyandotte County.

The storefront at RevolveKC's new location
554 Central Avenue
Like the Troost location, area residents will be able to purchase bikes at the shop or get them free through the Earn-a-Bike program.

While it's possible to earn a bicycle by donating time to the shop, I was particularly intrigued by the other opportunity in the Earn-a-Bike program where anyone aged 14 years and older can qualify for a bicycle at no cost by completing an online bike safety course and then demonstrating basic riding skills in an "on the road" evaluation.

To me, this is a very solid strategy because it not only puts bikes in the hands of people who can really use them, but it also equips those people with the knowledge and skills to be safe and responsible riders whether they are on deserted country trails or busy city streets. You can learn more about the Earn-a-Bike program on the RevolveKC web site.

RevolveKC has bikes ready for little people...
...and big people in their new shop.

During this morning's strategic planning session, the RevolveKC Board of Directors cast a vision for how their organization is going to continue its growth and service to the community over the next 3-5 years. I have to say that it was absolutely invigorating to be with a group of people who are passionate about making a positive difference across our community and who take systematic and intentional steps to make their dreams come true.

I'm thrilled to welcome this hard-working and progressive group to District 2. I believe they will be another success story in the category of "good people doing great things".

RevolveKC Board of Directors

Stay tuned for news about their official opening. In the meantime, I've only scratched the surface on the exciting story of RevolveKC. You can learn more:

One last thing before I close...

Help me reach more people (shameless self promotion)
I have to say that I've been quite excited over the past couple of days thinking of all the great stories that I can share about our community. I'd greatly appreciate it if those of you who read this blog would help me increase the size of my mailing list. Could forward the blog link to a friend or two and encourage them to join my mailing list?

The link is at the bottom of the page in every blog post. My goal is to have a new post about every 10 days, so I won't bug people very much with "notifications".

Thanks and have a great weekend!!!

~ Brian

bmckiernan@wycokck.org
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Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Show Me the Money

Two related topics came up over and over during the recent "fiscal cliff" discussions in Washington...taxing and spending. And with the opening of campaigns for local elections in Wyandotte County, I bet we're going to hear more discussions about both of those topics.

One of the most fun things I've done so far in my almost two years on the Commission is participate in crafting two budgets that support the operation of our city/county and give the Unified Government the resources it needs to provide services for all the people and businesses within our borders (remember our discussion of government responsibilities in my last blog).

OK, I'm lying...I'd rather have a root canal than participate in budget meetings, but the budget process provided a HUGE learning experience and I'd like to share some thoughts and observations here (lucky you!).

Since we're a little over a month into a new fiscal year, I thought it might be a good time to talk "income and expense" as they relate to the Unified Government.

Here is a simple graphic that breaks down the 2013 UG budget that our staff presented at the final public hearing on July 30 of last year. The final budget that we approved is a few dollars different from this version, but not much. (Click to enlarge so you can read the labels).



A lot of money isn't it? Before I took this job I had no idea how much money it takes for a city / county government to provide the services that citizens want and need.

Look closely and you'll see that the high majority of our spending falls into the three categories that I mentioned in my last blog (public safety, public works and the public good). You'll also see that the majority of the money we collect to fund our budget comes from property taxes, sales taxes and the fees that businesses pay to operate in our city and county.

After going through two budget cycles, there are a couple of things that jump out at me...
  • Everyone (individuals and businesses) wants to limit the taxes they pay to the government. This makes sense from the perspective that less money paid to the government means more money to save or spend in support of the general economy.
  • Everyone (well, at least almost everyone) wants more support and more services from the government than the government can pay for.
Now there's a recipe for potential conflict.

So how are we going to resolve the conflict? I don't have the answer, but I have a couple more observations.



Some people suggest that we need to increase income before we can increase services.

Over 50% of the money we collect to fund our budget comes from property taxes, sales taxes and the fees that businesses pay to operate in our city and county. So, if we need more money to fund public safety, public works and the public good, then the most likely places to get that money is through higher property taxes, sales taxes and franchise fees.

BUT, as I said a moment ago, no home owner or business owner wants to pay more in taxes and fees.

Simplistically, the only way to maintain or increase the level of government service without raising taxes is to increase the size of the tax base (more homes and more businesses paying taxes in our community). An increase in the number of properties or an increase in the value of those properties and/or an increase in retail sales will allow us to increase overall tax income while maintaining or decreasing the taxes that any one individual or business pays.

At face value, that's a great solution, but the problem with this approach is that it is a long-term plan that builds slowly over time. And, to make this strategy truly successful, we need to do everything in our power to make our community as attractive as possible so that we become a destination for home owners and business owners looking for a new place to live or work.



Some people suggest that we need to cut spending.

The operative question in this case is, "What aspect of public safety, public service and/or the public good will receive less funding?"

Everyone says, "We need to cut spending", but no one wants us (the government) to cut the programs or services that are important to them. It's always, "Cut someone else...not me or my program(s)."

That sets up a situation where we (the government) have to make tough decisions and where some of you (the public) are going to be upset that we cut something that was / is important to you.

For example, where do we cut spending when...
  • we don't have enough folks cutting grass, sweeping streets, inspecting buildings, constructing sewers or enforcing codes?
  • we're not performing needed upgrades to our infrastructure (like streets, sidewalks, alleys, curbs and sewers) at a pace that keeps up with deterioration?
  • we're not buying needed new equipment (like fire trucks, police cars, backhoes, dump trucks, etc.) as often as we should to insure top quality public safety and public service?
  • we're not adequately supporting organizations that provide services to the disadvantaged and underserved in our community?
Bottom line...I don't have any solutions here, only questions. Once again, I'm just trying to stir up a productive public discussion of the issues. I'd love to hear your thoughts, ideas and suggestions. Feel free to send me an email or drop an anonymous note in my suggestion box (links below).

I'd also encourage you to ask any candidate for public office for their thoughts on these interesting and complex issues.  :-)


~ Brian

bmckiernan@wycokck.org
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