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The Board of County Commissioners encourages citizen participation in local governance processes. The public is invited to participate in the meeting. A copy of the rules, BOCC materials, meeting schedules and videos are available at https://boccmeetings.jocogov.org/OnBaseAgendaOnline/.

For copies of reports, click here.

April 9, 2025

The meeting was called to order by Mike Kelly at 9:30 with all Commissioners except Commissioner Allenbrand present. A Fair Housing Month Proclamation was presented.  Public Comments lasted for 13 minutes.

A vote of 6-0 approved the Consent Agenda, with one item removed by amendment. The item removed was an update to the AV equipment for the Johnson County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to be provided by Mission Electronics, in an amount not to exceed $704,451 from the FY 2024 EOC Grant Program Award.  The availability of these funds through a Kansas State Grant has been ascertained through our Federal Legislators, Representative Davids and Senator Moran.  

The Action Agenda contained a single item.  Funding for the KCMO Dykes Branch Interceptor Project in an amount not to exceed $8,128,419 with an MOU with KCMO for reimbursement of Johnson County’s portion of the project was approved by a vote of 6-0.    A portion of Johnson County Wastewater’s (JCW) system flows to the KCMO Dykes Branch Interceptor near 89th Street and State Line Road.  Normal daily flows will be transferred to JCW’s Tomahawk Treatment Facility once JCW’s State Line Pump Station and Force Main Project is complete, resulting in an estimated savings of $100 Million over twenty years. However, peak wet weather flows will continue to be sent to KCMO through KCMO’s Dykes Branch Interceptor.  

The County Manager's Report included:

• The Housing Services 2024 Annual Report --  The Family Self-Sufficiency Program helps residents manage their financial investments in their homes.

• The 2024 Energy Consumption Management Executive Summary--   One highlight is the reduction of JOCO facilities' energy usage by 23% since 2015.

The County Auditor Performance Audit was of the WIC Program--  Only 7400 out of 13, 900 eligible participate in the JOCO WIC program.  Data sharing could be improved between KDHE, managed care organizations, and the county agency.  Federal immigration policies can impede active participation in nutritional support available to all regardless of status.  The program is fifty years old and is highly successful at improving nutritional health for expectant and breastfeeding mothers and children up to five years of age.

The Legislative Update included the signing of 94 bills by Governor Kelly and the passage of HB2022, the elections bill which allows special elections only in August, November, and one day in March.  The current veto session includes consideration of sixteen vetoes by the Governor.  The county's lobbying firms, at the state level, Frederico/Duerst Consulting Group, and at the national level, the national Ferguson Group are collaborating on maintaining and stabilizing funding for federally funded services, such as WIC (100% federally funded).

Commissioner Comments included praise for Chairman Kelly's State of the County address, a suggestion that residents watch Agenda Review for more details regarding issues brought forward on the Consent Agenda, the Water Academy for a deep dive into JOCO water, and banning of Bradford Pear trees in the state of Kansas, starting January 1, 2027.

April 3, 2025

Public comments lasted about 15 minutes and included remarks praising the County's quality of life; complaints and disinformation about education, public transit, property taxes, accounting methods and other items.

Attainable Housing--The County will sign a letter of intent to collaborate with the Greater Kansas City Home Ownership Initiative to address the housing crisis in Johnson County. This project is initially funded by VanTrust Real Estate and the VanTuyl family.  The Greater Kansas City Home Ownership Initiative (“GKCHOI”) is a not-for-profit corporation created with the support of VanTrust Real Estate as a vehicle for creating partnerships and accessing expertise across various sectors for other public and private organizations to come together in collaboration.  The LOI is not binding and does not require budget approval.   For more information:  LOI.final(002).docx.pdf

 --A representative from the Good Faith Network asked for more specifics: Actions to be taken, potential partnerships, et al.

--Several other public commenters returned to the lectern to accuse the Trust of “generating legal fees” through the project, conflict of interest, high taxes, and to complain about lack of return on investment from mental health assistance for those struggling with homelessness.

--County Counsel Peg Trent stated that no conflict of interest existed in this project for Chairperson Kelly.  --Commissioner Ashcraft’s motion to delay the vote one week in order to investigate conflicts of interest died for lack of a second.

--Commissioner Fast noted that she hoped other groups would be invited to participate.

--Commissioner Hanzlick noted barriers to home construction: Immigrants are 30% of the labor, and tariffs will further increase costs.

--Chairperson Kelly recused himself to avoid the appearance of impropriety.

Yes Votes: Allenbrand, Brewer, Fast, Hanzlick, Meyers. No Vote: Ashcraft.

