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After a rebuff from City Hall, Clay Chastain is getting serious about putting a transit plan on the November ballot.

Speaking to a handful of reporters and a couple of curious passersby June 1 in the front parking lot of Union Station, Chastain formally announced his new voter petition initiative for a state-of-the-art transit system in Kansas City.

Chastain’s new plan, though similar in form to the one he originally announced in May, varies in its total cost and expected revenue generated, both of which have increased. The total cost of the plan is now expected to be about $1.43 billion, and Chastain now expects to garner 60 percent of the costs in federal matching funds as well as a 25-year three-eighth-cent sales tax generating $1 billion, $100 million in state assistance and a combined $100 million from the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority and North Kansas City.

Although Chastain’s new plan aims to capture the half-cent sales tax passed by North Kansas City voters in November 2008 for funding, city officials there said such a plan is news to them, and the tax has yet to be administered.

Bill Biggerstaff, mayor of North Kansas City, said he hasn’t had any contact with Chastain about the plan or its proposal to capture the sales tax money originally meant for a previous Kansas City light rail proposal.

KCATA was similarly surprised by the proposal, said Cindy Baker, director of marketing for the group.

"He has not been in touch with us at all and, frankly, we don’t know where he’s getting that $100 million figure," she said.

As for the federal funding estimated in the proposal, Chastain said he was confident the plan would qualify and although the route doesn’t seem to be dense enough to meet the standards for funding, Chastain said the point of the project is to spur development so it will reach density.

In addition to the questions of funding, Chastain’s transit plan also seems to underestimate the cost of 15 miles of light rail from the Kansas City Zoo south of the river to North Oak and Vivion roads north of the river, putting cost estimates at $600 million when the city of Kansas City had estimated the cost of a similar 14-mile spine in its plan at more than $800 million.

Chastain, however, argues that his plan is cheaper because it utilizes green space to build the light rail line instead of roadways. Chastain also said figures for light rail construction have gone down because of the recession, further lowering the cost of the line.

Along with the formal announcement of the transit plan, Chastain also announced a voter initiative that would bar the City Council from overturning voter initiatives as members did with Chastain’s last light rail proposal in 2006.

So far, Chastain said he’s got about a quarter of the signatures he needs to get both petitions on the ballot, and he’s confident he’ll have them by August at the latest to get on the November ballot.

FUNDING FOR THE PLAN

- three-eighths-cent sales tax for 25 years — $1 billion

- 60 percent federal matching funds — $528 million

- state assistance — $100 million

- KCATA and North Kansas City contributions — $100 million

Estimated funds for the project — $1.728 billion

CHASTAIN'S NEW TRANSIT PLAN

- 15-mile light rail spine — $600 million

- 7-mile electric streetcar system — $120 million

- electric bus system — $70 million

- maintenance facility — $40 million

- Union Station hub — $20 million

- renewable energy park — $20 million

- bikeway/pedestrian network — $10 million

- estimated finance charges and subsidies — $550 million

Total cost of the plan — $1.43 billion

Staff writer Michael Westblade can be reached at 389-6636 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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