Johnson County receives high marks in 2009 Community Survey

A spring 2009 survey Johnson County citizens produced high marks for the county’s quality of life and overall satisfaction with county government.

 

Those were among the results of a 2009 Community Survey shared Wednesday, July 1, with the Johnson County Board of Commissioners. The survey, involving a random sample of 3,000 Johnson County households, was conducted in May and June by ETC Institute of Olathe.

 

The county’s quality of life and its overall image were scored at 94 percent in the citizens’ approval rating, compared to a national quality of life level of 77 percent and a national overall image rating of 68 percent.

The quality of Johnson County’s services was placed at 84 percent, compared to a national average of 53 percent.

 

ETC Vice President Chris Tatham said 1,239 completed surveys were used to tabulate the overall findings. He said many of the ratings were higher than the satisfaction levels reported in Community Surveys from 2007 and 2005.

 

“It indicates there is something happening in the county that makes people feel good,” he said. “Residents were generally satisfied with a wide range of factors that influence perceptions about living in Johnson County.”

 

Annabeth Surbaugh, chairman of the Board of Commissioners, agreed.

 

“Our County Government has been, and will continue, to work with citizens to address both the challenges and the opportunities facing us to ensure that this community remains a special place for current and future generations,” she said.

 

As in the previous two surveys, citizens were asked in 2009 to rate the quality of life in Johnson County. Highlights included:

• 98 percent were satisfied with Johnson County as a place to live (an increase of 2 percent from the 2005 and 2007 surveys);
• 97 percent were satisfied with Johnson County as a place to raise children (95 percent in 2007; 94 percent in 2005); and,
• 91 percent were satisfied with Johnson County as a place to work (89 percent in both 2005 and 2007).

Chairman Surbaugh said the community survey serves as part of the strategic planning process of the Board of County Commissioners and county management.

 

“We appreciate the time and candid opinions of our citizens in responding to this survey,” she said. “We are very pleased with the overall ratings on quality of life and citizen satisfaction, and we also recognize that there are areas of concern indicated by the survey results that will need our focus and attention.”

 

All three biennial surveys were conducted by ETC Institute, an Olathe firm that’s among the nation’s leading community-based market research firms in public surveying and polling processes. The Board authorized $31,055 to fund the 2009 survey. It is the same amount approved by the Board in 2007. The 2005 survey was completed for $29,860.

 

Overall, the 2009 survey respondents indicated a positive attitude toward County Government and its efforts in making Johnson County a safe community, providing vital public services and programs, and supporting sustainability programs to reduce pollution, conserve energy, and protect water resources.

Other key findings were:

• 93 percent thought they lived within a reasonable distance of a public library;
• 92 percent thought they lived within a reasonable distance of a community park;
• 91 percent thought it was important for the county to support sustainability efforts;
• 86 percent thought an Emergency Service Station (fire department and ambulance service) was located in a reasonable distance from their home;
• 85 percent thought they had adequate access to recreation facilities; and,
• 74 percent thought they felt safe in county parks. That was an 11 percent increase from the 2007 rating.

On the flip side of the survey, County Government received lower satisfaction ratings in adequate jail space, public transit, and human services.

 

The 2009 Community Survey is available for review through an icon on the County's website.

Johnson County plans to relocate DMV Office in Olathe by fall

The Johnson County Board of Commissioners has set the wheels in motion to move the county’s Olathe office of the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) by this fall.

 

On Thursday, July 2, the Board authorized a 10-year lease with KC Road Partners, LP, to relocate the DMV Office to a 9,000-square-foot site at 782 North Ridgeview Road. The new site is in the Heritage Crossing Retail Center at the southeast corner of Ridgeview and Kansas City roads. The new lease will lower lease costs starting immediately.

