Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas: Board of Commissioners (Sept. 3, 2026)

By Scott Reed, Kansas City Documenter

These notes were produced through Kansas City Documenters, which trains and pays community members to take fact-checked notes at public meetings, strengthening transparency and accountability in local government.

Summary

• The commission, on a split vote, approved an increase of $3 (to a total of $8) to the annual transaction fee for registering your vehicle with the county. The additional anticipated revenue of approximately $400,000 was slated to help balance the county’s FY27 budget. Per state law, the fee increase will be in effect for two years, at which time the state legislature would have to approve any extension.
• After extensive discussion, including last-second proposed spending changes, the commission approved the FY27 budgets for Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas. Each approval came on split votes. The commissioners rejected proposals to increase property taxes in both the city and county budget. The combined city-county budget book is here.
• The commission voted to accept various grants and made appointments to various boards and commissions.

Notes

Public Announcements

• An email from local chaplain Annie Erickson was read into the record thanking the commission and local elected officials for their hard work and dedication to serving the public. The chaplain said she is “cheering you on as heroes.”

Mayor’s Agenda:

• The commission passed 10-0 a change in upcoming commission meeting dates to accommodate possible formal citizen protests on rezoning matters, which require a 14-day gap between proposed and final actions. The change is due to a scheduled meeting of the City Planning Commission that is not in compliance with the 14-day requirement.

Land Bank

• The commission officially called to order as the Land Bank Board and approved an extension for a proposed single-family home spanning three parcels of land. 

Consent Agenda

• After calling back to order for normal business, the full consent agenda passed on a 10-0 vote. The consent agenda included:
  • Accepting a non-matching 2026 COPS Hiring Grant. The Kansas City, Kansas Police Department (KCKPD) has submitted an application to hire 12 additional patrol officers under the FY26 COPS Hiring Program. These officers will support targeted enforcement efforts focused on violent offenders, drug trafficking networks and gang activity while continuing to build partnerships with residents, businesses, schools and community organizations.
  • Accepting an FY27 Kansas Department of Transportation Special Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) Grant. The application includes approximately $100,000 for overtime for officers to work enforcement operations specifically focused on aggressive driving and DUI-related violations, as well as approximately $60,000 to fund various equipment items, such as radars, stop sticks and traffic cones, along with instructor schooling for traffic officers and overtime for officers to host educational events, such as car seat checks.
  • Filing an FY27 application to the federal Victims of Crime Act Victim Assistance Grant (VOCA) Program. VOCA, which is an annual grant program offered through the Kansas governor’s office, has funded the Victim Services Unit, or VSU, at the police department since the unit’s inception in 1999. Three full-time VSU personnel are currently funded by an FY26 VOCA grant at 75%, and two full-time positions at the Order of Protection Office are funded at 100%.
  • Applying for a FY 2027 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant through the Kansas Governor’s Grants Program. The police department is requesting funds to buy a long-range acoustic device communication system — often used to administer warnings related to natural disasters or other emergencies.
  • Approving a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Office of the State Fire Marshal.
  • Adopting a resolution approving the annual case plan report to the Kansas Department of Corrections for the Juvenile Services Program.
  • Approving an MOU between the Fleet Services Department and the Turner School District for fleet services training.
  • Approving appointments to the following boards and commissions:
    • Kori Hall: Community Benefits Advisory Board
    • Richard Chungong: Golf Advisory Board
    • Shelley Coulter: Self-Supported Municipal Improvement District (SSMID) Advisory Board
    • Olivia Moore: Landmarks Commission
    • Carla Jones: Advisory Board on Aging
    • Joshua Yoakum: Advisory Commission on Human Relations and Disability Issues

