Purchases in Independence are subject to an additional quarter-cent sales tax. This tax is donated to the city’s police department.
The proposal was approved by 61% of voters in Tuesday’s primary.
The tax is expected to generate about $5.47 million annually and will remain in effect until voters repeal it.
City officials said the tax is needed to increase police officer pay and remain competitive with area agencies, including the Kansas City Police Department, which recently implemented a new pay scale that will increase wages.
Independence Police Chief Adam Dustman said in a statement Tuesday night that he was “deeply grateful to the voters who supported Prop PD.”
“We’ve already seen the impact that raising salaries has on our ability to hire new officers. But it’s also improved our ability to retain our existing officers. Morale skyrocketed when Prop PD was announced in May, and I can feel it in our ranks again tonight.”
During a special meeting in May, Independence City Manager Zach Walker told the City Council that in 20 years, at current levels, an Independence police officer would make $579,000 less than an officer from Kansas City.
Entry-level officers at KCPD make $65,000. Under the new proposal, if voters approve the tax, Independence’s salary would increase to $62,000.
Officials say the increase will help recruit new officers and retain current employees.
The Independence Police Department has 230 sworn positions. Of those, 38 are vacant. The department would have to shift officers from specialized units such as tactics and criminal investigations to patrol if another 10 to 12 officers were to leave the department, Walker said.
He pointed out that there were other funding options, such as the city’s $930,000 in American Rescue Plan Act money that must be spent by the end of the year. But Walker said using that money is a one-time fix, while the sales tax is a permanent solution.
The city already collects a one-eighth-cent sales tax for capital investments in police departments. That tax expires in 2028. The tax revenue from marijuana sales will go toward a new design for the city’s Justice Center.
