UG Commission approves budget, funds DA’s community integrity unit, defunds Fairfax fire station

Approved budget also raises sewer service fee, solid waste charge

$5 million payroll system approved

The Unified Government Commission approved a budget on Thursday, July 16, with no mill levy increase and no PILOT fee increase.

The UG administrator proposed a $380 million budget on June 25 that reflected reduced sales tax, gasoline tax and other revenues, but did not raise the property tax mill levy rate. The property tax rate of the city is 38.398, the same as 2020. The county mill levy rate is 39.263, the same as 2020.

While the city and county mill levy rates are not planned to change from last year, the assessed valuation is going up in Wyandotte County by around 5 percent each year, according to the UG budget document. That could result in a slight increase in some homeowners’ property taxes, depending on whether their home valuation increased and whether other taxing districts increase their mill levies.

The budget included many cuts, according to UG officials, including furloughs for employees and cuts to services and programs. The UG started furloughs during the past several weeks. The UG also is dipping into its reserves for funds.

Several UG departments reported they might see service cuts such as less mowing on right-of-ways, less snow removal, and less programs offered by parks and recreation centers. There were also cuts discussed in the police department that might result in some reductions in traffic units, school officers or community police or the possible closure of a police station, according to another recent budget workshop. More discussion about budget cuts is at https://wyandotteonline.com/ug-budget-hearing-to-be-tonight/.

UG Administrator Doug Bach said there was a reduction in force affecting about 30 people. He said they are trying to find other positions in the UG for some of the employees, but some may not be able or may not want to transfer to other areas.

Commission funds DA’s community integrity unit

The commission voted in favor of the district attorney’s community integrity unit. The unit will include 1.5 full-time positions, at a cost of $48,000 in 2020 and $165,000 in 2021, according to Doug Bach, UG administrator. It was only part of the original request for the unit. One of the tasks of this unit will be to investigate complaints about officers in the police department and other law enforcement officers in Wyandotte County.

Commissioner Melissa Bynum said that while she supported the idea of the community integrity unit, she wondered if it would be better placed in another area, such as with the legislative auditor or the ethics commissioner, who are independent under the UG charter. Commissioners also discussed the idea of encumbering the funds for the community integrity unit, much as they discussed a few years back when the district attorney proposed the conviction integrity unit.

Some commissioners mentioned that the district attorney made his proposal for the community integrity unit late in the budget process, and some of the commissioners felt they wanted more time to ask more questions about it. The district attorney presented the program at the Monday budget workshop. Some commissioners also remarked that if the unit isn’t working the way it should, they could look at its funding again next year.

More than 10 persons had made comments in favor of the community integrity unit during the UG budget hearing on Monday night.

Commissioners Townsend and Harold Johnson supported leaving the community integrity unit in the district attorney’s office, and not encumbering the funds. The CIU funding, unencumbered, was approved for the district attorney’s office on a 10-0 vote.

The county and city budget also was approved at that time.

Bach said the money for the community integrity unit will come from the contingency or reserve line item. The total overall county general fund budget will stay the same at $67.4 million for 2020 and $70.6 million for 2021, he said.

Fire station discussed again, without action

The UG administration earlier proposed closing the Fairfax fire station, and covering the Fairfax area from the Quindaro fire station. The Fairfax firefighters were proposed to be transferred to Piper to staff a new fire station there.

A task force then discussed ways to keep the fire station open in the Fairfax industrial district, including a possible public safety sales tax and also, drawing funds from several other sources in the budget. It was estimated to cost $1.8 million to staff the station. However, there were not enough votes for this plan in a straw poll at a recent UG Commission budget workshop.

An alternate plan proposed at a recent budget workshop by Commissioner Gayle Townsend to share firefighters between the two stations part-time, was not recommended by Fire Chief Mike Callahan in a presentation at tonight’s UG budget adoption meeting. Chief Callahan said there could be issues with computer-aided dispatching potentially resulting in firefighters in one part of town, for example, being dispatched far across town.

