Board of County Commissioners update

More information including official minutes, votes and videos on all items is available at boccmeetings.jocogov.org.

To reduce the spread of COVID-19, for the Board of County Commissioners Meetings, the County Commissioners will not be physically present in the Board Hearing room and will be using Zoom, an online meeting tool, to conduct the meeting. Please watch the broadcast of the meeting from our link at boccmeetings.jocogov.org or on Facebook Live for a live feed or later when the video is posted.

Persons who may need assistance, the use of a sign language or oral interpreter, or who require special accommodations, should contact us at [email protected], via the Kansas Relay Operator at 800-766-3777, or by phone at 913-715-0430 at least two (2) business days prior to the meeting.

BOCC actions for Jan. 14, 2021

• The BOCC showed appreciation for outgoing Johnson County Election Commissioner Connie Schmidt. Fred Sherman becomes the new Johnson County Election Commissioner.
• (Added to today’s agenda) Authorized BOCC meetings to be held virtually through the end of February and that in preparation for returning to in person meetings, the Sheriff and county staff shall prepare a safety plan outlining security measures for the safety of staff, commissioners and public, as well as ensuring access for public comments.
• (Added to today’s agenda) Accepted the recommendations from the virtual public comments sub committee for the Jan. 21 BOCC meeting. This vote included a reminder that comments should be directed at the Board as a whole and not towards individual commissioners. More details are available in this report.
• (Added to today’s agenda) Affirmed the Chairman’s appointment of Commissioner Janeé Hanzlick as vice chair of the BOCC.

Manager’s Memo, Penny Postoak Ferguson, County Manager

COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program

The most recent federal package intended to address the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic included $25 billion to assist households that are unable to pay rent and utilities due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These funds may be used to provide assistance to eligible households through existing or newly created rental assistance programs. Emergency Rental Assistance payments will be made directly to States, United States Territories, and local governments with more than 200,000 residents, among others. As such Johnson County Government is qualified to receive $18.6 million for this purpose. This is wonderful news for the residents of our county struggling to meet their needs for shelter due to the pandemic. More details will be provided as they are received.

City of Lenexa – Logistics Centre North Phase II Building 5 Tax Abatement & IRBs (Notice of Public Hearing)

The City of Lenexa will conduct a public hearing on January 19, 2021, to consider approving a tax abatement in connection with approximately $30.0 million in industrial revenue bonds (IRBs) for the Logistics Centre North Phase II Building 5 Project generally located at the northeast corner of Mill Creek Rd and College Blvd. The proceeds of the bonds will be used to pay the costs of acquiring, constructing, and equipping an approx. 565,000 sq. ft. commercial warehouse/office building. No other additional information has been provided at this time. A copy of the notice is available here.

EPA invites Johnson County Wastewater to Apply for WIFIA Loans to Improve Water Quality

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that projects in Kansas City, Bonner Springs, Johnson County, Kansas; and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, are invited to apply for approximately $500 million in Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loans. The Johnson County project is the Johnson County Wastewater - Wastewater Integrated Management Plan: Foundation Project Delivery Program. The invited WIFIA loan amount is $243 million. Read more in this news release.

COVID-19 Funding and Expense Report and CRF Phase One and Phase Three Reimbursement, Maury Thompson, Deputy County Manager

The weekly COVID-19 Operating Report, detailing COVID-19 specific expenditures and funding received is available here. To date the organization has identified $115,869,962.94 in costs which are eligible for CARES act reimbursement and received $132,908,515.24 in federal funds.

PPE update, Dan Robeson, Emergency Manager

This week’s report is available here.

COVID-19 update: Dr. Sanmi Areola, director, Elizabeth Holzschuh, director of epidemiology, Department of Health & Environment, Dr. Ryan Jacobsen, EMS System Medical Director, Dr. Joseph LeMaster, Johnson County local health officer

As of yesterday, Johnson County has 37,858 positive cases, 519 deaths (343 deaths in LTCF, or 66%). We have 29,880 presumed recovered. The incidence rate (last 14 days) is 731/100,000 residents and the percent positivity rate is 14.6%.

Our number of new cases is high. The week of 1/3 we added 2,396 cases (342/day). The prior week we had 2,045 cases (292/day). Holiday celebrations have contributed to the increase in cases.

The Johnson County and regional hospital ICUs are maintaining about 17% availability of ICU beds. Johnson County is averaging about 7,000 tests per week.

Today’s report had in-depth information about vaccines. Read the full report.

Items currently on the agenda for the Jan. 21 meeting:

• Consider a request from Tim Orrick, Orrick & Erskine, LLP, applicant, and Karen Humphrey, trustee of the Karen Humphrey Revocable Living Trust, landowner, for Rezoning from RUR, Rural District, to PRU1B, Planned Residential Urban Single-Family 1B District, and an associated Preliminary and Final Plat, with a minimum infrastructure waiver, for 2 residential lots, to be known as Humphrey Homes, on 33,000 sq. ft., located at 29310 W. 153rd Terrace.
• Consider a request from Deb Brown, SMJ, International, LLC, applicant, and American Tower – Margaret J. and Edward N. McCarthy, Trustee, landowners, for CUP Renewal to allow continued use of a 180-ft. tall communication tower and associated ground equipment, at 37200 W. 199th Street, in Section 6, Township 15, Range 22, McCamish Township, Johnson County, Kansas.