 

Johnson County Treasurer Charles “Mick” Letcher cited several reasons for the relocation, including:

• Better access for residents coming from the 119th and 127th street areas along with those using Santa Fe Street with easy accessibility for them on Ridgeview Road which has been improved and expanded between Santa Fe Street and Kansas City Road;
• A newer place to do business. The new location is in a retail shopping center completed in 2007, offering better energy efficiency and new exterior systems, including roofs, windows, insulation, and improved signage that’s more visible from roadways.
• Better opportunity to design the DMV operations to improve the customer waiting area, add a customer ervice area, improve employee morale, and provide better security; and,
• Ample parking, offering 88 more parking spaces than the existing location.

The new location is approximately a half mile north of the existing DMV site at 1327 East Santa Fe Street in the Twin Trails Shopping Center. The county has leased 10,500 square feet of space at that shopping center, built in 1974, for the past seven years.

 

The Olathe DMV serves as one of two sites in Johnson County for citizens to renew or register their vehicles. The DMV issues motor vehicle and trailer titles, maintains vehicle title and registration records, and licenses and monitors Kansas vehicle dealers. The other site is located in the county’s Northeast Offices at 6000 Lamar Avenue in Mission.

 

In 2008, the DMV processed 427,681 vehicle license renewals, including 193,650 walk-ins, 83,571 by mail, and 83,746 via webtag renewals.

 

The Olathe office only serves walk-in customers. Last year, the site assisted customers in the processing of 80,970 license renewals and 49,909 vehicle titles.

 

The current seven-year lease at the Twin Trails expires at the end of August. According to Letcher, the relocation to the Heritage Crossing site follow immediately thereafter.

Johnson County participates in state DMV Modernization Project

Johnson County, along with other Kansas counties, is updating its Department of Motor Vehicle files as part of a statewide DMV Modernization Project by the Kansas Division of Vehicles.

 

The state’s current DMV system is more than 20 years old. A key element to the project is the conversion of data from the old to the new system.

 

According to Johnson County Treasurer Mick Letcher, each time an individual visits the motor vehicle office in Olathe or Mission to do title or registration processing they will be required to show their Kansas driver's license.

 

If the vehicle is owned by a Johnson County business, the business should show their Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN) documents. The name on the title will appear as it is on the driver license or FEIN documents.

 

The new system will cross reference motor vehicle and driver records. Currently several vehicles can be registered differently to the same person. For example, a taxpayer named John Q. Public could have any of the following variations in the current system:

• John Public
• Johnny Public
• JQ Public
• John Q Public

Asking individuals to provide their Kansas driver’s license or FEIN documents will ensure consistency of names in the new system and allow the state to merge existing vehicle records.

Johnson County District Court officials receive Kansas Bar Association awards

The Kansas Bar Association has honored three officials of the Tenth Judicial District of Kansas in Johnson County with Outstanding Service Awards for their contributions to the legal profession and judicial system.

 

The recipients were Gary Kretchmer, director of Domestic Court Services; District Court Judge Thomas Kelly Ryan; and retired District Court Judge Janice Russell. They were among six recipients from across Kansas to receive their awards during the association’s annual dinner last week in Topeka.

 

Kretchmer has been with District Court for 31 years. His office provides mediation, evaluations, educational programs, monitored exchanges, and supervised visitations.

 

He has taught mediation and conflict resolution in the region for many years, including more than a decade for the Kansas Bar Association. Kretchmer is one of three honorary lifetime members of the Johnson County Bar Association.

Judge Russell retired as a senior judge in June 2008 after almost 23 years of public service. Her general civil docket included commercial, tort, and domestic litigation.

 

Prior to being appointed a district judge in August 1985, she served as a research attorney for Judge Joe H. Swinehart for the Kansas Court of Appeals from 1977 to 1979 and assistant Johnson County District Attorney from 1979 to 1981. She had a general private practice from 1981 to 1985.

 

Judge Ryan was appointed to the District Court bench in November 2008, handling cases in Family Court. Prior to that, he practiced law in Johnson County for 23 years in areas such as criminal defense, family law, adoption, workers’ compensation, and civil litigation.

