Mid-America Regional Council: Board of Directors (Aug. 25, 2026)

By Connye Griffin, Kansas City Documenter

These notes were produced through Kansas City Documenters, which trains and pays community members to take fact-checked notes at public meetings, strengthening transparency and accountability in local government.

Summary

• Hannah Mitchell, regional housing program manager for the Mid-America Regional Council, said MARC has applied for a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development aimed at reducing “regulatory barriers to housing production and preservation in order to promote housing affordability.”
• Kristi Bohling-DaMetz, director of aging and adult services, said MARC had been awarded $200,000 by the federal Administration of Community Living (ACL) in the first phase of a three-phase grant to “support independence, improve health and reduce costs” among the aging and disabled population. The ACL intends to reach people affected by multiple chronic conditions and at least one functional limitation. The goal is to develop services to decrease the number of days in institutional and in-home care and reduce the costs of care.
• Toni Sturdivant, director of early learning and Head Start, asked board members to provide comments about addressing the early child care crisis confronting many communities including Kansas City, which needs 32,000 slots for infant care. Sturdivant cited the methods of four cities as examples of how to fund expanded early child care.
• The board met for the first time at its new location, 801 Pennsylvania Ave. in Downtown Kansas City.

Notes

Board Sharing

• Elected officials and staff from area municipalities shared information from their communities. The full list of all MARC board members is listed on Page 4 of the agenda packet.
  • Two Kansas cities, De Soto and Prairie Village, reported remodeling or new construction for their city halls. 
  • Kansas City Councilman Johnathan Duncan announced execution of agreements related to a new Royals’ stadium in the 6th District.

Competitive Economy 

• Mitchell explained MARC’s submission for the six-year, $9.7 million HUD grant.
  • HUD announced $50 million of available grants. Grantees could request funding of $5 million to $10 million. HUD announced the grants on May 3, and there was an Aug. 3 deadline to apply. MARC met the deadline but acknowledged the recently reduced amount of time given for federal funding applications. Mitchell advised all cities to review their needs and share them with MARC for any future funding opportunities requiring quick submissions.
• Because of the short time to apply, MARC prioritized cities that had already set goals in line with HUD’s grant term or had already implemented such goals. These included:
  • Policy and regulation revisions to facilitate housing development.
  • Proximity to Opportunity Zones.
  • Site control.
  • Shovel-ready projects.
  • Record-keeping practices in line with HUD’s requirements.
• Of the $9.7 million requested, $1 million was earmarked for planning. MARC’s goal is to facilitate and coordinate “a durable, regional framework for housing policy” across the region.
• Four cities were already engaged in efforts to remove barriers to affordable housing. Each would receive $2 million to $2.5 million if the MARC grant request is approved. These cities are:
  • Kansas City, Kansas
  • Excelsior Springs, Missouri
  • Independence, Missouri
  • Kansas City, Missouri
• MARC did not get a similar grant it sought in 2024. Funding notification for the current application would come in November, and awardees could begin work in December.
• Another forthcoming grant opportunity for regional housing planning and coordination is part of the federal 21st Century Road to Housing Act, which became law in July. Mitchell said HUD has been tasked with funding the provisions.

