Another busy month has come and gone! The Veteran’s Day Parade Committee has started planning for the parade this fall. One exciting change will be at the end of the parade. Exploration Place is constructing a new amphitheater on the river. You will read more about it later in this newsletter. The new amphitheater will be the site of the parade's closing ceremony. What a beautiful place to recognize our nation’s veterans! Thank you to Exploration Place for once again providing the venue to culminate the parade. | |
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I participated in the March for Meals Champions Campaign with Senior Services to aid the 800 homebound, isolated seniors who receive Meals on Wheels here in Sedgwick County. Throughout the month of March 2024, Senior Services joined the national Meals on Wheels network to rally support for this vital, life-sustaining service. Programs from across the country are joining forces to raise awareness to ensure we can continue to address food insecurity and malnutrition, combat social isolation, and improve health and independence for years to come. I had the opportunity to connect with some of the most vulnerable citizens of our community. Please think about volunteering for this needed service in Wichita. Meals on Wheels delivers a hot, nutritious lunchtime meal Monday - Friday. The routes take approximately 1-1.5 hours to complete. They are looking for volunteers, and you can pick your days to serve.
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There is a lot of action taking place in Sedgwick County, and you will see a number of changes coming soon:
- The Wichita Biomedical Campus, a partnership with WSU and KU, is scheduled to break ground in early May. Sedgwick County’s COMCARE Crisis Center will be co-located with the Biomedical Campus to facilitate on-the-job training for the workforce of tomorrow.
- Sedgwick County finalized the purchase of a new building for the Election Office. We have been looking for a suitable building for a number of years.
- Plans are moving forward for the South Central Regional Psychiatric Hospital, which will be located south of I-235 at MacArthur and Meridian in southwest Wichita.
- We are still looking at options for the county administrative building. I hope that a decision can be made within the next few months.
- Efforts to build a new Emergency Management facility are still being coordinated with our partners at McConnell Air Force Base and the Department of Defense. We plan to have shovel-ready plans in place, prior to our next submittal for a grant to fund the construction.
- In addition, Sedgwick County is helping with new developments at both Exploration Place and the Child Advocacy Center.
I have participated in a several meetings discussing the proposed Northwest Expressway. That project will be a huge economic driver for Sedgwick County, if funding can be found. The road construction is on our Federal Legislative Agenda, along with a project to prevent the kind of flooding that devastated neighborhoods in west Wichita during Halloween of 1998. So far, though, Sedgwick County has been unable to secure funding for either of those projects.
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The Kansas Legislature is still in session, and we have been watching developments very closely since January. The proposed Constitutional amendments to reduce property taxes sound good on the surface but are both very bad policy. If adopted, it will be very difficult to change them, if they are part of the Kansas Constitution rather than statutes. In addition, they do not solve the underlying issue of over-reliance on property taxes to support government. This is caused by the legislature’s elimination of other forms of revenue to finance local government, like the Local Ad Valorem Tax Reduction Fund (LAVTR), city-county revenue sharing, commercial machinery and equipment tax and mortgage page fees. The loss of these fees that would have offset property taxes add up to hundreds of millions of dollars that Sedgwick County no longer receives from the state.
As always, please contact me, if I can help with any issues you face. It is an honor to serve the citizens of District 3.
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The views expressed by Commissioner David Dennis in this newsletter do not necessarily represent the governing body of the Sedgwick County Board of County Commissioners or Sedgwick County Government. | |
April burn ban restricts open burning in Sedgwick County
Every year during the month of April, when many farmers and ranchers conduct controlled burns to eliminate weeds and overgrowth on their land, Sedgwick County prohibits other kinds of fires to protect our air quality. Residents can still use their barbecue grills, smokers and backyard fire pits, but trash fires, brush piles and lagoon burns are not allowed. Watch the video below to learn more, or visit April Burn Ban | Sedgwick County, Kansas.
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Deadline to apply for Homestead Refunds is April 15
If you are a senior, veteran, low-income or disabled homeowner, you might qualify for a significant property tax refund through the Kansas Department of Revenue's Homestead Refund program. Contact the Sedgwick County Clerk's Office for free help determining if you are eligible and filing the forms. For more information, watch the video below and visit Homestead Refunds | Sedgwick County, Kansas.
