MAY - 2009

H1N1 FLU CASE UPDATE IN JOHNSON COUNTY

The Johnson County Health Department in conjunction with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) is announcing one presumptively confirmed case of the 2009 H1N1 flu virus in Johnson County, Kansas.

The patient is isolated and is being appropriately treated. The Johnson County Health Department is following the guidance provided through CDC and KDHE. This includes a thorough case investigation and management of the patient and close contacts.

Confirmation on the probable case of H1N1 influenza announced Friday, May 1st is still pending.

No additional information on these cases is available at this time.

The Johnson County Health Department recommends individuals take standard precautions to avoid getting ill such as washing your hands, covering your cough, and staying home when you are sick. Travel to Mexico is also not recommended at this time.

Symptoms of H1N1 Influenza include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills, and fatigue. Some people have reported diarrhea and vomiting. If you are experiencing these symptoms, please contact your healthcare provider.

For more information and updates, access JCHD’s Website at http://health.jocogov.org.

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County plans preliminary public hearing on May 11 about FY 2010 Budget

A preliminary budget hearing is scheduled at 7 p.m. Monday, May 11, for public discussion of the proposed Fiscal Year 2010 budget for Johnson County Government.

The public meeting will take place in the Hearing Room of the Johnson County Board of Commissioners on the third floor of the Johnson County Administration Building, 111 South Cherry Street, in downtown Olathe.

Members of the Board of County Commissioners, county management, and staff from the Budget and Financial Planning Department will discuss the budget process, present an overview of the current FY 2009 budget and respond to questions.

“Residents are encouraged to attend this public hearing to learn more about the 2009 Budget and give input about county services and programs for the 2010 budget,” Chairman Annabeth Surbaugh said. “All citizens are always invited to be an active part of the county’s annual budget process.”

The proposed FY 2010 budget will be presented by the County Manager’s Office on June 3 and June 4. The presentations will occur during afternoon sessions of the Board as a Committee of the Whole. No action will be taken by the Board.

A final public hearing on the new proposed budget, with changes and modifications supported by the Board of County Commissioners, will occur at 7 p.m. Monday, July 20, in the Board’s Hearing Room.

The Board is tentatively scheduled to adopt the new budget on August 13. By state law, the county must complete the FY 2009 budget by August 25.

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County forms new consolidated zoning board with merger of two township boards

There’s a new township zoning board for southeast Johnson County.

The creation of the Aubry-Oxford Consolidated Township Zoning Board was approved Thursday, April 30, by unanimous vote of the Johnson County Board of Commissioners. The action merges the existing Aubry and Oxford Township Zoning Boards into the new township zoning board. The consolidation becomes effective on June 30.

Both township zoning boards have existed for more than 40 years. They are adjoined, but have decreased in size over time due to annexations by the cities of Overland Park, Leawood, and Olathe.

Oxford Township is fragmented and encompasses approximately three square miles. It is located generally between 151st and 167th streets from State Line Road west to Lackman Road. River Ridge Farms and Blue Valley Riding subdivisions comprise most of the township. It includes the northern half of Heritage Park.

Aubry Township, totaling approximately 35 square miles, is located generally from State Line to Lackman Road, and south of 167th Street to the Miami County line. It includes the southern half of Heritage Park.

Sponsored by the Johnson County Department of Planning, Development, and Codes, the consolidation plan has been in the works for about five months, involving meetings between the two township zoning boards. The proposal was endorsed by the Johnson County Planning Commission before it was presented to the Board of County Commissioners for final approval.

The Aubry-Oxford Consolidated Township Zoning Board will have seven members appointed by the Board of County Commissioners. The membership will include five representatives Aubry Township, and two representatives from Oxford Township.

With the merger, Johnson County will have four consolidated township zoning boards to review zoning issues in the county’s six existing townships.

The consolidation of township zoning boards was one of the recommendations in the 1997 Living Our Vision report prepared by the Johnson County Visioning Committee.

In 1984, the county had nine separate township zoning boards – Aubry, Gardner, Lexington, Spring Hill, McCamish, Olathe, Shawnee, Monticello, and Oxford. Five consolidations have occurred since then with the last one occurring in 2002 when the Southwest Consolidated Township Zoning Board was formed with the merger of the Gardner and McCamish Township Zoning Boards.

