JULY - 2008

County’s first informational meeting set July 8 regarding sales tax for public safety

The first of two informational meetings by Johnson County Government is scheduled at 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 8, regarding the renewal of an existing quarter-cent sales tax in for public safety projects and operations.

The public meeting, with an open-house format, will take place in Conference Rooms A, B and C at the county’s Northeast Offices, 6000 Lamar Avenue, in Mission. Attendees should use the main (east) entrance at the building.

After the opening of the doors at 6 p.m., attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and speak individually with elected officials and personnel from the Sheriff’s Office, Crime Laboratory, and Department of Corrections.

A presentation by Annabeth Surbaugh, Chairman of the Johnson County Board of Commissioners, and Sheriff Frank Denning will begin at 7 p.m. A time for general questions will follow the presentation; elected officials and county personnel will also be available to speak individually with attendees following the presentation.

A second informational meeting will occur on Tuesday, July 22, at the same time and with the same general format in the lower level of the Johnson County Administration Building, 111 South Cherry Street, in downtown Olathe.

If renewed by voters during countywide primary elections on August 5, the county plans to use its share of the total sales tax revenue to:

• build and operate a new Crime Lab;
  
• build and operate a Juvenile Services Complex;
  
• fund an ongoing expansion and future operations of the Adult Detention Center at the New Century AirCenter near Gardner, and convert the downtown Olathe jail into a booking facility.

More information about the sales tax renewal for public safety is available by calling (913) 715-0446 or visiting the county’s main website at www.jocogov.org.

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jail expansion to use precast cells to reduce construction time

The jail on a rail express has rolled into Johnson County with 48 precast concrete jail cells from Georgia.
Using the cells will reduce the overall construction time to expand the Johnson County Adult Detention Center at the northeast edge of Gardner.

The cells were manufactured in Conley, Georgia, by Atlanta-based Tindall Corporation and arrived on 16 flatbed railroad cars. They then were moved from the Burlington Northern Santa Fe tracks to the small railroad spur track serving the New Century AirCenter. Workers from Tindall completed preparatory work for the installation Monday, July 14, including setting up a large crane. On Tuesday, July 15, workers will begin moving the jail cells from the railcars, located on the AirCenter track east of the jail site just south of 159th Street, onto flatbed trucks. The cells will be transported by the trucks to the construction site at the Fred Allenbrand Criminal Justice Complex at the AirCenter. The crane then will carefully put the cells – one at a time – in place.

The process will look like a giant set of Legos as the prefab cells, each weighing about 30 tons, are placed into position and interlocked. The task is expected to take approximately two full days with completion by the end of the week, weather permitting. “The cells are basically complete except for the locks and the doors. They’re painted and are basically ready to go,” John Glessner, project manager for the Johnson County Facilities Department, said. “All that’s left to do is drop them in place and hook up the utilities.”

According to Joe Waters, director of the Facilities Department, precast concrete units are becoming popular in jail construction resulting in savings in both time and overall costs. “Time is money. To build jail cell modules on site out of poured concrete or concrete block would add time and labor on the job site which would in turn extend the construction time and would increase the total cost of the project,” Waters said. “It will save Johnson County quite a bit of money using precast cell modules as part of the overall construction of the jail
expansion.”

Glessner estimates traditional construction of 48 cells would take roughly four to six months to complete, complicating and extending the overall construction process. The readymade, fully-equipped cells are being placed in the maximum custody segregation area on the first floor of the expansion. Other cells for the minimum and medium security areas will be constructed by traditional methods. These units involve construction of larger eight-man cells, eliminating precast manufacturing as an option.

According to information provided by Tindall, each module includes two 85-square-foot cells and consists of a ceiling and walls that are cast monolithically. The units include a precast, prestressed concrete floor and come fully painted. The components for the cells include a stainless steel combi-unit (toilet/sink), steel mirrors, a concrete bunk and desk, and a shelf unit with clothes hooks. Each module backs up to a common utility chase that allows easy access to mechanical, electrical, and plumbing components.

Construction on the project began in November 2007 and will add 554 beds to the county’s 264-bed jail at the AirCenter. The other jail, with 270 beds, is located in downtown Olathe. In addition to the 48 precast cells, the expansion includes 506 beds for minimum/medium/maximum custody. These cell units, located in the tower section of the building, are being built individually using standard construction methods.

