The Unified Government of Wyandotte County opened a special session to review local readiness and budget implications for matches and fan‑fest activities tied to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. County Administrator David Johnson and department directors summarized anticipated needs and funding options as the region prepares to host multiple matches and related fan events in the Kansas City metropolitan area.

Nut graf: Departments tallied operational and capital requests that they say are likely to fall partly to local government. The presentation emphasized uncertainty about outside funding: the state has appropriated $28 million for World Cup work but guidance on allocation was not yet available, and separate federal transportation and public‑safety funding proposals were still moving through Congress.

What departments asked for: Public safety asked for money to cover overtime, specialized gear and language services; the police described needs for canine/EOD equipment, crowd control equipment and armored vehicles. The fire department asked for two additional ambulances, overtime and two pumpers, totaling roughly $2.112 million. The sheriff’s office cited detention capacity and transport equipment as budget items. Transit requested $1.3 million to expand a State Avenue route, a hotel circular route and stadium shuttle service, ADA‑accessible vehicles for demand‑response service (Iris) and approximately $306,000 in overtime for weekend and extended service; she also requested 8 ADA vehicles and additional fixed‑route vehicles for the stadium and hotel circulator. Public‑works and parks officials listed curb, sidewalk and preservation needs and targeted park improvements focused on five visitor‑priority parks.

Funding options under consideration: speakers laid out a mix of possible sources — federal grants (pending congressional action), the state appropriation, FIFA/KC26 regional funds, tourism/transient guest tax (TGT) revenue, CDBG and other local funds, and private fundraising. Staff proposed a temporary 1%–2% increase to the local transient guest tax (the UG portion is 8% currently) for calendar year 2026; officials estimated a 1% rise could generate roughly $600,000 and a 2% rise about $1.2 million, against a $4.8 million local budget ask.

Why it matters: Hosting the matches and fan events is expected to bring hundreds of thousands of visitors to the metro area across the tournament; organizers estimate 650,000 regional visitors overall with an international contingent. Commissioners stressed the need to prioritize life‑safety and mobility needs first and asked staff to present prioritized funding packages for commission consideration during upcoming budget deliberations.

Next steps and uncertainties: Staff said department requests were preliminary, not final commitments; commissioners asked for clearer, prioritized budgets and for staff to return with options that identify which expenses are critical, which are desirable, and which could be deferred. Multiple commissioners and administrators noted the urgency — the tournament begins in mid‑June 2026 — but also a lack of firm state or federal allocations to close budget gaps.

Ending: Officials said the Unified Government will continue coordinating with KC26, Visit KCK and regional partners and will return to the commission during the regular budget cycle with recommended funding packages and implementation steps.