KC moves $3.5M from public safety sales tax fund to cover KCPD’s budget crisis
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Committee approved $3.5M to cover police overtime and a budget gap.
- Officials moved $2M now and $1.5M for next year from public safety sales tax.
- Council prepares for FIFA costs after 2025 settlements raised police expenses.
Kansas City’s Finance, Governance and Public Safety Committee approved additional funding to cover the Police Department overtime and fill a potential budget gap for next year.
The additional spending totaled $3.5 million to help with overtime, with $2 million going towards the current budget gap and the rest being added for next year.
With roughly six weeks remaining in the current fiscal year, the committee agreed to move $2 million from the public safety sales tax fund to help alleviate budget pressures at the Police Department due to overtime and legal settlements.
Mayor Quinton Lucas, who sponsored the ordinance, said that the measure was necessary to prevent the Police Department from running out of money before the end of the current fiscal year.
“By state statute, they’re not allowed to run out of money,” Lucas said. “So that would mean that you would have to, for (the) remaining months in the fiscal year, cut pretty quickly certain areas that generate more in cost. That would likely be tied to overtime and whatever outstanding expenses remain.”
The move occurred during a roughly four-hour committee meeting on the next fiscal year’s budget.
The budget gap was first identified in a memo sent out by Chief Stacey Graves that called for “drastic” cost-saving measures in order to avoid service cuts.
In 2025, the Police Department made 36 settlement payments totaling $13.8 million. These payments were made from legal cases, including wrongful death lawsuits and workplace discrimination claims.
The largest payment was a $4.2 million check to Ricky Kidd’s attorneys in June, following the announcement of a $14 million settlement just a month earlier. Kidd was exonerated after spending more than two decades in prison for a murder he did not commit.
On top of the $2 million moved to help with the Police Department shortfall, another $1.5 million was moved from the public safety sales tax fund for overtime for the upcoming fiscal year.
The amendment was sponsored by council member Wes Rogers, who initially proposed adding $2 million for overtime due to the upcoming FIFA World Cup.
“It’s my anticipation that we’ll be back here a year from now asking for money for this exact purpose,” Rogers said.
Several council members called for the body to approve the amendment in preparation for the global event.
Councilwoman Melissa Robinson said that if the Police Department were facing the current situation with overtime during a normal year, the council should consider budgeting for what next year might bring with the expected influx of visitors during the World Cup.
The ordinance and budget amendment are expected to go before the full council on Thursday.
This story was originally published March 24, 2026 at 5:05 PM.
