Kansas City Council Business Session: Audit Scopes, Advanced KC Update, and Oversight Discussion - September 23, 2021
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Kansas City Council Business Session: Audit Scopes, Advanced KC Update, and Oversight Discussion - September 23, 2021
The Kansas City Council convened on September 23, 2021, for a regular business session. The meeting covered approval of previous minutes, presentations of scope statements for two city audits (illegal dumping and police body worn cameras), an update on the Advanced KC economic development process evaluation, and a detailed council member presentation on tracking of 129 resolutions and the Office of Citizen Engagement. A committee substitute ordinance for a bond issuance was also introduced.
Consent Calendar
- Minutes of the business session of September 16, 2021, were approved by unanimous voice vote after a motion and second.
Discussion Items
- City Auditor Presentation: Illegal Dumping Audit Scope – City Auditor Doug Jones presented the scope for an audit of the city's illegal dumping program. The audit will examine how the city can improve community engagement to reduce illegal dumping and measure response times for cleanup. The work will include analysis of response data, review of program plans, site visits, and review of prior audits. The audit will not cover dumping in parks, waterways, or prosecution efforts. The report is anticipated for release in January 2022. Residents' satisfaction with cleanup efforts is at its lowest level in six years. Council members had no questions.
- City Auditor Presentation: Police Body Worn Camera Audit Scope – Auditor Jones also presented the scope for an audit of the Kansas City Police Department's body worn camera program, which deployed over 800 cameras between November 2020 and April 2021. The audit will assess whether access, supervisory review, and record retention comply with department policies and retention regulations; watch randomly selected videos to assess camera use; and compare body worn camera data with dispatch data to ensure all calls are recorded. The report is due by April 2022. Missouri Sunshine Law limits the audit's ability to review certain videos, which may restrict conclusions. Council members had no questions. The same presentation will be made to the police board on September 28.
- Advanced KC Process Evaluation Update – Assistant City Manager Carrie Tyndall presented an update on the council's directive (Resolution 210180) to engage, review, and create opportunities in the Advanced KC incentive process. The project emphasizes equity and uses a 21-member standing committee and a technical advisory committee. The committee has identified ten value statements, including equitable and inclusive tools, transparency, and focusing on addressing historic inequities. A survey of 100% of council members found affordable housing, job creation, blight remediation, and workforce development as key priorities. The committee has explored ideas such as incentive tiering, an equity scorecard, and a housing continuum. Staff requested council guidance on specific targets, thresholds, and whether to focus on the lowest-income housing or a continuum approach. Council members discussed the need for a more objective incentive framework, historic preservation, and the importance of industrial/light manufacturing jobs. Councilman Shields emphasized that historic preservation is more costly and should be recognized in tiering. Councilman Bunge asked how geographic targeting would work with different development types. The mayor encouraged staff to bring forward an ordinance rather than further discussion.
- Councilman Ellington Presentation on 129 Resolutions and Office of Citizen Engagement – Councilman Ellington presented a detailed critique of the city's failure to implement 129 ordinances and resolutions passed during the current council term. He argued there is no tracking system to monitor progress. He introduced an ordinance that would require quarterly evaluations of council directives. He also highlighted the lack of fulfillment of the Office of Citizen Engagement (Ordinance 210140, passed February 2021), including no FTE hires and missing monthly reports. He presented emails showing the city manager had promised to fill a community ambassador role but no action was taken. Volunteer Austin Taylor summarized community engagement work done voluntarily, including partnerships with the public library, Black Hawk Security, and others, which the city was supposed to perform. Councilman Ellington expressed frustration that his office's volunteer intern was told he could no longer serve, and that a youth program was locked out of a community center. He stated he would continue to fight for transparency and accountability. The mayor and other council members attempted to move the discussion along, but Ellington insisted on presenting his facts.
- Committee Substitute on Bond Issuance – Councilwoman Parkshaw introduced a committee substitute to Ordinance 210593, reducing the proposed bond issuance from $1 billion to $750 million and moving the ballot question from November 2, 2021, to February 8, 2022. Director Terry Lees was present to answer questions.
