Government Relations

Government relations at Sedgwick County plays an integral role in the legislative process by communicating issues of primary importance in Sedgwick County at the local, state and federal levels.

2026 Sedgwick County Legislative Platform

The following are legislative issues that will enable Sedgwick County to continue to maintain the high level of service and programs to the citizens of our County.

PRIORITIES

Appraiser’s Office

Enact a law that requires determinations from the Board of Tax Appeals to be reached within 1 year of the appeal being filed with the Board, unless otherwise agreed to by the parties.
Broaden the eligible pool of candidates for the County Appraisers position by amending K.S.A. 19-430 to no longer limit County Appraisers to individuals with 3 years or more of mass appraisal experience.
Re-name the County Appraiser offices to State Appraiser on behalf of each County.

Corrections

Discontinue the implementation of the proposed KDOC biased Funding Formula and replace it with a transparent formula that abides by state statutes and is fair to all judicial districts.
Include Salary Adjustments for ISO/CO to be competitive with KDOC/Court Services.

Finance

Continue support and review of HB 2377 - a change to the to the current distribution formula for the County’s 1% sales tax. KSA 12-192 creates a disincentive to reducing property taxes by further reducing the relative portion a municipality receives of the sales tax funds generated by a countywide sales tax.

Treasurer’s Office

Support legislation appropriating additional budget for the County Treasurer’s Tag Offices. These functions are state mandates that require local property tax funding. The Auto license support from the general fund is anticipated to be $1.1Million in 2025.
Lift the Geographic Boundaries – provide the ability to complete tag work at any tag office in the state.
Enhance and advance KDOR technology including the MOVRS system server (approximately $20,000).
Expand online capacity and stagger personalized plates.
Support County Treasurer to charge a service fee in excess of $5 but not exceeding $15; and reclassify the current facility fee to a per-transaction fee of up to $5 (this replaces/updates the facility fee).

APPROPRIATIONS

Appraiser’s Office

Support legislation appropriating additional budget for the County Appraiser. These functions are state mandates with local property tax funding. Sedgwick County funded the Appraiser in 2025 at $6.1M.

COMCARE

Support the Association of CMHCs of KS Inc. request to:
Addressing the Needs of the Uninsured and Underinsured—Keeping the Promise of Mental Health Reform. Continue and enhance funding to support behavioral health services for the uninsured. Request is for an additional $4 million for FY 2027 for CMHC contract funding.
Allocate additional funds to address behavioral health workforce shortages.
Continue and maintain system improvements through the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) model. In order to preserve the effectiveness of the model, and in recognition of the investment made by the State, CCBHC certification process should continue to be limited to CMHC’s as originally intended.

Community Developmental Disability Organization

Support Interhab legislative platform.

Health

Sustainable Public Health funding with inflation increases for salary, operating costs, and supplies.

Public Services

Support addressing the gap for youth in foster care with behavioral health issues.
Create a pool of matching funds for capital expenditures related to the development and implementation of Juvenile Crisis Intervention Centers.

POLICY

Animal Control

Enact language that allows counties to take action to protect the public from dangerous animals, while also ensuring that the owners of such animals are afforded constitutional due process.

Corrections

Make enhancements to SB 367 (2016) via passage of HB2329 passed by Kansas House requires action by Kansas Senate. Out of home placements; Illegal firearm possession by juveniles.
Support use of Evidence-Based Funding for Community Programming – seek legislative protections from sweeping into general fund.
Amend necessary KSA’s to add Juvenile Detention Facilities to reimbursement provisions previously ratified for adult jails in 2023-2024 Session SB228. 2023-2024 Session SB 228 directs KDADS to reimburse counties for costs related to holding an adult person in custody while awaiting examination, evaluation, or treatment to restore competency to stand trial.
Support Public Defender model for Juvenile Offenders – current model is appointment model. There has been work to improve defense in the juvenile court. It may shift funding responsibility from the county to the state (the board of indigent defense is a state funded entity).

Elections Office

Modify statute to eliminate redacted results data for any Election Precinct separated from other precincts by any public right of way, county or township roads or similar geographical divisions that may be combined with an adjacent precinct as long as the political districts are the same for each of the combined districts.
Modify statute for Precinct person election results data shall not be considered final or official until county canvassing is complete. The election commissioner or county clerk of a county shall be afforded up to 3 business days to transmit the official results for precinct elections to the office of the Kansas Secretary of State.

Facilities

Amend K.S.A. 19-214 and increase the contract expenditure amount that triggers the mandatory public letting requirement for county construction contracts from in excess of $25,000.00 up to $100,000.00 to imitate State discretion under KSA 75-3739.

Finance

Support amendments to statutes that allow counties to go out for sales taxes in ¼ cent intervals to allow that to instead be done in 1/8 cent intervals.
Amend SB 13 (2019) to allow for adjustments to the revenue neutral rate.
Metropolitan Area Planning Department
Amend KSA 66-2019 to allow local governments to consider cell tower zoning and conditional use cases like all other cases.

Public Works

Modify statute that would shield municipalities from liability if they would go above and beyond MUTCD (the traffic engineer guidelines, Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices) requirements and wouldn’t then be responsible if they would remove that additional condition.

Regional Forensic Science Center

Work with Kansas Senate to pass 2025 HB 2331 to statutorily enable county coroners to dispose of the cremated remains of unclaimed individuals in a manner established in state laws for mortuary services providers 2025 HB 2331.
Work with Kansas Senate to pass 2025 HB 2331 to change to state law and/or enactment of a state law that will enable county coroners to dispose of personal property of the unclaimed deceased in a similar fashion established in the unclaimed property act 2025 HB 2331.
Amend KSA 65-1108 to exempt Sedgwick County RFSC to obtain approval from Secretary of Health and Environment for testing of controlled substances.

Sedgwick County

Amend K.S.A. 64-101(b) to be non-uniform with respect to counties so that counties, like cities, would have the flexibility to consider alternative methods of publication in addition to traditional newspaper publication, which could result in taxpayer savings.
Unilateral annexation – County has no representation. Continue support for right of counties to vote on unilateral annexations similar to what is permitted in KSA 12-521.
Extend constitutional protection for county home rule authority.
Remove K.S.A. 79-1613 (property tax relief to damaged structures).