Will Kansas City get a new jail? What to know about the April 8 public safety vote
For decades, shoppers in Kansas City have had to pay a quarter-cent sales tax that funds public safety projects. Now the future of this tax is in the hands of Kansas Citians.
Question 1 on the Tuesday, April 8, ballot asks Kansas City residents if they want to renew the expiring tax, which was first approved by voters in 2002 and renewed in 2010.
Kansas City officials say they plan to use the tax money to build a new municipal jail and a rehabilitation center.
The city closed its jail 15 years ago and leased downtown jail space from the county for a decade. The arrangement ended in 2019 and since then, people arrested on criminal charges have been transported to jails over an hour away, in Missouri’s Vernon and Johnson counties.
In the April special election, Kansas City residents will also vote on school board members and a proposed bond to improve public school buildings.
For information on elections in other area cities like Independence, Lee’s Summit, North Kansas City, go to the Missouri Secretary of State’s website.
Here is an overview of Kansas City’s Question 1.
Where would public safety sales tax money go?
The estimated $24 million a year generated by the tax would fund a new jail, rehabilitation center, and other law enforcement-related buildings and equipment, city officials say.
Jackson County agreed that a new Kansas City jail would be built next to the under-construction county detention center off of U.S. Highway 40 near Blue Valley Park.
Crispin Rea, city council member and proponent of the tax, said that the facility could cost between $150 million and $200 million and contain 250 beds and access to mental health services.
Johnathan Duncan, fellow city council member and opponent of the tax, said the jail construction cost would be more like $250 million. Duncan compared the public safety vote to the failed 2024 stadium sales tax, where Jackson County voters refused to keep paying a sales tax for new, vaguely planned Royals and Chiefs stadiums.
Fewer details are available on the proposed rehabilitation center, which would aim to keep people out of jail with mental health care and other services. Rea and Duncan said it would not be located next to the Jackson County and proposed Kansas City jails. Rea said the city is committed to building the facility in a more accessible location, closer to the city center.
Tammy Queen, the city’s finance director, told the council’s finance committee in December that there would be enough money in the 20 years to pay for both a jail and a rehabilitation center, in addition to a new Central Patrol Division building, police cars and body cameras.
Who is jailed from KC right now?
On April 2, the Vernon and Johnson County jails, more than an hour away from Kansas City, held 84 people who were detained by KCPD, according to Kansas City Municipal Court data. Those individuals were 70% Black and close to 80% male.
On average, they had served 46 days in jail, and 27% were expected to be released in the next month. Information about the detainees’ charges were not immediately available.
How will Question 1 appear on the ballot?
The public safety question will be on Kansas City ballots as follows:
Shall the City of Kansas City continue to impose a sales tax authorized by Section 94.577 of the Revised Statutes of Missouri for a period of 20 years at a rate of 1/4% to be used for police, emergency medical services and emergency management associated with administering public safety within Kansas City, including the construction, operation, and maintenance of capital improvements, which may include the retirement of debt under previously authorized indebtedness or to repay bonds not yet issued?
This sales tax would continue the existing sales tax authorized by Section 94.577 of the Revised Statutes of Missouri and scheduled to expire on June 30, 2026.
What would a yes vote mean?
Voting yes on question 1 would extend the quarter-cent public safety sales tax for another 20 years. City officials say this would fund a new detention center on the East Side, a rehabilitation center and other buildings and equipment.
Here are organizations that have given money to Together KC, a PAC that supports the yes vote, according to the organization’s website:
Fraternal Order of Police
Business groups including the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce and the Civic Council of Greater Kansas City
Union groups representing firefighters, contractors, roofers and other construction workers
Mayor Quinton Lucas also endorsed Together KC and the public safety tax.
What would a no vote mean?
A no vote on the public safety tax would mean the current quarter-cent sales tax would expire on June 30, 2026, and purchases in Kansas City would no longer be subject to the tax.
Here are organizations that want Kansas Citians to vote no:
A coalition of 15 progressive groups, including Decarcerate KC, Stand Up KC and KC Tenants
Black community groups including Urban League of Greater Kansas City, the local chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the NAACP
How can I cast my ballot?
Election Day is Tuesday, April 8 for the Kansas City school and special election and other Missouri elections. Polling locations can be found on the Kansas City Election Board website, or in a postcard sent through the mail. They will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
No-excuse early voting takes place at three locations through Monday. Find information on the KC Election Board website.
Registered Missouri voters will need a current or recently expired photo ID issued by the federal or Missouri governments. IDs from other states are not accepted. Usable forms of photo ID for Missouri include:
A Missouri driver’s license or a state ID that is current or expired after Nov. 5, 2024
A non-expired military ID, including a veteran ID card that is current or expired after Nov. 5, 2024
A U.S. passport or another form of photo ID issued by the U.S. government or the state of Missouri that is current or expired after Nov. 5, 2024
If you don’t have one of these forms of identification but registered to vote in Missouri before March 13, you can cast a provisional ballot.
What does The Star endorse?
The Opinion team at The Star shared their endorsements for April 8 questions around the metro, which can be found at KansasCity.com/Opinion/Editorials. The Opinion staff is independent and editorially separate from The Star’s newsroom.
The Star’s Mike Hendricks contributed to this report.
