The Board of County Commissioners met on Thursday, June 26 in the Hearing Room at the Johnson County Administration Building.

The Board proclaimed June as Pride Month in Johnson County.

More information, including official minutes, votes, videos, information about how to make public comments and how to request accommodations is available at boccmeetings.jocogov.org. This recap is not the official record of the BOCC meeting.

Delegates to the NACo conference

Approved Second District Commissioner Jeff Meyers as the voting delegate and Assistant County Manager Aaron Otto as the alternate delegate for the 2025 National Association of Counties Conference Annual Meeting.

Final plan and plat for Prairie Trace Estates

Approved the City of Gardner’s applications for the final development plan and final plat for Prairie Trace Estates, 4th Plat, a residential subdivision comprised of 43 lots on approximately 13.7 acres, located south of 175th Street and west of Clare Road, and within one mile of New Century AirCenter.

Final plan and plat for Prairie Trace Meadows

Approved the City of Gardner’s applications for the final development plan and final plat for Prairie Trace Meadows, 5th Plat, a residential subdivision comprised of 52 lots on approximately 20.96 acres, located south of 175th Street and west of Clare Road, and within one mile of New Century AirCenter.

Transferred motorcycle to school district

Approved the disposition and transfer of a 2013 Victory Commander Motorcycle to the Olathe School District, by declaration of surplus, from the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office.

Named interim county engineer

Appointed Tamara Lorenzen as interim county engineer, effective July 7, 2025.

Consent Agenda Vote: Passed 7-0.

Increased contract authority to build new air traffic control tower

Authorized a contract authority increase for Design Engineering Services for a new air traffic control tower at New Century AirCenter per the term and supply contract with Burns and McDonnell for the siting, design, bidding and construction services for the project in the amount of $854,020 for a revised total contract amount not to exceed $3 million and delegated signatory authority of the current, and subsequent authorizations and any amendments or change orders up to the $3 million level of authority to the executive director of the Johnson County Airport Commission. Vote: Passed 7-0.

Authorized construction of new bridge

Authorized a contract with Bryan-Ohlmeier Construction Company, Inc., for the bridge construction on 207th Street over Little Bull Creek in the amount not to exceed $1,184,054.25. Vote: Passed 7-0.

Appointed JCDS board members

Appointed members to the Johnson County Developmental Supports Governing Board, including:

• First District Commissioner nomination, Kyle Russell;
• Second District Commissioner nomination, Debbie Williams;
• Third District Commissioner nomination, Michael Hughes;
• Fourth District Commissioner nomination, Inas Younis;
• Fifth District Commissioner nomination, Bertha Guillen;
• Sixth District Commissioner nomination, John Bartolac; and,
• Chair nomination, Melissa Footlick.

Vote: Passed 6-0.

• Yes: Meyers, Fast, Brewer, Hanzlick, Ashcraft, Allenbrand
• Recused: Kelly

Filled vacancy on Airport Commission

Declared a vacancy of the 3rd District appointee and appointed Sam Whitehead as the 3rd District nominee to the Airport Commission. Vote: Passed 7-0.

Approving wastewater buy-in funds, agreement

After a public hearing continued from June 12, authorized funds for the Spring Hill System Buy-in in an amount not to exceed $2 million and approved an agreement with the City of Spring Hill for reimbursement of Johnson County’s system buy-in and transfer of a portion of the JCW sewer system to the city. Vote: Passed 7-0.

Authorized publication of proposed budget for Johnson County Government

Authorized publication of the proposed maximum budget for Johnson County Government in the amount of $1,904,065,703 (roughly $1.399 billion in expenditures and $505.3 million in reserves) for fiscal year 2026. The board also officially notified the county clerk of the proposed intent to exceed the revenue neutral rate and set a public hearing on the proposed budget for 6 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025 at the Olathe Conference Center. Vote: Passed 6-1.

• Yes: Meyers, Fast, Brewer, Hanzlick, Allenbrand, Kelly
• No: Ashcraft

Approving permit for construction contractor business

Approved a conditional use permit for continued operation of outdoor storage of trucks and equipment in conjunction with a construction contractor business on property zoned RUR, Rural District, at 11300 Waverly Road. Vote: Passed 7-0.

Permit for accessory dwelling unit

Approved an accessory dwelling unit permit for a 1,600-square-foot accessory dwelling unit at 5875 W 203rd Terrace. Vote: Passed 7-0.

Permit for another accessory dwelling unit

Approved a request from Stillwell Living LLC applicant on behalf of Scott and Vicki Rogers, landowners for an accessory dwelling unit permit for a 1,020-square-foot accessory dwelling unit at 19501 Lowell Avenue, on 4.7 acres and zoned RUR, Rural District. Vote: Passed 7-0.