Public Hearing

• The commission held a public hearing on renewing the SSMID, a special tax district that helps pay for services and improvements in the business corridor of downtown KCK, with its authorization expiring at the end of this year.
  • SSMID Chair Edwin Birch noted the district is funded by an assessment only on businesses and commercial properties located within the approximately four-block-by-five-block district boundaries.
    • Birch stated, “Downtown still faces significant redevelopment challenges. We also face significant opportunities and have notable momentum on those opportunities.” He also said, “We can look at those challenges and say, ‘That’s just too hard,’ and sweep our accomplishments aside, or we can confront those challenges.” He closed his comments by stating, “Downtown Kansas City, Kansas, is worth fighting for.”
  • Dawn Rattan, executive director of the Downtown Shareholders of Kansas City, Kansas (DTS), which is the fiscal agent overseeing the SSMID, delivered a presentation highlighting:
    • The SSMID annual levy brings in about $220,000, and a recent survey of district businesses showed that approximately 64% favored continuing the SSMID.
    • In July of 2025, DTS transitioned from a private security firm to contracting with the KCKPD for dedicated daily police patrols within the district between noon and 8 p.m. Rattan called that contract a success, with more than 100 arrests in that one-year period versus two arrests in the previous full year. 
• Four letters of support for the SSMID renewal were read into the record. The letters were from Drew Simpson, Kansas Main Street; Randy Lopez, Wyandotte Health Foundation; Scott Coup, Security Bank of Kansas City; and Matt Watkins, Reece Commercial Real Estate.
• Commissioner Carlos Pacheco III suggested there should be an overall master plan so that all downtown can work “in tandem” moving forward.
• Commissioner Andrew Davis said “too many nonprofits don’t pitch in” so the SSMID assessment falls on “too few direct participants” to pay into the district.

Administrator’s Agenda

• The request for an extension through Oct. 15 of the emergency declaration for Wyandotte County following a major August storm passed 10-0.
• On the approval of the increased vehicle registration transaction fee, county officials explained that having counties handle vehicle registration is an unfunded state mandate. So the county has relied heavily on property taxes for the annual DMV budget.
  • The county officials said most counties around the state have increased the transaction fee to $5, and several surrounding counties have gone up to the $10 maximum.
  • County officials told the commissioners that the increased fee would go to improve services at the DMV.
  • The commission approved the increase on an 8-2 vote with commissioners Andrew Kump and Chuck Stites voting no. 
• The commission had extensive debate about the FY27 budgets for the city and the county. The video of the meeting is here, with the budget discussion starting at about the 2:30 mark.
  • The commissioners considered proposals to shift spending based on discussions and pressure to not raise property taxes.
  • In the end, the commission removed one-mill property tax increases proposed for both the city and county, reducing estimated combined revenue increases by about $4.4 million.
  • In the final outcome, the commissioners adopted a combined city-county budget of approximately $547.1 million, which includes using fund balances to cover some of the spending. The FY27 budget is up around 3.5% from last year’s budget of approximately $528.7 million. Increases in property taxes (due in part to new construction) and sales taxes are projected to help fund the spending increase.
  • The adoption came through two votes:
    • Approval of the roughly $417.6 million city budget came on a 6-5 vote with Mayor Christal Watson breaking a tie vote.
    • Approval of the roughly $129.6 million county budget came on a 7-3 vote with “no” votes coming from Commissioners William Burns, Stites and Kump.
  • Among spending cuts to help balance the budget were items including IT equipment, infrastructure expenditures and staff positions (including in intergovernmental affairs and economic development).
• On a 7-3 vote, the commission approved the payments in lieu of taxes (PILOT) fee the Board of Public Utilities will pay to the Unified Government in FY27. The resolution set the PILOT at 9.9% of gross revenues attributable to residential accounts and at 11.9% of gross revenues attributable to all other accounts. The “no” votes were commissioners Stites, Burns and Philip Lopez.
• The commission passed the Wyandotte County Library Fund Resolution, which appropriated roughly $1.9 million for 2027.

Observations & Follow-Up Questions

• A lot of the proposed savings in the FY27 budgets came through “position management.” How will the city and county achieve these savings?
• How will the public react to the increase in vehicle registration transaction fees?
• Will the commission vote to reauthorize the SSMID?

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