Frank White

Two factions within the Jackson County Legislature risk losing federal relief funds because they can’t agree on how to spend them. It’s the latest point of contention in a consistently difficult relationship between legislators and the county executive.

The county no longer has to make property assessment changes that would have upended a process mired by lawsuits and criticism from residents and county legislators.

County Legislator Manny Abarca, who sponsored the ordinance and led the override effort, said the legislation is clearly needed in a city where juvenile gun violence has been a problem since the Super Bowl parade shootings.

Funding from the federal American Rescue Plan Act needs to be directed by Dec. 31 — or be forfeited and given back to the federal government. But for months, the Jackson County Legislature and County Executive Frank White have been in a standoff over how to use their final $70 million.

The order issued last week threatens to upend an assessment process that has already caused frustration for many homeowners and served as another flashpoint between Jackson County Executive Frank White and members of the county legislature.

Jackson County voters will decide in April whether to fund the Chiefs' and Royals' stadiums through a 3/8th-cent sales tax for the next 40 years. However, two legislators worry their constituents won’t have enough information to cast their ballots.

The Jackson County Legislature overrode County Executive Frank White's veto just over 24 hours before the deadline to finalize the April ballot. Jackson County voters will now get to decide this spring whether to fund the teams' stadiums through a 3/8ths cent sales tax for the next 40 years.

The Royals have yet to choose a final site for the team's ballpark, but have said that they want the current 3/8th-cent stadium sales tax renewed for 40 years to fund the project. That renewal is no longer slated for the April ballot in Jackson County after county executive Frank White vetoed the measure.

Los Royals aún no han elegido un sitio final para su estadio de béisbol, pero han dicho que quieren que se renueve el IVA (Impuesto al Valor Agregado) actual de ⅜ de un centavo por 40 años para financiar el proyecto. En Jackson County esos aranceles de renovación están programados para la votación de abril.

In a scathing preliminary audit released Monday, Missouri State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick said that up to 200,00 Jackson County taxpayers were victims of a reassessment that "violated state statute and trampled on their rights."

A group of local union leaders sent a letter to the Jackson County Legislature urging them to ensure the Royals and the Chiefs stay in Missouri. Unions are worried that floundering negotiations with the team and infighting in the county will cause workers to lose out on jobs and fair wages.

Independence is the second Jackson County city, after Lee's Summit, to file a lawsuit over the property assessment process. Tens of thousands of property owners have already appealed their assessments, some of which increased by more than 90%.