ORDINANCE NO. 250202
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Sponsor: Councilmember Melissa Robinson
Changing the name of Troost Avenue to Truth Avenue effective six months after passage of this Ordinance; reducing the Contingent Appropriation by $50,000.00 in the General Fund; appropriating that amount to the Public Works-Street Sign account of the General Fund; using the appropriated funds to change street signs and other markers along Troost Avenue once effective, directing the City Manager to engage residents, property owners, and community stakeholders about changing the name of N. Troost Avenue and to return to Council with feedback within eight months; and directing the City Manager to establish an archival program to ensure the preservation and history of the Troost corridor by working with residents, stakeholders, and preservation organizations to establish and implement the program.
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WHEREAS, memorials, monuments, and symbols are a form of symbolic capital and denote the distinction and status that a name brings to a certain place and the people associated with it; and
WHEREAS, place names evoke powerful images, connotations, and symbolism that contribute to a sense of place in geography, history, and society and reflect larger social disputes about who has the authority to create, define, interpret, and represent collective pasts through place; and
WHEREAS, commemorative place names, including street, boulevard, and parkway names that celebrate or honor individuals who enslaved persons, promoted racism, or participated in the oppression or dehumanization of others reinforce racial or economic boundaries of the past; and
WHEREAS, symbols and place names honoring such individuals can function as a form of symbolic violence and amplify racial inequities in society caused by systemic racism; and
WHEREAS, these symbols can demean nearby residents and trigger or provoke psychological trauma in communities harmed by racial exclusion and discrimination; and
WHEREAS, Troost Avenue and N. Troost Avenue were named after Benoist Troost, a Kansas City physician who enslaved six persons; and
WHEREAS, Troost Avenue and N. Troost Avenue have historically served as a dividing line and symbol of the City’s history of racial segregation and slavery; and
WHEREAS, renaming white supremacist symbols is an important step in revising racial and economic barriers, especially in diverse metropolitan areas like Kansas City; and
WHEREAS, renaming can invite meaningful conversations about unconscious bias, social equity and inclusion, and how to combat the harmful impact of systemic racism; and
WHEREAS, extensive efforts to solicit community input, including multiple listening sessions, revealed that 70.7% of respondents agreed that Kansas City streets should not be named after known slaveowners;
WHEREAS, six months is necessary in order to ensure a smooth transition of the name change with minimal impact to abutting residents and property owners; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF KANSAS CITY:
Section 1. That Troost Avenue shall be renamed to Truth Avenue for all portions of Troost Avenue within the corporate boundaries of Kansas City effective six months from the date of passage of this Ordinance.
Section 2. That the appropriation in the following account of the General Fund is hereby reduced by the following amount:
24-1000-179990-B Contingent Appropriation $50,000.00
Section 3. That the sum of $50,000.00 is appropriated from the Unappropriated Fund Balance of the General Fund in the following account of the General Fund:
24-1000-892030-B Street Signs - Troost Ave Renaming $50,000.00
Section 4. That the funds appropriated to the Street Signs - Troost Avenue Renaming Account shall be used for the replacement of street signs and other markers along Troost Avenue upon the effective date.
Section 5. That the City Manager is directed to engage with the residents and property owners abutting N. Troost, along with other community stakeholders, about changing the name of N. Troost Avenue and to return to Council with feedback from those sessions within eight months.
Section 6. That the City Manager is directed to establish an archival program to ensure the preservation and history of the Troost corridor and to display Troost Avenue street signage. The City Manager shall work with residents, stakeholders and preservation organizations to establish and implement the program in order to guarantee that the community has unfettered access to the history of the Troost corridor.
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I hereby certify that there is a balance, otherwise unencumbered, to the credit of the appropriation to which the foregoing expenditure is to be charged, and a cash balance, otherwise
unencumbered, in the treasury, to the credit of the fund from which payment is to be made, each sufficient to meet the obligation hereby incurred.
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Tammy L. Queen
Director of Finance
Approved as to form:
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Dustin E. Johnson
Associate City Attorney