Thriving Older Adults and Communities 

• Bohling-DaMetz reviewed the benefits of community living and MARC’s successful application to meet the “moonshot challenge” issued by the ACL, which oversees area agencies on aging.
  • Background. Area agencies provide transportation, housing, nutrition or a combination of these as they work to support the aging and disabled populations who face the challenges of aging and of chronic disease. Since 2018, MARC has served as the hub for separate area agencies providing support. MARC assumes many of the administrative duties such as contract negotiations, invoicing and billing, freeing area agencies to focus on services.
  • Community Living defined. Agencies strive to ensure that aging or disabled adults are able to:
    • Choose where to live.
    • Earn a living.
    • Participate in society.
    • Make decisions about their lives.
• Moonshot Goal. The ACL challenge invited applicants to “demonstrate how teams of advanced community care networks & health care partners can integrate the delivery of comprehensive, person-centered services,” according to written material presented at the meeting. Although Kansas and Missouri were not listed as a geographic area of interest, MARC’s eight years’ experience as the hub for a community of nonprofits persuaded MARC’s aging and adult services staff to apply. Their application was one of 10 selected.
• MARC’s Winning Model, outlined for the first phase. With a foundation in shared governance (a hub) augmented by technological assets, MARC was awarded $200,000 and an opportunity to build and expand its geographic reach beyond its local infrastructure. Expansion may include a newly formed hub in St. Louis, 10 Missouri area agencies on aging, 500 contracted community-based organizations and ongoing work in Kansas, as well as Medicaid. The region may also extend to Colorado, where MARC’s hub has made connections.
• MARC’s challenge going forward. The first phase is intended to prove whether MARC can scale up local coordination to include statewide organizations in the service of decreasing days spent in institutional care, increasing days at home and reducing costs for support.

Quality Early Learning

• Sturdivant outlined the Plans to Include Early Child Education System (PIECES). She listed five categories of priorities:
  • Funding and coordination
  • Workforce
  • Support for practicing early educators
  • Data and metrics
  • Advocacy 
• The focus for this discussion was funding and coordination, such as how to fund programs supporting early child care.
• Funding strategies used in Cincinnati, New Orleans, Denver and San Antonio, Texas, four cities with comparable populations, were briefly discussed. Cincinnati, San Antonio and Denver chose 3- and 4-year-olds as targeted populations; New Orleans chose birth to age 3. These four cities demonstrate two decisions to be made: whom to care for and how.
• The board was asked for advice about choosing next steps, a conversation cut short due to the limited time.
• A board member asked whether a subcommittee could be formed to explore various issues, such as the target constituency. Sturdivant agreed.

Executive Director Report. 

• David Warm brought the following matters to the board’s attention:
  • The Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) proposed redistricting solid-waste management last year. The proposal was stopped after 20 mayors signed a letter opposing it.  MDNR then proposed reserving 50% of allocated solid-waste management funds for grant and contract decisions made by the department. Warm said he thought this action was likely illegal and was having conversations about quashing the proposal. He told the board he may need to call on them for assistance.
  • The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has proposed changes to Head Start. MARC has been studying them and is concerned about the quality of the programs and terms that would limit services. Its analysis will inform a letter specifying the concerns.
• Notable Recent Grants
  • Warm thanked a staffer for applying for a grant from Public Interest Technology. MARC was awarded the grant. It will enable work with health care agencies using artificial intelligence.
  • Another successful grant will bring about long-needed traffic changes to the intersection of Interstates 29 and 35. MARC will work with $9 million of Missouri Department of Transportation funds.
  • MARC will receive a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency grant to conserve wetlands and streams.

Consent Agenda

• The board approved the consent agenda without discussion:
  • Minutes of the June 23, 2026, board meeting.
  • Application for an Assistant Secretary Preparedness and Response grant for FY 2026-2027 to continue support of the region’s health care coalition.
  • Authorizing a contract with Porsena Solutions LLC to provide support services for the Regional Homeland Security Coordinating Committee 2027-2029 strategic plan.
  • Authorizing an application for the FY 2026 Urban Area Security Initiative Grant and associated subaward agreements to enhance regional emergency response preparedness.

Observations & Follow-Up Questions

• What health outcomes will prove that in-home care is more cost effective than hospital care and rehabilitation?
• What would MDNR gain from changing solid-waste districts, fund distribution or both?
• How will the board shape early child care and learning after meeting with the director?
• What features of the 21st Century Road to Housing Act qualify it as a “landmark” piece of legislation? 

If you believe anything in these notes is inaccurate, please email us at documenters@thebeacon.media with “Correction Request” in the subject line. Learn more about Documenters on our website.