Johnson County receives triple-AAA rating in bond issues for $37.7 million

Johnson County has scored a triple play in its latest bond ratings involving the issuance and sale of more than $37.7 million in bonds.

 

The county has received the triple-AAA designation, the highest bond rating possible, from Standard and Poor’s, Fitch Ratings, and Moody’s Investment Service. It marks the first time Johnson County has earned the highest bond rating possible from the nation’s three major investment rating agencies.

 

News of the coveted “triple-triple” was announced Thursday, November 19, by the Johnson County Board of Commissioners in the approval of two separate bond issues, including:

• $20,925,000 in Internal Improvement Bonds (Series 2009B) for 16 wastewater capital improvement projects; and,
• $16,855,000 in Internal Improvement Refunding Bonds (Series 2009C) for refinancing the outstanding principal at lower interest rates for three bond series issued in 2001 and 2002.

“Receiving AAA ratings from all the three top bond rating agencies is great news for Johnson County. And, it’s also good news for taxpayers because it will result in tremendous savings over the long haul,”

Chairman Annabeth Surbaugh said. “It places Johnson County in a league of its own in Kansas, and one of approximately 25 counties across the nation.” There are 3,141 counties in the United States.

County Manager Hannes Zacharias agreed.

 

“It’s a grand slam for Johnson County. The bond ratings have a significant positive impact on the cost of borrowing money for needed improvements and to take advantage of refinancing some of the county’s existing bond debts at lower interest costs,” he said. “These ratings are solid evidence of Johnson County’s financial stability as we continue to navigate though difficult financial and economic conditions.”

 

Johnson County has had AAA ratings from both Moody’s and Standard and Poor’s for several years. The rating by Fitch was the first time the county has requested an assessment by Fitch Ratings.

 

Fitch reported its top rating “reflects the county’s conservative financial management reflected in high reserve levels, above average wealth levels, and moderate debt levels.”

 

“The key rating drivers are the county’s continued ability to manage balanced operations in the near-term given the national economic climate, and its ability to swiftly reduce expenditures if potentially volatile sales tax collections decline precipitously,” Fitch stated in its report. “The county consistently has maintained substantial financial reserves, providing the necessary cushion to withstand near-term economic and financial uncertainty.”

 

That finding was echoed by the other two investment rating agencies.

 

The report from Moody’s indicated the “county’s financial operations will remain sound due to prudent financial management, ample reserves, and revenue diversity.”

 

Despite regularly budgeting for draws on General Fund reserves to fund capital expenditures, the Moody’s report cited the county’s ability to consistently post annual General Fund operating surpluses “due to conservative budgeting.” The fiscal 2008 General Fund balance is well above the county’s formal policy of maintaining a General Fund balance equal to at least 15 percent of annual revenues.

 

In explaining factors for reaffirming Johnson County’s AAA rating, the Standard and Poor’s report noted the county’s:

• Diverse and expanding local economy;
• Very strong wealth levels;
• Strong financial operations, supported by conservative management and established fiscal policies; and,
• Moderate debt levels that should remain manageable.

On Thursday, the Board approved and accepted the best bid of 3.03 percent from Morgan Keegan & Company for the purchase of the wastewater bonds (Series 2009B). Piper Jaffray & Co. was the other bidder with a proposed interest rate of 3.15 percent.

 

The Board also authorized the issuance and sale of the refunding bonds (Series 2009C) to Piper Jaffray. The firm submitted the lowest bid of 2.40 percent among six bidders. The other interest rates ranged from 2.44 to 2.57 percent. The county anticipates a savings of more than $1.6 million through the refinancing transaction.

DMV Office in Olathe plans open house

An open house, featuring a ribbon-cutting ceremony, is scheduled Thursday, November 19, at the new Olathe office of Johnson County’s Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV).

 

The event will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. at 782 North Ridgeview Road in the Heritage Crossing Retail Center. It is located at the southeast corner of Ridgeview and Kansas City roads. Refreshments will be served.

