KC police board approves $281 million budget that includes pay raises for officers
In an effort to add more police officers and increase their pay, members of the Board of Police Commissioners on Friday approved the Kansas City Police Department’s operating budget for $281 million in the next fiscal year.
The budget guarantees that $135 million will be dedicated to cover pay increases for sworn police officers and civilian employees.
Mayor Quinton Lucas had pushed the police board to ensure those funds would not be used to cover settlement claims which had been the practice in previous years.
“That means that we will be able to hire more officers. We will be able to have pay increases, cost of living adjustments,” Lucas said after the meeting.
“I am glad that we will not be using employees as pawns in our budget discussion and instead making sure that they are being taken care of.”
The budget will now be forwarded to the city manager’s office for a round of adjustments. City leaders also have the ability to reduce the police department’s allocation to the state-required minimum of 20% of the general fund.
The board voted 4-0, with Lucas abstaining. Lucas said the police board would now need to negotiate with the City Council on how it would spend roughly $150 million in the rest of the budget.
“We need to make sure that is reasonable, that it is well spent and it relates to the priorities that Kansas Citians have discussed. So this only begins the conversation,” he said.
The revised budget of $281 million includes pay increases for officers. It’s about $8.1 million more than the $272 million budget request Police Chief Rick Smith initially distributed to board members. That proposal included a 6% increase from the previous year’s budget and calls for money to pay for new police academy classes.
It also includes spending about $10 million to replace the department’s aging portable radio system. The vendor no longer supports the department’s radio system.
Smith said that he wants the police department to add more officers and conduct several police academy classes in the next fiscal year.
“The Police Department and the Board of Police Commissioners have put much effort into creating the fiscal year 2022-2023 budget,” spokeswoman Capt. Leslie Foreman said in a written statement.
“The BOPC believes the requested budget, which includes pay raises for employee retention and funds for new recruits, will provide the necessary resources in order to keep Kansas City and its community safe,” Foreman said.
She said the department is early in the budget process and looked forward to meeting with the City Council on Dec. 7 to discuss its request, “and continue the collaboration to meet the needs of our community, Foreman said.
If approved by the City Council, the police department would have money to give sworn officers and civilian workers pay increases.
At $43,404, the starting salary for new officers in Kansas City ranks among the lowest of the surrounding law enforcement agencies. The starting salary for the Lawrence Police Department is $50,840. The revised Kansas City police budget would increase that amount substantially, said Bishop Mark Tolbert, police board president.
“I am very proud of what the board has done today,” Tolbert said after the meeting. “The police board is committed to making sure that our city is safe and that our citizens are protected and see the importance of making sure this police department is funded to do what it needs to protect our citizens and our community.”
Other budget items included spending $5.8 million to replace the department’s 187 vehicles and 15 motorcycles. The department’s mobile radio system is outdated and would cost $3.1 million to be replaced.
The police budget has been a source of controversy in recent months. Earlier this year, board members successfully sued Lucas and the city after officials approved a measure cutting the police spending to the minimum required by state law.
The City Council’s approval of two ordinances led by Lucas sought to reduce the department’s budget by $42.3 million. It placed that money, about 18% of KCPD’s $239 million budget, in a separate fund. Its use would be the matter for City Manager Brian Platt and police commissioners to negotiate.
Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Patrick Campbell ruled that the council overstepped its authority and violated Missouri law with its plan to reallocate the funds.
Tolbert acknowledged that the City Council could consider slashing the police department’s budget to the state minimum, but he remains optimistic.
“The timing was bad for those resolutions to come forward,” he said. “So now that we are doing this so far out, there is room for negotiation.”
This story was originally published November 5, 2021 at 12:00 PM.