He also cited potential issues with firefighters’ personal vehicles being left at one station while they were working at another station; and issues with firefighters having to take their protective equipment and items back and forth between stations. He also cited problems with staffing programs and said scheduling would become burdensome. Scheduling training also would be burdensome, according to the fire chief.

It is not a “best practice” in the fire service, and he would not recommend it, he said.

Commissioner Townsend said the possibility for human error from her plan to share firefighters between two stations is too great a risk to take. She said she did not want to sacrifice the safety of the constituents or the firefighters.

There was no action taken to fund the Fairfax fire station.

$5.3 million payroll system approved

The commission voted unanimously to approve a $5.3 million home rule resolution for the county portion of the enterprise resource planning system and other items. About $1.9 million is coming from reserves in the debt service fund, according to Kathleen Von Achen, UG chief financial officer.

Temporary notes would be issued, which would be repaid from debt reserves in the county bond and interest fund, she said.

Von Achen said the UG has a financial system acquired over 25 years ago for paying bills and payroll. It also processes accounts receivable and deposits and records them. It doesn’t have the capability to help them manage people in the organization, and this new program has a series of modules that would allow the UG to manage its workforce, she said.

Von Achen said the return on investment of the system is that within two to three years it would pay back the cost of implementation. She estimated they would save $5 million a year by putting in place more streamlined business processes.

The system was approved 10-0.

The commission also passed a resolution to sell municipal temporary notes and to refund bonds.

County library budget approved

The county library budget, which includes an increase for those who live in Piper, Edwardsville and Turner, was adopted on a 10-0 vote.

Earlier, commissioners had asked about whether they could change the library mill levy, set by the county library board, and were told that state law required them to approve the budget as submitted by the county library board.

They asked at the earlier meeting what they could do to change the situation.

Bach tonight proposed to investigate the use of home rule to change the current structure of the county library board. A proposed change would make the mill levy rate a recommendation and not a requirement for the UG Commission to pass, according to Bach.

Also, since the county library board is appointed by the UG commissioners, the commissioners may want to engage individually with their appointees to discuss the commission’s goal of lowering the county-wide mill rate, Bach said, pointing out that this was suggested by commissioners at the last meeting.

He said any actions may take several months.

Other budget items

The Self-Supporting Municipal Improvement District (Downtown Improvement District) budget, at 9.957 mills, was approved 10-0.

The UG Commission on a 10-0 vote approved the 2020-2021 Annual Action Plan for Community Development.

The sewer service rate charge will increase 5 percent, with the monthly base charge going from $20.30 a month to $21.32 a month. The vote was 8-2 to approve it, with Commissioners Tom Burroughs and Mike Kane voting no.

The solid waste fee will increase from $15.65 to $16 in 2021 for residential units. The vote was 7-3 to approve it, with Commissioners Burroughs, Kane and Christian Ramirez voting no.

The PILOT fee, currently at 11.9 percent, will remain the same. The vote was 9-1, with Commissioner Kane voting no. The PILOT fee, sewer service rate charge and solid waste fee are collected on the BPU bills; the fees are sent to the UG.