 

Comments by Annabeth Surbaugh, chairman of the Johnson County Board of Commissioners; Johnson County Treasurer Charles “Mick” Letcher; and Olathe City Council Member Marge Vogt are scheduled to start at approximately 2:30 p.m.

 

The Olathe DMV, which moved to the new site in late August, only serves walk-in customers. It is one of two sites in Johnson County for citizens to renew or register their vehicles. The other site is located in the county’s Northeast Offices at 6000 Lamar Avenue in Mission.

 

The DMV issues motor vehicle and trailer titles, maintains vehicle title and registration records, and licenses and monitors Kansas vehicle dealers. The department is part of the Johnson County Treasurer’s Office.

Johnson County launches sustainability website

The government of Johnson County, Kansas, has launched a new sustainability website at http://sustainable.jocogov.org. The site became active at noon on Monday, November 16.

 

Johnson County created the site to provide county residents and others with information about a number of initiatives the county is undertaking to reduce waste, maximize efficiency, and minimize the environmental impact of its operations. In addition to featuring information about current and planned sustainability projects, the site includes a summary of the county’s greenhouse gas reduction goals and reports on organizational and community-wide greenhouse gas inventories that the county conducted over the past year.

 

Johnson County’s efforts to operate more sustainably are not new. The county government has had a staff sustainability committee since 2004 and has already completed projects to reduce energy consumption in buildings and integrate more fuel-efficient vehicles into its fleet. With the opening of the Sunset Drive Office Building in 2006, the county was the first local government in the Kansas City region to own and operate a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold-certified facility. The county is planning to construct three additional buildings that are expected to achieve the same designation.

 

Annabeth Surbaugh, Chairman of the Board of County Commissioners, says she is excited about the launch of the new website. “The things we’ve been doing in the name of sustainability are not only good for the environment; they’re also saving money and providing greater value to taxpayers. We’re eager to share the good news about these efforts with our friends and neighbors throughout Johnson County.”

Sustainability program director James Joerke says the website will fill a defined need in the community. “The county recently surveyed over 1300 county households, and 72 percent of respondents said they were unfamiliar with the county’s sustainability efforts. The new website will enable residents to get the latest information about what we’re doing to use our resources more efficiently and reduce our impact on the environment.”

 

For more information, contact James Joerke at 913-715-1120.

Johnson County plans 23rd Annual Veterans Day ceremony at Veterans Memorial Park in Gardner

A flyover of vintage aircraft, patriotic music and speeches, and remarks from Gold Star family members will highlight the 23rd Annual Johnson County Veterans Day Observance at 11 a.m. Wednesday, November 11, at Veterans Memorial Park in Gardner.

 

The park is located at the southwest corner of South Center Street at Pawnee Lane, south of downtown Gardner.

This year’s Veterans Day marks the 90th anniversary of creation of an annual Armistice Day by President Woodrow Wilson. The observance recognizes the signing of the Armistice Treaty, which ended World War I when Germany and the Western allies agreed to a cease-fire. The armistice was signed at 11 a.m. on Nov. 11, 1918 – the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. Since 1919, that date served as the national observance of Armistice Day until 1954 when the event was changed to Veterans Day by President Dwight Eisenhower and Congress.

 

Featured speakers will include Annabeth Surbaugh, Chairman of the Johnson County Board of Commissioners, and Lieutenant Colonel Dave Johnson.

 

Surbaugh has served on the Board of County Commissioners for 17 years, representing the Third District from 1992 until being elected the county’s first popularly elected chairman in 2002 under the new Home Rule Charter. She was re-elected to a second four-year term in 2006.

 

Johnson currently serves as the deputy training officer for the 35th Infantry Division at Fort Leavenworth. His most recent assignment was commander for the 1st Battalion, 161st Field Artillery which mobilized with the 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Oklahoma Army National Guard in 2007 and deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2008. A member of his unit was killed during the deployment.