 

He also served as city prosecutor of Fairway from 2007 to 2008 and assistant Johnson County District Attorney from 1985 to 1988. He was city prosecutor of Edgerton from 1992 to 2005 and the city’s municipal judge from 2007 until his appointment to the District Court.

Johnson County prepares to form new Citizens Visioning Committee

Creation of a new Citizens Visioning Committee to develop a shared vision of Johnson County in 2030 is now a work in progress.

 

The proposal was first announced by Chairman Annabeth Surbaugh at her State of the County Address on March 31.

 

On Thursday, June 18, she asked district members of the Board of County Commissioners to support her plan, and they gave their nod of approval. That assent begins the process to establish a second visioning committee, make appointments, and have it begin work by late summer or early fall.

 

It will be the second look toward the future of Johnson County in a dozen years. The county’s landmark Citizens Visioning Committee was appointed by the Board in January 1996. Over two years, the 23-member panel developed a 20-year shared vision for Johnson County. In 1997, the committee presented its recommendations about what Johnson County could look like by the year 2020.

 

“I’m very proud to say that we’ve achieved almost all of the recommendations advanced by the visioning committee ahead of schedule. I believe that now is the time for a new Citizens’ Visioning Committee because of the many challenges facing our community,” Chairman Surbaugh said.

 

“As with the first visioning committee, I believe this group is charged with developing a roadmap of sorts for the County Government, extending out through the year 2030. That roadmap would provide the Board with citizen recommendations about priorities for the future of this community.”

 

Her proposal received strong support from city and county participants during the county’s 2008 Leadership Summit.

 

In the decade since the original committee’s 2020 report, Chairman Surbaugh said many challenges and new economic opportunities have surfaced in Johnson County, including:

• developing the workforce of the future;
• planning for growth and responding to continued growth, including an increasingly diverse and aging population;
• looking at mobility and public transit needs; and,
• addressing a heightened awareness of environmental impacts and sustainable solutions.

The new visioning committee, like the first, will consist of individuals representing divergent interests in the Johnson County community. The group will include approximately 25 representatives from rural and large cities, youth and senior citizens, residential and commercial development, Chambers of Commerce, utilities, social services, health care, K-12 education and Johnson County Community College, judiciary, and environmental advocacy.

 

Each of the six district commissioners would appoint one representative to the committee. The other appointments from representative groups would be at-large and made by the chairman. All appointments must be approved by the Board.

 

Thursday’s support by the Board enables county staff to accept applications from Johnson County citizens who are interested in being considered for appointment to the new Citizens Visioning Committee. To be considered for appointment, citizens should submit a cover letter and current resume to the Board at:

Chairman Surbaugh asked Board members to submit the names of district appointments to her staff by Thursday, July 2, so a resolution to establish the new Citizens Visioning Committee and define its mission and duties could be finalized for Board action by mid-July. She hopes the new committee’s first meeting will take place in September. The task is expected to take from a year to 18 months to complete.

An outside facilitator and other professional services may be required by the committee along with staff support from the offices of the Board and County Manager.

 

Costs for start-up and initial operations will be absorbed by the Board’s office, pending development of a more structured budget.

 

“One of the first items of business for the committee to consider will be the submission of a budget request for approval by the Board of County Commissioners,” Chairman Surbaugh said.

 

There will be no set schedule or deadline for the new Citizens Visioning Committee to fulfill its mission, make its recommendations, and submit its final report.

Johnson County Wastewater gets green light for green audit to conserve energy

Johnson County Wastewater has received the green light to conduct a green audit of its overall operations and facilities.

 

On Thursday, June 12, the Johnson County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to authorize $400,000 for a “System-wide Energy Efficiency Pre-Design Study” of the county’s wastewater system regarding energy conservation.

 

According to John O’Neil, general manager for the Wastewater Department, the audit includes evaluating the addition of a cogeneration system at the Nelson Wastewater Treatment Complex in Mission. The system will provide a future alternative power source by using methane gas.

