KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) -
It wasn't just politicians' names on the ballots Tuesday. In Kansas City, voters also had to make a decision about two big issues concerning millions of dollars.
Question one asked Kansas Citians to create a new sales tax to allow for more money for parks and roads.
Question two asked Kansas Citians to help pay for a major sewer upgrade.
Kansas City voters approved both questions. For the sewer upgrades, 80 percent voted yes while 20 percent voted no. In regards to the sales tax, 62 percent votes yes while 38 percent voted no.
At Union Station a group gathered at Harvey's to find out whether questions one and two will pass.
Voting yes on question one would OK a half-cent sales tax for maintenance and upkeep of parks, parkways, boulevards and community centers. The half-cent sales tax wouldn't just be paid by Kansas City residents, but by everyone who works in or visits the city. It would eliminate the current $12.50 motor vehicle fee and several other maintenance taxes that residents are currently required to pay.
Voting yes on question two would go towards issuing $500 million in revenue bonds for the project. Voting no doesn't get residents out of paying for upgrades to the sewer system – it just means Kansas City residents would be paying quite a bit more on monthly bills.
"I went to every party of the city today - north, south, east, west, north of the river, south of the river. And in every instance that I had an opportunity to talk to people, I found that they were willing to try to do what they thought was best for this city. I can't tell you how proud I am that we've taken this step to show that we are, once and for all, getting it that we are one unified city and that, as we work in one area, we all benefit in others," Kansas City, MO Mayor Sly James said.
The Municipal Revenue Commission said voting yes on questions one and two would create thousands of jobs.
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