The Unified Government commissioners held their regular October meeting on Thursday evening, hearing about community cleanup efforts by UG staff, addressing zoning applications and approving incentives for the highly anticipated Buc-ee’s development next to Kansas Speedway.

Community cleanup moves mountains of trash

The commission recognized a recent initiative, launched Sep. 8, to combat illegal dumping throughout Wyandotte County. Led by John Kelly, director of the UG’s Buildings & Logistics department, the effort has racked up big numbers in a short time.

Dedicating the past eight Mondays to cleanup, teams from Buildings & Logistics, Parks & Recreation, and the Public Works Street Department have removed 105 truckloads of trash, ten loads of brush, and approximately one thousand tires from sites across the county.

“We’ve cleaned 50 different sites, and seven of those sites we have cleaned up multiple times,” said Rocki Mayes, the UG’s Special Projects & Memorial Hall Manager. She noted somewhat wistfully that the location on K-32 has been cleared seven times in the eight-week period.

The teams, comprising 11 to 14 UG staff members each week, have focused on illegal dumping sites known to police, and have provided the police with information about 40 additional sites to keep an eye on. Many of the sites are located in the northeast, but areas along Kaw Drive in central KCK and Metropolitan Ave. in the south have also needed work.

Commissioner Melissa Bynum raised concerns about the financial impact of the cleanups and requested a cost analysis. Several commissioners called for increased fines for illegal dumping, with Bynum suggesting they should be tripled or quadrupled from the current $2,500 maximum. Mayor Tyrone Garner directed staff to fast-track recommendations for increased fines.

Commissioner Christian Ramirez praised the detailed weekly reports provided by the cleanup teams and noted that he had participated in a District 1 cleanup alongside other residents, highlighting the community involvement.

Looking ahead, the beautification initiative will expand to address vegetation control and public right-of-way areas. Other plans include installing additional surveillance cameras at problem dumping sites, with $100 thousand allocated in next year’s budget for camera equipment that will be integrated with the KCK police department’s real-time crime lab. Lopez also announced he had purchased 20 trail cameras with his commissioner funds for immediate deployment at illegal dumping hotspots.

Commission sends rezoning back for re-do

Daryl Rakoski’s plan to add a subdivision of four luxury homes to an agricultural area near 125th and Leavenworth Road ran into a procedural snag.

“Chapter 27-210 of the UG code requires that any zoning amendment involving multiple lots must go through a planned district process,” resident Neil Palmer told commissioners during public comment.

Despite legal counsel’s opinion that the requirement could be bypassed because it said “should” rather than “shall,” the commissioners chose discretion and unanimously approved Commissioner Gayle Townsend’s motion to remand the issue back to the Planning Commission.

Gas station proposal denied after neighborhood opposition

In the evening’s most contentious item, commissioners voted 9-0 to deny a preliminary development plan for a grocery store with three fuel dispensers proposed by Michael Rhodes at the intersection of Donahoo and Hutton Road in Piper.

The Planning Commission had recommended denial 7-1 after significant public opposition from residents of the adjacent subdivision. Approximately a dozen residents spoke against the project at that meeting, citing concerns about property values, safety, environmental impacts, and traffic congestion. Some of them reprised their concern in front of the county commissioners.

Rhodes defended the project, arguing it complies with all zoning requirements and that denial based on public opposition rather than objective standards would be “arbitrary and unlawful.” He noted the property has been zoned commercial for years and was originally intended for a greenhouse operation.

“I respect my neighbors and their right to express concern, but there must be a distinction between opinion and evidence,” Rhodes said. “When the process shifts from fact to fear, it undermines the integrity of our planning system.”

Greg Kindle, president of the Wyandotte Economic Development Council, also spoke in favor, emphasizing the importance of consistent zoning standards in encouraging economic development.

“Mr. Rhodes has gone back and specifically made this site fit exactly what your zoning code said to do,” said Kindle, “and what it really says to the general development community is that we’re not being consistent.”

However, commissioners sided with residents’ concerns. Commissioner Mike Kane, who made the unanimously-accepted motion to reject the plan, cited traffic congestion on the already busy Donahoo and Hutton Road intersection, both two-lane roads operating at high capacity during peak hours.

