KSHB 41 reporter Charlie Keegan covers politics on both sides of the state line. If you have a story idea to share, you can send Charlie an email at charlie.keegan@kshb.com.
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The Kansas City, Missouri, City Council will adopt its new budget on Thursday. Council members will have one more chance to hear from the public and suggest changes to the $2.5 billion proposal on Tuesday.
The public can comment during the Finance, Governance and Public Safety Committee meeting at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday in the council chambers on the 26th floor of City Hall, 414 East 12th Street.
One topic that is sure to come up Tuesday is whether to provide more money to the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority. The agency operates bus services for cities in the greater metropolitan area.
KCATA said last week it is considering cuts to routes and staff if Kansas City doesn’t provide more money.
The current proposal sets aside about $70 million for KCATA, which is similar to the past few years.
Public safety takes up the largest part of the budget. The fire department will receive about $46 million more than last year. The police budget will increase by $25 million.
“The first thing that pops into my mind is definitely police,” said Grant Bednar.
He said he called 911 a few months ago when someone broke into his roommate’s car. Bednar remembers being on hold for longer than expected with the 911 call-taker.
“If we could just lower that call wait time with dispatchers, that would make Jackson County feel a lot more safe,” he said.
Roads and streets were topics that dominated taxpayer's opinions. Many want the city to do more to fill potholes and repave roads.
“Seeing a lot of the potholes, that’s kind of devastating to see,” said Sabra Merchant.
The proposed budget increases funding for Vision Zero by $3 million compared to last year. Vision Zero is an initiative to redesign roads with bike lanes and other changes in an effort to achieve zero deaths because of traffic crashes.
“Which sounds like a great idea,” said Paula Watts. “I love to be able to walk around and feel safe, walk with my daughter.”
Dan Coffee disagreed. He argues bike lanes are a waste of money; pointing out he rarely sees a bicyclist using one.
“Probably what we oughta do is bring Elon Musk into Kansas City with his DOGE group and let them take a look at what’s going on at City Hall,” Coffee said.
He wants the city to focus on the basics. This year’s $2.5 billion proposal is an increase over the current $2.27 billion budget.
The city’s budget cycle runs from May 1 to April 30. This will be the final full-budget year before Kansas City hosts several matches in the FIFA 2026 World Cup. The proposed budget dedicates several million dollars to World Cup projects.
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