Approval of rezoning

Approved a request from Harold Phelps, Phelps Engineering, applicant, and Darrel and Susan Dougan, landowners, for a rezoning from the RUR, Rural zoning district, to the PRU-1B, Planned Residential Urban Single Family 1B zoning district, on 1.49 acres, on property at 19750 Foster St. Vote: Passed 7-0.

Rezoning for public safety training facility

Approved the City of Olathe’s application for a rezoning from the CTY AG (County Agricultural) District to the AG (City Agricultural) District and a preliminary site development plan for the Olathe Range development, which is an Olathe Police Department’s public safety training facility, on 95.6 acres, generally located on property at the northwest corner of 167th Street and I-35 Highway and within one mile of the New Century AirCenter. Vote: Passed 7-0.

Organizing Consolidated Fire District No. 1

Adopted Resolution No. 074-25 at recognizing and organizing Johnson County Consolidated Fire District No. 1. Vote: Passed 7-0.

Increased contract authority for Transit’s strategic plan

Increased the contract authority of Johnson County’s contract with Toole Design Group, LLC by $203,823 for additional costs associated with the development of Johnson County Transit’s strategic plan, utilizing $163,058 of Federal Section 5307 formula funds and a local match of $40,765 for a revised contract amount not to exceed $576,960, with a contract term extension through Aug. 31, 2025. Vote: Passed 5-2.

• Yes: Meyers, Fast, Hanzlick, Allenbrand, Kelly
• No: Brewer, Ashcraft

Johnson County’s Fourth Annual Juneteenth Celebration attracts 600+

Johnson County's Fourth Annual Juneteenth Celebration held last week was a remarkable demonstration of the community's commitment to honoring Juneteenth and fostering unity and belonging. This year’s theme was Milestones of Freedom: Celebrating 160 Years of Progress and was highlighted by words from Board Chair Mike Kelly, Emcee Steve Arledge, and Keynote Speaker Victor Webb among other exciting performances. The celebration saw over 600 attendees and representation from around 14 departments, nearly half of all departments in the county. The event was well-organized and meaningful. The community looks forward to building on this success in the years to come.

2026 FIFA World Cup Planning: ‘One Year to Go’

We are less than one year away from the first World Cup match in Kansas City. With six matches scheduled over 26 days, KC2026 anticipates up to 650,000 visitors in the metro during that time. Planning efforts are accelerating across the region. Within Johnson County, six internal subcommittees along with department-led initiatives are actively working to ensure continuity of operations, effective service delivery, and a safe and welcoming experience for both residents and visitors. Over the past few weeks, Johnson County joined in a series of “One Year to Go” celebrations. The county also announced a new collaborative initiative with all 20 cities within its borders, uniting efforts to ensure a fun, safe and easy-to-navigate experience for World Cup visitors and residents alike.

Johnson County receives four 2025 NACo Achievement Awards

The National Association of Counties recently announced its 2025 Achievement Award winners, and Johnson County received four awards this year. Since 1970, NACo's Achievement Awards have recognized outstanding county government programs and services. Programs receiving recognition this year include:

• Youth Crisis Stabilization Center by Mental Health.
• Eviction Mediation Pilot Program by District Courts.
• Summer Snack Packs by the Department of Aging and Human Services.
• Leadership Empowers All People (LEAP) by Human Resources.

The awards will be presented at NACo's upcoming national conference in July.

CERI releases its June Economic Indicators

The June 2025 edition of the Economic Indicators for Johnson County has been provided by the County Economic Research Institute. The unemployment rate for April 2025 is 3.4%, a 0.4% increase from a year ago; the number of single-family homes sold in April 2025 was 785, a 9.5% increase from April 2024; and the number of year-to-date single-family homes sold in 2025 was 2,335, an 8.2% increase since last year. The total number of single-family building permits issued in April 2025 was 227, a 26.8% increase from April 2024, and the number of year-to-date single-family building permits issued in 2025 is 647, an 18.5% increase from a year ago. Additionally, the CERI reports total retail sales for Johnson County were $4.85 billion year-to-date, as of March 2025, compared to $4.72 billion through the same period, year-to-date, March 2024, a 2.7% increase.

Other Reports: Performance audits

The Board received performance audits on a process at reducing risks of inaccurate payments in Nelson Facility construction and on the new streamline system by Contractor Licensing to process payments effectively.

Other Report: Proposed budget for new fire district

Sitting as Fire District No. 2 and the future Consolidated Fire District No. 1 Board, a proposed FY 2026 budget for the new fire district was presented to the Board.

The Board received the Johnson County Community Health Assessment and Improvement Plan by the Department of Health and Environment.

There will be no Board meetings on July 3 and July 10. The next meeting of the BOCC will on July 17.