Local Leadership
I am grateful to serve our community.
We are in a pivotal season for Sedgwick County. We need leadership to help improve our position economically while working to bridge the divide relationally. This community is our home. I want to do all that I can to make sure we are improving and fostering the best quality of life for everyone in Sedgwick County.
Common Sense Podcast
In this episode, I invite former Sedgwick County Commissioner Lacey Cruse for an open dialogue on a few topics. We discuss the weight of making decisions as a publicly elected official, the impact that taking office had on our lives, and what goes on inside our heads inside of our heads taking on these roles.
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Change for the Better
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Issues
Staffing Stability for Sedgwick County Government
With nearly 3,000 employees across 46 departments, the work being done by our employees is vital to the quality of life we experience in the community. Upon my arrival on the Commission, we were experiencing significant staffing shortages – particularly in public safety and public health. Aggressive and strategic adjustments in compensation plans returned increased employee morale and staffing stability. Today, we have staffing levels above 90% and our performance goals are all being accomplished. Strategic workforce investments have provided more effective and efficient services to the 525k people of Sedgwick County.
Homelessness, Foster Care and Behavioral Health
Every policy decision must find a connecting link to healthier families. Our community has made significant progress in several large scale community challenges. In homelessness, we continue to develop a long-term community plan with a focus on shelter, services, and affordable housing. We have worked collaboratively to reduce the negative impacts of a foster care system that is failing our most vulnerable kids. We have also invested into a new COMCARE CRISIS center that will increase services such as mobile mental health, 988 suicide line, medical detox beds as well as other strategic initiatives to help meet the growing needs of our community.
Development of the Northwest Expressway
Connecting K-96 to Kellogg through west Sedgwick County has been a discussion for 30+ years. This would spur incredible economic development, but the conversation had stalled as had cooperation amongst key stakeholders. I have worked to re-engage the project with KDOT, Maize, Goddard and the City of Wichita as well as helping to reestablish the NW Expressway Coalition. We now have more momentum in the project than what has been seen in over a decade.
Property Tax Reform
Increasing property taxes has become a painful challenge for many families and businesses. With nearly 50% of our county revenues being generated through property taxes, we aim to reduce the county’s dependency on this revenue source and provide relief to our community. In each of my budgets, we have found ways to reduce the property tax mill levy while also stabilizing core county services. As my #1 priority in 2025 and 2026, we will continue to reduce property tax burden through a series of strategic reforms and initiatives.
Modernizing Local Government
The cost of government continues to increase, and reform is needed to counteract the increasing costs. As we look across the county and our 20 city partners, I will advance plans to eliminate redundancies via more shared services, strategic partnerships, and functional department consolidations. It is time to modernize the local government model and in doing so we will find reduced costs and improved efficiencies. I will continue leading the conversation and building collaborative relationships.
“The government closest to the people, serves its people best”
– Thomas Jefferson
Success is Local
Success requires leadership that listens to the pulse of the community. Local government needs to be shaped by civility and collaboration in order to maximize the potential of our people.
As a business owner & pastor, I am excited to communicate our vision for Sedgwick County and demonstrate a plan that enhances quality of life in our community. These conversations will be focused on our economy, quality of life investment and the appropriate function of our local government.
Work in the Community
Here are a few ways we give back to our community with links for you to join in!
Love Schools
The heart of this organization is to pair local businesses with local schools in order to meet strategic needs and supply resources.
Foster Care Advocate
I have worked with selective organizations to help raise awareness of the foster care crisis in our community.
Firm Foundation Ministries
This organization provides transitional housing and reintegration skills training for individuals leaving correctional facilities.
The Mattress hub
We have strategically partnered with local schools and organizations to donate beds to children in need.
Appreciate Congressman Ron Estes' comments this morning on federal government spending and social security. Ron chairs the House Subcommittee on Social Security.
"Since 2017, revenues into the federal treasury has increased 48%, but in the same time period there has been a 70% increase in spending. This is not sustainable."
"We are now borrowing $1 out of $5 being spent by the federal government."
