William Buchanan, County Manager
Welcome
Hi, I'm
Sedgwick County Manager William Buchanan. Welcome to our website. County staff and I are responsible for implementing the
policy decisions made by the Board of Sedgwick County
Commissioners.
Mission
Assure quality public services are provided for the present and future well-being of the citizens of Sedgwick County by providing efficient and responsive support to the Board of County Commissioners and effective administration of the Sedgwick County organization.
Manager's Update
January 26, 2012
In today’s Wichita Eagle, there is an article by Suzanne Perez
Tobias about “essential life skills to teach your kids.” Suzanne shared readers’
suggestions for things that every adult should know, from how to count back
change, make a bed, change a tire, hem pants, and how to fold a fitted sheet
(not sure I have that one down yet). With three adult children, I guess it’s a
little too late to impart any words of wisdom or teaching to them on these
topics … but I do have three grandchildren so there is another generation!
But it got me thinking about the work we do here at Sedgwick County – and as
employees, are there suggestions we should have for each other about “things you
should know as an employee of Sedgwick County.” I thought of things like, “how
to view your latest paycheck, how to enroll for benefits, who to call for
computer help (DIO Helpdesk), knowing where the closest fire extinguisher is and
what to do if you see a maintenance issue on your floor.” But it’s also things
like knowing and providing services according to our Customer Service Guiding
Principles; understanding that we do our best work when we engage stakeholders
in the solution; that you have a lot of resources in this organization, experts
in what they do, to support you; and, we encourage organizational transparency
by having videos of our meetings and public documents available on our website
so you and the community can access them.
But, I also think it’s important for every County employee to know, you are a
part of something much bigger. While we each have our specific role, we are part
of a bigger organization, and we are a part of the community. The work you do is
important – it helps make our community better. Many times, citizens come in
contact with our services under duress or unhappy circumstances – paying taxes,
needing an ambulance, having their car broken into, or perhaps even a speeding
ticket. But other times, it is to be there to provide care or help, such as
children’s programs in COMCARE, aging respite care, or helping at-risk youth.
Your services, whether direct or support functions, help make this community
better a place to live. And, the way you approach your job each day is critical
to the community recognizing that county services are needed and important
services.
I hope you will think about ways that you can learn a little more about what
“we” do and what things you believe employees of Sedgwick County should know.
I’d be happy to hear your ideas.
January 11, 2012
Earlier today, life changed for some of our fellow county
employees as the sale of the Kansas Coliseum complex was finalized. The sale
includes the Britt Brown Arena and the Kansas Pavilions; the buyer will continue
private operation of the pavilions.
For the past few years, Sedgwick County remained dedicated to keeping facilities
open for events, even though the property operated in a deficit; however, we
could no longer justify doing so when a fair offer was presented.
We provide services based directly on community need, and this sale was an
example of how our organization must change to accommodate the community’s
changing needs.
Unfortunately, change is difficult. There are 18 full- and part-time County
employees who currently work for the Kansas Pavilions who will receive
reduction-in-force notices, benefits and support during the transition process.
We too can offer support to those individuals whose “normal” will be different
for a while.
Beginning today, Sedgwick County signage at the property will be removed and the
property will be operating under the name “Kansas Coliseum LLC.” Although this
is different from what we’ve known, the opportunity to utilize an aging property
in new ways is a positive outcome of the change that occurred today.
We must remember that change is necessary to provide the best quality public
service possible. It is our mission, goal and promise to the residents of
Sedgwick County.
December 30, 2011
Through the magic of the internet and e-mail, we have access
to an unlimited supply of information – some of it factual and useful, some of
it entertaining but not of any particular value. But as I was conducting some
research for a presentation earlier this month, I stumbled across a blog about
“Living a Good Story.” I thought I would share, since it is a different way of
looking at New Year’s resolutions.
The blog author (Don Miller) talked about how he sets his resolutions or goals
for the year – but because you can’t necessarily see how they will play out over
time, they seem lifeless or without character. Instead, he creates “stories”
with his goals. He says, “a story involves a person who wants something and is
willing to overcome conflict to get it.” It is about taking the goal and giving
it life, or context and characters. Miller uses the example of not just simply
saying you want to get in shape or lose weight. But instead, being specific – “I
will climb Mt. Hood with my friends in May, stand on top of the mountain, take
pictures and figure out what I need to do along the way so I can make this
journey.”
Miller describes three steps to planning your stories:
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Want something – make your ambition clear and focused; you are the lead character in your story (or movie) – what is the plot?
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Envision the climatic scene – begin with the end in mind. What are the scenes in your story that will lead you to the end? Who are the characters that might be part of the story?
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Create an inciting incident – what will make you change? For Miller, he pulled his friends into his story to climb the mountain. That was his inciting incident to push him to follow through with his story – he would let his friends down if he put his goal aside.
My wife and I enjoy hiking the mountains when we visit our
daughter in Arizona. We generally know when we will make the trips and plan
where we will hike when we go. That is the beginning of our story. I probably
should never say that my wife is the “inciting incident,” but in this case, she
is. She will push me to do what we said we would. But she is also a “lead
character” in my story and will be part of the scenes at the gym, eating right
and taking walks that will prepare us for the journey of our next big hike.
Whether you plan to have resolutions or stories, or if you have already set your
daily living routine, I wish you a safe, happy and healthy New Year. Thank you
for all that you do for the citizens of our community.
December 2, 2011
Yesterday afternoon, we held our annual Employee Service
Awards to recognize employees for their years of dedicated service to the
citizens of Sedgwick County. There were 398 employees who received their award
this year with anywhere from 5 to 40 years of employment.
The work our employees do for our community is important. We have a number of
employees in our public safety departments who have to get out and work in all
conditions of weather, and generally the extremes make their workloads even
busier. We know that citizens also rely on the case management and visitation of
our health and human services employees, despite what the weather is outdoors.
The public works employees are tasked with assuring that we have safe roadways
for travel for our citizens and visitors, during all types of conditions. Our
facilities personnel help assure clean, safe buildings, to provide a good
working environment for county employees and a welcoming feeling for our clients
and customers. The work of county government carries on year-round, including
tax bills to mail, car tags to issue, checks to process for our vendors and
working computer systems to help us conduct our business. Because of the
commitment of county employees to conduct their business in all conditions, the
reputation of Sedgwick County government is strong. You do what needs to be
done, think about better and more efficient ways to do your work, and help make
life better for citizens.
I want to thank all of you for our continued dedication to the citizens of
Sedgwick County. I am proud to work in this organization with you.
News and Events
Enhancing the Delivery of Public Services by Nonprofit Agencies
The Enhancing the Delivery of Public Services by Nonprofit Agencies report was recognized as an ICMA
Innovation Award Winner in 2004.
The purpose of this report is to identify best practice
among nonprofit organizations that deliver public
services and to make recommendations to Sedgwick County
for improving its contracting procedures to enhance the
delivery of public services provided by nonprofit
agencies. Three content areas will be addressed -
governance, administration and financial management of
nonprofits - and recommendations will be made with
respect to prevention, warning signs and early
interventions.
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