Kansas City’s latest changeup in a yearslong effort to build a permanent municipal jail involves a $120 million retrofit of its new, temporary modular one: the so-called World Cup jail that didn’t open for the World Cup, and still hasn’t opened.
This latest pivot on the city’s part, from an all-new $201 million permanent jail in the East Bottoms, was not born from any long-term strategic planning, community engagement or a change in needs. Rather, it’s because of money.
The move follows the recent surprise reveal to City Council members that the city’s public safety sales tax, renewed by voters in 2025, could only cover estimated for a jail and other large public safety projects the city has planned…