MAYOR Q ACCOMPLISHMENTS

“As someone who got their start in Kansas City public service serving on a City board, I understand the importance of boards and commissions, and I’m proud that a majority of my appointees are women and half are from historically underrepresented groups.”
 
 

Advocating for Social Equity and Opportunity

  • Empowering Women Leaders: Expanded the number of women on boards and commissions in partnership with United WE’s Appointments Project.

  • LGBTQ Commission: Created an LGBTQ commission to ensure members of the LGBTQ community have a seat at the table to help advise Council on legislation relating to LGBTQ issues.

  • Mayor’s Commission on Reparations: Created a commission to study the possibility of the city to make reparations to Black Kansas Citians.

  • Increased Wages for City Employees: Increased the minimum hourly pay for city employees by nearly 13% to $17.35 an hour.

  • Marijuana Pardon Program: Granted pardons to those with non-violent, low-level municipal marijuana and paraphernalia offenses.

 
 

Prioritizing Affordable Housing and Justice for Tenants

  • Q2 Ballot Initiative & Housing Trust Fund: Question 2 created bonds to allocate $50 million to the Housing Trust Fund, which was the largest single investment in affordable housing ever made in Kansas City, and will help generate 3,000-3,500 units of affordable housing over five years.

  • Right to Counsel: Created Kansas City's first ever Right to Counsel program to provide free legal assistance to tenants facing evictions. The program so far has supported more than 1,000 individuals and families since the program launched in 2022.

  • The Department of Housing and Community Development: This new department is responsible for housing rehabilitation and repair, rental housing assistance, project implementation, planning and special projects, fund management and compliance monitoring, and human services.

  • Tenants Bill of Rights: Established policies for tenants and landlords to protect tenants' right to safe, affordable, accessible housing.

 
 

Investing in Community Infrastructure

  • KCI Airport: The new airport features expanded flight opportunities and helps attract new events and conferences to KC. The airport was completed ahead of time and on budget.

  • Street Resurfacing: Led the charge to boost the annual street repair program by millions of dollars, allowing more than 800 lane miles to be repaved since Mayor Lucas became mayor. 

  • Q1 Ballot Initiative: Public Pools Parks and Spaces: Funding upgrades and maintenance to city parks, pools, and the Kansas City Convention Center.

 
 

Safeguarding All in Our Community

  • Holding the Gun Industry Accountable: In partnership with Everytown for Gun Safety, we successfully led a suit against a gun manufacturer allowing the flow of illegal guns in our communities. 

  • Protecting Youth: Created an ordinance prohibiting minors from possessing a handgun and prohibiting adults from transferring firearms to a minor.

  • Preventing Violence: Created the Partners for Peace program to provide direct support services to those impacted by homicide.

  • Keeping Guns out of Dangerous Hands: Passed an ordinance prohibiting use of a concealed firearm by those subject to a restraining order or convicted of domestic violence.

 
 

Addressing Kansas City’s Impact on Climate Change

  • Fare-Free Public Transit: Directs the City Manager to include a funding request in the next fiscal year budget to make fixed route public transportation fare free within the City.

  • Tree Preservation Ordinance: Charges property developers a fee when they remove trees.

  • Climate Protection and Resiliency Plan: Updating the City’s Climate Protection Plan to include new greenhouse gas reduction goals, resiliency, and equity and incorporating into City policy and operations; and directing the City Manager to submit the new ClimateProtection and Resiliency Plan to Council by March 31, 2021

  • LED Street Lights: Directs the City Manager to issue separate Requests for Proposals for the conversion to more efficient and cost-effective LED technology for streetlights and City-owned building lighting.

  • USCM Climate Grant: Accepts a $25,000.00 award from the U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Challenge in recognition of the City's zero fair zero emissions transit initiative; and estimating that amount as revenue and appropriating that $25,000.00

 

Photo credit: Tom R. Smedes | Associated Press

Putting Kansas City on the Global Map

  • NFL Draft 2023: Likely will be the most attended event in KC history. The new KCI airport and the development of luxury hotel capacity helped KC get selected for the Draft.

  • US Conference of Mayors 2024: Kansas City will host the US Conference of Mayors in 2024. The United States Conference of Mayors is the official non-partisan organization of cities with a population of 30,000 or larger. Each city is represented by its chief elected official, the mayor.

  • World Cup 2026: Kansas City was selected over larger metropolitan areas as a 2026 World Cup city. This event will bring significant investment and interest to KC.