MARC recently released and printed a new version of the Greater Kansas City Regional Trails and Bikeways Map. Helping residents find new places to explore, the free popular resource showcases more than 2,000 miles of trails and bikeways, locations of RideKC Bike bikeshare hubs and a QR code that takes users to the online version of the map. MARC distributed copies to local bike shops, libraries and other organizations around the region.

In 2024, OGL managed the $734,000 U.S. Department of Transportation Smart Grant project, a regional effort to deploy and evaluate crowdsourced arterial performance measures. OGL also completed construction of 16 video surveillance systems and 54 traffic signal controllers with Gladstone; Kansas City, Missouri; North Kansas City; Belton; Raymore; Independence; Lee’s Summit and the Missouri Department of Transportation. In addition, OGL supported a transportation emissions reduction project in Mission, Kansas, to install wireless radios, CCTV and controllers to bring Johnson Drive online with the program. Over the course of 2024, OGL completed 673 traffic signal investigations and re-timed 73 signals.

Over the past year, MARC solicited applications, evaluated project submissions and approved funding recommendations for approximately $150 million in transportation investments across the region, including improved transit service, roadways and trails. Additionally, MARC supported Kansas and Missouri leaders in launching the first phase of the Bi-State Sustainable Reinvestment Corridor project, a 24-mile corridor connecting three downtowns and multiple destinations in the Kansas City region. Supported by a $5.6 million federal grant, MARC oversees coordination of the project’s long-term, multi-jurisdictional strategy to support infrastructure, transportation and economic development. Work includes completing advanced conceptual engineering designs for high-capacity transit routes and supporting regional efforts to improve access to housing, health care, employment and education for residents in each city and the surrounding area.

The Kansas City region experienced a relatively quiet ozone alert season in 2024. From March 1 to Oct. 31, 2024, the MARC Air Quality program tracked 67 yellow (moderate) days and issued two ozone action alerts. Ultimately, there were six days where at least one of the six area monitors exceeded the eight-hour ozone standards. 

Providing real-time data on particulate matter pollution in the region, MARC acquired 24 new community air sensors and began updating the Clean Air Action Plan and adding it to the Kansas City Regional Comprehensive Climate Action Plan. The Clean Air Action Plan offers community-based, voluntary actions for both businesses and individuals to help keep our air clean.

Working to keep waterways clean and improve water quality, MARC completed an initial draft of the regional stormwater engineering standards, continued implementation of the Little Blue River Watershed Feasibility Study and moved public education outreach collateral from printed copy to largely digital offerings. MARC also developed a litter pickup tracking app using GIS data and supported KC Plogtober’s fourth annual event with volunteers picking up over 70 bags of trash across the region. In addition, MARC promoted a national stormwater conference held in Kansas City, Missouri, focused on watershed protection.

MARC’s Solid Waste Management District launched a regional effort to produce a comprehensive solid waste management plan. The District initiated discussions with community leaders about the importance of creating a circular economy. This included support for a study that assigned a value of $250 million to materials currently being sent to the landfill and identified the potential to create more than 5,000 regional jobs. 

Additionally, the District completed a study to estimate the capacity of landfills that receive waste from the metro area, and worked with the Missouri Product Stewardship Council to improve access to drop-off locations for leftover paint for residents and businesses. 

MARC SWMD worked with the Kansas City Chiefs to install state-of-the-art composting biodigesters at Arrowhead Stadium. Over the past year, MARC SWMD funded 13 grant projects totaling $800,000 for local organizations and held 11 household hazardous waste mobile collection events.

With input from communities and the Regional Workforce Intelligence Network (RWIN) Strategy
Committee, MARC completed the 2024-2029 Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy Plan for the Kansas City metropolitan area. This plan and other actions enable MARC to maintain the Economic
Development Administration’s (EDA) Economic Development District designation. 

MARC also completed a draft economic impact analysis for the Johnson County, Kansas, Education Research Triangle. Additionally, MARC provided information to support the advancement of two regional initiatives — BioNexus KC’s efforts to secure $75 million to advance the work of the KC BioHub, a regional technology and innovation hub, and the University of Missouri’s efforts to secure $160 million from the National Science Foundation to establish the Critical Materials Crossroads and become a leader in critical minerals processing.

MARC produced monthly workforce indicators and compared the Kansas City region’s economy to peer metros. MARC also convened the RWIN Strategy Committee on a quarterly basis, building relationships among economic and workforce development organizations on key regional economic strategies.

In 2024, MARC improved and expanded digital tools to allow for easier access to demographic
data. The Population Explorer tool provides demographic, economic, household and health data in map, chart and tabular form.

The Community Views tool allows for easy download of city, county and regional data profiles. MARC’s Quick Stats tool helps users quickly access census data for the nine-county MARC region, by county or by city. Data points available include population, household, housing, workforce and at-risk populations.

In 2024, MARC implemented a $750,000 grant to strengthen the regional workforce pipeline by connecting local government employers with nonprofit job training programs. Additionally, MARC launched a pilot program targeting hard-to-fill jobs to link public sector employers with job training providers. Also in 2024, MARC promoted and expanded Metro KC Gov Jobs, a job board for local government careers, advanced new priorities for the Government-to-University (G2U) initiative and created a G2U research subcommittee focused on awareness of local government work among high school students.