 

The review also will study the possibility of adding geothermal and/or solar heating and cooling to wastewater facilities and improving the energy efficiency of all major treatment and pumping facilities in the wastewater system.

Results from the audit are expected to help Johnson County’s efforts to decrease greenhouse gases (GHG) by 80 percent within both County Government and the Johnson County community by 2050.

 

“Consequently, Johnson County Wastewater is committed to integrating sustainability into its business and project planning and processes. This Energy Efficiency Study should result in recommendations that will contribute to the county’s GHG reduction goals,” O’Neil said.

 

Johnson County Wastewater has not conducted an energy audit since 1987. In the past 20 years, the county’s wastewater system has:

• roughly doubled the number of miles of waterwater lines it maintains to more than 2,000 miles. Wastewater flow treated also has nearly doubled to more than 20 billion gallons of wastewater each year. The system now serves more than 130,000 customers, including both residences and businesses;
• constructed the Mill Creek Regional Treatment Plant in Shawnee. The plant opened in 1995; and,
• expanded and improved daily treatment capacities at all seven wastewater treatments plants to meet increased demands for services from residential and commercial growth in Johnson County. The county’s population has increased by more than 200,000 people since 1987.

The audit will be performed by one of the term-and-supply engineering firms that are under contract to perform professional engineering services for Johnson County Wastewater. The process is expected to get under way in late summer with completion in about a year.

 

Funding will come from a low-interest loan ($400,000) from the Kansas Pollution Control Revolving Fund of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. The audit was one of two Johnson County Wastewater projects selected by the state to improve Kansas’ wastewater infrastructure with funding provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009.

 

The other project was $15.4 million for improvements to the Douglas L. Smith Indian Creek Middle Basin Treatment Plant in Overland Park. The improvements include a cogeneration system to produce virtually all of the plant's annual operating energy from captured biogases. The system is expected to generate an estimated $600,000 in annual cost savings and reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions by more than 9,700 metric tons. Completion of the project is scheduled by the end of 2010.

 

Johnson County has another System-wide Energy Efficiency Pre-Design Study in the works involving the Facilities Department which received approval by the Board on June 11 to apply for a $552,500 Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant from the United States Department of Energy. The grant, if authorized, can be used to develop and implement projects to improve energy efficiency and reduce energy use and fossil fuel emissions.

 

The Facilities Department plans:

• to conduct energy audits of 20 county buildings;
• install energy-efficient LED parking lot lighting;
• procure and install recharging infrastructure for plug-in electric vehicles;
• promote home weatherization efforts in partnership with other local municipalities and community partners; and,
• conduct an energy-focused education and outreach campaign to county employees.

The federal funding would be awarded to the Facilities Department through the ARRA at no cost to the county.

Johnson County accepts almost $1.9 million for Weatherization Program

Johnson County’s Weatherization Program received a major financial boost Thursday, June 18, to help local low-income households keep out the weather and cut their utility costs.

 

The Johnson County Board of Commissioners directed the Human Services Department to accept $1,899,000 in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding from the Kansas Housing Resources Corporation for the county’s weatherization program. The federal stimulus funds will be spent at roughly $633,000 annually over the next three years.

 

Additionally, the County’s Weatherization Program has a FY 2009 Budget allocation of $405,395 involving funding from the Kansas Department of Energy and the Low-Income Energy Assistance Program.

 

As part accepting the federal funding, the Board also authorized the Human Services Department to hire two temporary employees to support the additional staffing needs of the expanded Weatherization Program. The positions, including one full-time weatherization inspector and a part-time (half) weatherization secretary, will be funded by ARRA funds at no cost to the county. The program now has only one weatherization inspector.

 

“Improving energy efficiency and weatherizing homes will save families money on their energy bills, create jobs, and help us move toward energy independence,” Annabeth Surbaugh, chairman of the Johnson County Board of Commissioners, said. “It’s a win-win green investment for our community.”

