Mayor Lucas: Kansas City may cut $12M from police budget as Congress weighs local aid
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said his proposed budget would cut nearly $12 million from the city’s police department, a decision he blamed on Congress’ failure last year to pass aid to help local governments cope with revenue losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I would say it’s very closely tied to the inaction of Congress,” Lucas told The Star in a phone call a few hours before the budget proposal was released. “For people who back the blue, I would ask why they aren’t helping us to get millions of dollars?”
Lucas’ budget proposal, released Thursday afternoon, contained deep cuts compared to the spending plan the City Council adopted last year, which boosted funding in several areas and made bus transit fare free right at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The city has worked all year to shrink spending to match the decline in revenue brought on by the pandemic and economic fallout.
During his State of the City address Wednesday evening, Lucas acknowledged there would be cuts to the Kansas City Police Department and across departments at City Hall. But he assured residents the city wouldn’t lay off any employees — particularly police officers.
“No officer will need to lose their jobs due to budget cuts, and no stations need be closed,” he said.
City Manager Brian Platt said the same.
“Every officer that’s currently on the street, every position that’s currently filled will remain filled,” Platt said. “We’re just not budgeting for additional positions.”
Personnel costs are a major proportion of the agency’s budget.
The department is controlled by a board appointed by the Missouri governor, meaning the City Council has control over how much it contributes to KCPD, but not its operations. The budget proposes those savings come from leaving all currently vacant staff positions open.
Platt acknowledged in an interview City Hall’s limited power, but said he was in conversations with the police chief.
KCPD said it would not comment until the City Council decides on the budget in March. The new fiscal year starts May 1.
In 2020, Lucas proposed boosting spending on KCPD by $10.7 million. That means this year’s $11.8 million, or 4.3%, cut would more than undo last year’s increases. In all, KCPD would receive about $261 million. Combined with the Kansas City Fire Department, public safety spending represents 70% of the city’s general fund, its largest and most flexible portion of the budget.
Lucas has spoken frequently over the last year about the need for federal assistance to help cities weather the COVID-19 pandemic.
During negotiations last year, Republican senators repeatedly opposed Democratic proposals for relief to state and local governments to cover revenue losses. The limited local aid approved by Congress came with strict guidelines and could not be used to fill budget gaps.
“Fiscally irresponsible states shouldn’t be using this as an opportunity to get free money from the taxpayer because it isn’t free,” Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley told Fox News last year.
Lucas said if local aid had been approved by Congress last year “you would not be seeing the pain to public safety,” calling his cut the to the police budget unprecedented but necessary because of the city’s dire financial situation.
“Right now the Kansas City Health Department is doing COVID vaccines without any money to support staff to do it,” Lucas said.
“That’s frustration we had with the previous Senate, the previous president.”
Democrats took control of the Senate in January with Vice President Kamala Harris’ tie-breaking vote and are moving forward with President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion relief bill.
The proposal includes nearly $46 billion in aid for cities with populations of 50,000 or more, which will ensure Kansas City and neighboring communities receive direct aid.
This story was originally published February 11, 2021 at 11:39 AM with the headline "Mayor Lucas: Kansas City may cut $12M from police budget as Congress weighs local aid."