The Major Projects Update is available at https://boccmeetings.jocogov.org/OnBaseAgendaOnline/Documents/DownloadFile/MajorProjects

 Legislative Update-- None of the property tax legislation has been signed into law by Governor Kelly. The full text of the budget bill has not been posted. The Governor will veto this bill if it is posted. The extended eligibility for property tax relief was not included in the tax bill and is dead for this session.

For more detail on the Legislative Update:  Conference Committee Bills Summary.pdf.  The Legislature will return for the veto session next week.

Chairperson Kelly stated that “It’s up to us to find long term solutions for property tax relief in Johnson County because this will not come from the state legislature."

Commissioners met as the Committee of the Whole about redistricting.  There will be multiple in-person and virtual meetings for resident input, as well as interactive maps on the BOCC website.
 
March 27, 2025

Public comments lasted about 10 minutes.

Homeless Assistance--Chairperson Kelly signed the Certificate of Non-Federal Match Form for funds to work with homeless assistance agencies.

Aging Advocacy--The Board appointed the following individuals to the Johnson County Commission on Aging Advisory Board:  Andrea Leavitt; Paul Lyons; Carol Feaker; John Smith; Mary Estrada; Rob Givens; Ben Harber; Trinette Waldrup; Cindy Green; Julia Meyer; Ruth Hopkins; Chair, Jarrod Ousley; and Chair nomination, Becky Parrott.

Addiction Grant--Commissioners agreed to accept the $300,000 Kansas Fights Addiction Grant to implement the Family Court Substance Abuse Programming for 2025.

Strategic Priorities--The Board redefined their strategic priorities for broadband and internet access. Broadband is now viewed as a necessary utility which must be accessible to rural and vulnerable residents.  

Health--Commissioners agreed to purchase vaccines for the Health Department; 89% of vaccine costs are
recovered from patient fees.

Board Focus Areas--The Board approved their focus areas for 2025-2026 for attainable housing, the environment, use of Opioid Settlement Funds, fiscal health, World Cup planning and more as amended by Commissioner Ashcraft to mention measurable outcomes and financial stability. Briefing Sheet for 2025-2026 Focus Areas v.3 - clean.docx

A report was given about the ETC Resident Community Survey. Health and Human Services are critical roles for government, according to residents.

Older Adults Focus Group--Johnson County’s 65+ population has increased 52% since 2010. The public is invited to a focus group addressing the needs of older adults on April 30, 10 AM, Meadowbrook Park Clubhouse, 9101 Nall. To register call: 913-715-8860 or email: Jill.Zink@jocogov.org. Limited seating. Please register by April 23.

CERI Report – March 2025

--The County unemployment rate for January is 3.5%.

--Inflation-adjusted change in retail sales YTD 2023 to YTD 2024 is down -1.4%.

--Home prices are down -1.6% from one year ago.

 Legislative Report—

• Kansas Voting Rights limited: Legislators overrode the Governor’s veto of the bill removing the three-day grace period on mail-in ballots.  Local senate and house votes to override: Kellie Warren, TJ Rose, Chris Croft, and Sean Tarwater.

• The Education Budget, particularly Special Education, is underfunded, which will force districts to fund this area out of other services. ($7.5 million budget passed versus the Kansas Department of Education proposal for about $87 million.)

• Final votes will probably be taken on Thursday or Friday. Then the legislature will be in recess until about April 10.
• The Astra Fund budget bill has not moved. The text of the bill has not been released.
  
• First Adjournment is March 28.

After breaking for executive session Commissioners returned and voted to file a lawsuit over a domain name.

The Committee of the Whole—Chairperson Kelly noted the importance of using the funds from the Opioid Settlement to support the frontline nonprofits that provide lifesaving services, as well as for purchases of Naloxone, a medicine that rapidly reverses an opioid overdose. Concerns about equitable distribution of funds were also discussed.

March 20, 2025

No Meeting.

March 13, 2025

The Seven Days of Kindness, marking the tragic murder of three Kansas Citians by a white supremacist in April 2014, will begin on March 31st.   County employees will participate in this recognition.

Public Comments lasted about 10 minutes.

Water--The Board approved an additional $3,599,030 with HDR Engineering for Johnson County WasteWater Integrated Plan program services, increasing the total contract amount to $18,913,030 in order to develop a long-term strategy to manage the waste water. Integrated Plan program services are widely used elsewhere. Commissioner Ashcraft noted that he was interested in return on investment.

