City Passes $2.3B Budget

The future of Kansas City's next fiscal year is clear following the City Council's approval of the 2024-2025 fiscal budget of $2.3 billion.

The Kansas City Council stamped its approval on the City's Fiscal Year 2024-2025 $2.3B Budget today-the largest budget in the history of Kansas City, highlighting Kansas City's steady growth and strong financial position. The FY24-25 Budget emphasizes the community initiatives residents care most about, including street and sidewalk repair; affordable housing; opportunities for reliable zero-fare bus service; climate initiatives; and more. The City held three public budget hearing meetings with positive turnout and feedback from residents to help guide funding.

"Four years ago, City Hall was facing a budget shortfall, and we were struggling to continue providing vital city services. Today, Kansas City is in our strongest fiscal position ever and due to our strong and responsible fiscal management, we are able to continue to improve and grow our community," said Mayor Quinton Lucas. "I am proud today to pass the 2024-2025 $2.3 billion budget, which includes funding for higher pay for Kansas City Police Department officers and 911 call operators; millions of dollars toward continuing our historic street resurfacing and sidewalk repair work across the city; a vital investment in affordable housing; small business support, and so much more. We will continue to work to ensure Kansas City remains an equitable and healthy community, with opportunities for everyone to thrive."

"Today, the City took a huge step in funding important programs, such as pre-arrest diversion, language access and refugee resettlement, as well as ensuring that our employees pay is increased and we continue to improve the conditions of our streets, sidewalks and infrastructure," said Finance, Governance, and Safety Committee Chair, Councilwoman Andrea Bough. "I want to thank our Finance and Budget staff who have worked diligently over the last months. I am excited about where Kansas City is heading."

"Our city is in its strongest fiscal position ever with record high reserves while also expanding and adding so many new high impact services and projects," said City Manager Brian Platt. "We've got the most intelligent and talented budget and finance team of any city in the entire country hands down, and Kansas City's successes are due in large part to this team."

Highlights in the approved budget include:

Public Safety

• Fully funds Kansas City Police Department personnel and includes funding for 150 new recruits at higher starting salaries.
• Pay raises for all police officers, and a $15,000 (30 percent) increase in starting salaries from $50,000 up to $65,000 to remain competitive in the region at recruiting top public safety professionals.
• A KCPD hiring and retention incentive of $2,500 per employee program to recruit and retain positions the department is finding difficult to hire, including 911 call takers.
• $7M dedicated toward violence intervention and prevention outside of KCPD and continue to bolster our Partners for Peace program which helped more than 500 people impacted by shootings in 2023, giving them resources to heal and lead a successful life.
• $1,266,500 to hire employees for the newly created R.E.A.C.H. (Responding with Empathetic Alternatives and Community Help) program toward pre-arrest diversion measures.
• Prioritizes solutions to address emergency call wait times.
• Adds $500,000 for Citywide Camera Replacement.
• Includes more than $30M toward fleet and Fire Department infrastructure improvements.
• Continues replacement of fleet at or beyond its lifecycle, replacing 12 ambulances.

Infrastructure & Accessibility

• $40M+ toward another year of historic street resurfacing and street infrastructure work throughout the city with a goal of over 400 lane miles again this year to reduce the number of future potholes and allow smoother and safer driving for all.
• $12.5M in funding for sidewalk improvements, $2.5M toward ADA corner improvements, along with an additional $600k in funding toward ADA improvements.
• Additional funding of $4M+ for Vision Zero and safer streets improvements, 8 times more than the previous fiscal year. Vision Zero is designed to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries on Kansas City streets by 2030 while increasing safe, healthy, equitable mobility for all.
• Continued funding for enhanced snow removal operations originally implemented in 2022 as part of Kansas City's Snow Response Plan.
• Fleet vehicle replacements including new street sweepers, zero emissions electric vehicles, additional snow removal trucks, and the City's first fully electric trash truck.
• Continuation of the City's LED streetlight conversion to reduce carbon emissions, provide better lighting, and yield a multimillion dollar decrease in energy and maintenance costs.

Housing & Healthy Communities

• Appropriates $12.5M for year two of four in the Housing Trust Fund from GO Bonds for affordable housing initiatives at no additional cost to residents.
• Purchasing and delivering 170,000 trash carts to residents in every single district following the 2023 delivery of citywide recycling cart delivery across the city.
• Provides an additional $800,000 to fund the current demand for the Right to Counsel program for total funding of $2.4M. This funding will help provide legal assistance and support to individuals facing eviction.
• Funding $235k to hire three employees to implement Kansas City's source of income discrimination program.
• $750,000 toward expanded litter cleanup across all districts and a new clam truck for bulky item pickup expansion in the third district.
• $1M to continue the expansion of Kansas City's tree canopy and goal of planting 10,000 trees over three years to supplement a $12M federal investment.
• $500,000 for the design of a new 1st District Community Center.
• $1M toward the 18th & Vine Streetscape and pedestrian plaza project.
• Addition of $1.5M for dangerous building demolition.
• Neighborhood Empowerment Grants funded at $400,000.

Finance & Governance

• Kansas City government employees will continue to receive meaningful salary increases across the board. For non-union employees, increases will be 3.5%.
• Continues Investments in the Equity Office and Improving Accessibility of City Services:
  - Funding Kansas City's Language Access program for $900k.
  - Adds $1M of funding for a new Refugee and Immigrant Services program.
  - Dedicates $360,000 for the Reparations Committee.
• $2M for capital repairs at the American Jazz and Negro League Baseball (NLB) Museums.
• $100K One Percent for Art conservation and maintenance.

Growth & Development

• Investments in Kansas City as a destination:
  - $5.M for FIFA World Cup 2026 preparations.
  - $2.3M increase to VisitKC, the economic development organization dedicated to tourism in Kansas City to attract visitors and conventions to Kansas City.
• Investments in Kansas City as a place for small businesses:
  - Continued investment of $900,000 for small businesses and $200,000 for restaurant incentives.
• $3.3M for T-Mobile Center capital maintenance and repairs.

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