IndeGO Bond: Public Safety

The IndeGO Bond program includes $130M for a new consolidated Justice Center, remediation of the ground where the current Independence Police Department is located, and to purchase the Jackson County Regional Animal Shelter.

Lights shine on the front of the Central Police Building also known as Independence Police Headquarters in the early morning hours.

Photo of the exterior of the Jackson County Regional Animal Shelter

IndeGO Bond FAQs: Public Safety

The IndeGO Bond would fund a newly constructed Justice Center campus that would house consolidated operations for a more streamlined and efficient Independence Police Department as well as a municipal court.

The current IPD Headquarters has multiple issues resulting in raw sewage coming through ceilings and into workspaces. The department has outgrown the current space, and operations are spread out over multiple locations in the city, costing the city valuable time and money every year. It is estimated the city would save tens of thousands of dollars annually in fuel costs and vehicle maintenance alone with this consolidated campus.

Yes. The money is guaranteed to be used for the intended purpose by state law. It cannot be used for anything else other than the intended purpose.

Once IPD moves into the newly remodeled headquarters on the Justice Center campus, the old building will be demolished and prepared for future Independence Square redevelopment. The existing off-site police K-9 and Special Operations buildings will be sold.

To find out more about the plan to reshape the Independence Square click here.

A new justice center campus, centrally located in Independence, will increase safety, efficiency, and police response times.

Today, police units, training and operations are spread throughout the city. There is no room for K-9 or special operations units at current IPD headquarters. Additionally, the space does not meet our police forces needs for training, evidence storage, arrests or efficient day-to-day operations.

A new justice center campus would consolidate operations into one centrally located building increasing efficiencies.

The Justice Center campus will be located where the current Independence Utilities Center building sits at 17221 E. 23rd Street. This is the geographic center of Independence. The central location will shorten police response times.

Additionally, Independence already owns the IUC building and by retrofitting an existing building to meet the needs of the department, the city will save money.

The City of Independence operates the animal shelter on 78 Highway, but Jackson County owns it. There are many repairs needed for the shelter to function - holes in ceilings, doors that don't close, offices that flood, astroturf that's disintegrating, and an air conditioner that doesn't work. But because Jackson County owns the building, the city cannot make those repairs.

The $3 million in the G.O. Bond earmarked for the Animal Shelter would allow the city to purchase the building to pay off the remaining debt and therefore be able to own and operate the Animal Shelter that serves not only Independence, but unincorporated eastern Jackson County.

A brown adult dog looks over the orange sides of a kennel at the Regional Animal Shelter.

GENERAL OBLIGATION BOND QUESTION NO. 1

Shall the City of Independence, Missouri, issue its general obligation bonds in the amount of $130,000,000 for the purpose of acquiring, constructing, renovating, improving and equipping public safety buildings, facilities and grounds including constructing, improving and equipping a new justice center, demolishing existing law enforcement facilities housing functions that will be moved to the new justice center and preparing such sites for alternative uses, and acquiring, renovating and equipping an animal control facility?