Should Annexation law be changed?

Annexation has been one means of cities of all types to increase their land mass and tax base. Current state laws do not provide the citizens impacted by annexation the opportunity to vote or provide input on the issue. This includes existing city residents who will take on the added land to develop and maintain and the residents in the areas to be annexed .

What do you think of the existing annexation law? Do you think it should be changed, and if so how?

This is a discussion question for the Local History Round Table Event, held at Johnson County Library on October 7, 2009. RSVP for this event

Will JoCo have more jobs than KCMO?

Johnson County traditionally was a bedroom community — providing good housing stock and good educational systems — for middle and upper class residents.  A recent report in the KC Star cites Johnson County as the largest contributor of new jobs in the KC metro area, and very close to surpassing the number of jobs in KCMO proper.

With the stagnation of growth in KCMO, experts predict JoCo will be the largest employer in the future. How does that economic factor play into future growth? Transportation needs? Housing needs? other infrastructure needs for the community of workers AND residents?

This is a discussion question for the Local History Round Table Event, held at Johnson County Library on October 7, 2009. RSVP for this event

Should we contain growth?

Johnson County has both aging and new growth communities. Should more be done to contain growth considering the increasing energy costs predicted in the near future?

Do you there is a pending energy crisis? On what level? What can suburban communities, which by definition are not dense like more urban areas, do to address that potential crisis?

This is a discussion question for the Local History Round Table Event, held at Johnson County Library on October 7, 2009. RSVP for this event

Infrastructure of Northeast Johnson County

The NE section of Johnson County developed first in terms of suburban neighborhoods, and now much of the infrastructure (from water & sewer lines to housing and retail stock) is aging.

What do you think should be done to ensure those areas don’t fall into blight? Think in terms of neighborhood advocacy or govemental policy.

How can the area be revitalized without changing the historical/community character? Or is that at all important? How do initiatives like Overland Park’s Vision Metcalf plan fall into the future success of these older areas?

This is a discussion question for the Local History Round Table Event, held at Johnson County Library on October 7, 2009. RSVP for this event

What environmental challenges have occurred as a result of change in land use and urban sprawl?

Consider fragmentation of services, infrastructure, transportation, flooding, sewage, watersheds, air quality, landfills, landscapes, animal populations (deer in Shawnee Park), etc.

This is a discussion question for the Local History Round Table Event, held at Johnson County Library on October 7, 2009. RSVP for this event

What role did agriculture play in the development of the county? How has land use changed in the county?

Think about the development of the I-35 corridor, national agri-policies such as subsidies, and increasing commercial land values.

This is a discussion question for the Local History Round Table Event, held at Johnson County Library on October 7, 2009. RSVP for this event

What natural features contributed to a southeastern migration into Johnson County from Kansas City?

Do these features still have a pull today? Did some of these physical elements from the past help define Johnson County today?

This is a discussion question for the Local History Round Table Event, held at Johnson County Library on October 7, 2009. RSVP for this event

What are some of the significant natural, geographical, and topographical differences between Johnson County at the time of European exploration and today?

Think flora, fauna, landscapes, watersheds, environment, Native American populations and their use of the land.

This is a discussion question for the Local History Round Table Event, held at Johnson County Library on October 7, 2009. RSVP for this event