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
Wichita’s Mayor Lily Wu has a remarkable story, transitioning from immigrant to journalist to mayor. Elected in November 2023, she is dedicated to shaping the city’s future. As a Sedgwick County Commissioner, I have collaborated closely with Mayor Wu to align the interests of Wichita and Sedgwick County and address significant community challenges. Our conversations have provided insights into her motivations, goals, and perspectives on reform and the realities of local politics.
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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.
A beautifully busy week! Grateful for the opportunity to serve and contribute.
➡️ Podcast with Diane Albert, USD 259 Board President
➡️ National Baseball Congress Ribbon Cutting
➡️ WSU Public Policy and Management Center Conference Panelist
➡️ WSU Foundation and Alumni Engagement Panel Discussion
➡️ Wichita Habitat for Humanity Rock the Block Piatt
➡️ 29th & Grove Water Contamination Announcement and Press Conference
➡️ Empower Grand Opening Celebration
➡️ Alzheimer's Association Central and Western Kansas Memory Gala
➡️ Kansas Family Voice Legislative Summit
Now…. A day for kids and softball! 🥎 … See MoreSee Less
12 CommentsComment on Facebook
There are a lot of people and organizations that came together to meet this need. Details to come Friday at an 11am press conference, but I’m not sure I can ever express my full gratitude to those that stood in the gap for these impacted people. Thank YOU.
And… I’m not stopping with contaminated water. There’s more work to be done. … See MoreSee Less
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“We’ll see you in Wichita!”
As a college baseball player, we played summer leagues all across the country and knew at the end of the season we would have one last showdown at the NBC Tournament in Wichita. We looked forward to it. We knew how big of a deal it was for players and fans… and that the people of Wichita would always show up and support our teams.
Congratulations to National Baseball Congress World Series on the Grand Opening of their new offices!
This city is known for so much – aviation, manufacturing, entrepreneurship – but never forget, we are also known around the world for NBC Baseball. It’s very much in our DNA.
Special thanks to the NBC Foundation and to so many people that have worked to preserve Wichita’s great baseball legacy. … See MoreSee Less
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It’s no secret ➡️ The Federal Government is changing how funding is allocated for community services. At County departments like Health, Comcare and Aging, we could see reductions as high as $8-12 million. We are working to be proactive at Sedgwick County Government so that these services are funded through other revenues or picked up in the community through strategic local partnerships. … See MoreSee Less
Federal agencies "clawing back" grant funds from Sedgwick County
www.kmuw.org
Programs that support some of Sedgwick County’s most vulnerable residents are now in jeopardy as federal agencies continue to renege on their grant promises.13 CommentsComment on Facebook
We lost a champion for vulnerable kids in our community. His legacy will live on for generations.
Thank YOU Dr Polite. Praying God’s peace and strength over his family. … See MoreSee Less
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My conversation with Mayor Lily Wu is out today! I really appreciated our discussion and the relationship between Sedgwick County and the City of Wichita. There is a lot of work to be done to move our community forward, but I’m confident that there is a growing commitment to reform and modernizing local government.
Watch the full conversation with Mayor Lily Wu on my website!
ryanbaty.com/common-sense-with-ryan-baty-episode-3-lily-wu/ … See MoreSee Less
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Appreciate the opportunity to provide opening remarks at the Greater Wichita Housing Conference! Special thanks to the City of Wichita- Government and the Coalition to End Homelessness for sponsoring and hosting this opportunity.
The issues of affordable housing and homelessness are top of mind for our community. I’m hopeful that conversations happening at conferences like this will continue to advance creative options and strategies we can advance locally,
April 16 & 17
8 a.m. Doors Open; 8:30 Start
Century II, 225 W. Douglas Ave.
•General attendance is free — check it out! … See MoreSee Less
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Baby fever at Sedgwick County Zoo! ❤️
Pretty exciting times for one of the state’s most popular tourist attractions. I’m eager for the public to come see these new arrivals! … See MoreSee Less
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This was put in the bathroom at the county offices for this JAYHAWK to see.
Someone has jokes, huh?? 🤔 … See MoreSee Less
14 CommentsComment on Facebook