ORDINANCE NO. 260287
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Sponsor: Mayor Quinton Lucas
Waiving the limitations established by the Fund Balance and Reserve Policy in Section 2-1954 of the Code of Ordinances for use of Unappropriated General Fund Balance; appropriating $2,000,000.00 from the Unappropriated Fund Balance of the General Fund as a transfer to the General Fund and transferring same to the Police Department for Overtime in Patrol and Investigations; directing the City Manager to include a request for appropriation in the Fiscal Year 2027 first quarter ordinance from the Public Safety Sales Tax Fund in the amount of $2,000,000.00 as a transfer to the General Fund if not allocated from Public Safety Sales Tax Fund in the FY 2026-2027 budget; and recognizing this ordinance as having an accelerated effective date.
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WHEREAS, the Board of Police Commissioners adopted a General Fund budget totaling $298,505,692.00; and
WHEREAS, KCPD issued a memo in January days before introduction of the City’s FY 2026-2027 budget to implement “drastic cost-reduction measures” to solve a “budgetary imbalance” in the Department’s spending; and
WHEREAS, KCPD estimated approximately $2.5 million in legal settlements when presenting its FY2025-2026 budget; and
WHEREAS, the Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners has approved more than $11 million in legal settlements and fees in the current fiscal year; and
WHEREAS, KCPD has suspended all overtime that is not critical to basic operations and instituted a hiring freeze on all professional staff positions; and
WHEREAS, during Business Session on February 5, 2026, the Police Department presented an estimated $3.0 million budget shortfall in the current fiscal year; and
WHEREAS, the Police Department reports a revised estimated Fiscal Year 2026 shortfall of $2.0 million; and
WHEREAS, the Council intends that the General Fund be reimbursed for this appropriation through a transfer from the Public Safety Sales Tax Fund in the Fiscal Year 2027; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF KANSAS CITY:
Section 1. That pursuant to Section 2-1954(f)(10), Code of Ordinances entitled “Fund Balance and Reserve Policy,” the City Council hereby waives the limitations for use of Unappropriated General Fund Balance for the limited purposes of this Ordinance. The City Council finds that such waiver of the Fund Balance and Reserve Policy is in the best interests of the City.
Section 2. That the sum of $2,000,000.00 is hereby appropriated from the Unappropriated Fund Balance of the General Fund to the following account:
KCMBU-26-1000-129996-980001 Transfer to KCPDU $2,000,000.00
Section 3. That revenue in the following account of the General Fund is hereby increased in the following additional amount:
KCPDU-26-1000-210000-599900 Transfer from KCMBU $2,000,000.00
Section 4. That the sum of $2,000,000.00 is hereby appropriated to the following accounts in the KCPDU Police General Fund:
KCPDU-26-1000-212580-A Traffic Division - Overtime $ 500,000.00
KCPDU-26-1000-212590-A SWAT - Overtime 1,000,000.00
KCPDU-26-1000-212620-A Violent Crimes Division - Overtime 500,000.00
TOTAL $2,000,000.00
Section 5. That the Board of Police Commissioners is designated as requisitioning authority for Account Nos. KCPDU-26-1000-212580, KCPDU-26-1000-212590 and KCPDU-26-1000-212620.
Section 6. That the City Manager is hereby directed to include in the Fiscal Year 2027 first quarter ordinance a transfer of $2,000,000.00 from the Unappropriated Fund Balance of the Public Safety Sales Tax Fund, No. 2320, to the General Fund, if funds to reimburse the General Fund pursuant to this Ordinance are not allocated from the Public Safety Sales Tax Fund in the FY 2026-2027 budget.
Section 7. That this ordinance is recognized as having an accelerated effective date as provided by Section 503(a)(c) of the City Charter in that it appropriates money and shall take effect in accordance with that section.
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I hereby certify that there is a balance, otherwise unencumbered, to the credit of the appropriation to which the foregoing expenditure is to be charged, and a cash balance, otherwise unencumbered, in the treasury, to the credit of the fund from which payment is to be made, each sufficient to meet the obligation hereby incurred.
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William Choi
Interim Director of Finance
Approved as to form:
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Samuel Miller
Assistant City Attorney