Kansas City could spend $450,000 on outside counsel to fight Missouri police funding bill - Kansas City Star
Kansas City is considering spending almost a half-million dollars to hire outside legal counsel to fight a bill that would force the city to increase its funding of the police department by 5%.
The city is currently obligated to give the police department, which is under state control, 20% of its annual general revenue. The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer, a Parkville Republican, would require Kansas City to commit at least 25%.
The bill is a reaction to last year’s attempt by Lucas and a supermajority of council members to reallocate millions in police funding. The Board of Police Commissioners sued and a Jackson County judge ruled that the council violated state law.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas introduced legislation that would allow the city’s law department to spend up to $450,000 to hire local and national counsel to help defeat Luetkemeyer’s measure.
It passed out of the Special Committee for Legal Review on Tuesday by a 3-to-1 vote and will be heard in the full City Council on Thursday. Councilwoman Heather Hall, District 1, voted no.
Jane Brown, general counsel for Lucas, told the committee that the ordinance allows the city to prepare “for future action if necessary” related to the bill.
“If we don’t go forward with anything, then there’s no outside legal counsel, and there’s no money expended,” Brown said. “It’s simply a preparation for something that would detrimentally affect the city’s budget and many, many other departments and services in the city. So it’s always good to be prepared.”
Lucas testified earlier this month before Missouri lawmakers, asking them to not increase the city’s requirement.
“I know my own mistakes. We ended up having this discussion at a time where the political discourse was not good for anything related to police and budgets,” said Lucas, who is the only locally-elected member of the police board. “But what you did not see … was us saying we’re going to take this money from the police and hand it to some other organization or department in Kansas City.”
He said he feared the legislation would give the police board a “blank check” for spending without guarantees for local priorities.
If approved, the legislation would need to get state-wide approval from voters because of a constitutional provision preventing lawmakers from requiring cities to spend more.
Luetkemeyer’s bill passed this month out of the Senate Judiciary committee and awaits floor debate. A similar version in the House, sponsored by Excelsior Springs Republican Doug Richey, also received a public hearing.
In November, the police board passed a $281 million budget. That budget guarantees $135 million go toward pay raises.
In Lucas’ testimony, he said that the proposed legislation would bring lawsuits “as it purports to spend tax dollars like those from the airport, water and sewer services, special taxes for fire department services, and road and infrastructure moneys the City cannot by law reallocate.”
Luetkemeyer previously said that assertion was “misleading.”
“I think the fact is that the city has been taking advantage of language that was drafted in 1939,” Luetkemeyer said. “And they’re basically playing voodoo math with the city’s budget in order to reduce the amount of money that they are supposed to be spending on the police department.”
Kansas City Democratic Rep. Lauren Arthur has said that the bill currently does not match her priorities for “investing in proven anti-crime strategies like addiction treatment, job training, and housing.
“This legislation also does not guarantee police salaries in Kansas City will be at the level needed to recruit and retain good officers, nor does it provide first responders with better access to mental healthcare and trauma services.”
The City Council could approve the spending without taking competitive bids if it needs special expertise and is “in the best interests of the city,” according to the legislation.
The $450,000 would come out of a contingency part of the city’s budget, meaning there’s not an increase in costs.
In addition to concerns about the impact on city services and departments, Brown said specific taxes that Kansas City voters have approved — such as the fire department tax or the Central City Economic Development sales tax — could also be impacted.
Brown added that it’s not just a $450,000 check. The city would follow a procurement process and spend the money as needed once it is billed.
This story was originally published January 25, 2022 2:55 PM.
source: https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article257464438.html
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