08/19/2026
We hope you’ll take a few minutes to read the following article from The Examiner. It will answer many of the questions you may have and provide some important information and insight.
Please take a moment to read it and as always, stay tuned for more details.
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Funding for historic sites in Independence going to the ballot
August 18, 2026 News
By Mike Genet
[email protected]
Independence voters will have another chance to consider bonds for historic site maintenance.
The City Council voted unanimously Monday to put a $19.9 million general obligation bond issue on the Nov. 3ballot. The bond issue, paid for by property taxes, would cover the Bingham-Waggoner Estate, Vaile Victorian Mansion and three other sites the city owns — the century-old Truman Memorial Building, the old Fire Station 1 and the 1827 Log Courthouse.
The old fire station at the corner of Main and Truman is used by the National Park Service for the Truman Historic Site Visitor Center.
According to the city, a detailed expenditure plan for site projects came to $15.6 million, and the city included 25% contingency.
“They (the properties) need to stay with the city,” Mayor Kevin King said. “I hope we can get this passed and protect the historic sites.
According to city documents, debt payments for a $19.9 million bond issue over 20 years would require a levy of about 14.5 cents per $100 assessed valuation for the first year, to set up a fund balance, then 7.6 cents per $100 AV for each subsequent year.
The city calculates that for a $150,000 house, that amounts to an average $26.57 in additional property tax each year, and the number could be less or even zero in the final year, based on fund balance and how bonds are issued.
Based on calculations by The Examiner, for a house valued at $150,000, the listed levies amount to $41.30 in additional property taxes for one year, then down to $21.63 for subsequent years.
City Manager Troy Anderson said in July that as rehab projects move long, the city could get firmer costs, he said, “so we don’t issue more bonds than we need.”
The city’s available funds haven’t been near enough to address deferred maintenance at the Bingham or Vaile, and those needs now easily stretch beyond $10 million. Voters nearly passed a bond issue in April 2025 that would have provided $12 million for historic site repairs and renovations at the Independence Athletic Complex. It received 55.4% approval, about 170 votes short of reaching the state-required 57.1%.
The small margin led some city leaders to quickly raise the question of another bond attempt at the polls. Following a consultant’s report this spring that the city could consider selling the 19th-century homes to non-profit caretakers because the current cost of operations “isn’t sustainable long term,” the City Council quickly resolved that the city would not sell.
Council Member John Perkins said he appreciated the discussions with the citizen support groups of the historic sites.
“Thank you for your patience,” he said. “We had a rough start with the PGAV recommendations. I’m looking forward to the vote in November.”
Mark Mangels, a member of the Bingham-Waggoner Historical Society, shared a quote from W.L. Webb’s 1927 book “The Centennial History of Independence,” specifically from Robert Barr, who served as a county judge with Harry Truman.
“The use of history is to give value to the present hour and its duty,” Mangels said, quoting Barr as he implored the council to approve a ballot measure.
“What a fitting bit of wisdom for us to use,” Mangels added. “Anytime the past speaks, that is history.”
