Budget Hearing #1 Kansas City, Missouri (Feb. 23, 2026)

By Connye Griffin, Kansas City Documenter

These notes were produced through Kansas City Documenters, which trains and pays community members to take fact-checked notes at public meetings, strengthening transparency and accountability in local government.

Summary

• Kansas City’s proposed $2.5 billion budget allocates the largest share to public safety and personnel costs. It also funds infrastructure, housing and operational systems, while reducing neighborhood services funding by 20.4%.
• Three issues were front and center for public comment: public transit, public safety and the arts.
• Public comments represented a wide cross-section of the community, including neighborhood advocates, bus riders, arts leaders, nonprofit representatives and longtime residents.

Notes

Meeting Attendance

• Wes Rogers, 2nd District (arrived approximately 45 minutes late due to a scheduling conflict) 
• Eric Bunch, 4th District (left early due to a scheduling conflict)
• Darrell Curls, 5th District at large
• Ryana Parks-Shaw, Mayor Pro Tem, 5th District (graduate of Ruskin High School, where the public hearing took place)
• Johnathan Duncan, 6th District
• Andrea Bough, 6th District at large  
• Mayor Quinton Lucas
• City Manager Mario Vasquez
• Deputy Director of Finance Brenton Siverly
• City and district staff (approximately 25 in number) 

Greeting

• Every council member present welcomed those in attendance and thanked them for participating by listening and commenting. 
• Bough, Curls and Duncan informed the audience that budget amendments come from public hearings.
  • Last year, for example, neighborhood representatives explained that they needed more funding. According to Duncan, the council listened and amended the budget.

Budget Presentation

• Deputy Director of Finance Brenton Siverly provided an overview of the proposed 2026-27 budget using selected slides from the city’s online budget proposal.  The overview included pie charts showing what percentage of the total funds various services receive. 
• Siverly spent more time noting highlights from the proposed budget. (See attachment, “Fiscal Year 2026-27 Budget Highlights.”)
  • He explained the structure of the budget at three levels:
    • All funds (totaling approximately $2.5 billion and including aviation and water utilities);
    • Governmental activities (about $1.6 billion, covering core city services such as police, fire, trash collection and public works);
    • And the general fund (approximately $844 million, the city’s primary operating fund supported largely by earnings and property taxes). 
  • He shared that personnel costs represent the largest share of expenditures across funds and that public safety is the largest funded goal area, totaling roughly $733.9 million.
  • Siverly also outlined major revenue sources, noting the earnings tax accounts for about 44% of general fund revenues.
  • He reviewed several key investments in the proposed budget, including:
    • Funding for 15 additional police officers, 10 call takers and 10 dispatchers.
    • $26.3 million for the Department of Community Safety. 
    • $30.9 million for street resurfacing, continued funding for snow removal and KCATA transit support.
    • Capital improvements to the T-Mobile Center.
    • $4.5 million from voter-approved affordable housing bonds.
    • Implementation of a new financial and HR software system intended to improve efficiency.
  • He closed by directing attendees to the city’s online budget portal for more information about the proposed budget.

Public Comment

• Eighteen people signed up to speak to the council for two allotted minutes. 
• Public transit, public safety and the arts were the three topics of concern.
  • Public Transit: One-third of the speakers focused on public transit.
    • They asserted the need to fully fund and deliver fast, free (from fares) and reliable (on-time) buses. 
    • Several speakers said transit improvements tied to the World Cup are temporary. They asked that those become permanent.
      • The submitted budget for the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) and the Kansas City Streetcar totals $113.9 million, an increase of 3.3%, or $3.7 million, according to the “Fiscal Year 2026-27 Budget Summary,” page 17.
  • Public Safety: Several commenters requested increased funding for their neighborhoods.
    • The first comment came from Diane Hershberger, a 48-year Kansas City resident of the Marlborough neighborhood.
      • She urged the council to maintain funding for neighborhood-based violence prevention efforts, arguing that community organizations are doing “real violence prevention work” and that cutting funds undermines long-term safety.
        • Neighborhood services budget totals $33.6 million, a decrease by 20.4%, or $8.6 million, according to the “Fiscal Year 2026-27 Budget Summary,” page 12.
      • A Kansas City Public Schools administrator requested continued funding for violence prevention efforts, citing reductions in violence following city support.
    • An evaluator for the Violence Prevention Fund called for full or increased funding.
    • John Sharp thanked the city and police department for enforcing Blair’s Law prohibiting reckless use of firearms.
  • The Arts: Two speakers asked the council to reverse a 70% cut in funding for ArtsKC.
    • A filmmaker said the previous $325,000 investment in the arts generated economic activity, including dollars spent at restaurants and shops near performance venues.
      • In addition, as a filmmaker, she is able to offer work to other artists.

In closing remarks, council members reiterated their thanks for those attending and advised that they will consider what was shared during the public comments. 

Lucas asked attendees to vote in the upcoming city election regarding the 1% earnings tax. 

Observations & Follow-Up Questions

• What led to the decisions to make cuts for neighborhoods and the arts?
• Requests for free public transit continue. What is the expected outcome for reinstating bus fares this summer, and how would fare revenue be used?

Read more about this meeting and see all Kansas City Documenters notes here.