The Weatherization Program helps low-income residents make their homes more comfortable, safe, and energy efficient by reducing winter heat loss and summer heat gain. Services include furnace inspection, air leakage sealing, and installation of insulation.

 

In 2008, the program served 128 Johnson County households with an average cost of $2,885.00 in services. With the stimulus funding and expanded weatherization services, the department anticipates serving an additional 97 to 128 units in 2009 with an average cost of up to $6,500 per income-eligible household.

 

Households receiving weatherization service must meet federal poverty income guidelines. Before receiving service, applicants must not have received prior services from the Weatherization Program since 1994 and are screened for Johnson County residency and income eligibility. Their homes also must undergo an energy audit.

 

Services provided will depend on the program in which applicants are eligible and the outcome of their energy audit. Weatherization efforts may include:

• installation of smoke detectors;
• reduction of air infiltration by caulking/weather stripping, and repairs to doors, windows, ceiling, and walls;
• ceiling insulation and ventilation;
• minor roof repairs;
• wall insulation;
• basement, floor, and crawl space insulation;
• repairs or replacement of air conditioner; and,
• replacement or repairs of furnace and gas or electric hot water tank.

The Weatherization Program is administered through the Human Services Department’s Housing Services Unit with offices at the North-Central Multi-Service Center, 12425 West 87th Street Parkway, Lenexa.

 

More information about the program is available by calling (913) 715-6618.

Johnson County to honor spelling champ

Kavya Shivashankar, winner of the 2009 National Spelling Bee, will receive a Certificate of Special Commendation on Thursday, June 18, from the Johnson County Board of Commissioners.

 

The ceremony will take place during the Board’s weekly business session that begins at 9:30 a.m. in its hearing room on the third floor of the Johnson County Administration Building, 111 South Cherry Street, in downtown Olathe.

 

“We want to congratulate Kavya for prevailing over some of the most challenging words known to humankind to emerge as the 2009 national champion,” Annabeth Surbaugh, chairman of the Board, said. “The Johnson County community is very proud of her.”

 

Shivashankar, 13, an eighth grader at California Trail Junior High School in Olathe, became the national spelling champion on May 29. It was the fourth Scripps National Spelling Bee in which she competed.

 

The national contest featured 293 competitors who qualified to compete in the Bee by winning locally sponsored bees in their home communities. The 2009 competition marked the largest field of competitors in the history of the event.

Johnson County’s 2009 Feed the Need campaign kicks off on June 12

On the eve of Johnson County’s 2009 Feed the Need campaign, one fact emerges: Food pantries are busier than ever with more people unemployed and more families struggling to make ends meet.

The demands for assistance have increased 21 percent in the first five months of this year compared to the same period a year ago.

 

Johnson County Government hopes to help stock the shelves of 10 local food pantries during its annual Feed the Need campaign that begins with a kickoff celebration from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Friday, June 12, on the Courthouse Square in downtown Olathe.

 

The two-week fundraising, food-collecting program’s theme is: “Yes We Can Make a Difference.” The goal has been set at 142 tons of food in either cash or food donations. Each donated dollar is roughly equivalent to four pounds of food.

 

Campaign co-chairmen are Jack Clegg, director of Johnson County’s Informational Technology Services, and John O’Neil, general manager of Johnson County Wastewater. Both have visited the 10 food pantries that will benefit from the campaign and are fully aware of the increased needs for assistance during the current economic downturn.

 

“Every year, it gets bigger and better. We are prepared to make this year the best ever,” O’Neil said. “There is a critical need in our county, more now than ever.” Clegg agreed.

 

“Feed the Need is an important fundraising campaign by Johnson County Government and serves an important role to the Johnson County community. There is a growing need to keep up with increasing requests for food assistance,” he said. “Unfortunately, it’s a need that’s not going away.”

 

Friday’s kickoff event will feature fun and food from a variety of booths offering food items, games, craft sales, drawings for prizes, and donation opportunities. The dunk tank will return to test the skills of softball throwers, ranging from stellar to cellar, and the thrills and spills of platform sitters, including department heads and managers taking turns on the platform above the tank of water.

