The Katy Trail could make it to Kansas City - well, Pleasant Hill - only if the state legislature appropriates enough money to cover the costs.

Ameren chipped in $18 million as part of the settlement with the state over the Taum Sauk reservoir collapse that heavily damaged Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park.

Now its discovered in the fine print of the settlement that the legislature will have to approve spending that $18 million for what it was intended, and they have to do it within three years.

If the legislature doesn't commit the money within that time period to a construction plan approved by the Department of Natural Resources, lawmakers can use the money for some other state park purpose.

A further complication: It's likely lawmakers will have to come up with more money. Building the trail is expected to be costly because it's a brand-new trail, following along the railbed instead of being built on it.

Anybody else worried about the possible outcome here?

—Laura Scott, assistant editorial page editor