The expansion will double the county’s overall jail capacity to 1,088 beds and help ease overcrowding at both Adult Detention Centers. Because of the overcrowded jails, Johnson County has been boarding inmates in other Kansas jails for years. On June 26, the Board of County Commissioners renewed agreements with 18 counties to continue that practice through next year.

In 2007, Johnson County paid slightly more than $4.8 million in contract costs to other Kansas counties to house its inmates. Last year, the county averaged farming out 363 inmates a day across Kansas to jails as far away as Lyons in Rice County, which is about 240 miles from Johnson County. Completion of the $60.3 million jail expansion is scheduled by mid-2009 with full operations beginning by 2010. General contactor for the jail expansion is Turner Construction. Designer is Treanor Architects in association with Helmuth, Obata + Kassebaum, Inc.

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Informational meeting planned for July 22 regarding sales tax for public safety

The second of two informational meetings regarding the renewal of an existing quarter-cent sales tax for Johnson County public safety projects and operations is scheduled at 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 22.

The meeting will take place in the lower level of the Johnson County Administration Building, 111 South Cherry Street, in downtown Olathe. Attendees should use the Cherry Street (east) entrance at the building. A sign language interpreter will be available as part of the program.

After doors open at 6 p.m., attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and speak individually with elected officials and personnel from the Sheriff’s Office, Crime Laboratory, and Department of Corrections.

A presentation by Annabeth Surbaugh, Chairman of the Johnson County Board of Commissioners, and Sheriff Frank Denning will begin at approximately 7 p.m. A time for general questions will follow the presentation; elected officials and county personnel will also be available to speak individually with attendees following the presentation.

A similar meeting was held on July 8 at the county’s Northeast Offices in Mission.
If renewed by voters during countywide primary elections on August 5, the county plans to use its share of the total sales tax revenue to:

• build and operate a new Crime Lab;
  
• build and operate a Juvenile Services Complex;
  
• fund an ongoing expansion and future operations of the Adult Detention Center at the New Century

AirCenter near Gardner, and convert the downtown Olathe jail into a booking facility.

More information about the sales tax renewal for public safety is available by calling (913) 715-0446 or visiting the county’s main website at www.jocogov.org.

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Commissioners seek applicants to serve on five advisory boards

The Johnson County Board of Commissioners is accepting applications from residents who would like to be considered for appointments to five advisory boards of county government.

The Board of Zoning Appeals has two vacant seats involving representatives from the Sixth District to be named by Commissioner John Toplikar and from the Third District to be filled by Commissioner David Lindstrom.

The other vacancies include:

• Third District representatives to the Juvenile Corrections Advisory Board and to the South-Central Consolidated Zoning Board. The appointments will be made by Commissioner Lindstrom;
  
• Fourth District representative to the Housing and Community Development Committee. The appointment will be named by Commissioner Ed Eilert; and,
  
• Chairman Annabeth Surbaugh’s representative of a building code official to the Contractors Licensing Review Board.

Johnson County residents interested in being considered for appointment to the advisory boards should submit their cover letter and current resume or curriculum vitae 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://bocc.jocogov.org. For more information, residents should contact the Office of the Board of County Commissioners at (913) 715-0430.

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County plans public hearing on July 28 regarding the proposed FY 2009 Budget

The Johnson County Board of County Commissioners has scheduled a public hearing on Monday, July 28, regarding the county’s proposed FY 2009 Budget.

The hearing will begin at 7 p.m. in the Board’s Hearing Room located on the third floor of the county’s Administration Building, 111 South Cherry Street, in downtown Olathe. The hearing is the public opportunity to learn more about the proposed budget and comment on how county services are financed.

Legal publication of the proposed budget occurred July 16, setting the maximum expenditure authority at $737,333,478 and maintaining a constant mill levy of 23.242 mills. One mill equals $1 on every $1,000 of a homeowner’s assessed valuation. The county’s current budget is approximately $735.3 million.

“The budget as published cannot be increased, but it can go down,” Commission Chairman Annabeth Surbaugh said. “This is not the final budget vote, and we still have to hear from the public and always welcome their comments.”

Heading into the FY 2009 budget process, staff from the County Manager’s Office and Budget and Financial Planning Department anticipated an initial $18 million deficit because of planned expenditure growth, operating costs for expansion of Adult Detention Center at the New Century AirCenter near Gardner, and the slowing housing market.