"There is waste and there are improper payments that keep money from legitimate beneficiaries. Anyone who says we are trying to cut social security is not being truthful." … See MoreSee Less
Republican lawmaker: Anyone that says GOP is trying to cut Social Security is not telling the truth | Fox Business Video
www.foxbusiness.com
Rep. Ron Estes, R-Kans., discusses congressional Republicans working to move the president’s agenda forward, Democrats’ claims about Social Security and why he’s reintroducing a bill to protect taxpay…9 CommentsComment on Facebook
Spring is in the air! Or… it was until today. LOL! Baty boys playing baseball this weekend and so are the Royals.
Love this time of year. 🙌 … See MoreSee Less
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Looks like an interesting day at the State Capital. 👀 Anyone else notice the little girl caught in the middle? … See MoreSee Less
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A very well deserved honor! If you haven’t reviewed the community dashboard yet, I encourage you to take a look! You will find data and measurements for:
➡️ Safe & Secure Community displays the average daily population of Adult Detention, Emergency Medical Services response trends, Fire District 1 response trends, 9-1-1 call volume trends, Corrections recidivism rate, and drug overdose deaths.
➡️ Economic Health displays the local unemployment rate, sales tax collections, auto tag transactions, number and value of building construction permits, mortgage values filed, and property tax collections vs receipts by tax authority.
➡️ Transportation displays active and completed infrastructure projects, response to citizen calls or HEAT tickets created for Public Works, actual project cost, bridge sufficiency scores, and rides provided by Sedgwick County Transportation.
➡️ Health and Emotional Wellness displays the number of children under the age of 18 hospitalized with emotional struggles, suicide rates in Sedgwick County, Health Department clinical service encounters, Mobile Crisis response times, home health resources, and satisfaction with developmental disability services.
➡️ Culture and Recreation displays the cost recovery of Sedgwick County Park and Lake Afton, Intrust Bank Arena events and attendance numbers, visitation trends for the Sedgwick County Zoo, Exploration Place and County parks, and educational activity attendance.
➡️ High Performing Government – Ballots cast in Primary and General elections, employee retention and turnover, electricity usage trends by key facilities, Call Center call volume, Helpdesk calls resolved on first contact, and assessed property valuations compared to sales transaction values. … See MoreSee Less
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Special thanks to EMS Director Kevin Lanterman for joining our Citizens Advisory Board this evening and answering questions from our group.
In 2019, EMS faced a significant crisis. The department lost nearly 1/3 of its paramedics and response times were dangerously slow. Today, after significant investment, leadership changes, and county support, the department is now at 95% staffing and has significantly improved all performance metrics.
A lot of the credit for this turnaround belongs with Chief Lanterman, his leadership team, and the employees of EMS. They care deeply about the services they provide for our community! … See MoreSee Less
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Our Citizen’s Advisory Board (CAB) meets tonight at 5:30pm. We will be hearing an update from EMS leadership on the department and future needs. The annual call volume continues to grow and we are reviewing how to appropriately scale response.
This will also be an opportune time to ask questions about the emergency response to the winter shelter. 600+ calls in the first 100 days!
The public is always welcome — including an opportunity to provide comment to the members of the CAB. We meet on the 6th floor of the Ruffin Building at 100 N Broadway. … See MoreSee Less
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This is INCREDIBLE! ⬇️ … See MoreSee Less
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Special thanks to Trinity Academy Baseball for the opportunity to speak at your team dinner. High School, College and Professional baseball helped prepare me for the things I’ve done after my career — business, ministry, even politics. I hope these young men squeeze every ounce out of this time of their lives and enjoy all that baseball has to offer!
And, thanks for letting me bring a small sidekick with me tonight. Mama was tied up at softball and baseball commitments, so baby Bryer was stuck working with Dad. 😂 … See MoreSee Less
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Stopped by Exploration Place to check progress on the exciting EP2 Initiative! Dirt is moving and we can start to see the 6 acres of destination playscapes take shape. This bold project will make the regions best science center even more exciting for our community!
Learn more ➡️ exploration.org/ep2/ … See MoreSee Less
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