City Council approves domestic partner registry

The KCMO City Council recently approved an ordinance establishing a registry for domestic partners. While it includes sick and funeral leave for city employees, it does not include health benefits, which will be considered in the spring of 2004. Support on the council was very strong, with only one dissenting vote cast by Northland council member Bill Skaggs. There seems to be a lot of support city-wide, and Jackson County recently established a similar registry. However, several fundamentalist churches in the more conservative Northland opposed the action and are considering an initiative petition to overturn the ordinance. Read more at the Clay-Platte Dispatch and the KC Star.