 

His military service began in 1986. His decorations include the Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, Army Commendation Medal (three oak leaf clusters), Army Achievement Medal (two oak leaf clusters), Iraqi Campaign Medal, and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal. Johnson and his wife, Jennifer, and their four daughters live in Lenexa.

 

Members of local Gold Star families who have lost a loved one in military service in World War II, the Korean and Vietnam wars, and Operation Iraqi Freedom will be special guests at the ceremony. Two Gold Star members will offer brief comments on behalf of their families. They are Larry Velasquez, Overland Park, and Debbie Austin, Spring Hill.

 

The Velasquez family has lost two family members while serving in the military. PFC David Velasquez, 19, was killed in combat action in Vietnam in 1966. His older brother, Major Raymond Velasquez, 36, was killed in a helicopter crash in 1972 while serving in Korea. The family also lost a cousin, PFC Michael Fonseca, 20, in Vietnam in 1967. All were Marines.

 

The Austin family lost a son, PFC Shane Austin, Edgerton, in combat action in 2006 in Iraq. He served in the Army.

 

The 2009 event features:

• Patriotic music by the Gardner Edgerton High School Band, under the direction of Janet Wittkopf, and songs by the Pioneer Ridge Middle School Jazzy Jaguars Choir, under the direction of Paul Fibelkorn;
• Flyover of vintage aircraft (weather permitting) from the Commemorative Air Force Heart of America Wing;
• Presentation of colors by the Johnson County Sheriff’s Color Guard;
• Rifle salute, bagpiper, and playing of “Echo Taps;”
• Placement of memorial wreaths by members of local veterans organizations;
• Ground display of vintage military vehicles;
• Scores of American flags;
• Patriot Guard; and,
• Refreshments by the American Legion Auxiliary in Gardner.

Following the ceremony, the Gardner Historical Museum, 204 West Main Street, is sponsoring an open house from noon to 3 p.m. The museum’s exhibits include historic pictures and memorabilia from the Olathe Naval Air Station and local veterans.

 

The Veterans Memorial Park was dedicated on Memorial Day 1998 as a tribute to all veterans. Use of the five-acre tract, formerly known as Manor Park, was donated by the city of Gardner. The memorial was built with donations and proceeds from selling more than 300 engraved commemorative bricks used in the design and construction of the memorial site.

 

The park features a landscaped area around the memorial of Georgia granite with an inscription of “Duty, Honor, Country.” It includes a walkway leading to the monument, trees and shrubs, benches, a flower garden, and three flagpoles.

 

The project was spearheaded by a Joint Task Force of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 11234 and Leroy Hill American Legion Post 19, both in Gardner. The post is named after Pvt. Leroy Hill, the first Johnson County soldier killed in WWI. He died in combat action in 1918 in France.

 

A Fallen Soldier Monument, featuring a rifle, boots, and helmet, was donated to the park in memory of PFC Austin and installed in 2008. It is inscribed: “To All Who Served Some Gave All.”

 

The county’s annual Veterans Day observance began in 1987 with public services on the south steps of the Johnson County Courthouse in downtown Olathe before moving to the Kansas National Armory in west Olathe from 1995 to 2006. The 2007 event occurred at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Overland Park. In 2008, the ceremony took place at the Vietnam War Veterans Memorial in Antioch Park, Merriam.

 

The offices of Johnson County Government will be closed Wednesday, November 11, in observance of Veterans Day.

Johnson County approves $22.3 million CARS program for 2010 involving 21 projects

Road improvements totaling $22.3 million for 2010 involving 21 projects in 13 cities, were unanimously approved Thursday, October 29, by the Johnson County Board of Commissioners.

 

The Board gave its approval by separate unanimous votes to the new County Assistance Road System (CARS) program for next yea, totaling $15,664,000, and a CARS Supplement Program, totaling $6,636,000.