In developing a balanced budget plan as proposed by the county manager, the county reduced department budgets by $3 million and planned expenditure growth for items other than salaries by $1.5 million.

Other reductions included:

• $1.6 million from the Corrections Department due to operational savings at the Adult Residential Center at the AirCenter;
  
• $2.5 million due to timing of the operating expenses with the capital project for the Juvenile Services Building for Corrections;
  
• $4.5 million from the Sheriff’s Office for operational savings associated with the Olathe Adult Detention Center Intake and Booking Expansion CIP Project; and,
  
• $2 million from the Sheriff’s budget due to lower medical costs and a $1 million savings in estimated costs for Kansas Police and Fire Retirement System.

The final $2 million difference was achieved through increased revenue estimates developed during the FY 2009 revenue estimating process.

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 Board is scheduled to adopt the budget resolution during its business session on Thursday, August 14, beginning at 9:30 a.m. in the Hearing Room. According to state statute, the county’s budget must be approved and filed with the County Clerk by August 25.

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Johnson County departments, employees receive 19 NACo, NACIO awards

Johnson County has won nine Achievement Awards from the National Association of Counties (NACo) and 10 Awards of Excellence from the National Association of County Information Officers (NACIO), a division of NACo.

The awards were presented during the 2008 Annual Conference and Exposition of NACo and NACIO in Kansas City, Mo.

“I’m proud to say that Johnson County has regularly been one of the most recognized counties in the nation through the NACo Achievement Award program. These awards not only recognize the excellent service that Johnson County provides to our citizens, but represent the standard of excellence that our employees have set and the well-deserved pride they take in delivering high-quality, cost-efficient, innovative services and programs that meet—and in many instances exceed—the needs and expectations of our citizens,” Chairman Annabeth Surbaugh said.

“The Achievement Awards recognize innovative county services and programs that modernize and streamline management and administration of services; promote quality of life initiatives; and increase services to citizens. Programs recognized with an Achievement Award are also Model Programs, meaning they can be replicated in another community to achieve the same positive impact. The competition for these awards is huge. It shows that Johnson County truly is a national leader and innovator.”

Three of the Achievement Awards involved programs/projects by Johnson County Library, including:

• GovFest: Connecting Businesses to Government Information (David Hanson)
  
• Local Government Made Easy: A Community Endeavor (Jennifer Mahnken)
  
• Online JoCoHistory Obituary Index (Lora Fitzgerald)

The Revenue Recovery Program by the Treasurer’s Office (Amy Meeker Berg) received an Achievement Award. The program also recently received a 2008 Award for Excellence in Government Finance from the Government Finance Officers Association.

Five other Johnson County departments received one award each, including:

• The Wellness Education Center by the Health Department (Leon Vinci and Barbara Mitchell);
  
• Land Survey Reference Report Online Access by the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (Sean Cahalan);
  
• Designing and Operating a State-of-the-Art County Water Quality Laboratory by the Environmental Department (Tony Holt);
  
• Collaborative Exchange Utility by the AIMS Department (Jay Heermann); and,
  
• L.E.A.D. Program Engages Pre- and Young-Teens by the Department of Parks and Recreation (Stephanie Chase).

From more than 450 entries throughout the nation, Johnson County was the only county to receive more than one Best of Class award in the NACIO contest. Johnson County won three of the top awards.

Johnson County Library received a Best of Class award for its Online/CD Storytimes: Pilot Project as Promotion by Erica Reynolds, David Carson, and Kasey Riley.

The Library also received three other awards, including an excellence award to Jennifer Taylor for 2006 Annual Report. She also received a meritorious award for the Big Read 2007 Brochure. Another meritorious award was presented to Cindy Frazer and Riley for Guerrilla Marketing of New Web Site.

Vinci and Mitchell won a superior award for the 2007 Overweight and Obesity Report by the Health Department.

Janet Hoffman from Developmental Supports received a meritorious award for the department’s 2006 Annual Report.

Gerald Hay from the County Manager’s Office and Casey Joe Carl from the Board of County Commissioners Office shared a meritorious award for the 2007 State of the County speech.

Hay also received a superior award in feature writing and won the other two Best of Class awards – one for the monthly e-newsletter JoCo Info; the other for the 2007 State of County publication.

