Overwhelming Missouri vote on police once again tells Kansas City: You don’t matter

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas went to court Wednesday in yet another effort to block the state from enforcing a higher police funding mandate.

Missouri voters overwhelmingly approved Amendment 4 Tuesday, allowing the state to set the police spending threshold in Kansas City through the end of 2026. In his filings, Lucas argued a separate bill last May that sets the level at 25% of revenue should be discarded.

The mayor says the bill is unconstitutional because it was passed before voters approved Amendment 4. He also says the bill, S.B. 678, establishes a maximum funding of 25% of the city’s general revenues, while the just-passed amendment sets a minimum standard, and should therefore be thrown out.

We wish the mayor luck with the lawsuit, but we won’t hold our breath. Even if he prevails on the claims, it’s pretty clear legislators could simply pass a new bill in 2023 to address the language problems. That would put the city right back where it is today.

No. The real local failure came this summer and fall, when much of official Kansas City meekly curled into a fetal position, unwilling and unable to mount even a tepid campaign against the odious 25% funding plan, and its companion, Amendment 4.

Kansas Citians often wonder why the community is routinely savaged by rural lawmakers. We now know why: The city has given up. Lucas did his best, but his was a lone voice howling on Twitter. Freedom Inc. also worked against the plan.

But outstate Missourians never heard a reason to vote against Amendment 4. In Daviess County — just a short drive north, on Interstate 35 — voters approved it by 40 points. In Cape Girardeau County, near the Bootheel, the “yes” vote prevailed 66-33. In Taney County, the margin was 68-32.

Local opponents of the amendment took solace in the proposition’s failure inside Kansas City south of the river. What real difference does that make? In Missouri, Kansas Citians’ views are pretty meaningless.

What, then, to do?

The legal process will work itself out, as will the legislative process next year. Assuming the status quo remains intact, though, the mayor and City Council should commit themselves to approving no more than 25% of general revenue for police board spending.

Not one penny more.

Now, it’s possible the department can make a case for more than 25%. Kansas City has a crime problem, and there’s a chance additional resources can be justified. But under no circumstances should City Hall approve additional funds without complete control over how the additional money is spent, and when.

The police board should get 25%. If it wants more, the city must maintain complete authority over the additional cash.

We won’t hold our breath here, either. Last March, following an impassioned plea by the police, the city added $4 million to the department’s budget, to hire more officers. The department promised 1,232 police on the street.

At the end of August, the police had 1,131 officers — 101 officers short. People are quitting faster than they can be hired. Where did the $4 million go? We’re not sure, but the city auditor reports the KCPD spent $349,310, or 9%, of it between May and July. We will note the police board recently approved a $5 million settlement in a police brutality case.

The police board is drafting its budget now, and should finalize its spending choices by the end of the year. We’re told it may ask for an amount higher than 25% of general revenue. Sure. Why not? It isn’t as if the city’s taxpayers matter in any way.

Kansas City’s police department remains unaccountable to the people it serves. Crime and brutality have been the result. Tuesday, the good folks in Sedalia and Chillicothe and Nixa said they’re fine with that, because no one ever told them otherwise.

Kansas City’s shame deepens. The work to gain control of the city’s most important function must continue.

This story was originally published November 9, 2022 at 3:31 PM.