 

Slightly more than $10.1 million of the CARS program will go to 12 new roadway projects in eight cities. The program has earmarked $5.5 million for continuation of improvements to Lone Elm Road and the I-35 Interchange at 159th Street in Olathe. CARS has provided more than $5.3 million to the project in the past three years. The new interchange, with a cost of approximately $70 million, involves construction of bridges with on/off ramps. Olathe’s share of the project cost has been estimated at slightly more than $34 million with the federal government contributing $24.6 million.

 

Four new projects in Overland Park will receive more than $7.4 million in CARS funding, including:

• $127th Street improvements from Metcalf to Nall avenues, $3 million;
• Antioch Road improvements from I-435 to 119th Street, $3.5 million;
• College Boulevard improvement from U.S. 69 Highway to Benson Drive, $508,000; and,
• 103rd Street improvements from U.S. 69 Highway to Quivira Road, $430,000.

Overland Park and Leawood will benefit from improvements to their share of Mission Road from 95th to 103rd streets. CARS has earmarked $351,000 for the project.

 

Two road projects in Leawood also will receive CARS funding. The program has allotted $247,000 to improve 135th Street from State Line Road to Nall Avenue and $125,000 for work on State Line Road from I-435 to 119th Street. The project is being coordinated with Kansas City, Mo.

 

Other new 2010 CARS projects include:

• $131,000 to the cities of Fairway and Roeland Park for 53rd Street from Buena Vista to Reinhart streets and for Buena Vista from Shawnee Mission Parkway to 83rd Street;
• $502,000 to Lenexa for 95th Street from Lackman Road to Santa Fe Trail Drive;
• $600,000 to Olathe for Ridgeview Road from 119th to Santa Fe (135th) streets;
• $315,000 to Prairie Village for 83rd Street from Nall to Roe avenues; and,
• $455,000 to Shawnee for Johnson Drive and Robert Street roundabout.

The 2010 Supplemental Program of $6.6 million was a first for the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure which oversees the CARS program.

 

According to Kent Lage, manager of the department’s Urban Services Division, the economic downturn resulted in project cancellations. Combined with completion or closure of several other projects, the CARS Reserve account increased to approximately $7.6 million.

 

“As a result of this unusually large unobligated fund balance, the CARS Technical Review Committee has recommended that this balance be used to fund road improvements in 2010,” Lage said.

 

The supplemental projects include:

• $3,007,000 to the cities of Olathe and Overland Park for 143rd Street from Quivira to Switzer roads;
• $1,790,000 to Lenexa for 87th Street Parkway from Pflumm Road to Renner Boulevard;
• $700,000 to Mission for Nall Avenue from Martway Street to 63rd Street Terrace;
• $550,000 to Prairie Village for Somerset Drive from 83rd Street to Mission Road;
• $349,000 to Gardner for Madison Street from Center Street to a half mile east;
• $169,000 to Mission Hills and Prairie Village for Mission Road from 63rd to 66th streets;
• $43,000 to De Soto for Wyandotte Street from the Kansas River bridge to 83rd Street; and,
• $28,000 to Fairway for Belinder Avenue from Shawnee Mission Parkway to the north city limits.

Lage said $964,000 of the fund balance was allocated to help fund the “annual” 2010 CARS program.

The 2010 CARS and Supplemental CARS programs are part of the Public Works Department’s budget which is encompassed into the county’s FY 2010 Budget of $778 million that was approved in August by the Board.

Johnson County’s 2010 Stormwater Management Plan totals $11.3 million

The 2010 Stormwater Management Program approved Thursday, October 29, by the Johnson County Board of Commissioners totals more than $11.3 million, including funding for capital projects in the cities of Shawnee, Spring Hill, Lenexa, and Olathe.

 

The Board approved the plan unanimously.

 

Kent Lage, manager of the Urban Services Division of the Johnson County Department of Public Works and Infrastructure, said the 2010 Stormwater Management Program has budgeted $11,310,000 next year, including $7.2 million for seven design/construction projects.

