The Northeast Neighborhood Coalition (NNC), representing seven neighborhoods in Northeast and Downtown Kansas City, is concerned about the lack of public engagement and departure from normal Council procedures in relation to the Council’s decision made on January 15, 2026, to make the modular, temporary jail located off Front Street (also known as the City’s Tow Lot) Kansas City’s permanent jail location. 

This decision was made with no advance public notice. We write not only to express our serious concerns about this lack of notice, but to ask the Council to provide accurate information to the residents of Kansas City, especially to those most impacted by the decision. Kansas City taxpayers bear the financial burden for this last-minute reversal and deserve a timely and full disclosure of the rationale behind this decision. 

Transparency regarding cost 

What is the exact amount of projected savings? When was this cost differential first made known to the Council? Shouldn’t it also have been made known at the same time to the public? Was it not known when you were seeking support for the Public Safety Tax? 

Please provide the study and cost estimates to validate and clarify the cost savings. These documents should be shared with the people who are paying for the project. 

Environmental impact assessment 

Concerns have been raised in our neighborhoods about the potential environmental impact, including the location of flood plains near the City’s Tow Lot. Have all necessary environmental studies been completed at the site? Please share the results of those tests. 

Public engagement 

Recently, the City publicized its renewed commitment to public engagement and resident feedback (Ordinances 230126 and 230998). A survey tool, such as the Speakeasy, is not meaningful engagement. It is not a dialogue with residents. This limited platform silences many residents, especially those who already lack political power and voice, or access to technology. Please provide us with clear policies and guidelines related to City public engagement that will be used to get this vital information out to Kansas City residents. 

The Tow Lot is near a school, businesses, and other facilities as well as residential neighborhoods. Those impacted must be able to ask important questions directly to their City officials about this significant change and to be able to craft a Community Benefits Agreement. If the City is saving over $120 million (one of several figures that has been floated out to the public) by making the location permanent, then some of those funds should be used for positive investment in the area around the site and the community should be involved in the decision-making process. 

What other public safety projects will be completed as a result of the savings? Why is this information not being made available in an open public forum?

Trust 

The public safety sales tax vote was challenging to pass and was supported by many local leaders. If the Council can make a same-day vote without the opportunity for questions and testimony, we are left wondering if we can trust our City government when decisions about the major expenditures being made under initiatives the public has voted on are made and/or reversed. 

The City will ask for a renewal of the public earnings tax this year. The City would boost that effort by acting in a transparent manner to taxpayers. We can only be in this together if you treat us with respect as equal partners. 

Next steps 

NNC will be attending the Northeast Community Forum at 6 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 29, organized by our neighbor Latinx Education Collaborative and Rev’ED, at 2301 Lexington Ave. We hope our questions will be answered then. If not, we will seek out other opportunities for Northeast residents to be informed and respected.

Dylan Van Gerpen, President, Northeast Neighborhood Coalition