Kansas City Council Business Session: KCPD Budget Briefing and Overtime Reductions - February 5, 2026
Kansas City Council Business Session: KCPD Budget Briefing and Overtime Reductions - February 5, 2026
The Kansas City Council held a business session on February 5, 2026, primarily to hear a presentation from Kansas City Police Department (KCPD) Chief Stacey Graves and Fiscal Division Major Josh Hinen regarding the department's budgetary situation, including a reduction in overtime, a temporary pause on non-essential professional staff hiring, and the deferral of equipment purchases. The discussion centered on a $1.5 million overtime overage (projected to reach $3 million by the end of the fiscal year on April 30, 2026), the impact of lawsuit settlements, staffing shortages, and department accountability.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of Minutes: The council unanimously approved the minutes from the January 15, 2026 business session.
Discussion Items
- KCPD Budget Overview and Cost-Saving Measures: Chief Graves explained that the department faces a $1.5 million overtime overage, which could grow to $3 million if unaddressed. She outlined three main contributing factors: staffing shortages (197 sworn officer vacancies out of an authorized strength of 1,408), lawsuit settlements (which have exceeded the $2.5 million budgeted line item, with $10.9 million already paid out this fiscal year), and unplanned deployment of officers to address crime hotspots and special events. She stated that basic police services (911 call-taking, patrol responses, detective work) would not be disrupted, and that overtime reductions target non-essential duties while seeking efficiencies. Chief Graves highlighted that KCPD is recruiting aggressively, with a 50-person recruit class (the largest since 2007) and 44 candidates in the pipeline for the May 2026 class.
- Council Member Questions on Settlements and Accountability: Several council members pressed Chief Graves on officer accountability and the financial burden of settlements. Councilman Duncan asked about discipline for officers with repeated lawsuits, referencing a specific case where an officer accumulated millions in settlements but remains on the force. Chief Graves cited personnel privacy constraints but noted improved training (constitutional policing, de-escalation, crisis intervention) and a professionalized human resources division. Councilman Willett noted that the requested settlement budget was $2.5 million but actual payouts reached $10.9 million, including one structured payment from a wrongful conviction case. Councilman Ray inquired about the relative impact of each cost driver; Chief Graves identified settlements as the largest factor, followed by overtime. Councilman Curls asked about state relief (Missouri provides $1 million per year for police settlements, unchanged since 1991).
- Council Member Questions on Overtime and Deployment: Councilwoman Robinson expressed concern that overtime cuts could reduce police presence in hot spots like 31st and Prospect. Chief Graves clarified that allowable overtime remains for filling officer shifts and critical responses, and that proactive problem-solving squads (e.g., a new squad in East Patrol in March 2026) are unaffected. She noted that creative measures (e.g., scheduling training during duty hours instead of overtime) are being used. Councilman Willett asked whether $1 million the council allocated for entertainment district security reached KCPD for overtime; City Manager clarified it was transferred for fuel costs, not directly for overtime, and a follow-up report was requested.
- Council Member Questions on Budget Transparency and Process: Mayor Quinton Lucas and Councilman Bunch raised concerns about the timing of the internal memo (sent to 1,600 employees on February 3, 2026), which referenced "drastic" measures, and noted that a Board of Police Commissioners meeting two days earlier had not publicly discussed the budget imbalance. Chief Graves acknowledged the memo should have avoided the word "drastic" and stated she acted to "right the ship" before approaching the council. She committed to improving communication, including offering closed-session briefings on pending litigation and settlement risks. Councilman Bunch supported this, citing the need for the council to be informed of major liabilities.
- Council Member Questions on Officer Conduct and Future Prevention: Councilwoman Robinson asked how KCPD analyzes complaint data to identify systemic issues. Chief Graves said she reviews monthly OCC reports, use-of-force reports, and has implemented new training and professional HR staff to reduce future risks, noting that current settlements relate to incidents predating her tenure. Councilwoman Patterson suggested exploring whether the Police Foundation (which funded recent equipment like ATVs and a command bus) could modify its funding priorities to help with budget shortfalls. Chief Graves noted the foundation has a narrow focus but would consider the suggestion.
Key Outcomes
- No Formal Votes on Budget: The session was informational; no motions were made regarding KCPD's budget or the proposed reductions.
- Commitment to Transparency: Chief Graves pledged to work with the city attorney's office to arrange closed-session briefings for the council on pending litigation and settlement trends, to better inform future budgeting.
- Continued Oversight: The council will monitor the $1 million in public safety sales tax allocated for entertainment district security and ensure it is used for its intended purpose; a report from the City Manager is expected.
- Legislative Advocacy: Several council members expressed support for seeking an increase in state-level funding for police settlements (currently capped at $1 million annually).
Meeting Transcript
We'll get started. Welcome to business session for February 5th, 2026. Our first item is approval of minutes for business session for January 15th. Is there a motion? So moved. Second. All in favor indicate by saying I'm all opposed? Aye. Motion passes our uh presentation. Will come today from Kansas City's police department. Welcome the chief of police. I'm sorry. It's on. Good afternoon. Thank you for having me. And I have with me Major Josh Hinen of our fiscal division. Good afternoon. Thank you. I'd say prepared for sure. I just want to say thank you so much for having me here this afternoon. I appreciate the opportunity to address the council, Mr. Mayor, City Council, City Manager. I'm here today to provide information regarding KCPD's reduction in overtime, supplies and equipment purchases, and a temporary pause on most professional staff positions. Although KCPD will be implementing cost saving reductions, there will be no disruption of police services in Kansas City. We will continue to prioritize our city's policing needs. KCPD call takers will be answering 911 calls. Our officers will be responding to calls for service, and detectives will continue investigating cases. Implementing cost saving reductions in the remaining months of a fiscal year is not uncommon. Last Thursday's internal email message is nothing new to KCPD, specifically at this time of year. We diligently monitor our budget throughout the year and we make needed adjustments. In fact, after I was advised of projected overages after the second quarter of this year's budget, I messaged out an immediate 25 production 25% reduction in overtime. After review of the third quarter projection, last week's internal message was sent out to approximately 1,600 employees. Last week's internal message was sent out taking a stronger stance in additional cost saving measures as we approach the end of our fiscal year, which, as we know, is April 30th. At no time did I ever propose cutting essential police services. Our internal messaging of spending reductions was purely to ensure we are doing all we can to minimize costs and make every attempt to make budget by April 30th. As chief of police, I stay well informed of our budget and I monitor it throughout the year. In full transparency, KCPD is currently 1.5 million over our overtime expenses. We are projecting that number to potentially grow to 3 million before the end of the fiscal year. To put it in perspective, this budget was originally prepared in the fall of 2024, 17 months ago, and has managed to uh and has been managed to within less than one percent under circumstances of growing personnel and all the added costs associated with personnel, achieving positive trends in crime statistics, resolving legacy claims, and adopting practices and training to mitigate future claims. Which I would not characterize as a crisis. The most impactful contributing factors are attributed to staffing shortages, settlements, and needed deployment of officers in areas throughout our city. I will provide detail of the leading contributing factors and advise what KCPD is already doing to address current and future budgetary trends. KCPD's total amount of allowable police officers or swarm positions is 1,408. At last check, we have 1,211 law enforcement physicians filled. Our current budget funds 1,258. We are still approximately 197 officers short. We are making great strides in recruiting at KCPD, which has resulted in larger classes. We just started a 50-person recruit class last week, and that is the largest class we've had since 2007. Our next class starts May 4th and another in August. We are working and making progress on our staffing, but at times we need officers to work overtime to cover unfilled shifts.
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