Tony Luetkemeyer: Police department should get more money from Kansas City’s budget

Last month, a Jackson County judge ruled the Kansas City mayor and council violated state law when they attempted to divert more than $42 million of previously budgeted funds for the Kansas City Police Department. The ruling temporarily saved the department from the city’s radical attempt to put part of its money in a fund under partial city manager control, but the court left open the possibility the council could make similar moves again.

Leading up to the vote, the majority of the City Council had secret meetings about their intentions, excluding all four of the Northland council members, the four state-appointed police commissioners and the police chief. Bypassing the Board of Commissioners’ exclusive authority to determine spending, the city illegally diverted nearly a fifth of the department’s budget to a fund controlled by city bureaucrats. The money, which had been allocated for traditional law enforcement, was instead to be reserved for ill-defined “community outreach” and other social services.

The council’s illegal plan to divert millions from the KCPD to fund community programs run by city bureaucrats makes me thinks of a measure decisively rejected by Minneapolis voters weeks ago. The ill-conceived plan to replace the Minneapolis police department with a new “department of public safety” was too radical even for the people of Minneapolis — ranked as the sixth most liberal U.S. city by Forbes magazine. In an election with the highest municipal voter turnout in 40 years, Minneapolis voters soundly rejected the notion.

It’s unclear whether the court’s ruling here or the failed measure in Minneapolis are enough to convince the city to abandon its recent attempts to exert control on the police budget, despite the risk to public safety. Indeed, The Kansas City Star Editorial Board is already trumpeting a “once-in-a-generation chance” to change policing here, demanding the council “insist on a 20% hard cap on the police budget, with additional funds provided only after the department commits to community-oriented reforms.”

Not on my watch.

This week, I will file legislation in the Missouri Senate to prevent future attempts by the City Council to reduce any of the Kansas City police budget. My legislation increases the portion of the city’s budget that must be devoted to law enforcement. Kansas Citians, including many I’ve heard from in my senate district in the Northland, deserve better.

The state statute setting the minimum funding threshold for the KCPD at 20% of the city’s general revenue hasn’t been updated since the 1930s. The statute’s vague definition of “general revenue fund” allows the city to play games with the funding level to commit even fewer city dollars to funding the police. In more recent history, the KCPD has received a greater share of the city’s budget, often 25% or more. Until now.

The actions taken by the city were reckless, particularly at a time when crime remains a serious threat to public safety and the economic well-being of the metropolitan area. And while the court’s order provides a temporary reprieve, the city shows no sign of backing down. This year’s budget negotiations will reveal whether the City Council is committed to providing the proper levels of funding the police desperately need, but the people of Kansas City and our state can no longer trust city leaders to prioritize police funding. My legislation would assure the city council can no longer play these reckless games with the KCPD budget.

This story was originally published November 30, 2021 at 5:00 AM.