Rules of Order Modifications--After several inaccurate statements by public commenters accusing the Chairperson of abrogating the power of Commissioners and after unanimous consensus during the Committee of the Whole, the Board approved several revisions to the rules of order. Commissioner Ashcraft alleged that he hadn’t had enough time to review the changes.

Changes include:
      --Method of adding items to the agenda addresses attempts by uninformed individuals to add inaccurate and inappropriate items to the Board order of business.
      --Appointment power for boards has been distributed to all Commissioners, rather than solely by the Chair. 

The New Century Airport is in a good position to leverage income for the County.

Economic Forecast—the MARC Report is available at  MARC Economic Forecast March 13 2025 Johnson County BCC.pptx.   This report will be revised next week in light of the tariffs and other activity by the White House.  Current key assumptions here are that Trump will not deport so many people that it depresses the labor market and that there will be no recession. These assumptions are no longer possible now because of the chaos from the president.  One important point for local governments, schools, and housing is that the fertility rate has not recovered and continues to decline, now down to 1.6%. This decline will determine the kinds of services local communities must offer and will reduce the workforce.

Each federal job loss costs 1.6 related jobs in the wider workforce. The unintended consequences of mass federal layoffs are huge.  Tariffs can impact the County significantly, especially in the area of auto sales and auto parts. The biggest impact of tariffs is the uncertainty created in terms of business investment, productivity, and fear of layoffs. That uncertainty will create lagging impacts for some time to come. (Chairperson Kelly).  

Commissioner Brewer noted the need for intentionality in planning for housing.

CERI--The Johnson County Economic Report is available at CERI JoCo Economic Update 03-13-25.pptx.

County population has grown from 450,000 to 632,000 in 24 years. Employment: 370,000 jobs are available. Our county accounts for more growth in gross domestic product in the metro and in the state than any other area
Legislative Update--House Bill 2378, advocated for by Johnson County Mental Health, empowers the Kansas Bureau of Investigation to create a voluntary do not sell firearms list, which is a suicide prevention initiative. The Legislative update is available at Weekly Report - Week of March 3 2025.cleaned.pdf

Commissioner Comments:

--Commissioner Ashcraft reported that the library property which was sold to Merriam will be part of a TIF expansion.

--Commissioner Brewer briefly commented that she attended a meeting of the Juvenile Justice Corrections Board that she is liaison for. She also commented on the Seven Days event, noting the current presence of bigotry, ignorance and prejudice and the need for thoughtful conversations and careful, intentional action. 

--Commissioner Meyer spoke about Pete’s Garden, a food redistribution center, and the need for more, similar businesses in the County.

--Commissioner Fast attended the Rally for Health Care in the Capital, which had a great turnout.

--Vice Chair Hanzlick stated that the Older Americans Act will be funded at current levels under the Continuing Resolution. She also noted the threats from the federal level to Medicaid, which directly impacts Medicare. The County Council on Aging voted unanimously to notify the Commissioners that they opposed any cuts to these programs. 

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All board members, including County Commissioner Julie Brewer, were present.

Board member Anna Von Ophan announced her retirement from the board. The County Commission will name a Library Board replacement.  In addition, board counsel Fred Logan announced his retirement after serving the Johnson County Library Board for 41 years. 

Since April is National Volunteer Appreciation month, the library recognized 13 teens who have donated 1089 hours of service to the library during the past year.  In addition, a check for $123,074 was donated by the Library Foundation.  

Mr. Logan spoke to the “enormous impact on Kansas libraries resulting from President Trump’s Executive Action against the Institute of Museum and Library Services."  The Institute’s board has been fired and 70 positions eliminated.  Johnson County libraries will not be impacted as much as outlying libraries in the state.

Developing construction timelines for capital projects continues, but economic uncertainty may impact future planning.

Some of the events in Budget Proposal include planning for the 2026 World Cup, the 250th birthday of the United States, increased maker space and the replacement for the Corinth Library.  

The Johnson County Election Office worked very cooperatively and appreciatively with the Johnson County libraries in the past election and plan to continue this collaboration in the future.  

To learn more, click here.

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April 7, 2025

Mayor Curt Skoog called the meeting to order with one council member absent. 

City Manager Lori Curtis Luther reported that the Overland Park Farmers' Market will open  at the Matt Ross Community Center on Saturday, April 19. The market will open at 7:30am and close at 1:00pm each Saturday during the season. 

