Kansas City quietly agreed to pay $500K to fired city manager Brian Platt
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Kansas City paid former manager Brian Platt $500,000 via two secret deals.
- Documents show $192,000 settlement and $308,000 severance approved in Sept.
- City withheld details, cited nondisclosure clauses and refused public answers.
Kansas City quietly agreed to pay former City Manager Brian Platt at least $500,000 as part of two confidential agreements signed in the wake of his tumultuous exit as the city’s top executive.
The two documents, obtained by The Star, mark the first public disclosure of the full payouts, which were approved in September. The revelation comes as city officials have repeatedly refused to answer questions about the agreements, how they were approved and their cost.
One document, a confidential settlement agreement, offers Platt $192,000 to settle any claims he may have had against the city. The second, a confidential severance agreement, provides the former city manager $308,000, his full yearly salary.
Together, the two agreements reveal a financial arrangement totaling half a million dollars that City Hall never previously disclosed after Platt’s highly-publicized firing in March. The Star obtained both documents through a public records request.
The payouts, both approved in late September, came roughly six months after the Kansas City Council fired Platt amid a whistleblower lawsuit — and a roughly $900,000 jury verdict — that revealed Platt suggested it was acceptable to lie to news organizations.
City officials first began acknowledging the existence of a single settlement with Platt last week. But Mayor Quinton Lucas and a spokesperson for the city refused to answer questions seeking more information, including whether Platt was also paid a severance, the dollar amounts and the details surrounding Platt’s firing.
“We’ve got nothing for you,” Lucas said in response to a series of inquiries from The Star on Tuesday.
The $192,000 settlement agreement was related to demands that Platt had made to the city regarding the city’s alleged treatment of him. In addition to those claims, Platt also alleged other violations, such as “a whistleblower claim, legal malpractice and defamation,” according to the agreement.
Kansas City denied those claims, according to the document, and signed the agreement to avoid potential legal action. The document was signed by two city attorneys and the city’s finance director.
It’s unclear whether the Kansas City Council voted to approve either of the two agreements.
The settlement agreement includes a “Mutual Non-Disparagement” clause that bars the city from making disparaging comments about Platt. It also prohibits Platt from saying negative things about the city.
It also prevents the city from revealing the contents of the agreement and directs city officials to respond to questions by saying “the dispute has been resolved and the City wishes Mr. Platt the best in his future endeavors.”
City spokesperson Sherae Honeycutt sent a nearly identical response to The Star last week.
As news began circulating about the agreement, new City Manager Mario Vasquez, on Friday, emailed the details of the settlement to Lucas and city council members.
A copy of the email, obtained by The Star, warned council members that any comments they make to media organizations about the settlement could be grounds for a lawsuit.
“I hope you will make the best use of this information,” Vasquez wrote.
The separate severance agreement, which is also described as confidential, agrees to pay Platt his full $308,000 yearly salary. The document states that this payment would be made within 30 days after the agreement took effect.
The severance agreement bars Platt and the city from disclosing its contents to the general public. That document was also signed by two city attorneys and the finance director.
‘Backroom settlement’
Platt spent four years as the city’s top executive in charge of managing day-to-day operations and carrying out policies enacted by the city council.
When contacted about the two agreements, Platt said in a statement to The Star that his time as city manager “was an incredible honor and privilege.”
He went on to tout his accomplishments in the position, saying that the city became more “responsive, inclusive and accessible” over the past four years.
Platt pointed to projects such as street resurfacing, improving the city’s credit rating and “kickstarting billions of dollars of new development” in the city, adding that he was “extremely proud of all that our team accomplished to enhance the quality of life for Kansas Citians.”
“I am devoted to Kansas City’s success and will continue to do my part to make sure this great work continues,” Platt said.
But the decision to sign the confidential payouts — and the city’s refusal to answer questions about them — come as City Hall has faced scrutiny over its level of public openness.
Gwen Grant, the president and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Kansas City, excoriated the payouts in a statement to The Star, calling it “unconscionable.”
“This backroom settlement is a slap in the face to Kansas City taxpayers,” Grant said, later adding, “City Hall cannot preach transparency while practicing secrecy.
“You can’t say you value accountability and then cut a hush-money deal behind closed doors,” Grant added. “This settlement doesn’t reflect good governance; it reflects a betrayal of public trust.”
In April, The Star and other local news organizations called on city officials to provide better access to transparent and accurate information.
This story was originally published November 13, 2025 at 10:34 AM.