 

The plan also sets aside $3.4 million for supplementary projects/efforts to support the Stormwater Management Program and funding for other countywide stormwater initiatives. According to Lage, the projects will enable cities to continue flood mitigation and initiate several proactive efforts.

 

“These efforts will continue to migrate the program focus from the traditional reactive focus only to include a leading-edge proactive focus necessary for the program,” he advised the Board in a briefing sheet.

 

In the 2010 plan, three stormwater management capital projects are located in the city of Shawnee, including:

• $1,761,000 for storm drainage improvements in the area of 70th and Flint streets to south of Yager Street;
• $579,750 for a project at 50th Street and Neiman Road; and,
• $852,000 to improve drainage in the area west of 57th and Cody streets to 55th and Monrovia streets.

Two capital projects are in Olathe. The Stormwater Management Program has allotted $1,050,000 for a drainage project near South Brougham Drive and West 147th Terrace and $1,425,000 for stormwater improvements near 151st Street and South Quivira Road.

 

Stormwater improvements at 108th Street and Pflumm Road in Lenexa will receive $435,904.

The program has earmarked $339,675 to improve drainage at Nichols and Race streets in Spring Hill.

The 2010 plan includes seven supplementary projects to support the county’s stormwater program and regional and countywide initiatives, requiring approximately $3.4 million in funding. Regional and support projects include maintenance of the county’s stream and rain gauge network that’s part of a flood-warning system; a future countywide or watershed-level study; and other studies and activities.

 

Johnson County’s annual stormwater program is funded by a 1/10-cent sales tax authorized by the Kansas Legislature in 1988 and approved by the Board of County Commissioners for the purpose of funding stormwater projects.

 

Johnson County was the only county to implement the tax. These funds, dedicated to stormwater management, allow Johnson County’s Stormwater Management Program (SMP) to create a yearly stormwater management plan and provide 75 percent of funding for eligible design and construction projects in Johnson County and the cities.

 

The Board created the SMP and the Stormwater Management Advisory Council (SMAC) in the early 1990s. SMAC helps coordinate stormwater efforts and advises the Board on stormwater management related issues.

 

Since its creation, the Stormwater Management Program has provided more than $120 million for stormwater improvements and capital projects in Johnson County in partnership with all cities of the county and in cooperation with other cities in the Kansas City region as part of the regional stormwater system.

Johnson County continues public hearing to Nov. 19 on proposed CARNP map changes

The Johnson County Board of Commissioners has continued its public hearing to 9:30 a.m. Thursday, November 19, to receive comments regarding three proposed changes to the county’s Comprehensive Arterial Road Network Plan (CARNP).

 

The hearing began October 15, attracting a dozen speakers and lasting more than 1½ hours. The Board plans to reconvene the public hearing at its November 19th business session for consideration of the CARNP proposals. The business session takes place 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 amendments, as recommended by the Planning Commission, include:

• Modifying the CARNP map to remove a “corridor to be determined” study area shown in the southeast portion of Johnson County; and,
• Establishing a CARNP Type I designation on the map for 179th Street as a complete connection between Metcalf and Nall avenues.

Both recommendations to modify the CARNP map were part of the Board’s decision in June 2008 to terminate any further consideration of the “South Metro Connection Study” that proposed a future route connecting U.S. Highway 69 to U.S. Highway 71 in Missouri.

 

The planning staff and Planning Commission also recommend the establishment of a CARNP Type 1 designation of 183rd Street as a complete connection between Nall Avenue and Mission Road.

 

The Board also will discuss a planning staff recommendation to establish a CARNP Type I designation for Nall Avenue as a complete connection between 167th and 175th streets. That proposal, however, was rejected by the Planning Commission.

 

Written comments regarding the CARNP recommendations can be sent by email to dean.palos@jocogov.org or by mail to the Johnson County Planning, Development, and Codes Department, 111 S. Cherry Street, Olathe, KS 66061.