NACIO also honored Chairman Surbaugh with a special plaque as a “Distinguished Elected Official” for her continued support and dedication to members of the organization.

Another special award was presented to Brett Williamson of ITS for his selection as “Communicator of the Quarter” for the first quarter of 2008.

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Chairman Annabeth Surbaugh reappointed to Board of National Association of Counties

Annabeth Surbaugh, chairman of Johnson County’s Board of County Commissioners, has been reappointed as one of only 10 presidential appointees to the board of directors for the National Association of Counties (NACo).

The appointment was made by NACo President Don Stapley, supervisor of Maricopa County, Arizona, and announced during the national organization’s 73rd annual Conference and Exposition in Kansas City, Mo., July 11-15.

A longtime resident of Overland Park, Surbaugh has served on the national board for 13 years since being elected to the county commission 16 years ago. In 2002, she became the first popularly elected chairman of the Johnson County Board of Commissioners under the county’s new Home Rule Charter. She was re-elected to a second four-year term as chairman in 2006.

This marks her 11th year as a presidential appointee to the board of directors. As a NACo board member, she will help shape and influence national policies that provide counties with the resources and support needed to address common challenges and concerns.

“Being on NACo’s board means that Johnson County has a seat at the table with federal officials so we can better express our priorities and needs,” Surbaugh said. “That’s a very natural and obvious part of my job as the Commission Chairman, and I’m pleased to have the chance to be our voice in Washington D.C.”

She added that contact with other county officials allowed her to share some of Johnson County’s success stories, to discuss key issues, and to learn how other counties are addressing challenges similar to those facing the Johnson County community.

Surbaugh also serves as vice president of NACo’s Environment, Energy, and Land Use Steering Committee, vice chairman of that committee’s subcommittee on land use and growth, and chairman of the subcommittee on water quality.

Headquartered in Washington, D.C., NACo is a full-service organization providing an extensive line of services to more than 3,000 units of county government in the United States.

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Courthouse remodel to add courtroom for new judge

Newly-appointed Johnson County District Court Judge David W. Hauber needs a courtroom in the Johnson County Courthouse where space remains a premium.

He will have a courtroom and chambers as part of the improvements to the Courthouse approved Thursday, July 24, by the Johnson County Board of Commissioners in its role as the county’s Public Building Commission (PBC). The approval involved Amendment No. 3 to a contract, totaling $763,631, with Turner Construction Company for the renovation and remodeling of portions of the second and seventh floors of the courthouse in downtown Olathe.

Joe Waters, director of the Facilities Department, said construction is expected to start by the early August with completion by early 2009.

He said the remodeling project does not “remedy the many shortcomings of the current Courthouse.”

“Judges will continue to hold court in non-standard court sets and spaces designed as meeting rooms,” Waters said. “This project will not create space to accommodate additional judges who will be needed as the county population and the work of the court continue to grow.”

Hauber, who has practiced law for 25 years, was appointed to the Johnson County bench on June 5 by Governor Kathleen Sebelius. He is fulfilling the unexpired term of the District Court Judge Janice D. Russell who retired earlier this year.

Once the project is completed, his courtroom, chambers, and court reporter’s office will occupy the remodeled space on the seventh floor.

The amendment approved Thursday also increases the total contract to slightly more than $4.6 million for improvements to the Courthouse and to the Johnson County Administration Building, also in downtown Olathe.

The first two amendments involved renovations and remodeling to the Administration Building, including:

• Amendment No. 1, totaling $1.6 million, was approved on November 29, 2007, and included renovation of the lower level to add meeting rooms and data closets. That work has been completed.
  
• Amendment No. 2, totaling slightly more than $2 million, involves the remodeling of the first floor and portions of the second floor along with additional data closets. The amendment was approved on May 1. That project is currently under way with completion scheduled by the end of the year.
• Amendment No. 3, approved Thursday, moves Turner Construction crews to the Courthouse and continues a reshuffling of District Court courtrooms and offices has been ongoing for more than year.

Renovation of the Courthouse was prompted when Sara Welch was appointed in September 2007 by the governor to a newly created District Court judge position by the Kansas Legislature. The Tenth Judicial District of Kansas, consisting of Johnson County, now has 23 judges at the Courthouse, including 19 District Court judges and four magistrate judges.

