Kansas City Council Redirects $120 Million to Convert Modular Site into Permanent Jail

Kansas City has no municipal jail, a situation that has persisted since 2009.

The City Council approved a plan on Thursday to convert the temporary modular detention center into a permanent facility for $120 million. This decision replaces a previous proposal to construct a new $201 million jail in the East Bottoms neighborhood.

Council members cited financial constraints as the primary reason for the change. The public safety sales tax, renewed by voters in 2025, generates limited revenue for large infrastructure projects. Officials determined the tax could cover only about one-quarter of the estimated $402.6 million cost for a jail and other major public safety initiatives.

Kevin O’Neill, a Councilman representing the 1st District at large, addressed the budgetary limitations during a Tuesday committee meeting. “We all live within budgets,” O’Neill said. “We can’t afford a $1 million house, we buy a $300,000 house, right? My fear right now is that we are changing the scope again.”

The retrofit will expand the facility at 7740 E. Front St. by adding 84 beds, increasing capacity from 136 to 220. The project will also construct a kitchen, laundry, clinic, and administrative offices, along with dedicated areas for visiting, intake, and release. This approach saves nearly $100 million by avoiding the $18.4 million cost of moving the existing tow lot. Total spending on new municipal detention facilities will reach $145.8 million, including $25.8 million already spent on the temporary structure.

The temporary facility, often called the World Cup jail, has not yet opened for general use. It received a temporary occupancy certificate in late August for administrative offices only. The Council aims to begin housing people charged with municipal offenses in January, though the city has not yet hired sufficient staff. To attract workers, Council members raised the starting pay for correctional officers from $19.27 to $25.40 an hour and for senior officers from $20.10 to $27.35 an hour, effective retroactively to Oct. 18.

Melissa Patterson Hazley, a Councilwoman in the Third District, described a systemic issue of designing projects without strict cost limits. “The architect is going to draw you the Taj Mahal every time unless you give them guardrails because that’s their job,” she said. Two other projects, a police station replacement and a community resource center, remain over budget. Assistant City Manager Tammy Queen stated that the retrofit reduces the jail’s annual debt service from $17.2 million to $10.2 million. A resolution passed Thursday prioritizes the retrofit first and requests a financing plan that caps total annual debt service at $21 million.