 

Other attractions include a motorcycle show and live entertainment in a USO show with three acts, including:

• The Andrew Sisters Redux, featuring LeeAnne Hays from the Legal Department and Tracey Caton and Paula Whitehead from the Office of Financial Management with accompanist, Brendan Kinsella, a professional musician with a doctorate degree from the University of Missouri – Kansas City School of Music;
• The Cheese Sandwiches, formerly known as the Lit-a-gators, a band composed of local attorneys and one judge. The band plays rock, jazz, country, blues, and Broadway music. Band members include local attorneys Jim Orr on keyboards; Ernie Ballweg on vocals and acoustic guitar; Dennis Stanchik on saxes; Roger Nordeen on electric guitar; and Court of Appeals Judge (former Johnson County District Court Judge) Pat McAnany on bass; and,
• The Threes, a band formed in late 2006 of musicians from Kansas and Missouri. They include Rachel Jaggard from the Motor Vehicle Department, Zach Hodson, Ryan Ashmore, and Brent Richardson. The varied song arrangements and complex vocal harmonies of The Threes are versatile and include nerd-rock rhythm with a little punk, funk, and soul thrown in for flavor.

Johnson County’s annual Feed the Need campaign started in 1987 with one county department and the collection of less than one ton of food. Last year, the county set a record with the collection of 159.6 tons.

 

All donations collected in the food drive will benefit 10 local food pantries serving eligible Johnson County citizens. The pantries include:

• Blue Valley Multi-Service Center in Overland Park;
• De Soto Multi-Service Center;
• Spring Hill Multi-Service Center;
• North-Central Multi-Service Center in Lenexa;
• Gardner Multi-Service Center;
• Shawnee Community Services;
• Catholic Community Services, Mission and Olathe; and,
• Salvation Army and First Christian Church, both in Olathe.

In the first five months of this year, the five pantries operated by the Johnson County Department of Human Services at multi-service centers in Overland Park, Lenexa, De Soto, Gardner, and Spring Hill Park have served 1,203 households, totaling 3,541 individuals. For the same period in 2008, 995 households (2,918 individuals) were served, representing a 21 percent increase.

 

Thus far in 2009, the pantries have filled 1,959 requests for food assistance, valued at $145,527, compared to 1,631 requests with a value of $120,334 a year ago. In 2008, the county’s five multi-service centers helped 2,033 households (5,954 individuals) with 4,137 requests for food pantry assistance valued at $306,595.

 

Johnson County Government has been a leading participant in the annual metropolitan Feed the Need campaign since 1988. Feed the Need is a regional effort coordinated by the Mid-America Regional Council, the Mid-America Assistance Coalition, and Harvesters International. The county’s campaign ends on June 29.

Master deputy ends 31-year career at Johnson County Sheriff’s Office

Lois Barber of Gardner once considered becoming a legal secretary for an attorney. Instead, she remained on the right side of the law in a different way by joining the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office to enforce laws and process criminals.

 

Her career is coming to an end on Friday, June 12, after 31 years of public service. A farewell reception for the retiring master deputy is scheduled from 3 to 5 p.m. Friday in the lower level training room at the County Communications Center, 11880 South Sunset Drive, Olathe.

 

A native of Gardner and a 1976 graduate of Gardner High School, Barber attended Johnson County Community College and Emporia State University, graduating in 1978 with a degree in secretarial studies and planning to become a legal secretary.

 

After seeing a help-wanted ad for a secretary in the Sheriff’s Office, she applied for the job and was hired, starting on June 1, 1978, and working in the Investigations Division. Her job was to type detectives’ investigative reports on a new IBM Selectric II typewriter.

 

“During that time, we started using some new-fangled office supplies: Liquid Paper and yellow ‘sticky’ notes,” she said.

 

A year later, Barber was transferred as a senior secretary in the Warrant Division where she remained until December 15, 1982 when she became a deputy.

