‘The city will weigh all options’: Mayor Lucas responds to KCPD funding lawsuit ruling

After a ruling determined that an effort by Kansas City officials to reallocate more than $40 million in police funding violated state law, Mayor Quinton Lucas on Tuesday said the city would weigh all of its options, including a possible appeal.

Despite the ruling going against the city, Lucas said in a statement that there was a path forward “for the City to require the Kansas City Police Department to engage in discussions related to crime prevention throughout future budget cycles, should the Department seek to receive funds in excess of 20 percent of the City’s General Fund Revenue.”

“I will continue working with the City and Department leadership to ensure every taxpayer funded entity in our City shares a role in working to prevent violent crime and create better outcomes for all people in all of our neighborhoods,” he said

The police board filed a lawsuit in May in Jackson County Circuit Court after the city council approved a measure cutting the police budget back to 20% of the city’s general fund, the minimum required by state law.

In his ruling, Judge Patrick Campbell wrote that the judgment is not a determination of the values of “defunding the police.”

“This judgment does not resolve whether citizens of Kansas City should exert direct political control over their law enforcement agency,” he wrote. “It is not a referendum on the Chief of Police, the Mayor, or any other appointed or elected official.

“These are subjects of vigorous social debate and should be finally resolved by a healthy democracy. However, they are not legal issues pending before this Court.”

Read the full statement from Lucas below:

“The mayor and a majority of Council have proven consistently our commitment to creating safer neighborhoods and saving lives by addressing all causes of crime, and shown our willingness to take bold action to achieve such a goal. That work continues. The decision announced by the Court today has provided a pathway forward for the City to require the Kansas City Police Department to engage in discussions related to crime prevention throughout future budget cycles, should the Department seek to receive funds in excess of 20 percent of the City’s General Fund Revenue. I imagine the Council will set the expectation that any dollar received by the Department over statutory requirements must be negotiated and focused squarely on preventing violent crime in our community. Discussions about next year’s budget have already started. I will continue working with the City and Department leadership to ensure every taxpayer funded entity in our City shares a role in working to prevent violent crime and create better outcomes for all people in all of our neighborhoods.

“The City will weigh all options going forward, including appeal. Given the negative implications of the decision on any mid-year budget adjustments, including those now before Council in the Department’s favor, I will continue to ask the Board of Police Commissioners to increase staffing of law enforcement based on the Department’s current fiscal year budgeting of 1,413 law enforcement positions, with only roughly 1,200 positions filled today. Council has supported the positions and there is no longer any excuse to be understaffed.”