Insiders at the Courthouse have concerns about workers who deserve a raise and didn't get one this time around . . . Nevertheless, credit where it's due, Exec Frank White passed his budget for the most part. Here's the aftermath and important taxpayer info FIRST on TKC:
Jackson County Executive and Legislative Chair issue joint statement on adoption of 2019 budget
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Jackson County Executive Frank White, Jr. and Chair of the Jackson County Legislature Theresa Galvin are pleased today to announce the adoption of Ordinance 5178, Jackson County’s 2019 annual budget, by the newly-elected, nine-member body of the Jackson County Legislature.
The adopted, fiscal year 2019 budget, which includes $314,301,569 of budgeted revenue, was accomplished without adding any more debt, without raising taxes, without layoffs and without reducing critical services that citizens need and deserve.
Additionally, the County Executive and County Legislature jointly agreed to establish a dedicated fund that will be used to cover the cost of a new jail and other projects, such as capital improvements at the downtown courthouse and the implementation of a compensation study.
“The citizens of Jackson County should be proud of the collaborative effort that led to this balanced budget that promotes fiscal responsibility, investment in the future and long-term planning,” said Jackson County Executive Frank White, Jr. “In her first 30 days as Legislative Chair, Theresa Galvin has shown great leadership and dedication to ensure the success of what is a long, detailed budget process. In addition, all members of the Legislature have played a key role by asking the tough questions that are needed to make the difficult, but right decisions. Today’s support shows we remain committed to being good stewards of taxpayer dollars. I am excited about the future of Jackson County.”
“I want to thank my colleagues for their hard work and determination to ensure we passed a fiscally-sound budget that delivers the highest quality of services to our citizens effectively and efficiently,” said Legislative Chair Theresa Galvin, who represents Jackson County’s 6th District. “The collaboration with the County Executive and his staff allowed us to work as one team to address the challenges of this budget. Together, we are moving forward in the best interest of the people who live, work and play in the County we are proud to call home. I am confident this is a new day in Jackson County and I am excited for the future.”
Key funding initiatives in the adopted 2019 budget include:
* More than $26,000,000 in COMBAT funds to address drug use and violent crime in our communities
* More than $10,000,000 to support Truman Medical Center, Jackson County’s safety net hospital
* More than $3,000,000 to fund public-private partnerships with local non-profits to deliver services
* More than $30,000,000 for the Jackson County jail, the largest amount of county funding ever for the facility
* More than $15,000,000 to support the 3rd largest county parks system in the country, which welcomed more than 1.4 million visitors last year
* More than $11,000,000 for the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department
Jackson County’s fiscal year begins January 1 and ends December 31. In accordance with the County Code, the annual budget must be adopted by December 31, except for the budget year following an election of the County Executive and County Legislature. In that case, the annual budget shall be adopted by January 31 of the budget year.
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30 million still won't fix the jail. They need to start over and build outside the loop. Independence, MO of course.
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ReplyDelete$26 million for COMBAT????
ReplyDeleteSo tens of millions of dollars simply thrown away on friends, insiders, fake nonprofits, and outright grifters?
ReplyDeleteLike last year?
And the year before that?
The COMBAT tax has generated over $20 million for many years and the drug and violence issues have continued to get worse.
Maybe the enabling legislation should be changed so that money could go toward hiring more cops or actual law enforcement equipment.
It's certainly a waste as to how it's been spent for years and nothing here is going to make any difference.
County government by insiders for insiders.
It never changes.
Let's see the itemized list of expenses for each of these groups. Note the line titled "Miscellaneous expenses". Anyone with some accounting experience will be able to break down where the mo-nay go.
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