 

“The Sheriff’s Office needed more female deputies and they asked me if I would be interested. I had no idea if I could do it or not, but they told me to try and if I didn’t like it I could go back to being a secretary,” Barber said.

 

At the time, the department had about 60 deputies, including five other women deputies. Barber attended the Johnson County Police Academy at Johnson County Community College in the fall of 1983.

 

Her first assignment was in the County Jail, then located on the fourth floor of the Courthouse in downtown Olathe, where she worked in the control center.

 

“The other officers used to bribe me to type their fingerprints cards up for them. I remember times there were only four of us deputies on duty,” she said. “We had a large kitchen and the cooks would fix great food for us, especially on Saturdays, or we would get together and bring food for a meal such as chili, hamburgers, etc. and cook after we finished our evening chores.”

 

She later became lead officer and acting sergeant at the jail. For the most part, her duties were routine, but Barber once found an inmate, who had just hanged himself on the bars with a towel. She and another deputy were able to cut him down and his life was saved.

 

Law enforcement became a family thing for Barber in January of 1984 when she went on a blind date with Andy Barber, an officer from the Olathe Police Department. They will celebrate their silver wedding anniversary in the fall. “We had worked across the street from each other for two years and never met until then,” she said.

 

In 1985, they were both assigned to their respective communications units at the same time. She was at the Sheriff’s Office; he at the police department, but once they worked together by phone to catch a suspect in a robbery. On December 16, 1985, she was transferred to the Communications Division, which was then located in a small room in the basement of the Courthouse.

 

“I was the only female in the division and worked with a few crusty guys, but they took good care of me,” she said.

 

Barber became a training officer after attending a “Train the Trainer” course and helped start the first structured training program in the Communications Division.

 

She was transferred to the Warrant Division on May 1, 1990. On her second day in the division, Barber flew to Arizona to pickup a prisoner. Since then, she has taken numerous extradition trips to transport suspects back to Johnson County for prosecution.

 

Her usual duties were to look for and arrest persons in Johnson County who were wanted on warrants. She also handled phone calls, confirmed warrants, answered questions from other divisions/agencies, managed extraditions on persons arrested in other states, and spearheaded improvements to the division’s paperwork system to make the workload easier and more error free.

 

In August of 2006, Barber returned to the Communications Division. For most of her 31-year career, Barber has worked in the Courthouse. Her final two weeks, however, were spent at the new state-of-the-art County Communications Center at 118th Street and Ridgeview Road in Olathe with the relocation of the division.

 

According to Barber, her goal was to retire at the age of 50 and she’s happy to be accomplishing that objective. In retirement, she plans to spend more time with her family, including her twin sons, Max and Jim; husband Andy, who is now retired from the Lenexa Police Department where he worked after leaving the Olathe Police Department; and parents, Jim and Naoma Kincaide of Gardner.

 

Her mother once worked at the Courthouse for the Clerk of the District Court – Probate Section in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

 

“I would also like to do some volunteer work,” she said. “Or, I could always go back to being a secretary.”

Johnson County unveils proposed FY 2010 Budget with no tax increase

Maintaining a balancing act to provide quality services at lower staffing levels with adequate reserves and an eye on current and future economic challenges, the proposed FY 2010 Budget for Johnson County Government holds the line on the county’s property taxes for another year.

 

The county’s proposed budget for next year totals $797.6 million, including expenditures of $643.1 million and reserves of $54.5 million in funding 33 departments and five agencies that comprise Johnson County Government.

 

The proposed 2010 Budget was drafted without an increase in the county’s current taxing levy at 23.165 mills, which traditionally has been the lowest mill levy among 105 counties in Kansas, including 2009.

The spending proposal for next year was unveiled during two afternoon Committee of the Whole sessions of the Johnson County Board of Commissioners by representatives from the County Manager's Office and the Budget and Financial Planning Department. The afternoon sessions began Wednesday, June 3, and ended Thursday, June 4.

