Housing

Kansas City's spending will remain relatively flat compared to previous years as the city tries to rein in its deficit. Still, some areas, like police spending, have continued to increase.

Longtime KC Tenants organizer Jenay Manley is taking the reins of the tenant rights advocacy organization from founder Tara Raghuveer, who is now focused on tenant issues on the national level. Raghuveer said Kansas City has been at the "vanguard" of this recent movement.

For five years, Kansas City has required developers to set aside affordable housing units if they get a tax break — but Port KC undermined that rule by offering its own incentives. Under a proposal by Mayor Quinton Lucas, Kansas City Council is considering slashing the fee by 95%.

The city of Gardner, Kansas, last month banned camping in public spaces, including in parks and staying overnight in cars, threatening fines and jail time. Advocates say that penalizes people for "having nowhere else to be," and doesn't actually solve the issue.

One Kansas bill earned bipartisan support for encouraging easier processes for building “middle housing." But another would ban cities and towns from passing laws that require landlords to accept federal housing vouchers.

The proposal would allow renters to pay their monthly rent in multiple payments so long as all is paid in full and on time.

Kansas lawmakers are more optimistic about the chances of passing property tax relief this session. One proposal is a constitutional amendment that would cap property tax valuation changes at 3% for most properties, while another would cap spending by local governments.

Driven by an overheated residential market and decades of commercial exemptions, a flip in the tax base means that Kansas families are paying the lion’s share for schools, roads and emergency services.

Kansas City adopted stricter energy conservation codes in 2023, hoping that neighboring cities would follow its lead. Instead, it may have become a competitive disadvantage, as Kansas City saw a drop in building permit applications while its neighbors saw big spikes.

At his State of the City address, Mayor Quinton Lucas detailed his priorities for the end of his term and previewed the city’s budget for the next fiscal year, which will see cuts or stagnation in most departments but a major increase in police funding.

Kansas City is seeing an influx of short-term rental applications from residents interested in hosting their property during the FIFA World Cup. The city opened up special permitting in December that allows people to host short-term rentals from May 3 to July 31.

During the winter season, shelters and unhoused resources have to grapple with fluctuating weather conditions and influxes of demand. Shelter leaders are preparing for this weekend — and the rest of the winter.