Jackson County, Kansas City, MO, jail collaboration could save taxpayers money

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — During a joint meeting between the Jackson County Legislature and the Kansas City, Missouri, City Council Monday afternoon, the county gave the city until Sept. 15 to decide whether it wants build a detention center in collaboration with the county’s project.

Construction crews will begin pouring the foundation and placing the footings for the $301 million county jail on Sept. 15. Any changes as a result of the city’s desire to have a joint facility with the county need to take place before that construction work begins.

The city contracted construction firm JE Dunn earlier this year to develop several options for a new detention center. The city currently sends its inmates to jails in Johnson and Vernon counties, Missouri. JE Dunn plans to present its final workup to the city on Sept. 1, leaving city council members only two weeks to make a decision in order to meet the construction deadline. Options for the city could include building a separate detention center or building a detention center connected to the new county jail with shared laundry, food and social services. Mayor Quinton Lucas likes the idea of sharing a detention center.

“We should not be spending $500 million combined in jails when you could, let’s say, look at $350 million total for both jurisdictions,” Lucas pointed out. “Saving $150 million for a lot of the same taxpayers is an incredibly important exercise for us.”

Complicating issues, the city council is on vacation next week for the Labor Day holiday. Lucas admits the timeline limits how much opportunity council members can create for public input on the options. Taxpayers agree.

“I think at least 30 days at least,” Kenny said is an appropriate amount of time for the council to consider an item costing tens of millions of taxpayer dollars.

“I think it makes logical sense to get the community input on things,” Kenny, who didn’t share his last name, continued.

Lucas hopes to attend the Jackson County legislature meeting on Sept. 11 to continue this conversation.

Council members expressed frustration that planning for Jackson County’s new jail began in 2019, but the city has yet to make a decision on whether to join the project. Lucas, who became mayor in summer 2019, accepted some accountability.

“There have been meetings for years and years, the problem is why weren’t those meetings doing more, why weren’t we getting somewhere? I hope what we get out of this is more people saying, ‘We are going to work hard to get somewhere to save money for the people of Kansas City and Jackson County.’ That’s where we need to be,” Lucas said.

In a statement after the meeting, Jackson County Executive Frank White and Jackson County Sheriff Darryl Forté said the joint hearing was important to move the project forward.

“We discussed the potential of combining efforts with Kansas City on our jail operations, a move that could pave the way for enhanced efficiencies and shared resources,” White and Forté said. “Drawing from past experiences, our approach is both hopeful and cautious, always keeping the best interests of Jackson County residents at the forefront.”

This year, Kansas City council members created a commission to review alternatives to incarceration. Input from this group could influence social and rehabilitative services included in a city jail facility.

The county’s detention center should open in early 2026.

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