 

More information is available by calling the department at (913) 715-2200.

Johnson County honors Prairie Village woman for military service as a WASP

More than six decades after her flying days ended, Marjorie Ellfeldt Rees of Prairie Village is finally receiving national and local recognition for military service during World War II.

 

A resident of Prairie Village, Rees is one of two surviving members of the Women Airforce Service Pilots, or WASPs, in Kansas and the only WASP survivor in Johnson County. In July, President Obama signed a bill honoring Rees and approximately 300 surviving WASP pilots by awarding them Congressional Gold Medals. The national ceremony will occur in the near future in Washington, D.C.

 

On Thursday, October 22, the Johnson County Board of Commissioners honored Rees with a Certificate of Special Commendation for her military service as a WASP.

 

“Marjorie Ellfeldt Rees and her WASP sisters served their nation honorably from 1942 to 1944 during World War II by flying non-combat missions from coast to coast, protecting our coasts, and freeing up America’s men to fight in combat missions abroad,” Chairman Annabeth Surbaugh said.

 

“Johnson County joins the nation in being forever grateful to all WASPs in finally giving them the hard-earned recognition they have long deserved for courageously answering our country’s call in a time of great need and blazing a trail for the brave women who have given and continue to give so much in military service to our nation since.”

 

The afternoon ceremony occurred prior to the Board’s Committee of a Whole meeting. After receiving the framed certificate, Rees received a standing ovation from the Board and the audience.

 

The WASP program began in 1942, the year Rees graduated from the University of Kansas City, and ended in 1944, the year Rees graduated from pilot cadet school. More than 25,000 women, age 18 to 34, applied to become g the first women ever to fly American military aircraft.

 

In 1942, then First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt noted: “This is not a time when women should be patient. We are in a war and we need to fight it with all our ability and every weapon possible. Women pilots, in this particular case, are a weapon waiting to be used.”

 

A total of 1,830 women were accepted for WASP training and 1,074 actually earned their wings, but they were never awarded full military status or eligibility for officer status during the war.

 

Rees and her WASP sister pilots flew planes towing targets on steel so that male gunners could practice with live rounds, sometimes accidentally hitting the WASP planes. They also flew airplanes that had never been flown before. They also piloted old, worn planes.

 

WASPs were deployed to 120 air bases nationwide. They flew more than 60 million miles in all 78 types of military aircraft manufactured by the nation during WWII. Thirty-eight WASPs died in the line of duty.

 

The WASP program was disbanded by Congress in December 1944. The women pilots did not become eligible for U.S. veterans' status until 1977.

 

After the war, Rees settled in Kansas City, married, raised a family, worked, volunteered, and returned to college, earning a master’s degree and a doctorate. She never flew an airplane again.

Johnson County recognized for increasing government transparency

One year after launching its Legislative Information Management System, Johnson County received the Government Transparency Award from SIRE Technologies in recognition of the County’s efforts to improve public accessibility to decision-making processes.

 

The award was presented during the Board’s October 15th business session to Casey Joe Carl, Clerk of the Board of Commissioners, and his team of deputies in the Office of the Board of County Commissioners.

 

“Active citizen engagement is a hallmark of any great community,” said Annabeth Surbaugh, Chairman of the Board of County Commissioners. “This system allows our citizens to access exactly the same information provided to the Board, to read the same reports we have, which provides both a greater level of transparency in our policy process as well as a greater level of accountability for the decisions we make.”

 

The Legislative Information Management System—referred to as LIMS—accomplishes two important tasks: first, it serves as a repository for the County Government’s codes, public policies, and regulations; second, it manages the entire legislative process, from an item’s introduction through final action, and automates much of the associated work, such as the production of notices, agendas, minutes, and reports. Because the system is web-based, it provides citizens with convenient access to all this information from virtually any location in the world 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The LIMS web portal is available from the County’s main website or directly at lims.jocogov.org.

