The Port Authority of Kansas City backed off Monday from a vote on a sweeping tax incentive package for developers of the Country Club Plaza.
Port KC’s special virtual meeting was attended by about 160 participants but was delayed for more than 17 minutes by a remote hack. The hack set a tone for a contentious meeting where many attendees derided the proposal and a process that has been delayed several times already.
The decision punts the vote into next year after Kansas City Public Schools Superintendent Jennifer Collier called the deal “a betrayal” and dozens of parents, teachers and neighborhood leaders lined up to oppose it.
How Port KC incentives work
Under Missouri law, Port KC has the authority to issue bonds and technically take ownership of development projects, leasing them back to developers. Because government agencies don’t pay property taxes, this structure allows Port KC to collect “payments in lieu of taxes” or PILOT fees, which functionally become a custom, reduced tax rate instead of what developers would otherwise owe…