Missouri voters in November 2022 passed a constitutional amendment that required Kansas City to spend at least 25% of its general revenue on the police department — up from a longstanding requirement of 20%.
But on Tuesday, in a significant decision, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled that the language on the original ballot measure was inaccurate to the point of misleading voters, casting doubt on whether the election was fair. A new vote on the issue has been ordered for November.
The ruling stemmed from a lawsuit filed last year by Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas. He told KCUR that even though he believed his lawsuit was "legally right," he was a bit surprised at the ruling.
"Often you are legally right — and one who is supporting a fair and just and frankly, common sense result — but you never know if the courts will hear it," Lucas said.
"I think this goes to show quite clearly the errors that were made."
