KSHB 41 reporter Megan Abundis covers Kansas City, Missouri, including neighborhoods in the southern part of the city. Share your story idea with Megan.
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Residents and business owners in Waldo celebrated the completion of an 18-month-long reconstruction project Thursday.
At the same time, city leaders and officials at City Hall continued work to shore up the city's budget picture.
At Thursday's event in Waldo, I asked city leaders about the hiring freeze and how many affected positions are included, starting Monday.
"Probably a number in the hundreds," Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas said.
Lucas said there's about a 10% vacancy across most city departments that will remain unfilled.
"The city is trying to make sure we address our structural imbalance long term," Lucas said.
The mayor explained that expenses are outpacing revenues across multiple areas.
"Health insurance is up, salaries are up, pensions are up," Lucas said. "While we have a strong rainy day fund, we want to make sure we are not dumping into our savings and fund balance."
Despite the financial constraints, Lucas promised to maintain essential services.
"We will continue to make sure we deliver the basic series that people in Kansas City want and need," Lucas said.
Lucas and city officials say projects like the one on the Waldo neighborhood represent the road the city can take to balance its financial footing.
"They are doing good work, we do have pay increases that are part of what this would be, they won't be as robust as we have seen in years past," Lucas said.
The mayor acknowledged the city's history of accomplishing significant work with limited resources.
"We have always worked well with people doing a lot," Lucas said. "We will continue to do with that small number of people who are getting a lot done."
Lucas emphasized his commitment to maintaining the city's financial stability through his term.
"I will be Mayor through 2027," Lucas said. "I'm not giving away a city that's broken. We will make sure our rainy day fund is still strong and steady," Lucas said.
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