Kansas City Activist Ballot Leans 'Pass' On COMBAT Tax

Tonight we share what might pass as a midterm "October surprise" for the local, urban municipal set . . . 

KANSAS CITY ACTIVISTS REFUSE TO SUPPORT COMBAT TAX OVER SOCIAL JUSTICE CONCERN!!! 

What's important for local voters to know . . .

- Again, there is no organized opposition against this tax that has become institutional. 

- Local progressives tend to favor this down ballot issue given a great deal of support for "community-based" initiatives. 

- Mainstream urban core leaders have also endorse the tax. 

Accordingly . . .

This slight snub for close readers is worth watching if only because we'll be able to gauge the influence of these local activists who local media often favor and then politely ignore when they misreport urban rumors. 

Check the statement . . .   

"Today the money goes two ways. Over the last five years, about 63 cents of every dollar went to the system: the jail, prosecutors, courts, and police drug units. About 37 cents went to community programs: addiction treatment, recovery housing, violence interruption, youth programs, and help for people coming home from prison.

"The police have other money; for KCPD, COMBAT is about 1 percent of its budget. For many community programs, COMBAT is what keeps the doors open. Vote no, and the programs close first, in April 2027. Vote yes, and the jail and drug task force get ten more years of funding too.

"We take no formal position on this one, although we lean towards a pass. We are not stamping it, because neither answer frees anyone by itself. What changes lives is the yearly fight over how the money gets split, and that is decided by county officials you can name and pressure."

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

The People's Ballot: Missouri November 3, 2026 Voter Guide

Every measure on your Missouri November 3, 2026 ballot, explained plainly: Prop A, Amendments 3, 6, 7 and 8, COMBAT, the races and the judges.