Johnson County has two other consolidated advisory panels - the Northwest and South-Central Township Consolidated Zoning Boards. Both separate boards were formed in 1998.

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H1N1 FLU CASE UPDATE IN JOHNSON COUNTY

The Johnson County Health Department (JCHD) in conjunction with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has confirmed two additional cases of H1N1 flu virus in Johnson County, Kansas, bringing the total number of cases to eleven (four adults, seven children). The patients continue to be appropriately treated.

The Johnson County Health Department is following the guidance provided through CDC and KDHE. This includes a thorough case investigation and management of the patient and close contacts.

No additional information on these cases is available at this time.

If individuals are experiencing flu-like symptoms, they should contact their healthcare provider for treatment. Healthcare providers are encouraged to report flu cases to the Johnson County Health Department as a means of monitoring the number of cases in the community.

The Johnson County Health Department recommends individuals take standard precautions to avoid getting ill such as washing your hands, covering your cough, and staying home when you are sick. Travel to Mexico is also not recommended at this time.

Symptoms of H1N1 Influenza include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills, and fatigue. Some people have reported diarrhea and vomiting. If you are experiencing these symptoms, please contact your healthcare provider.

For more information and updates, access JCHD’s Website at http://health.jocogov.org.

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County reappoints Welcome as appraiser for new four-year term

The welcome mat remained out on Thursday, May 7, for the Johnson County appraiser.

Paul A. Welcome, Leawood, the county’s appraiser for 17½ years, was reappointed to another four-year term in a 7-0 vote by the Johnson County Board of Commissioners during its weekly business session on Thursday, May 7. His new term will become effective on July 1.

“I would like to thank you for a job well done,” Chairman Annabeth Surbaugh said, following the vote on behalf of the Board.

Approval of Welcome to remain the county appraiser or the naming of a qualified candidate as the new county appraiser was required by the Board because of state law. Welcome serves under the authority of the Director of Property Valuation for the State of Kansas and under the local supervision of Johnson County Manager Michael B. Press.

Welcome’s current term as Johnson County appraiser was scheduled to end on June 30. He was appointed county appraiser in December 1991 to fill an unexpired term and was reappointed by the Board of County Commissioners on July 1, 1994, 1997, 2001, and 2005.

A native of Dayton, Ohio, Welcome attended Bowling Green State University where he received his undergraduate and graduate degrees in business administration. Prior to joining Johnson County government, he had worked in the valuation field since 1980 in public service in Abilene and Austin, Texas.

Welcome is currently serving as national chairman of the Board of Trustees of The Appraisal Foundation, commencing Jan. 1, 2009. The board of trustees is responsible for appointing members to the Appraiser Qualifications Board and the Appraisal Standards Board and oversees their activities.

In 2008, he was recognized by the International Association of Assessing Officers organization with the Clifford B. Allen - Most Valuable Member Award.

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New website explains budget process, to detail proposed FY 2010 Budget

Johnson County Government has launched a new website to explain the annual budget process.

The new website was unveiled Thursday, May 7, to the Johnson County Board of Commissioners during its weekly business session. A preliminary public hearing by the Board about the FY 2010 Budget will begin at 7 p.m. Monday, May 11, 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 Johnson County budget website will be accessible through an icon on the county’s main website at www.jocogov.org and from a link on the Board’s webpage. Both access points will connect directly to the county’s Budget and Financial Management Department webpage with information that includes:

• Explaining the current FY 2009 Budget;
  
• Defining common budget terms and words;
  
• Offering archives to the county’s 2004-2008 budgets; and,
  
• Detailing the proposed FY 2010 Budget when it is announced in early June.

Plans to establish the new website were announced March 31 by Chairman Annabeth Surbaugh during her Annual State of the County Address.

“This website will provide all citizens with convenient access to budget information, reports and schedules, all at the click of a mouse. This technology provides greater transparency and allows taxpayers to hold County Government accountable for spending decisions that affect us all,” Chairman Surbaugh said.

The website was established by the Board’s Office staff in partnership with staff from the County Manager’s Office and the Budget and Financial Management Department.

