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Vol. 1, Issue 5 August 2016
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Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in Sedgwick County could be changing in the future. The Wichita city council voted 3-2 at their June 21 meeting to terminate the current agreement that existed between Sedgwick County and the city of Wichita that has the county provide EMS services inside Wichita. However, four votes among the city council were needed to make any change in this agreement. Mayor Longwell and Councilman Clendenin were absent from this meeting. The council has to provide notice to Sedgwick County by June 30 to terminate the agreement the following year. Now, the earliest they can do this is June 2017 and the agreement would end in 2018.
Under this agreement that has been renewed annually since 2003, the county provides county-wide EMS services across this county. No change will occur this year, but I expect that the provision of EMS services is likely to be an under public discussion during the next 12 months. At that meeting the city council discussed opening Sedgwick County up for non-emergency patient transportation inside the city. This change, if it occurs, would mandate major changes in the way that EMS provides transportation in Sedgwick County.
Karl Peterjohn
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Commission Adopts 2017 Budget
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On Aug. 10, the Board of County Commissioners discussed and adopted a budget for 2017.
The 2017 operating budget for Sedgwick County totals $406,091,994. It will be supported with a property tax levy of $133,201,437 will require a mill levy of approximately 29.359 mills.
Among the many enhancements included in this budget are:
- The addition of 8 positions and equipment to improve response times and enhance service quality of the EMS system;
- The addition of 9 positions and software to upgrade the 911 emergency call system; and
- The addition of $1.5 million to previously allocated funds, in order to replace all voting equipment.
Sedgwick County’s five-year Capital Improvement Program (CIP) includes $185.5 million of funding for the Law Enforcement Training Center, the replacement of the I-235 and US-54 interchange as well as the replacement or renovation of 20 other bridges, three new EMS posts, expansion of the Regional Forensic Science Center, and numerous other enhancements to county infrastructure. The budget for the 2017 CIP is $64,935,564, of which $52.6-million is for road maintenance and capacity expansion, $6.3 million is for bridge renovation or replacement, $5.5 million is for facility enhancements, and $500,000 is for maintenance of the Big Ditch.
Commissioners reinstated a position for the Community Health Improvement Program (CHIP) which was eliminated in the 2016 Adopted Budget. This position is responsible for the coordination of actions community partners can take to ensure successful outcomes of the plan and overall community health.
The CIP was amended so that funding for the Cold Mix and Gravel Road Replacement Program was reallocated to the Preventative Maintenance on Selected Roads Program in 2017. A total of $1.5 million was reallocated.
The 2017 operating budget for Fire District 1 totals $18,064,749. This budget will be supported with a property tax levy of $15,744,982 which will require a mill levy of approximately 18.371 mills.
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Lake Afton Public Observatory to Reopen
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Commissioners approved a two-year lease agreement with the Kansas Astronomical Observers (KAO), a local nonprofit, for the Lake Afton Public Observatory. Nearly 40 years ago, the City of Wichita, Wichita Public Schools, Wichita State University, and Sedgwick County entered into a venture to build a public observatory and to create a 501(c)(3) entity. This Observatory operated until August 22, 2015, when Wichita State University, the last remaining partner with Sedgwick County, ceased operations at the facility. Since that time, the KAO has pursued the reopening of the Observatory; the organization plans to reopen the Observatory by Labor Day weekend 2016. Commissioner Karl Peterjohn stated that he was “absolutely delighted that there’s an effort to reopen this valuable facility in Sedgwick County. It’s very important that we have this facility; you never know what’s going to pop up in the night sky.” For a short video on the observatory click the above logo.
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Have you tried QLess yet?
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Earlier this year the County Treasurer implemented the QLess "Virtual Waiting Line" to better serve customers.
Customers can secure a place in line online, in person, or through a text message. More information can be found at the
Treasurer’s page on the Sedgwick County website.
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COMCARE Community Partners
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Commissioners plan to attend a public announcement on Tuesday, August 16 for the public-private partnership to help support and promote the work of COMCARE, Sedgwick County's Community Mental Health Center. The event will take place at the Community Crisis Center, 635 N. Main.
For more information or to donate to the nonprofit, click here:
www.COMCAREpartners.org
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County Supports Youth Group Volunteers
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More than 347 kids from around the nation were in Sedgwick County last month for the Catholic Diocese and Catholic Heart WorkCamp. They assisted with 40 projects to assist people with the most need, such as low income, those with disabilities and the elderly in the Wichita area. The Division on Aging helped determine candidates for the group and Household Hazardous Waste supplied 115 gallons of paint to help paint 18 houses in Derby, Valley Center, and Wichita. This is the second year this event has taken place here; last year it drew nearly 200 kids. Click the photo for a
short video on this event.
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Public Works Assists with Storm Debris
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Sedgwick County Public Works opened the West Yard for three weeks for residents to drop off tree limbs and debris due to area storms. The department then used an air curtain burner to get rid of material. The burner allows the debris to be burned with minimal smoke output. Over the three week program, the department saw
more than 2,700 loads of debris dropped off!
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County Manager Announces Executive Team
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In June, County Manager Mike Scholes unveiled a
new organizational chart reflecting the organization redesign. It reduces his direct reports to four people, a deputy county manager, two assistant county managers and a county engineer. These four will serve as his executive team.
- Deputy County Manager: Tom Golden
- Assistant County Manager of Public Safety, Code Enforcement and Emergency Management: Tom Stolz
- Assistant County Manager of Public Services: Tim Kaufman
- County Engineer: David Spears
The organization’s transition will be strategically phased in and is expected to be completed by the end of this year.
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Meet the Deputy County Manager
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Tom Golden comes to the organization with public and private sector experience. He is a proven executive finishing up a 32 year military career as a rotary winged and fixed winged pilot. He served in several capacities in Rockdale County Government and has private sector human resources experience. Golden will act as the Chief of Staff and oversee Finance, Human Resources, and the General Services Administration.
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Contact Public Information Officer:
Kate Flavin, 316-660-9370
525 N. Main, Ste 343, Wichita, KS 67203
Contact Corporate Communications Manager:
316-660-9370
525 N. Main, Ste 343, Wichita, KS 67203
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Connect with Sedgwick County
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