 

The LIMS program also supports broadcasting capabilities, allowing the County to offer gavel-to-gavel coverage of its public meetings, with both live and on-demand options. The webcasting combines streaming video timed to correspond with agenda items as they are considered.

 

“The webcasting functionality is another example of how we’re becoming more accessible to citizens,” Surbaugh said. “That has benefits for both the County Government and the people we serve.”

 

The LIMS program was implemented in 2007 and was launched publicly in January 2008. The project costs for acquisition and implementation were approximately $400,000, paid out of year-end savings from the Board’s office over a three-year period, from 2005 through 2007.

 

In an effort to maximize its investment in this system, the County plans to extend the LIMS functionality to other policy-making bodies, including the County’s Planning Commission and four township zoning boards as well as the Johnson County Airport Commission, Developmental Supports Agency, Johnson County Library, the Mental Health Center, and the Park & Recreation District.

 

The LIMS program was designed using solutions provided by SIRE Technologies, a multi-national organization headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, specializing in document and content management solutions for state and local governments. The SIRE awards program, created in 2007, recognizes clients that have demonstrated excellence in state and local government operations by teaming with SIRE. Johnson County was one of three municipal governments to receive awards in 2009.

 

“As an enterprise solution, the system supports more effective management of policy information so that responsible decisions can be made to govern the community,” said Carl. “And the system makes that information available to the public, so citizens have access to information that affects them. By making government processes more transparent, we help build citizen confidence in County Government.”

 

Although the award specifically recognized increased transparency, the LIMS program has provided additional benefits to the County Government in terms of increased productivity and cost savings.

 

Chief Deputy Clerk Jeanne McAferty, who served as the project lead, said that the Board’s office has experienced a combined savings of approximately $40,000 from reduced paper consumption and the reallocation of existing staff to higher priority projects. Equally as important, McAferty indicated the system contributed to the County’s commitment to sustainable business practices by reducing the “white plague of paperwork” frequently associated with meetings of governing bodies in cities and counties across the nation.

 

McAferty estimates additional savings will be achieved as the LIMS functionality is extended to other policy-making bodies in the County Government.

 

She also credited the modular design of the SIRE system as being a key advantage.

 

“The modular approach to project implementation allowed us to develop an end-to-end solution based on our existing processes,” McAferty said. “As a result, we have a system tailor-made to function to our specifications, rather than a pre-made application designed with a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach.”

 

The modular design means future improvements can be made without extensive redesign of the core products. Plus, as new features or updates are available, they can be easily incorporated into LIMS.

 

Surbaugh said that the LIMS application helped to further one of her primary goals as the Chief Elected Official of Johnson County Government; specifically, bringing the people to the government, and the government to the people.

 

“The new system continues our strong commitment to involve the public in policy processes that are important to the future of Johnson County,” Surbaugh said. “The use of this technology will help people connect in new and interesting ways with their county government, and provide better opportunities to participate in the development of this community.”

 

For more details about the LIMS program or the project, see the Clerk’s website.

Johnson County Commission Chairman seeks applicants to serve on two advisory boards

Annabeth Surbaugh, chairman the Johnson County Board of Commissioners, is accepting applications from interested residents who would like to be considered for four appointments to serve on two advisory boards for County Government.

She is seeking applicants to fill:

• three appointments – two incorporated representatives and one unincorporated member – to the Planning Commission; and,
• a firefighter or paramedic representative to the Board of Code Review.

Johnson County residents interested in being considered for appointment to an advisory board should submit their cover letter and current resume or fill out an application to the Board’s office at the following address:

 

BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

Attn: Appointments Clerk

County Administration Building, Suite 3300

111 South Cherry Street

Olathe, Kansas 66061-3486

 

Applications are available on the Board’s website at http://clerk.jocogov.org. For more information, residents should contact the Office of the Board of County Commissioners at (913) 715-0430.