News Brief: Committee Updates 11.15.2021

Published on November 16, 2021

Standing Meeting Brief

Public Works & Safety Standing Committee

It was a full agenda with multiple updates from Unified Government Departments, including:

Emergency Dispatch Services for Edwardsville and Bonner Springs

The committee approved a cooperative agreement with Edwardsville and Bonner Springs to provide emergency dispatch services. This formalizes an existing arrangement with the Unified Government but also adds the creation of a 911 Advisory Committee, representing each jurisdiction. This Advisory Committee is intended to provide a forum for discussing service and improvements and will meet twice a year. The Unified Government does not receive reimbursement for any of these services as fees are collected by the state.

Armourdale Industrial District Pump Station Improvements

The Armourdale Industrial District Pump Station, which is the largest pump station that feeds the Kaw Point water treatment plant, has been experiencing some failures recently and needs several important improvements. The Committee supported a resolution to declare this a necessary improvement project and authorized a land survey to help establish the scope of work. 

Open Burn Ordinance

There are proposed changes to open burn ordinance which includes more clearly defining key terms (e.g. extraordinary residential waste) which are referenced in the existing ordinance language but does not go as far as defining what is meant by the term. In addition, the proposed changes would give more discretion for special times for burning outside of the regular periods which could be beneficial (after a storm, for example). Other proposed changes include the creation of an appeals process for when permit applications are denied as well as changing some of the requirements for air curtain open pit destructor device use. This revised ordinance will likely come back to the Committee for consideration in early December 2021 or early 2022. 

Capital Maintenance and Improvement Plan Update

Public Works also provided an update on the Capital Maintenance and Improvement Plan which you can watch here. With all of the infrastructure needs across our city and county, the department has taken a very data-driven approach to prioritizing our investments, weighing factors such as the operations and maintenance costs, full lifecycle costs, capacity needs, and other community priorities and impacts. A few projects highlighted for 2022 range from a stabilization project at City Hall to the design of the Pierson Park Fire Station, which will replace two outdated fire stations in Turner; to intersection improvements at 7th and Central as well as Hutton and Donahoo; to more sidewalk improvements as part of the Safe Routes to School Program around Caruthers Elementary School; to renovations at Davis Hall and the addition of a new spray park at Clifton Park.

Check out the Map of Upcoming Projects

Mowing Services

A final joint presentation by the Parks & Recreation and Public Works Departments provided a review of the 2021 mowing services, summarized some of the challenges to come, and how the Unified Government is working to address this service. To give you a snapshot of the challenges, the Unified Government Parks & Recreation Department currently maintains:

  • 3,000 vacant lots (approximately)
  • 54 parks and trails
  • 27 sports fields
  • 100+ playgrounds
  • All medians with grass
  • All Unified Government building and logistic sites
  • 31 water pollution control sites
  • 14 cemeteries

The Public Works Department also maintains:

  • All right-of-way for county-owned properties
  • Alleys of county-owned properties
  • Overgrowth hanging onto roadways and guardrails
  • Certain hazard locations and KDOT right-of-way by agreement

These departments do this work with a very small team on a 4-6 week rotation, weather permitting. With more vacant parcels coming on post-tax sale, the problem isn't getting any smaller. Check out the complete presentation here.

Administration and Human Services Standing Committee

Bank On KC

Following the Public Works and Safety Committee, the Administration and Human Services Standing Committee heard a updates from staff on the Bank On KC initiative. The Bank On movement is a national effort to ensure everyone has access to safe and affordable bank accounts, leveraging national, regional, and local collaborations to encourage widespread availably of safe, low-cost transactional products. Kansas City-based Credit & Homeownership Empowerment Services, Inc. (CHES, Inc.) will serve as the program manager for the initiative working in concert with the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, KS. Focusing on the entire metro area, in coordination with the Unified Government, this coalition will be the first of its kind in the state of Kansas. Check out our original news story on this exciting new option for residents.

Neighborhood Stabilization Program

We also heard a preview of the Neighborhood Stabilization Program close-out, funded in 2008, which is scheduled for its final public hearing on Thursday, November 18. The Community Development Department shared the outcomes of this $6.5M investment in Wyandotte County. The program award funded the purchase of vacant, foreclosed homes to rehabilitate or redevelop and sell to help stabilize neighborhoods. To get this program started, a considerable amount of work was required to identify the right homes for this program. The Unified Government received additional allocations over time to acquire 52 foreclosed units with three homes demolished with two used a green space and one new construction in partnership with Habitat for Humanity. 

Wyandotte County Historical Museum Update

The Wyandotte County Historical Museum also shared a review of the year to date and how it has adapted during COVID, including rotating installations, social media expansion, and an increase in our archival efforts. Looking ahead, the Museum is excited to feature three new exhibitions next year, celebrating the history of Rosedale (Spring), KCK (Summer) and the 100th Anniversary of the Fairfax District (Fall). We are looking forward to what's next!

Opioid Crisis Claims

The final item for the evening is regarding ongoing claims against pharmaceutical companies for the opioid crisis. The proposed agreement would release and assign claims to the Kansas Attorney General to enable the state to negotiate a settlement agreement on our behalf. According to Kansas HB 2079, we can join the Municipalities Fight Addiction (MFA) fund by January 1, 2022 which would create some financial benefit to Kansas because they can include our population in the settlement. However, because of the timing and the Commission calendar, the resolution authorizes the Administrator and Chief Counsel to release claims and join the MFA if deemed to be in the best interest of the Unified Government and our community. Stay tuned for more updates on this effort.


That's all for now. Our next standing committee meetings are on November 29.

Tagged as: