[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6137029,"mediaKeyId","5604506-cd792a73eecd2616a1df1fe66970f39d","parentId",5604506,"title","Council kicks off 2026 state legislative priorities; staff to redline packet and return","audioSeconds",611,"startMs",2053615,"endMs",2664735,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5604506-cd792a73eecd2616a1df1fe66970f39d&start=2053&end=2664","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5604506-cd792a73eecd2616a1df1fe66970f39d/thumbnail_2053615.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6137029/Lees-Summit/Jackson-County/Missouri/Council-kicks-off-2026-state-legislative-priorities-staff-to-redline-packet-and-return","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6137029-1bace90d26066055658e1c31feffbdd9/orig.mp4?Expires=1773683244&Signature=awq3WH9ewieeFsbiihx5~6oCXLluJrpriS7jRu71xPp5MbL9d7JbjpkjyMFEDcWytkNHqnOCxgeYZj8Vo5LBiAX4JWIq7FkK373ylelbltdE5aitdXUTgnN~toVjLz~eusVQ70vkBctCyn2j6x09wFsPM0kupwv~Lv68m7vkjaLBAY6isBb955ieabc6osSppDuRJaqKBr0hto6cb9oxXEKVMNkp-E2nJ9IPgBGgNPsJNoODMRlodjIt0zLo8ajYan0MXVDd9YZaHsQiuNiVwhh2B9SfHvmHGemNqZGJXddh7PprcFVgc~c2dmLspq6YqMD8K~i5Cg1QbEicv2EEFA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author"," LEE'S SUMMIT, MO","date","2025-08-18T00:00:00Z","article","City staff opened the annual process to develop Lee's Summit's 2026 state legislative priorities and asked council members to review and submit edits. \"It's our kickoff, of starting to talk about priorities,\" Brian (staff member) said, outlining a schedule that begins with staff and council redlines, an 80% draft by October and a final packet to council in December.

Council members identified transportation as a key focus, including continuing to advocate for funding for I‑470 and ongoing work on Third Street and Highway funding mechanisms. \"I don't know where we are on Third Street and Highway. Are we still gonna try to get...we've got a funding mechanism that we're working on,\" Mayor Baird said. Council member Shields cautioned that some handout bullets were too terse to convey the city's intent, noting, \"...some of the bullet points get so concise as to not be really clear what we're asking for. For example, revising current revenue models and methods for funding transportation. I don't know what the city wants there.\"

Staff said they would gather management team priorities, accept redlines to the Word document provided in the packet, and prepare a revised draft for the September meeting and an 80% product by October, with finalization in November or December. Staff also recommended redlines be flagged to indicate whether items were requested by departments or already addressed. Council did not adopt priorities at the meeting; the item was a kickoff and direction to staff on next steps.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Legislative Relations Meeting (8/18/25) | LEE'S SUMMIT, MO","oneSentenceSummary","City staff opened the process to draft Lee's Summit's 2026 state legislative priorities, with a timeline to gather staff and council redlines, prioritize transportation projects including I‑470 and Third Street/Highway funding, and present a near‑final draft in the fall.","taxTitle","Lee's Summit, Jackson County, Missouri","taxId",2583,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6137034,"Lee's Summit council reviews options, costs for federal lobbying; asks staff for firm overviews",837,1122670,1960159,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5604506-cd792a73eecd2616a1df1fe66970f39d&start=1122&end=1960","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5604506-cd792a73eecd2616a1df1fe66970f39d/thumbnail_1122670.jpg","/articles/6137034/Lees-Summit/Jackson-County/Missouri/Lees-Summit-council-reviews-options-costs-for-federal-lobbying-asks-staff-for-firm-overviews","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6137034-3182e554ffa75b2966954f6dacc82864/orig.mp4?Expires=1773683244&Signature=a2d8bkjAxeoUAXYsy2IU1a~MRk~MVIgFeTX0UUCaN5F~Pq9EC~194a5kXuSmcA-j4j98NI2b2EbIQv8EyE8FoTbupRCwsUrMU~Lm8Y4qhW2DP13I-L0ImnUqydxEUbWcs7SVO2WBcasfR28JUw5isNRB3jN1LZxBVVRfJRC-2MGs1q-Lb~01sx5B37NKqOan2XLs~-TmZQGxxVU8YYohDHvQWV7G9Pm6rEGX3yCafF7t9OoWbxwsxQGfXVcbbWJIJdVQCkV6ckNRf4R1Af5rCODhPm70H~EafgDgqdQN9BCwSIpZrP9B6MehiUt7sWjpJLORmPJvua3sYxVIw3Fs1A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Lee's Summit City Council continued a discussion about whether to secure federal lobbying services and how to pay for them, reviewing a dataset showing municipalities in the region spend roughly $40,000 to more than $280,000 annually for federal lobbying services. \"So that's just really not feasible. But what I would like to see, is if maybe we could contact these 2 firms that are in their memorandum, and just get a, like, a if they have a sample contract or some kind of overview of what they do so we can have an idea,\" said Brian (staff member) as councilors discussed next steps.

