city hall

Former Kansas City Manager Brian Platt was fired by City Council in March, after the city lost a whistleblower retaliation lawsuit he was involved in. KCUR obtained details of the $192,000 settlement through a Missouri Sunshine Law request.

Incumbent Curt Skoog beats former city council colleague Faris Farassati in the Overland Park mayoral race, while other moderate and left-leaning city council candidates pull ahead.

All six candidates who supported moving forward with the $30M municipal complex project were leading big on Election Night. A proposal to abandon the current mayor-city council form of government failed.

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas joined KCUR's Up To Date to discuss the city's projected $100 million budget deficit in 2027, the streetcar extension on Main Street opening later this week and where things stand on new stadiums for the Royals and Chiefs.

The audit into the city’s communications department investigated issues with transparency. The department was consolidated and controlled by former City Manager Brian Platt, who was fired in March.

Kansas City hoped the downtown space would be one of the primary "focal points" during World Cup festivities next June, but the project won't be ready in time. Kansas City Manager Mario Vasquez joined KCUR's Up To Date to discuss how preparations are going, the new bus contract between the city and the KCATA, and more.

Mayor Quinton Lucas says that Kansas City "doesn't necessarily have legal responsibility to inspect and guarantee" the safety of buildings after initial permits are approved. But he now wonders if the city can do more to prevent events like the deadly collapse of the Family Dollar on Broadway Boulevard last month.

The union also won other benefits such as enshrined paid vacation time.

Illegal dumping has been a problem in Kansas City for decades. Now, a year after the city instituted tougher penalties on offenders, Council member Crispin Rea says things are moving in the right direction.

Kansas City Council set the money aside to encourage small businesses, artists, and makers to move into the city's highly visible, but vacant, storefronts before the 2026 World Cup. “When visitors from all over the world visit next year, we need to be open for business,” one member said.

The Kansas City Council has found its next city manager. Get to know Mario Vasquez, the first Latino to permanently hold one of most powerful positions in the city. Plus: Stay up to date with the latest political headlines from around the region.

Kansas City Council voted last week to make Mario Vasquez, a longtime city employee, as the new city manager. Vasquez joined KCUR's Up To Date to discuss his new role and his vision for Kansas City.