Missouri Supreme Court orders new election on Kansas City police funding, ruling voters were misled

Lora McDonald, executive director of the Metro Organization for Racial and Economic Equity, or MORE2, said she believes the Supreme Court made the right decision.

“The whole question itself was misleading to Missouri voters,” she said. “I hope this gives us the opportunity to reduce the amount allocated to police.”

However, McDonald said she continued to disagree with Lucas’ decision to “unilaterally” file the lawsuit.

Last August, McDonald filed a lawsuit after seeking communications between Lucas and the city attorney about the funding lawsuit.

In its ruling, the Supreme Court said state statute “provides a citizen may challenge the ballot title or the fiscal note.”

At last week’s Board of Police Commissioners meeting, the members approved a $318 million police department budget for the next fiscal year. The department’s previous budget was $284 million. Much of the increase will go towards salary raises with officers starting at $65,000.

Gwen Grant, president and CEO of Urban League of Greater Kansas City, said she was ecstatic about the Supreme Court’s ruling “because the (ballot) language was an insurmountable obstacle.”

“This is a second change for the electorate to get it right.”

Grant went on to say that Kansas City is one of the most violent cities in the country. Police do not prevent or intervene in crime, she said, and taxpayer money is better spent on addressing the root causes of violence as well as prevention efforts.

In 2021, Grant filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of state control over the police department. That case is ongoing in Jackson County Circuit Court.