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Sedgwick County participates in National Drug Takeback Day
In a few weeks, residents can safely dispose of unwanted or expired medications by dropping them off at a local collection site, including the Sedgwick County Zoo, Oaklawn Activity Center, 4904 S. Clifton, and the Household Hazardous Waste Facility, 801 S. Stillwell. Sedgwick County also has Safe Medication Disposal Kiosks available year-round at five area police stations:
- Mulvane
- Cheney
- Valley Center
- Clearwater
- Bel Aire
To find another collection site near you, visit Take Back Day (dea.gov).
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Bond election scheduled in May
A school district that includes part of Sedgwick County's District 3 will hold a special election May 14. USD 440 Halstead - Bentley is asking for $28.5 million in bonds to make improvements to Bentley Primary School and Halstead Middle School. Harvey County is conducting the election with two options to vote:
- Advance mail ballot, with applications available through the County Clerk of Harvey County, 800 N. Main, P.O. Box 687, Newton, KS 67114.
- On Election Day, May 14, with all precincts in Sedgwick County voting at the Halstead High School Gym, 520 W. 6th St., from 7 a.m.-7 p.m.
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Sedgwick County honors Women's History Month
Since 1987, the month of March has been designated as National Women's History Month to recognize the accomplishments of women throughout history. In observance, Sedgwick County honored several women, past and present, who have served Kansas in different fields, everything from medicine to construction to elected office. Watch the video above to meet some of the valuable employees now in our diverse workforce.
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9-1-1 dispatchers awarded for their lifesaving work
Sedgwick County Fire District 1 (SCFD) presented three Emergency Communication Dispatchers with a Certificate of Merit for their actions on the morning of Jan. 29, 2024. Lyle Skeen, Maylin Bustos-Ibarra and Rebeka Martling saved Teresa Ballard’s life after she awoke to find her house full of dense smoke.
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Celebrating healthy accomplishments in Sedgwick County
The Sedgwick County Health Department and its community partners are working together to improve the lives of local residents. On March 6, commissioners proclaimed 2024 as the 20th anniversary of the Health & Wellness Coalition, which provides leadership and funding for community projects. One of Sedgwick County's epidemiologists, Sonalli Kurlekar, was also named this year's Health Care Hero by the Wichita Business Journal (WBJ). Watch the video below, presented at the WBJ awards dinner, to learn more about her work and how it impacts our community.
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Exploration Place breaks ground on new riverfront amphitheater
With golden shovels in hand, commissioners and other local officials ceremoniously kicked off construction of the new Wichita Foundation Amphitheater, expected to open this fall. It's part of a $22 million project to develop Exploration Place's riverfront property.
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Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month
Sedgwick County Commissioners declared March as Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month - an opportunity to raise awareness about the inclusion of people with developmental disabilities in all facets of community life and to improve understanding of the barriers they sometimes face. Sedgwick County is proud to partner with Project Search, a program that prepares people with disabilities to enter the workforce.
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Recycling revelations uncovered during recent field trip! | |
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Several Sedgwick County staff and community members toured Waste Connections' Material Recovery Facility (MRF) in Hutchinson recently and discovered how easy recycling can be! Contrary to popular belief, greasy pizza boxes CAN be recycled, and there is no need to wash out cans and plastic food containers before dropping them into a recycling bin. Lids, even metal ones, don't need to be removed from bottles or glass jars. It's also a myth that one piece of garbage will taint an entire bin of recyclables and force it to be thrown into the landfill. High-tech robotics, using artificial intelligence, can now sort out contaminants.
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Since Waste Connections handles most of Sedgwick County's recycling, the following guidelines apply to most residents with curbside recycling:
Allowed:
- glass
- aluminum
- cardboard, including pizza boxes
- plastic
- paper and newspaper
- junk mail, including slick advertisements
- shredded documents
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Not allowed:
- Styrofoam, including takeout containers, coffee cups or packing peanuts
- single-use plastic bags
- pet food bags
- potato chip bags
- latex or mylar balloons
- wood
- tires
- batteries
- electronics
- organic material
If you have more questions about what can and cannot be recycled or whether your curbside recycling is processed at the Hutchinson MRF, contact Waste Connections' Customer Service at 316-838-4920 or WasteConnections.com.
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Out and About with Commissioners | |
The 70th Annual Wichita Crime Commission Awards Dinner honored law enforcement and citizens who prevent and fight crime. | |
The Paddy Day Parade packed the streets of Delano. Commissionerss, the Sheriff's Office, EMS and Fire District 1 joined the festivities. | |
The Annual Township Officials Meeting is a great way for Sedgwick County to connect with our community and address the questions and concerns of township residents. | |
Connect with Sedgwick County | | | | |