The Courthouse, with nine floors and approximately 246,000 square feet of space, was built in four phases, starting in 1951 and ending in 1976. When the Courthouse was initially completed in the 1950s, the District Court system had two district judges and one county judge for probate and juvenile cases.

The District Court is planned to request two additional judges – one district and one magistrate – in the 2009 session of the Kansas Legislature.

“The next judgeship will require that someone move out,” Waters advised the PBC Thursday. “We’re at that point.”

A project to move two programs out of the Courthouse and renovate existing office space into courtrooms has been proposed for the county’s 2010 Capital Improvement Program.

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2002 Overland Park annexation on agenda for July 31

The Johnson County Board of Commissioners will determine on Thursday, July 31, whether the city of Overland Park has fulfilled its obligations regarding a 2002 annexation by the city.

On Thursday, July 24, the Board agreed to place the issue on its weekly business agenda on July 31 since all seven commissioners will be present. The matter has been deferred twice – June 26 and July 17 – since some commissioners were absent.

The weekly business session of the Board begins at 9:30 a.m. in its Hearing Room located on the third floor of the Johnson County Administration Building, 111 South Cherry Street, in downtown Olathe.

The annexation occurred on May 2, 2002, involving approximately 5 square miles located roughly from 159th and 167th streets between Quivira and Antioch roads and from 159th and 183rd streets between Antioch Road and Metcalf Avenue.

State law requires the Board to conduct a public hearing and to determine whether the city has provided municipal services to the area and whether those services were provided according to the timetable in the city’s service extension plan. The Board held a public hearing on June 17, 2008, regarding the 2002 annexation.

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Lease to relocate Gardner Multi-Service Center approved

The Gardner Multi-Service Center is moving to the Westside Plaza at 510 West Main Street in August.

The new site for the multi-service center was approved Thursday, July 24, by the Johnson County Board of Commissioners with approval of a five-year lease with Buckley Properties. The agreement is for 2,400 square feet of space.

The county plans to begin moving from the existing multi-service center site at 112 South Elm Street by August 25. The move should take approximately a week to complete with full time operations at the Main Street location anticipated to begin by September 1.

According to Deborah Collins, director of the county’s Human Services and Aging (HS&A) Department, the Gardner Multi-Service Center may be closed for up to two days during the relocation.

“All efforts to stay open to the public during our relocation will be made, but a move of this size often brings unforeseen circumstances. We will make every effort to accommodate the needs of our clients at different locations if we do need to shut down operations in Gardner for a day or two” she said.

Collins said the move to a new, larger site would help meet increased demands in Gardner and the surrounding area in southeast Johnson County.

“We have been pinched for space at our current location for quite some time, so the new location at nearly double the size will provide a tremendous relief for our staff and clients. In addition to having more space to expand the size of our food and clothing pantries, we also will have space to provide more program and training options for the low income families we serve, assisting in our mission to promote self-sufficiency,” she said.

An open house at the new Main Street location will be announced once the moving dust has settled and operations in the new building have been ironed out.

In 2007, the Gardner Multi-Service Center served more than 2,000 residents. The services include utility assistance, food pantry, clothing closet, school supplies, rent/mortgage and other types of emergency assistance. Aside from the Gardner facility, the HS&A Department also operates five other multi-service centers with sites in Overland Park, Spring Hill, De Soto, Lenexa, and Roeland Park

Joe Waters, director of the Facilities Department, advised the Board that the Elm Street building, which is owned by the city of Gardner, has had “multiple maintenance issues due to its advanced age of nearly 100 years.” The county has leased the building from the city for approximately nine years.

“From the onset of the lease with the city, it was clear that the building was a temporary solution for the multi-service center and both parties would endeavor to keep it viable as long as possible. The city is no longer able to repair the building and is supportive of the relocation,” Waters said.

Collins agreed.

“We are incredibly grateful to the city of Gardner for allowing us the use of their building these past nine years at very little cost to us, but it’s time to move on” she said.

The Facilities and HS&A departments have been searching in Gardner since February 2007 to find an appropriate space for relocation of the multi-service center. The search was challenging in addressing public accessibility, complying with federal guidelines of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and leasing affordability.

Approval of the lease on Thursday was part of the Board’s weekly consent agenda. The vote was unanimous.

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