Kansas City faces a looming budget deficit projected to be at $100 million in 2027, and the city has already implemented a hiring freeze in response. On top of that, the Board of Police Commissioners is calling for a nearly 22% increase in funding for the department next year.
Amid concerns about the budget, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas told Up To Date that he does not expect anything "remotely related to layoffs or furloughs" during his time in office.
"Some cities and states are in calamitous positions. We still sit on a $250 million (rainy day fund) balance, just about. Our plan is to continue to have that fund balance of a quarter billion dollars," he said.
"So, the plan is really, just, how do we make sure that we draw down at least the increase of expenditures that we're seeing consistently, try to enhance revenues where we can — although there's only so much you can do — and how do we make sure that we're budgeting it so we're still delivering basic services?"
