What would $28,000 buy for Jackson County?
It would purchase 20 AR-15 patrol rifles for the sheriff's office.
It would buy enough grass seed for most of the county's athletic fields and golf course for a year.
Or it could send two county legislators and two staff members to Hawaii for a week.
A KCUR investigation discovered that is exactly what the county did in May.
Legislator Manny Abarca, who was chairman at the time, took his communications director and chief of staff to Maui for the National Association of Counties Western Interstate Region Conference.
Legislator Venessa Huskey also went.
Total cost to taxpayers: $28,444, according to expense reports and receipts obtained with Missouri open-records laws. KCUR requested these documents on May 13 and received them this week.
“The amount of money is astounding to me,” legislator Jalen Anderson said when KCUR told him how much was spent. “I think that is a lot of money to spend, which taxpayers have worked so hard and entrusted to us to do what is right with that money."
The trip included a one-day excursion to Pearl Harbor where Abarca, Huskey, Abarca communications director Jesse Reyes and Abarca chief of staff Jenni Mann all attended the 40th anniversary of the recommissioning of the battleship USS Missouri.
That 10-hour tour alone cost $2,634 and included:
- $1,195 for the round-trip Maui-to-Honolulu flight.
- $375 for ride shares to and from the Maui airport.
- $769 for wreaths for the USS Missouri and USS Arizona.
- $199 for a Harry S. Truman bust left on the Missouri.
“I find that number positively shocking,” former county legislator Crystal Williams said. “I don't know how you justify that number. What value did that trip to Hawaii bring back to the taxpayers of Jackson County?”
Huskey said in a statement that she spent $6,200 of the total amount and went to Hawaii to study the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster response to the 2023 Lahaina wildfires that killed 102 people.
Huskey, who is running for reelection, said Jackson County “often faces serious natural disaster risks” like tornadoes and flash flooding.
As for the Pearl Harbor trip, Huskey said she is chair of the county’s World War II Memorial Committee and has visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial and the Buffalo Soldiers Monument.
Legislator Donna Peyton, who replaced Abarca as chair when he was ousted by the legislature two weeks ago, was critical of the trip.
"While each Legislator has their own independent budget, this travel to a conference outside of our NACO (National Association of Counties) region would not have been something I would choose to do," she said in a statement. "I am not aware of any information provided to the legislature following this trip."
KCUR reached out to Abarca multiple times with questions and did not receive a response. Instead, Abarca issued a news release late Thursday afternoon.
In the release, Abarca justified the side trip to Pearl Harbor, saying it is important to pay tribute to service members and "the enduring connection between Jackson County and one of the most significant moments in American history."
The news release said the weeklong trip was "an opportunity to strengthen relationships with county leaders from across the country" on issues including disaster preparedness, water issues and tourism.
The weeklong stay
The conference was held at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa. Trip Advisor describes it this way: “Situated on 40 oceanfront acres on Ka’anapali Beach, this AAA Four Diamond resort offers oceanfront dining, cultural experiences, and family-friendly amenities.”
Three of the rooms were $349 a night. Abarca’s was $429.
Abarca stayed seven nights, Huskey six nights, Reyes seven nights and Mann eight nights.
The round-trip flights on Southwest Airlines from Kansas City to Maui averaged about $960. However, Mann and Reyes both chose extra legroom seats for an additional $141. Huskey paid $132 for a preferred seat.
Mann’s Uber ride from an address in Overland Park to KCI was $161, “higher than estimated because the trip was longer than expected,” according to the receipt.
Western issues
Attending conferences is not unusual for government officials, and the National Association of Counties — county officials call it NACo — is among the largest organizations that represent state and local government in the U.S.
But the Maui conference, held May 5-8, was for a part of NACo known as the Western Interstate Region, a group of 17 states that does not include Missouri or Kansas.
The annual conference “brings together county officials from across the nation to focus on pressing issues facing Western counties and our residents,” according to the conference website.
Topics included the future of federal water policy, tourism management for public lands and county partnership opportunities with the military.
The registration fee for Abarca was $625. Huskey paid $725. The cost for Mann and Reyes was $585.
Abarca and Huskey also paid $922 each to attend the National Organization of Black County Officials, which was holding its annual economic development conference in Maui at the same time.
Huskey said she attended four NACo working sessions and three at the National Organization of Black County Officials.
“Those conferences offered educational sessions, policy discussions, and networking opportunities that help me as a county leader to identify best practices, strengthen partnerships, and pursue economic opportunities that ultimately benefit Jackson County residents,” she said.
Williams, the former legislator, told KCUR she never went to a NACo conference.
“This is a part-time county legislature. And I'm just not sure that most people felt that that was an appropriate use of county of taxpayers’ funds,” she said.
Current legislator Anderson said he doesn’t think conferences are a waste of time, and added he attends NACo meetings in Washington, D.C., “because we're able to go and talk with our representatives, but also to talk with folks from the different departments of the federal government … so that we can get projects, new programs, those different types of things.”
In his news release, Abarca also suggested past legislators and county employees may have overspent on travel.
"If there is genuine concern about office travel, I would encourage a comprehensive review of all Legislators and administrations over the years,” he said. “Otherwise, it is difficult to ignore that this particular trip, and only our office travel, is being scrutinized just days before an election."
