The Star Editorial Board’s endorsements on Missouri Amendments 1, 4 on August ballot | Opinion

Editor’s note: Today we are making our recommendations on Missouri Amendments 1 and 4 in the Aug. 6 primary. Read more here to learn about which races the editorial board is endorsing, and check out The Star’s Voter Guide.

On Aug. 6, Missouri voters will be asked to determine whether Kansas City should be forced to allocate 25% of its general revenue budget to policing. We can think of a million reasons – more than 38 million of them to be exact — why Amendment 4 is an affront to local control and the basic tenets of democracy.

We previously unequivocally opposed this measure and voters all around the state should too.

Our recommendation: Vote no on Amendment 4, a constitutional amendment that would cost Kansas Citians and Kansas Citians only, $38.7 million per year over the next three years, according to the fiscal note summary on the ballot question.

This proposed amendment is unconscionable — the funding mandate only applies to Kansas City — and the measure reeks of partisan governmental overreach.

Currently, state law requires the Kansas City Council to spend at least 20% of its budget on policing. The city routinely funds the Kansas City Police Department above its required threshold and more, as it should.

In the 2024-2025 fiscal year, the council approved a little over $317 million for the police department, a sizable 11.5% increase from the previous year’s budget of $284.5 million.

In a city that has seen a record number of homicides in recent years, public safety must continue to be a priority here. Why should voters in southwest Missouri or the bootheel in the southeastern part of the state have a say in how local taxpayers’ dollars are spent? In fairness, they shouldn’t.

In 2022, Missourians overwhelmingly approved Amendment 4. But voters — 63% of them favored this measure — were deceived by state officials, according to a ruling handed down earlier this year by the Missouri Supreme Court.

The state’s highest court ruled in April that the fiscal note summary — the final text people read before casting their vote — was misleading. The court ordered a new election in November. But Gov. Mike Parson and Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, both Republicans, called for the new election to be held in August.

The summary was prepared by the Missouri auditor’s office. Despite objections from Kansas City officials, the summary wrongly stated: “State and local governmental entities estimate no additional costs or savings related to this proposal.”

The new ballot language on Amendment 4 reads: “Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to authorize laws, passed before December 31st, 2026, that increase minimum funding for a police force established by a state board of police commissioners to ensure such police force has additional resources to serve its communities?”

This would authorize a law passed in 2022 increasing required funding by the City of Kansas City for police department requests from 20% of general revenue to 25%, an increase of $38,743,646, though the City previously provided that level of funding voluntarily. No other state or local governmental entities estimate costs or savings.

The answer is a resounding no. Missourians must leave it up to Kansas City to fund its police department and reject Amendment 4.

Amendment 1 for child care facilities

Amendment 1 on the Missouri ballot would amend the state constitution to allow the Legislature to exempt child care facilities from personal and real estate property taxes.

We recommend a yes vote.

Tax exemptions for specific industries must meet a high bar: They must help subsidize an essential function, while minimizing potential damage to important public entities, including schools, that rely on tax revenue.

There is no question that exempting property taxes paid by child care providers would cost local jurisdictions some money. Officials in Clay County, for example, told the state auditor the child care exemption would cost $721,000 to all jurisdictions in the county, including the state itself.

Greene County, which includes Springfield, estimates a total loss of nearly $1.4 million.

Yet child care is without a doubt an essential service. It enables tens of thousands of parents to enter the workplace while their children are protected and fed. Daily child care is a fact of life for young families across the state.

At the same time, child care — which is labor-intensive — is extraordinarily expensive. Anything that can reduce providers’ costs would eventually help parents.

The tax exemption might also improve the quality of child care.

On balance, cheaper child care with better quality and wider availability are worthwhile goals in Missouri. And there is a chance the damage to local government budgets may be smaller than estimated. That’s particularly true if more parents enter the workforce if the amendment passes.

Missourians should support this effort, and vote yes on Amendment 1.