Key Outcomes
- Approved minutes of September 16, 2021.
- Received audit scope presentations; no action taken.
- Advanced KC update presented; council provided feedback on priorities such as industrial development, historic preservation, and transit-oriented development. Staff will follow up with a survey and continue committee work.
- Councilman Ellington introduced an ordinance (to be formally submitted) requiring quarterly tracking of all council directives; the ordinance will receive a committee hearing.
- Councilman Ellington pledged to present a future report on the status of the 129 resolutions.
- Committee substitute for the bond ordinance was introduced for floor introduction; it will reduce the amount to $750 million and move the election to February 2022.
Meeting Transcript
Welcome to today's business session. Our first item is approval of minutes for business session of September 16th, 2021. Is there a motion? It's been moved and seconded. All in favor indicate by saying aye. Aye. Aye. All opposed. The resolution and the motion passes. Our first item are police worn body cam and illegal dumping scope statements from the city auditor. Mr. Jones. Afternoon. Jeff Howard to get this computer logged in. Mr. Mayor Fitzar, if you I'll start with the legal dumping audit first. Okay. Mayor Lucas, Mayors of City Council, Doug Jones City Auditor's Office. I'm here to present a scope statement for our legal dumping audit. My presentation will outline our reasons for doing the audit, the audit objectives, the work we will perform, and the anticipated release date. You should have a copy of the scope statement and the presentation slides in front of you. Public Works Department's Solid Waste Division is responsible for the city's illegal dumping program. The program addresses garbage, rubbish, yard waste, and large debris dumped in public places such as public buildings, sidewalks, streets, right-of-way, land bank properties, and dumped on private properties without the consent of the owner. In March 2021, the mayor and city manager announced the city's priority of reducing blight, improving the city's efforts of cleaning up trash and illegal dump sites, and encouraging community engagement in the cleanup efforts. Addressing legal dumping is important to the city's residents. Kansas City residents have expressed concerns to the city auditor's office about city efforts to deal with illegal dumping and suggested we audit these efforts. Resident satisfaction with the city's efforts to clean up illegal dump sites is at its lowest level in six years. Residents also believe illegal dumping cleanup should receive more emphasis from the city. Strategies in the current citywide business plan to address illegal dumping are developing an anti-illegal dumping campaign tied to health and environmental impact and developing communication and other strategies to increase compliance with solid waste ordinances with particular attention to enforcement. Our objectives are to determine how the city can improve community engagement efforts to reduce illegal dumping and how long does it take the city to respond to illegal dumping complaints and clean up illegal dump sites. We plan to analyze relevant response data, review plans, program plans, and goals, and visit illegal dump sites. We will also review prior audit work and professional literature to identify recommended practices related to the audit objectives. This audit will not address illegal dumping in city parks, dumping near waterways, or illegal dumping prosecution efforts. We plan to issue the audit in January 2022. This concludes my presentation. What questions do you have for me on this topic? Any questions for the city auditor? Mayor Lucas, members of City Council, City Manager Platt, Doug Jones, City Auditor's Office. I'm here to present the scope statement for our police body worn cameras audit. My presentation will outline our reasons for doing the audit, the audit objectives, the work we'll perform, and the anticipated release date. Body worn cameras are small devices that record video and audio and are capable of being worn on a person. Law enforcement agencies use these cameras to record officer interactions with the public. Between November 2020 and April 2021, the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department deployed over 800 body worn cameras to officers in the six patrol divisions, plus the traffic enforcement and special operations divisions. Body worn camera videos can be used to promote transparency, increase accountability, and discourage inappropriate behaviors by both officers and the public. Review body worn camera data to assess whether access, supervisory review, and record retention comply with department policies, internal directives, and record retention regulations. We will also watch randomly selected body worn camera videos to assess whether officers are using cameras in accordance with department policies. And compare body worn camera data and dispatch data to determine whether all dispatch calls are recorded. We plan to issue this report by April 2022. Missouri Sunshine Law limits the videos that we can review for this audit. The statute also outlines other reasons some videos or parts of videos are closed or authorized to be closed records.
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