Jackson County Blames Exec & No Budget For Fewer Cases Charged Amid Gridlock

As a recall effort takes hold . . .

We notice that even the newspaper is listening closely to courthouse complaints against Executive Frank White who, as we reported earlier this week, is still refusing calls to save everyone some time and just resign with his pension.

And now we share a quote from a dead-tree examination of the situation that kinda seems like talking points from his critics . . . Even if a few of them are valid . . .

As Jackson County exits its fifth month without a working budget, county prosecutor Melesa Johnson says her office’s ability to prosecute cases is starting to suffer — and that tax-funded violence prevention programs are at risk of breaking down.

The Jackson County Legislature has been locked in a standoff with county executive Frank White over the 2025 county budget since January, when legislators first approved a budget that White quickly vetoed. In the months since, the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office and other agencies have been unable to access most of the money that would be theirs to use and distribute under the budget.

And here's more deets on the continued story of more courthouse dysfunction . . . 

Jackson County prosecutor Melesa Johnson testified to the legislature that COMBAT funding is at the top of the list of issues the budget freeze has caused in the prosecutor’s office.

However, it’s far from the only challenge she says the budget situation has caused.

As the budget freeze has continued, county prosecutors have had to cut down on hiring experts in various criminal fields as consultants or expert witnesses, according to Johnson. The office has also had to largely stop hiring investigators, whom attorneys typically rely on to track down witnesses, Johnson said.

“We are trying to hold on by a shoestring and definitely give you all room to do the legislative work that you all need to do,” Johnson told legislators. “But as we enter the summer months, I would be lying if I said that I’m not concerned.”

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Jackson County prosecutor charges fewer cases, sees program cuts. Here’s why

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