Meeting the training and organizational development needs of local governments, MARC’s Government Training Institute (GTI) provides quality conferences, certificate programs, seminars and technical workshops at an affordable cost. In 2024, GTI increased focus on delivering trainings targeted to specific audiences, including a leadership training for managers in public works roles and briefing events for local leaders on regional planning and coordination for the FIFA World Cup™ in 2026. GTI also conducted market research to understand the training needs of partners and continued delivery of custom consulting contracts, such as priority-setting facilitation for Lee’s Summit, and a data academy for ArtsKC.

Through MARC, local governments in the bi-state Kansas City region collaborate to identify common objectives, seek cooperative solutions and achieve collective goals through collaborative programs. In addition to offering data and mapping services, cost-effective training and cooperative purchasing solutions, MARC supports the First Suburbs Coalition, which works to address issues facing older suburban communities, and the Core Communities Initiative, which gathers leaders from the largest jurisdictions to discuss shared concerns. MARC also convenes professionals based on role, including planners, managers, communicators and IT professionals, to address emerging issues.

In preparation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup™ in Kansas City, MARC joined the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce and KC 2026 to co-host a special briefing for elected officials. MARC committees will continue to provide ongoing support for regional cooperation of public safety and security efforts, transportation for key event venues and information sharing pertinent to local tourism events.

The Regional Homeland Security Coordinating Committee hosted 65 trainings and 12 exercises in 2024 to help emergency services agencies prepare for all threats. The Health Care Coalition addressed a range of incidents and continued implementation of an agreement to enable resource sharing as a safety net among 22 participating agencies. 

The Metropolitan Emergency Managers Committee led efforts to update a five-county Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan in Missouri and the Mid-America Regional Council Emergency Rescue Committee developed the capacity for regional EMS agencies to offer community paramedic services.

MARC prepared for Next Generation 911 (NG911), which allows 911 calls to be routed based on location and not cell phone towers. Responding to a request from the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department, MARC provided an automatic call-back feature for the city’s emergency communications center, along with an auto-attendant feature for use at the city’s discretion.

MARC convened meetings with local government staff who use GIS to collaborate on continued data accuracy for addresses as the region works to implement NG911. MARC also coordinated work to update mapping software and refresh aerial imagery to help dispatchers more easily locate 911 callers. 

Helping families access fresh produce at grocery stores and farmers markets in Kansas and Missouri, the Double Up Food Bucks program in 2024 served nearly 97,230 households and an estimated 210,000 individuals. 

The produce prescription program KC Fresh Rx completed its second year, and preliminary analysis showed participants reported lower blood sugar and blood pressure. The program’s goal is to improve the health of Medicaid patients who have or are developing diabetes and/or hypertension by eating more fresh fruits and vegetables. 

With Meal Infrastructure and Expansion funding from Missouri, MARC acquired and renovated a nutrition repack facility in 2024. Located in North Kansas City, Missouri, the new facility will foster collaborative relationships aiming to reduce food insecurity challenges. In its role as the Area Agency on Aging for the Missouri portion of the region, MARC contracted with community-based organizations to provide approximately 13,000 meals weekly, opened three new senior centers and distributed six vehicles to senior centers for frozen meal delivery.

Advocating for the health, safety and rights of individuals who live in long-term care facilities, MARC’s Ombudsman program served more than 10,000 residents in 2024, successfully transitioning 204 residents due to facility closures and assisting 20 residents in obtaining their community settings of choice.

The KC Regional Community Health Worker Collaborative works to integrate community health workers (CHWs) into the health and human services systems, through capacity building, advocacy and sustainability. In 2024, MARC provided career path and leadership skills trainings to CHWs across Kansas and Missouri. Helping to make health care more accessible for all residents, 14 students graduated from the region’s first Spanish-language CHW training. MARC and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment collaborated to translate and offer the CHW core curriculum training using 100% Spanish materials and facilitation. In 2024, the collaborative also released a report, Community Health Worker Sustainability – A Case Study of Chronic Care Management, that uses a real-world example of how health care teams can incorporate CHWs into their operations.

A regional collaboration between Excelsior Springs School District, Swope Health Services, MARC Head Start and Diversity Telehealth provided nearly 800 pediatric and dental services for children of families seeking accessible and high-quality health care in 2024. Offering primary medical, dental and behavioral care, the KidsCare Clinic of Excelsior Springs also links families to services via telehealth technology, increasing real-time support, decreasing missed appointments and reducing barriers due to lack of transportation. Also in 2024, the clinic formed a partnership with the Platte County, Missouri, Health Department’s Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program to provide monthly access to food resources.

Working to improve the quality of early learning through the lens of teacher-child interactions,
MARC staff in 2024 completed over 230 Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) assessments. The CLASS observational tool measures classroom quality in infant, toddler and pre-kindergarten classrooms. MARC also completed the Early Learning Program Profile quality assessments at 23 participating child care centers and the Family Child Care Profile on five family child care providers.

Additionally, MARC completed the creation of an outdoor classroom for Kansas City, Missouri,
Public Schools, and updated buildings and playgrounds and enhanced security.

In 2024, MARC continued to partner with the Family Conservancy, Local Investment Commission and Youth Alliance of St. Joseph to administer and coordinate the Preschool, Infant Toddler and Home-Based Collaborative Networks serving 15 counties in Missouri. The initiative provides on-site coaching support, cohort training and technical assistance to improve care and education offered within 204 classrooms among 40 centers and nine family child care programs. In addition, MARC developed quarterly reports on a variety of metrics, including on-site consultation visits.