Buc-ee’s development incentives approved

In its closing act, the commission unanimously approved three financial instruments supporting the Buc-ee’s development next to Kansas Speedway: a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district, a Community Improvement District (CID), and a resolution of intent to issue $43 million in Industrial Revenue Bonds.

Economic Development Director Chelsee Chism explained the incentive structure. The TIF district caps at $3.3 million over up to 15 years, capturing 50% of incremental city sales tax and 25% of county sales tax. The CID adds a 1% sales tax for up to 20 years with a $10 million cap. Together, these fund $13.3 million in public infrastructure improvements, including a new roundabout and street realignment.

“This is sales tax TIF,” Chism clarified. “We’ll continue to get the base amount of sales taxes, which currently is non-existent, but 50% of the incremental city sales tax and 25% of the county sales tax are contributed toward the TIF.”

The $43 million Industrial Revenue Bond covers land acquisition, construction costs, and machinery and equipment, providing sales tax exemptions during construction. Notably, Buc-ee’s will pay full property taxes with no abatement and full BPU utility rates with no incentives.

Commissioner Andrew Davis, phoning in to the meeting, emphasized this distinction. “There are no agreements with the BPU, so full utilities, sales taxes, PILOT [payment in lieu of taxes] payments from the developer.” He also clarified that the $43 million figure represents the eligible construction and equipment costs for the IRB sales tax exemption, not a direct payment to the developer.

KCK resident Steve Sessions spoke in opposition to the incentives, drawing a sharp contrast with the recent residency requirement debate. “Just this week, we sat in this very room during hours of debate over residency requirements. We heard words like ‘fiscal responsibility,’ ‘community investment,’ ‘protecting our tax base.’ Yet tonight, the same body is about to approve up to $43 million in industrial revenue bonds.”

“You cannot claim we can’t afford to lose property taxes of a few working families,” said Sessions, “and then in the next breath hand up $43 million in tax exemption to a billion-dollar company. That’s not fiscal responsibility.”

Other residents also expressed concerns about providing additional incentives to large developers while the county faces fiscal challenges.

Commissioners emphasized the project’s benefits. Chism’s projections, based on comparable Buc-ee’s locations generating $30-40 million in annual taxable sales, suggest the TIF and CID caps could be reached in five years or less, far sooner than the maximum terms allowed. Commissioner Phil Lopez noted that a smaller Buc-ee’s location in Colorado generated $38.8 million in taxable sales in one year, and noted that many Wyandotte County residents already make day trips to the Buc-ee’s in Springfield, Mo.

“Right now there’s zero sales tax dollars being generated. Zero,” said Commissioner Chuck Stites, who lives two miles from the site. “If this project’s not there, we are collecting next year zero. So 50% of the amount that will be generated is a significant amount.”

Commissioner Christian Ramirez noted the CID’s one-percent sales tax will be paid primarily by travelers passing through the county rather than local residents, and emphasized that it helps fund infrastructure improvements already underway. “It pays for itself in the end,” he said.

Commissioner Tom Burroughs highlighted additional benefits “The jobs that will be offered are high-paying jobs…These are jobs that can sustain a family in our community.” He also noted the 120 gas pumps serve passenger vehicles only, avoiding the infrastructure damage that could come from heavy truck traffic.

Chism, who joined the UG in October 2024 from an assistant city manager post in Shawnee, won the commissioners’ approbation for her work on the project. “You did a phenomenal job on this,” commended Lopez.

Garner echoed the sentiment, noting that Chism’s name has come up repeatedly at events around the metro area for her “professionalism [and] knowledge of the industry,” along with her dedication to bringing in high-quality economic development prospects.

Other business

The meeting opened with Garner’s agenda recognizing several community achievements. The mayor presented “Dotte Proud” recognitions to healthcare organizations including Mercy & Truth Healthcare Ministry, Providence Medical Center, Swope Health, The University of Kansas Health System, and Vibrant Health. The Environmental Services team also received recognition for awards from the National Association of Clean Water Agencies.

Proclamations were issued for National First Responders Day (Oct. 28), Wyandotte County Parks and Recreation Day (Oct. 30), Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and Domestic Violence Awareness Month.