Council delays decision on county’s World Cup transit contribution; item returned to Feb. 9

Council committee staff briefed members on metro-wide transit plans tied to the upcoming World Cup, including fan-fest service at Liberty Memorial and game-day routing to Arrowhead Stadium. Johnson County’s Link Line will operate three circulator routes using Oak Park Mall as the primary hub and will include one downtown Shawnee stop at Johnson Drive and Neiman; the service is planned to run roughly 35 to 42 days around the tournament.

Johnson County asked Shawnee to contribute $52,651 toward the Link Line’s $5.7 million budget. City staff recommended using the city’s transient guest tax fund to cover the request. Council members asked several questions about the LINC/Link Line program, funding source, and service details and ultimately agreed to bring the item back for a final funding decision at the Feb. 9 council meeting.

Next steps: staff will prepare the item for the Feb. 9 meeting, including requested clarifications about program scope, budget impacts, and recommended fund source.