The proposed FY 2010 Budget will be presented to the Board on June 3-4 by the County Manager’s Office. The presentations start at 1:30 p.m. in the Hearing Room and will occur during afternoon sessions of the Board as a Committee of the Whole. No action will be taken by the Board.

The Board will review the proposed budget as presented by the County Manager’s Office, receive final funding requests from county departments and agencies in the remainder of June and early July, and make changes, as needed, in finalizing its own version of the budget and the mill levy required to support it.

Legal publication of the budget is tentatively scheduled for July 9. 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.

A public hearing on the FY 2010 Proposed Budget, as set by the Board, is scheduled at 7 p.m. Monday, July 20, in the Hearing Room.

The Board is tentatively scheduled to adopt the FY 2010 Budget Resolution on Thursday, August 13. By state law, the Board must adopt the budget by August 25 of each year.

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Office of Financial Management receives 21st consecutive award for financial reporting

The Johnson County Office of Financial Management has kept its string intact as an annual recipient of a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting by the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) of the United States and Canada.

It has received 21 national honors in as many years from the GFOA.

The 21st award was ceremonially presented Thursday, May 7, to Thomas Franzen, director of the department, by Annabeth Surbaugh, chairman of the Johnson County Board of Commissioners, during the Board’s weekly business session.

The honor recognizes the office’s comprehensive annual financial report for 2007.

“This award is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting,” Franzen said.

With several employees in attendance for Thursday’s ceremony, Franzen credited his staff for its work in achieving the national recognition and ensuring the department’s award-winning standards are being maintained in serving Johnson County.

According to Franzen, attainment of the award each year represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management, noting that only three other of 105 counties in Kansas received the award. The award was presented to only 37 municipal governments, such as cities, counties, school districts and universities, and water districts, in the state. Additionally, only 500 counties nationwide received the award, meaning Johnson County remains in the top 16 percent of about 3,100 counties recognized for financial reporting.

The county’s 2007 comprehensive annual financial report, or CAFR, was judged by an impartial panel to meet the high standards of the program, including demonstrating a constructive “spirit of full disclosure” to clearly communicate its financial story and motivate potential users and user groups to read the CAFR.

Franzen said his staff plans to submit the FY 2008 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report in June to GFOA in pursuit of its 22nd consecutive award.

The GFOA is a nonprofit professional association serving approximately 16,000 government finance professionals with offices in Chicago and Washington, D.C.

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Farewell reception scheduled May 29 for retiring Johnson County Manager

A public retirement reception is scheduled from 3 to 6 p.m. Friday, May 29, for Johnson County Manager Michael B. Press, who is ending his career with Johnson County Government on June 1 after more than 32 years of public service.

The communitywide event will take place in the Ritz Charles, 9000 West 137th Street, Overland Park. Remarks are planned to begin at 4 p.m.

The retiring County Manager requests no personal gifts. For those who want to honor him with a gift, he suggests donations to Harvesters or to the Johnson County Charitable Foundation for the county’s 2009 Feed the Need campaign that benefits 10 local food pantries.

Press began his career with County Government in 1976 as a paramedic with Emergency Medical Services (EMS) known as Johnson County Medical Action, or Med-Act. In 1980, he was promoted to director of Med-Act and served until May 1999 when he was selected interim county administrator by the Board of County Commissioners. He was named county administrator in April 2000. The position was changed to County Manager by the Board in December 2001 under the county’s Home Rule Charter.

His professional recognition and honors include:

• “Administrator of the Year Award” by the Mid-America Regional Council in 1981;
  
• “EMS Administrator of the Year Award” by the Kansas Emergency Medical Services Association’s in 1998;
  
• “Public Administrator of the Year” by the Greater Kansas City Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) in 2004; and,
  
• Career Achievement Award by the Kansas Association of City-County Management in 2008.

On Wednesday, May 20, he will receive the L.P. Cookingham Lifetime Achievement Award for Public Administration from the ASPA during its meeting at the Swope Memorial Golf Course in Kansas City.

Former longtime residents of Overland Park and now living in Olathe, Press and his wife, Carol, who retired in 2006, have one son, Daniel.

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Summer program offers training and employment to youth

Johnson County Government is excited to participate in a Summer Youth & Employment Training Program offered by Workforce Partnership.

