Your patience.

Our topic is KC 2026 discussion and back in business session.

We also recognize those who are in the audience for legislative session.

We appreciate that and that opportunity.

Thank you from KC 2026 for visiting us.

We have elected to go without the affirmative presentation, but there may be a few council questions for you.

And so actually, even to save more time, Pam Kramer, the executive director of KC 2026, Karen Daniel, chair of the board, are here with us right now.

So any questions from council?

Councilman Reha.

Yeah, thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

Thank you for joining us all today.

You know, one issue that I've heard about from a lot of community folks is from folks in the Hispanic business community, both with the Hispanic Chamber and other business owners who are concerned that they will not be included or have the opportunities in the World Cup that others might.

And so can you explain how best we can make sure that not just folks in the Hispanic community but other small business owners and and from other groups that historically aren't given a seat at the table are going to be included so that they can receive the full benefit of everything that's going to happen in those couple weeks.

Sure.

Can you hear me?

Excuse me.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mayor, first of all, for having us and thank you for the question.

So first of all, let me start from a broad standpoint.

We have expressly stated in our procurement policy that we will always start when we are making purchasing decisions with a regional or local provider.

We're gonna look here first, right?

Um so within that, I think the um the challenge is how do we make sure that all businesses in the area and Hispanic businesses, diverse owned businesses in particular, have access to the opportunity, and how do we help build capability?

So I'll start with um the part of the city funding that has been designated for small business capacity.

So we'll certainly work with city staff to develop a program around that.

And then um we plan on having a working group around small business to make sure that we're engaging the community and bringing people to the table who can help us who can tell us what we don't know and develop the very programs that you're talking about.

Um so we would invite um you know, certainly uh interest and names for that working group that can help us solve that.

Thank you.

Councilman Bonge.

You I didn't even have to raise my hand, you read my mind.

Um yeah, I I I the last time we spoke uh you were the proposals for the transportation uh planning process were due, and I was curious uh what you're able to I I know that there's gonna be a whole review process.

I'm sure you have a selection committee and all um, but could you speak on the quality of the proposals maybe or um how many you received and you best steps?

So um the proposals were um I would say really in-depth, several were incredibly intense um with inf information, suggestions, thoughts.

Um there were more than 45 firms represented across the proposal, so really good.

Um I think a good demonstration of the thinking that's out there.

Um we have narrowed the the list to three.

We'll do interviews with those three next week.

The committee includes representatives from the city from KCATA from both Missouri and Kansas, as well as our board of directors.

So we're looking forward to that.

Thank you.

Oh, did you have another question?

I was just pointing to Duncan.

Oh, okay.

Um similar to my previous question, um, you know, we approved um an allocation of three million dollars to go towards the soccer facility at Ninth and Van Brunt to uh I believe bring it up to FIFA regulations.

Um, you know, we had the East High School soccer team in here and celebrated them as they won a state championship this last season.

It was a team of of um immigrant and refugee kids from around the world.

Um how do we make sure that those kids and those communities are included in World Cup programming and World Cup opportunities where World Cup events are going to happen around the city?

How are we going to ensure that happens?

It's a great question.

And I think really um for all of World Cup, this is about for Kansas City, this is about community and collaboration and communication.

So it starts with sharing the information we have, making sure that all of the stakeholders have access to the scope and scale of what's coming, and then developing programs to make sure um that not only kids here in the metro, but you know, in in outlying areas can connect to the experience.

We know that the number of people who interact who get to go to a match is limited.

There's a capacity constraint there, right?

So through FANFEST through other programs between now and the World Cup, we'll be intentional about making sure that there's connection and participation.

And congratulations on the interventionship.

Can you give some concrete examples of what that might look like?

Sure.

So I think the there will be in addition to the 35 days, if you will, of activation, there will be events leading up to it.

There will be volunteer opportunities.

So which celebrates the soccer capital of America, all of the great things about playing soccer here and the way we cheer for it and the way we're part of the legacy of soccer, but bringing it to the young people playing it today.