Staff said data in the meeting packet included every city in the country that hires a federal lobbyist and was sourced from public House of Representatives records. Brian summarized regional examples; Kansas cities tended to pay about $40,000 to $80,000 annually while several Missouri entities paid from about $120,000 up to about $280,000 per year depending on scope. Staff also reported that the city's current state lobbyist firm, Versa, and two named lobbyists, John Hensley and Zach Pollock, are exploring expanding into federal work and might partner with a Washington, D.C., firm.

Council members discussed three options: 1) add federal work as an amendment to the city's existing state lobbying contract as a time‑limited pilot, 2) wait until the current contract expires and include federal services in a future RFP, or 3) issue a separate federal lobbying RFP now. Council members expressed a preference to try an add‑on or amendment with the current firm and to gather sample contracts from potential partner firms first. \"I like the idea of some kind of a partnership or coordinated approach since, you know, Versa or whoever we will end up working with the state level kinda knows us and knows what our priorities are,\" Council member Shields said.

Staff said the city’s current contract expires in about a year, so a full competitive selection likely would occur next summer; in the meantime staff advised they could pursue a limited contract amendment under a pilot/sole‑source rationale if costs and procurement rules allow. No hiring decision or contract award was made at the meeting. The council asked staff to obtain sample scopes and sample contract language from the firms referenced in the memorandum and to bring options back for further discussion ahead of the next procurement cycle.","City staff presented national and regional spending data on federal lobbyists and the council directed staff to request sample contracts and scope information from firms rather than immediately opening an RFP or hiring a federal lobbyist.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6137039,"Lee's Summit police describe co-responder program for mental-health calls",217,141870,359045,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5604506-cd792a73eecd2616a1df1fe66970f39d&start=141&end=359","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5604506-cd792a73eecd2616a1df1fe66970f39d/thumbnail_141870.jpg","/articles/6137039/Lees-Summit/Jackson-County/Missouri/Lees-Summit-police-describe-co-responder-program-for-mental-health-calls","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6137039-8082b98f0b87edca9d21bb2dd0fd501f/orig.mp4?Expires=1773683244&Signature=cU1X8XOcThGoCU24tnvWx34gCwi2uRol4gTL2Ce3YGrnRQx28NbGbepRy1ZzpFTuFHDxvRRgvMP22MHM453MnSCftpApRkT9JZwhPvNBE4ojazSOjtGgjF2GXAFRqU-UiYkabzS~aGP4F-YVgRPBH7a5-G9il0b9WtZlPBP5SKJACb7r9WE3cFdbD7iA92CE3R7Wh1NK9kEJUZ~Gl6WnY8PN-ncxeSXM-GR2d5AChMFSKaL8EteoRTJ7wy~LAkwT0lcLVOiUrTKRIvg3HW3ZqofG4VSlOSAYxFpQL9wAQCpt87uzG8GErW~dmV5EKRgU4tPPs0dXw1ghDS0ZUaUPsg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Lee's Summit police presented details of a crisis co-responder program that pairs crisis-intervention team officers with licensed behavioral‑health professionals to respond to mental‑health calls in the community. \"We're here, we exist. All you have to do when you call 911 is ask for us,\" said Allison, a mental‑health co‑responder who described how the team is dispatched and how it works on scenes.

The program, officials said, grew in response to rising mental‑health calls for service. \"In 2020, we had 722 mental‑health related calls for service. 2022, by that time, 1,479,\" Allison said to illustrate the increase. Co‑responders, she said, are licensed at the bachelor or master level, wear plain clothes, do not carry weapons and respond with officers when appropriate. \"Like, hey. You know, my name's Allison. I'm a mental health professional. I'm here to help you. I'm not here to take you to jail or arrest you,\" she said.

On scene, co‑responders described performing safety planning, identifying support people, securing medications or sharp objects and arranging urgent‑care assessments or follow‑up behavioral‑health services if needed. Allison described a case in which the co‑response team helped a person who expressed suicidal ideation to find immediate supports, check on them within hours and connect them to ongoing weekly services: \"I just took a person that really just thought they had nobody and nobody would show up for them and show them you do.\" Officials said the program aims both to connect people to services and to divert them from emergency rooms and jails.

Program staff also described operational details: co-responders monitor police radio channels for mental‑health keywords and have the ability to self‑dispatch to certain calls. The presenter urged residents to explicitly ask for a co‑responder when calling 911 if they want that response. The council did not take any new formal action on the program during the meeting.

City staff did not provide a staffing or budget authorization during the presentation; the speakers described existing practice and outcomes and encouraged residents and officers to use the co‑response option when appropriate.","Police and a licensed mental-health co-responder described a program that pairs specially trained officers and behavioral-health professionals on mental‑health calls and urged callers to request a co-responder when calling 911.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Council kicks off 2026 state legislative priorities; staff to redline packet and return

Lee's Summit council reviews options, costs for federal lobbying; asks staff for firm overviews

Lee's Summit police describe co-responder program for mental-health calls