 

The representatives included Deputy County Manager Hannes Zacharias, Budget Director Scott Neufeld, and Assistant Budget Director Robin Cook. All were actively involved in preparing the proposed budget along with their staff over the past four months.

 

Former County Manager Michael B. Press spearheaded completion of his final proposed budget on his final day of work on Friday, May 29, as he retired after more than 32 years with County Government.

“The FY 2010 Proposed Budget meets the needs of the community while preparing for the challenges ahead in future budget years. In spite of a significant recession, the FY 2010 Proposed Budget was balanced by reducing expenditures to offset revenue losses while maintaining a constant mill levy,” the retiring County Manager advised the Board in his annual budget message.

Highlights of his message included:

• A 3.35 percent decease in the FY 2010 assessed valuation has “a dramatic impact” on the county's total revenues. “This is the first time in recent history that Johnson County has seen an assessed valuation decease,” the County Manager said, adding that the county anticipates a 2.11 percent decrease in the FY 2011 assessed valuation.
• Anticipating revenue shortfalls, the county took proactive steps by suspending pay adjustments for all county employees, and restricting hiring and travel in 2009 that resulted in savings of more than $11.6 million in the current budget and positioned the county to address an anticipated $20.8 million deficit in FY 2010 because of the lowered assessed valuation and state funding cuts.
• After freezing salaries in FY 2009 to all county employees, the FY 2010 Proposed Budget establishes a 3 percent salary merit increase for FY 2010.
• The FY 2010 Proposed Budget calls for eliminating 32.5 full-time-equivalent (FTE) employees without any layoffs and keeping the maximum number of FTEs at 4,097.78.

Property tax collections in 2010 were estimated at $175.7 million, representing about 27 percent of the budget's revenue sources. Charges for services were placed at $161.5 million, accounting for about 25 percent of the county’s anticipated revenues.

 

The proposed FY 2010 Budget lists a proposed Capital Improvement Program (CIP) totaling $108.6 million, including:

• $67.2 million for wastewater projects;
• $14.7 million for the County Assistance Road System (CARS) program. That's a decrease from previous years ($15.4 million) in light of reduced allocations of gas tax revenue from the state;
• $2.3 million for the county’s Bridge, Road, and Culvert Program;
• $11.5 million for the county’s Stormwater Management Program;
• $3.8 million for bus replacement by the Transit Department; and,
• $5.1 million for land acquisition and capital improvements by the Johnson County Park and Recreation District.

The amount of county tax (23.165 mills) on an average $249,000 residential property will be approximately $663, or approximately $55.25 per month, in 2010. The estimated county tax on an average $1,421,647 commercial property was $8,233. In 2009, the estimated tax on an average $251,000 residential property was $667 and $8,802 on an average $1,523,238 commercial property. Both average properties reflect decreased valuations in 2010.

 

“The FY 2010 Proposed Budget reflects a prudent and realistic approach with an emphasis on maintaining existing services and capital assets,” Press said in his concluding message to the Board. “Overall, the proposed budget maintains the quality of life for Johnson County residents, including a reasonable tax burden.”

 

The Board of County Commissioners now will review the budget proposal and meet with county departments and agencies in a series of work sessions from June 11-25.

 

The Board is scheduled to finalize the county’s FY 2010 budget on July 9 for legal publication. Following legal publication, the county cannot, by law, increase the amount of the budgeted expenditures, but can decrease the amount of the operating budget or taxing level in final approval by the Board.

 

The public hearing on the new county budget will occur at 7 p.m. Monday, July 20, in the Board’s Hearing Room located on the third floor of the Johnson County Administration Building, 111 South Cherry Street, in downtown Olathe.

The Board is scheduled to adopt the budget resolution during its business session on Thursday, August 13, beginning at 9:30 a.m. in the Hearing Room. According to state statute, the county’s new budget must be approved and filed with the County Clerk by August 25.

 

Details about the FY 2010 Proposed Budget are available through an icon on the county’s main website at www.jocogov.org.