The capital maintenance project list was approved, including:
• 131st Street and Leavenworth Road intersection reconstruction, $1.1 million;
• 51st north of Cleveland, replacement of concrete box, $700,000;
• 6th Street improvements, Ann Avenue to Central Avenue, $650,000;
• 7th Street and Central Avenue reconstruction, $2 million;
• 90th and Parallel, Brune Elementary, $2 million;
• Annex parking lot improvements, $400,000;
• ADA modification for UG facilities, 2019, $100,000, $100,000 in 2020 and $100,000 in 2021;
• Alley improvement program in 2020, $300,000; $300,000 in 2021;
• Concrete repair program in 2021, $1.77 million;
• Elevator upgrades 2021, $500,000;
• Emergency bridge repair, 2019, $300,000; emergency bridge repair 2020, $300,000; emergency bridge repair 2021, $300,000;
• Pavement preservation program 2021, $3 million;
• Railroad crossing improvement 2020, $150,000;
• Bonded equipment, $3.57 million;
• 18th Street bridge over Turkey Creek, $150,000;
• 36th and Ohio bridge replacement, $700,000;
• Dump station improvement – relocation, $1 million;
• City Hall structure study and stabilization, $10.35 million;
• Courthouse, $4.37 million;
• Enterprise Resource Planning System, $5,23 million;
• Facilities and parking annual maintenance and repair for 2018, $550,000; facilities and parking annual maintenance and repair for 2020, $700,000; facilities and parking annual maintenance and repair for 2021, $900,000;
• Fairfax entry and informational signage, $1.75 million;
• Fairfax industrial area improvements 2019, $100,000; Fairfax industrial area improvements 2020, $100,000; Fairfax industrial area improvements 2021, $100,000;
• Fiber connectivity projects, $4.1 million;
• Future fire station 2021 replacing two stations in the Turner district, $6.9 million;
• Green infrastructure improvements, 2019-2020, $2 million;
• Holliday Drive bridge replacements, $1.3 million;
• Hutton and Donahoo Road intersection improvements, $350,000;
• Hutton and Leavenworth Road reconstruction, $7,450,000;
• Infrastructure migration, $75,000;
• I-70 and Turner Diagonal interchange reconstruction, $7.5 million;
• Jail system ionization project, $100,000;
• Kansas levee betterment, $10.2 million;
• Kaw Point biosolids digestion, $80.5 million;
• Leavenworth Road, 78th to 63rd, $9 million;
• Lombardy Drive sanitary sewer improvements, $1.7 million;
• Maintenance facility on Kansas Avenue, $3 million;
• Metropolitan bikeway improvement, $350,000;
• Minnesota Avenue from 6th to 7th Street improvements, $1.23 million;
• Neighborhood ADA pedestrian handicapped ramps, 2020, $400,000; Neighborhood ADA pedestrian handicapped ramps, 2021, $400,000;
• Neighborhood street repair 2021, $100,000;
• North 34th Street box culvert, $380,000;
• Online permitting and electronic plan review software, $150,000;
• Pavement marking and signing program, $100,000;
• Piper Creek interceptor, $9.5 million;
• Plant 20 and 3 equipment and structural rehab, $3 million;
• Plant 20 biosolids dewatering, $5 million, prior authorized;
• Police station annual maintenance program, $50,000;
• Police station major facility improvements, $50,000;
• Police tow lot, $5 million, prior authorization;
• Priority traffic signal replacement 2016, $360,000; Priority traffic signal replacements 2020, $400,000; Priority traffic signal replacements 2021, $800,000;
• Pump station 18, 5, 4 upgrade, $4.45 million prior authorization;
• Pump stations SCDA, $17.5 million;
• Relocation of sewer maintenance facilities, $11 million prior authorization;
• Route 107 bus stop and station upgrades, $760,000 prior authorization;
• Safe Routes to School, Group D, prior authorization, $570,000;
• Safe Routes to School, Phase G, prior authorization, $528,000;
• Salt dome repairs, $60,000;
• Stormwater enhancements 2021, $500,000;
• Stream bank stabilization improvements, 2017-2019, $300,000 prior authorization; Stream bank stabilization improvements, 2020, $100,000 prior authorization; Stream bank stabilization improvements 2021, $100,000;
• System capacity upgrades 2020, $1.5 million; System capacity upgrades 2021, $3.5 million;
• Technology projects, $917,000;
• Timekeeping upgrades – integrations, $58,000;
• Upgrade land management system, $324,000;
• West annex, $190,000;
• Wolcott expansion – Connor Creek, $63.69 million;
• Wyandotte County Lake waterline study and repair, $2.89 million;
• Wyandotte County Park road repairs, $200,000, prior authorization.