Jackson County voters renew COMBAT sales tax by wide margin

Voters in Jackson County approved the renewal of the quarter-cent Community Backed Anti-Crime Tax with 72% voting in favor, according to unofficial results at 10 p.m. on Nov. 3 reported by Beacon: Kansas City. The decisive vote keeps the local funding stream active for another decade, extending the tax until March 2037.

First established in 1989 following the Jackson County Legislature’s declaration of a violent health epidemic during the crack cocaine crisis, 2026 marks the fifth time voters have renewed the measure. In 2009, the county expanded the tax’s scope beyond drug-related offenses to address all forms of violent crime.

“It’s the most comprehensive pool of public safety funding we have,” said Murray Woodard II, director of Jackson County COMBAT, the organization that oversees the sales tax fund. The fund generates between $25 million and $30 million annually.

Voters in Jackson County have decided to renew the county's quarter-cent anti-crime sales tax, known as COMBAT, in Tuesday’s midterm election. https://t.co/yBzbC5Y85z pic.twitter.com/cZ06Xkrypk

— https://x.com/fox4kc/status/2117829953584800215

Roughly 60% of the revenue pays for police, prosecution, courts, and corrections. This includes supporting the Jackson County Drug Court and the Jackson County Drug Task Force, which seized more than 12,000 grams of fentanyl and nearly 60,000 grams of methamphetamine last year. The remaining funds largely support grants administered by nonprofits such as the AdHoc Group Against Crime and the Metropolitan Organization Countering Sexual Assault, alongside substance abuse treatment and school-based initiatives.

Mixed Results for Local Bonds and Use Taxes

While the anti-crime tax passed with overwhelming support, other local ballot questions faced a different reality across Jackson County municipalities.

A large room of people sit at tables listening to a panel discussion where five people are seated at at table. One woman — Photo: kcur.org

Voters in Blue Springs rejected a proposed 2.5% use tax by 64%. The measure would have applied a sales tax to online purchases and out-of-state vendors. Similarly, voters in Lee’s Summit rejected a municipal solid waste collection question by 64%.

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