K<\/span>ansas City won\u2019t lose its crown on his watch, Quinton Lucas pledged during the mayor\u2019s State of the City address Wednesday at City Hall, offering a commitment to work out a home-run deal for Kansas City residents that keeps the Royals in Missouri and brings the baseball club\u2019s downtown stadium dream to reality.<\/span><\/p>\n Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas delivers his State of the City address at City Hall; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cAs part of our growth, our retention of the Kansas City Royals in the only home they\u2019ve ever known, Kansas City, is a must,\u201d said Lucas, making the economic case for a downtown ballpark. \u201cRetaining the Royals is not about sports, it\u2019s about economic development for our city.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The mayor \u2014 who also used the address to propose a $2.5 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2026-2027 \u2014 framed the stadium not as a standalone project, but as part of a broader strategy to attract investment, talent, and energy to the urban core.<\/span><\/p>\n A 2024 sales tax initiative intended to help support the Royals\u2019 downtown stadium plans at a site in the Crossroads \u2014 as well as renovations of Arrowhead Stadium at the Truman Sports Complex<\/a> \u2014 failed to gain traction with voters<\/a>. The rejection ultimately sent the Royals on an extended hunt for new locations on both sides of the state line; the Chiefs announced plans to relocate to Kansas and build a $3 billion complex<\/a>.<\/p>\n A 2023 rendering shows an aerial view of a proposed Royals baseball stadium if it were located in Kansas City\u2019s East Village; rendering courtesy of the Kansas City Royals, Populous<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Amid fallout and criticism of the Kansas-led border-hopping deal, Kansas City re-emerged as a contender for downtown Royals baseball.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will get a deal done in 2026 that\u2019s fair and transparent for our taxpayers, our future, and our team,\u201d Lucas said.<\/span><\/p>\n That pledge came as the mayor detailed a sweeping spending plan that prioritizes city employees, public safety, housing stability, and infrastructure upgrades, all with an eye toward Kansas City\u2019s role as a 2026 World Cup host city and its long-term growth beyond the global spotlight.<\/span><\/p>\n RELATED: England\u2019s World Cup team picks Kansas City as its official base camp, joining Argentina<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n \u201cAt the core of our $2.5 billion budget for the next fiscal year is our people,\u201d said Lucas after recognizing city workers in the audience. \u201cEmployees in this room, and staff out working in the field as we speak, as they deliver a world class city prepared to host the World Cup in 2026, but also where the roads and sidewalks will be a bit smoother, the 911 calls will be answered a bit faster, and where housing is safe, accessible, and available to all.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Mayor Quinton Lucas delivers his State of the City address in council chambers at City Hall; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News<\/p>\n<\/div>\n $930M for workforce, no mass layoffs planned<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Before diving into new initiatives, Lucas focused on stability.<\/span><\/p>\n A significant portion of the proposed budget is directed toward city employees, including their pay, benefits, pensions, and healthcare, a move he said reflects lessons learned during the uncertainty of the early pandemic years.<\/span><\/p>\n Looking back at that period, when Kansas City faced the prospect of furloughs and layoffs, Lucas emphasized how far the city\u2019s finances have come.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAs a new mayor during the pandemic, I saw the city stare down the reality of furloughs, the threat of layoffs, and cuts to every department,\u201d he said. \u201cWe weathered that storm, but I pledged then and today that while I\u2019m here: we will never be broke.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe will never have forced reductions because we couldn\u2019t control our spending,\u201d he continued. \u201cAnd we will never stop letting workers know, through pay, through benefits, through retirement pensions, that we appreciate not only their work, but their ability to take care of their families.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Renewing the city\u2019s earnings tax, he noted, remains essential to keeping general operations and public safety services on steady footing.<\/span><\/p>\n Mayor Quinton Lucas speaks at a groundbreaking event for the Prospect Summit Duplexes, a project supported by the Central City Economic Development (CCED) Sales Tax Program; photo by Brian Escobar, EDCKC<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Housing investments target affordability and stability<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n If public safety reflects the city\u2019s immediate concerns, housing represents its long-term stability, Lucas said.<\/span><\/p>\n The mayor described housing as one of the most transformative areas of city investment in recent years, with funding set aside for homelessness prevention, legal support for tenants facing eviction, and 10,000 new affordable housing units coming to Kansas City.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNew buildings are great, but we will have no greater legacy from our tenure than the tens of thousands of Kansas Citians we will launch into better, safer, and more stable housing,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n Since its debut, <\/span>the city\u2019s right to counsel program<\/span><\/a> has helped thousands of residents avoid eviction. Lucas also discussed the Housing Gateway Program, the initiative aims to quickly rehouse more than 600 unhoused residents by coordinating service providers and raising private funding.<\/span><\/p>\n Public safety holds the majority of the general fund<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n As in past years, public safety dominates the general fund conversation.<\/span><\/p>\n Mayor Quinton Lucas delivers his State of the City address at City Hall; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Lucas stated that the proposed police budget once again surpasses the state\u2019s minimum funding requirement and supports plans to add officers and civilian dispatch staff. At the same time, he urged the State Board of Police Commissioners to follow through on its end.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOur hope is that the State Board of Police Commissioners will fulfill their pledge to hire 50 additional law enforcement officers and 20 new call takers and dispatchers and deliver on officer pay increases with a proposed $363 million budget,\u201d said Lucas.<\/span><\/p>\n He also emphasized the need for the police board to confront rising legal costs.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe current trajectory in litigation costs is unsustainable for the police department\u2019s budget,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n The mayor pointed to recent downward crime trends as signs of progress, highlighting declines in homicides, non-fatal shootings, and robberies over the past year. He credited such programs as <\/span>SAVE KC<\/span><\/a> and a newer Intimate Partner Violence Intervention initiative with helping interrupt cycles of repeat violence.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.startlandnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/State-of-the-City-2026-04-Quinton-Lucas.jpg\")
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