Imagine waking up one day and discovering that people who don’t live in your city, who may have never visited, suddenly have the power to decide how much approximately $40 million of your city’s tax dollars will be spent. But this isn’t a nightmare – it’s the reality Kansas City will face if Amendment 4 passes on August 6th.
As mayor of Kansas City, I have witnessed firsthand the challenges our community faces and the innovative solutions we develop to address them. But with the State of Missouri refusing to give our city control of our police department, we must face public safety challenges with one hand tied behind our backs. Amendment 4 also tries to tie our other hand. It threatens to undermine our ability to meet our city’s unique needs, which is why I ask you to vote “No” on August 6th.
what is at stake?
Amendment 4 proposes to increase the minimum funding the City of Kansas City must allocate to the police department from 20% to 25% of our general revenues. This may seem like a minor change, but it would cost our taxpayers an additional $40 million a year – money that could otherwise support our firefighters, maintain our parks or repair our roads.
Let me be clear: I have always supported our police department. Since becoming mayor in 2019, I have voted every year to increase the police budget. This year alone, I increased officer starting salaries from $50,000 to $65,000. Our current police budget is 20% higher than when I took office.
But here’s the crux of the matter: Amendment 4 is not about supporting the police. It’s about giving more power to Jefferson City’s bureaucrats and taking away their power through local elections.
The anti-Kansas City (and anti-local government) agenda
Kansas City is currently unique in Missouri – and indeed, across the country – in that our police department is controlled by a state-appointed board rather than local elected officials. This system dilutes the voices of Kansas City residents when determining our public safety priorities.
The system also has a financial component. Kansas City has to write KCPD a blank check for over $200 million every year, representing 20% of our overall revenues. We cannot demand that police spend it responsibly, for example, by increasing officer salaries, improving community policing, improving 911 wait times, or investing in cutting-edge crime prevention technologies. We wrote a check and hoped for the best.
We can, and often do, spend more than 20% of general revenues on KCPD. But spending that extra money is our choice. We assessed our city’s priorities and needs, asked KCPD what they would do with extra non-mandated funding, and decided whether or not we would invest our money in policing.
Amendment 4 would put an end to even this limited exercise of local control. It would increase mandatory funding from 20% to 25%, forcing us to act regardless of our city’s changing needs or priorities. It is a seizure of power disguised as a public security measure.
This isn’t just a Kansas City problem. If Amendment 4 passes, it will set a dangerous precedent. Today it is Kansas City. Tomorrow could be Springfield, Nixa or Ozark. The fundamental principle of local governance — that communities should have the power to make decisions about their own affairs — is at stake.
Why I’m Saying “No” and You Should Too
When you enter the voting booth on August 6, you are not just deciding on a budget allocation. You are deciding the future of local control in Missouri.
A “No” vote on Amendment 4 is a vote in favor of local control and accountability. It’s a vote in favor of a flexible and responsive municipal budget. And it’s a vote that says local people should decide the future of their community, not unelected appointees from Jefferson City.
Two years ago, Kansas City residents rejected the same measure by 61 percent. But voters across the state, many of them unfamiliar with the complexities of our local government, were misled into approving it. The Missouri Supreme Court overturned that vote due to misleading language. Now, we have another opportunity to make our voices heard.
As Mayor of Kansas City, I ask you to join me in voting “No” on Amendment 4. Let’s send a clear message that we believe in local solutions to local problems and that we trust our communities to govern themselves own.
The future of our city — and the principle of local government throughout Missouri — depends on it.
Quinton Lucas is mayor of Kansas City.
This article originally appeared in the Springfield News-Leader: Lucas: A ‘Yes’ vote on Missouri Amendment 4 threatens local democracy