The program for eligible youth between the ages of 16-24 in Johnson, Leavenworth, and Wyandotte counties places them at work sites, and is designed to provide them with experience and develop work skills that will enhance their future employability. Johnson County has requested numerous positions, including maintenance helpers, groundskeepers, clerks, library pages, and multiservice center assistants.

Applicants must meet eligibility requirements including income restrictions and residency in one of the three counties. According to Workforce Partnership, many opportunities are still available, and applications are still being accepted.

Johnson County and other public sector and non-profit employers are eager to provide this opportunity for area youth. The program allows students to work 24 – 32 hours per week for six to eight weeks at $7.25 per hour.

The screening process has begun. Those interested can get more information, eligibility requirements and application information at www.workforcepartnership.com or by visiting one of the three Workforce Partnership Centers:

• Johnson County: 9221 Quivira Road, Overland Park, KS; Phone: (913) 577-5900
  
• Leavenworth County: 515 Limit Street, Leavenworth, KS; Phone: (913) 651-1800
  
• Wyandotte County: 552 State Avenue, Kansas City, KS; Phone: (913) 279-2600

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County plans ‘Go Green, Save Green’ Earth Day event on May 27

Johnson County Commissioners will be planting a tree at noon on Wednesday, May 27, as part of a special county sustainability event.

The tree-planting demonstration is just one of many activities planned for the county’s first Go Green, Save Green Earth Day event from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Sunset Drive Office Building, 11811 S. Sunset Drive, Olathe.

The free event includes:

• informational booths hosted by community environmental organizations and county departments;
  
• tours of the LEED Gold-certified Sunset Building; and,
  
• eco classes throughout the lunch hours, including 30-minute classes on rain barrel construction, backyard composting, and low maintenance gardening.

All attendees are eligible to win door prizes, including a rain barrel. Barbecue lunch will be available for purchase with proceeds going to the county’s Feed the Need campaign to benefit 10 local food pantries.

A complete schedule of the Go Green, Save Green event is accessible through the Environmental Department’s website at www.jocogov.org/earthday.htm.

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County approves resolution to consolidate two fire departments

A new fire district, serving Northwest Johnson County and the city of De Soto, was formed Thursday, May 21, by the Johnson County Board of Commissioners.

The Board unanimously approved a resolution to create the Northwest Consolidated Fire District with the merger of the De Soto Fire Department, which serves the city, and Johnson County Fire District No. 3, which provides fire protection in the area surrounding De Soto.

The De Soto City Council and the Johnson County Fire District No. 3 governing board also have approved resolutions in support of the consolidation.

“Consolidation of these two fire departments is a win-win situation. It provides better quality fire protection service with cost savings by serving a larger geographic area,” Annabeth Surbaugh, chairman of the Board of County Commissioners, said.

“I commend and thank the representatives from both the city and county fire districts for their hard work to consolidate. What we have done is simply to put two good departments together to make a great one.”

Approval of the resolution by the Board was needed by July 1 to meet county budget and property valuation deadlines. In addition, the Board’s action will set a transition plan into motion to address administrative and operational details of the consolidation, such as employee transition and benefits, equipment and staffing, payment of outstanding bonds, and command structure.

The consolidation of the two fire departments has been in the works for more than two years, but required approval of legislation to amend certain state fire district statutes. The Kansas Legislature approved legislation in 2008 to make the necessary statutory changes.

The new fire district will be governed by a five-member board. The Board of County Commissioners and the De Soto City Council will each appoint two members of the advisory committee. The fifth member will be appointed alternatively by the county and the city with the Board of County Commissioners making the first appointment.

Appointments to the new fire district governing board are expected to take place within the next few weeks in order to finalize a proposed budget and supporting property tax levy for next year. The Northwest Consolidated Fire District’s financial plan must be approved by the Board of County Commissioners as part of its overall budget process. The Board plans to review budgets of the county’s four fire districts on August 6 with approval of the county’s FY 2010 Budget scheduled on August 13. By state law, the county must adopt its new budget by August 25.

The Northwest Consolidated Fire District will be operational and fully functional on January 1, 2010. Once that occurs, the De Soto Fire Department and Johnson County Fire District No. 3 will be dissolved.

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