The Public Works Committee Report included a discussion of the 2027 Neighborhood Streets Reconstruction Program.  Details of the Overland Park Neighborhood Street Reconstruction Program can be viewed here:

https://www.opkansas.org/city-services/traffic-roads-transportation/traffic-roads/street-construction-projects/neighborhood-street-reconstruction-program/

Councilmember Logan Heley announced that the annual Overland Park Recycling Event will be held on Saturday, April 26, from 9:00 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Black and Veatch, 11401 Lamar Avenue.  Details are available here: 

https://www.opkansas.org/city-services/trash-recycling/recycling-extravaganza/

Council President Holly Grummert, a member of the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) reported on the ways in which MARC works with neighboring communities to "share ideas, access greater resources, and build a stronger region." MARC supports a wide range of regional programs including the Government Training Institute, the Government Initiatives Forum, and Homeland Security and Emergency Services. 

More about MARC can be found here: https://www.marc.org/

March 24, 2025

The first order of business was approving resolution 5020, concerning "the City’s Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2024 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Consolidated Annual Performance Evaluation Report (CAPER) and its submission to the Department of Housing and Urban Development." (HUD)   

The 34-page CAPER report is linked below.  https://opkansas.civicweb.net/document/373512/2024%20CAPER%20Draft.pdf?handle=CF15A55021DA4801A73AFA02EADF5A2C

The Council  also Approved Ordinance No. RD-3482, establishing a Redevelopment District on the southwest corner of Metcalf and West 80th Street.  The 8036 Metcalf Tax Increment Financing District (TIF) plan includes a 6 story multi-use building with 225 apartment units, retail space, and below ground parking. 

City Manager Lori Curtis Luther announced that the Overland Park Farmers Market will open for the 2025 season on Saturday, April 19. Because the new market location (Clock Tower Landing, with a planned opening of May 2026) is currently under construction, this season's Farmers Market will be located in the parking lot of Matt Ross Community Center.  The design and plan for the Clock Tower Landing Project can be viewed at:  

https://www.opkansas.org/recreation-fun/farmers-market/farmers-market-improvement-project/ 

The agenda, minutes, and a video of the meeting can be viewed at: opkansas.civicweb.net. 

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The Council met in person at 6:00 p.m., with public viewing in person or via livestream. There was a quorum.  Absent: Graves. Council recognized the Seven Days organization for encouraging acts of kindness and the Mayor’s Monarch initiative for promotion of pollinator-friendly plants. Public comments lasted about one hour, with 22 commenters. 

Prairie Village has been a sister city to Dolyna, Ukraine for many years. Although Dolyna is in the west of Ukraine and not under direct attack,  the city has lost hundreds of citizens to the war and is continuing to support  areas that are under attack. In addition to asking for help in convincing the US government to keep sending aid to Ukraine, the mayor of Dolyna has asked for help in paying for some UAVs (drones) to help monitor the area and deliver medicines. Four commenters during the public comment period spoke in favor of PV supporting its sister city in this way, and the Council discussed it as Committee of the Whole. Cole Robinson made a motion that the city donate $22,900 to Dolyna – one dollar for every resident of Prairie Village. Motion was approved 6 to 5 and will be moved to a regular council meeting for further discussion and action.

Other city business was conducted, and the meeting adjourned at 8:45.

To learn more, click https://www.pvkansas.com/governing-body/city-council/city-council-meeting-streaming.

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Meeting agenda: https://cityofshawnee.civicweb.net/Portal/MeetingInformation.aspx?Org=Cal&Id=10048

The meeting was called to order at 6 pm with all members present except Councilmember Jacklynn Walters (Ward 4).  No attendees spoke during public comment.

Discussion of rezoning an area at 71st Street and Clare Road in Shawnee from undeveloped to residential R-1 included comment from several members of the public.  Neighbors of the area in question were concerned about the width and safety of Clare Road, impact of further development on a pond and creek in the area, the density of homes planned for the acreage, and access to sidewalks and Erfurt Park.  Rezoning motion passed unanimously.

Council unanimously approved the final change order for the Quivira Road Improvement Project from 75th Street to 64th Terrace.  Due to unexpected stormwater repairs that came to light during the project, the total cost increased by $358,483.16.  The final contract totaled $4,093,903.

The City was awarded County Assisted Road System (CARS) funding from Johnson County to reimburse 50% of costs up to $1,878,000 for the mill and overlay project resurfacing Shawnee Mission Parkway from I-435 to K-7.  This agreement with the County was approved unanimously.  Later, the Council debated the need for some kind of traffic solution at Shawnee Mission Parkway and Vista Drive, between the stoplights at Midland Drive and Woodland Road, west of I-435.  There is currently no stoplight or stop sign and it’s becoming a dangerous intersection due to the volume of traffic on Shawnee Mission Parkway.  Several options were discussed with the plan to have one included when that stretch of Shawnee Mission Parkway is resurfaced.