JoCo Pulse, the county scorecard for capturing quantitative and qualitative information about the BOCC Strategic Priorities.
The Johnson County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) is responsible for enacting legislation, levying and appropriating taxes and setting budgets, and Johnson County residents are strongly encouraged to engage with county government and have their voices heard. Weekly BOCC meetings are open to the public and streamed online. Many of our departments and agencies have advisory boards that depend on citizen participation. Johnson County residents who are registered to vote elect the BOCC members, District Attorney and Sheriff, so the more you know, the more empowered your vote. This is a great place to get educated and start engaging.
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.
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.
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.
This week’s report is available here.
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:
Here are some highlights of the Board of County Commissioners’ actions and activities in August 2019. More information including official minutes, votes and videos on all items is available at boccmeetings.jocogov.org.
On Aug. 8, the Board approved and adopted the FY 2020 Budget and FY 2020 – 2024 Capital Improvement Program as proposed. More information is available in this news release.
Other Board action in August included:
On Thursday, May 30, the Johnson County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC), as a Committee of the Whole, will review budget proposals for FY 2020 from representatives from departments and agencies providing infrastructure services to the county, as well as outside agencies that receive county funding.
From 11 a.m. to noon, the BOCC is scheduled to hear proposed budgets from Planning/Contractor Licensing, Transportation, Airport, Public Works and Stormwater Management.
Afternoon presentations scheduled from 1 to 4 p.m. include the Arts Council of Johnson County, Johnson County K-State Research and Extension, the Johnson County Fair, Soil Conservation, United Community Services, County Economic Research Institute, Enterprise Center of Johnson County and then will wrap up infrastructure with Johnson County Wastewater.
All budget presentations and deliberations are open to the public and take place at the Board’s Hearing Room on the third floor of the Johnson County Administration Building, 111 S. Cherry St., Olathe. They are also streamed live and available from a link on the Johnson County website, jocogov.org.
The proposed FY 2020 Budget maintains a constant mill levy for Johnson County property owners and totals $1.26 billion, with expenditures estimated at $934.5 million, and reserves set at $331.4 million. The funding supports the departments and agencies that comprise Johnson County Government to serve and protect a county population of more than 604,000 residents. More information is available in this news release. Information and presentations on the proposed budget are available here.
The public has a new web link to view BOCC meetings online and access meeting agendas, minutes and other documents. Johnson County has switched from the SIRE Technologies platform to OnBase by Hyland. Beginning May 23, all BOCC meeting information can be accessed at boccmeetings.jocogov.org. More information is available in this news release.
After several months of work, study and discussion, today the Board of County Commissioners unanimously adopted its 2019-2020 priorities. The board, along with staff, held a 1 1/2 day retreat in January, followed by discussions at Board of County Commissioner meetings and a March study session.
The BOCC has identified the following top three priorities for 2019-2020:
1. Complete/advance existing projects approved by voters and the Board of County Commissioners with efficiency and effectiveness.
2. Strengthen and finance the appropriate level of service to meet the needs of the county’s vulnerable populations, pursuing innovative strategies.
3. Develop a creative and innovative vision for a transit plan that is financially sustainable.
In this attached document you can learn more about these priorities as well as other topics identified.
“I want to thank our board, Executive Leadership Team members, the County Manager’s Office and other staff who played a role in the important work that lead to today’s adoption,” said County Manager Penny Postoak Ferguson. “I look forward to our collaborative efforts during the next two years on these priorities and the positive impact they will have on the residents we serve.”
Our Board of County Commissioners wear many different hats. One of those hats is serving as liaisons to or members on a variety of boards and committees. Some are related to county government departments and agencies; others are regional boards or committees that work on issues benefiting the metro and the region.
Chairman Ed Eilert has finalized the board and committee assignments for 2019. If you go to the BOCC page and click on each commissioner’s bio, you can access their assignments.
Commissioner Jim Allen has been re-appointed as Vice Chairman of the BOCC for 2019.
Look for the new issue of JoCo Magazine, a special edition focused entirely on public safety, to hit your mailbox soon if it hasn't already! JoCo Magazine is a printed publication created by Johnson County Government, mailed three times per year to every household in the county.
The Fall 2016 issue, as well as past issues, can be viewed on the JoCo Magazine page of our website.
JoCo Pulse, the county scorecard for capturing quantitative and qualitative information about the BOCC Strategic Priorities.
Enter your name or address to find out which county commissioner represents your district.
111 S Cherry St, Olathe, KS 66061 | 913-715-5000 | TDD: 800-766-3777
© Johnson County, KS, USA 2020