The Wyandotte County Unified Government Board of Commissioners voted 6-2 early Thursday morning to approve a revised “unsafe camping” ordinance, changing course from the rejection of a similar measure six weeks earlier.
The ordinance, approved 6-2, prohibits camping and sleeping on public and private property with specific provisions for 48-hour notice, repeat offender penalties, and enhanced outreach services. However, it softens penalties from the previous version and creates a longer notice period for those with disabilities.
The meeting was marked by both solemnity and heated debate. Commissioners unanimously honored fallen Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Deputy Elijah Ming with a memorial field dedication before tackling the contentious homelessness ordinance that drew protesters and a lengthy discussion.
A proposal to issue approximately $40 million in general obligation bonds for sewer and stormwater projects related to the EPA consent decree was removed from the agenda.
Three commissioners were absent with prior notice: Christian Ramirez (District 3), Evelyn Hill (District 4), and Mike Kane (District 5).
Commission renames Ming’s boyhood ballfield in his memory
In a solemn moment before addressing the contentious camping ordinance, the commission unanimously approved a resolution renaming Heathwood Park’s baseball field as the Elijah Ming Memorial Field, honoring the deputy who was killed in the line of duty.
Sheriff Daniel Soptic and several deputies attended the meeting in full uniform, along with members of Ming’s family, as commissioners paid tribute to the fallen officer.
Ming grew up near Heathwood Park on 10th and Walker streets in KCK. As the memorial resolution put it, “He spent countless hours with his friends and siblings at Heathwood Park — playing ball, mowing the grass, cleaning up litter, and regularly going above and beyond to keep the park a safe place for all to enjoy.”
Ming played baseball at the collegiate level at Fort Scott Community College and Wayne State College in Nebraska before discovering his calling in public safety.
After college, Ming worked for Simmons Security patrolling the downtown KCK area. His care for everyone from business owners to the homeless caught the attention of then-Sheriff Don Ash and led to his career with the Sheriff’s Department.
“Elijah went on to serve proudly with the Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Department, where he worked in the jail and treated every person — friends and strangers alike — with dignity, compassion, and encouragement,” the resolution noted.
Commissioner Chuck Stites (District 7), who worked with Ming, made the motion to approve with visible emotion: “As a fellow colleague of Elijah, I work side by side with him at the county. I’m proud to make the motion to approve.”
The resolution passed 6-0, with Townsend experiencing technical difficulties during the vote but expressing her support.
“Elijah Ming embodied the very qualities that make Wyandotte County great — service, compassion, leadership, and community pride,” Garner said. “Elijah touched countless lives in a positive way and ultimately gave his life doing what he did best: protecting and serving his community.”
Protesters disrupt meeting
The meeting was interrupted twice by protesters against the camping ordinance. Immediately after the standing ovation for Deputy Ming, a woman started shouting a prayer for “hearts of softness and compassion.”
Minutes later as senior legal counsel Casey Meyer started the staff presentation on the ordinance, a man began chanting “Housing not handcuffs!” Both protestors were escorted quickly from the chamber by law enforcement.
Garner called a five-minute recess after the second disruption, giving the room a reminder about decorum before resuming. “I know that some of the topics bring out passions in individuals,” said Garner, “but at the end of the day presentations will be made, and it’s up to this elected body to make a final decision on what actions will be implemented and what will not be.”
From rejection to approval
At the Oct. 2 meeting, the commission heard more than four hours of impassioned testimony from residents, homeless advocates, service providers, and business owners before voting 7-1 to reject the original ordinance. That proposal would have immediately prohibited “unlawful camping” on public property with penalties up to $200 in fines or 30 days in jail.
Following that rejection, Garner directed Meyer and the homeless task force to revise the ordinance incorporating community feedback. Meyer worked with task force members and community stakeholders to craft the revised version presented Thursday night.
The key changes emphasized outreach over enforcement, community service penalties for first-time offenders, longer notice periods, and protections for people with disabilities, addressing many of the concerns raised in October.
The changes won over several commissioners. At the October meeting, only Bill Burns (District 2) supported the measure, but this time, five members changed their positions to support the revised ordinance: Phil Lopez (District 6), Tom Burroughs (At-Large District 2), Chuck Stites (District 7), Gayle Townsend (District 1), along with Garner. Andrew Davis (District 8) and Melissa Bynum (At-Large District 1) remained opposed.
Key provisions of the revised ordinance
Meyer presented the revised ordinance, which incorporated feedback from the mayor’s homeless task force and community stakeholders. Key provisions include:
- Legal classification: The ordinance now refers to “unsafe camping,” rather than “unlawful camping” and states that it is a “violation” rather than “unlawful.”
- 48-hour notice requirement: Individuals must be given 48 hours written notice before being asked to vacate public property, with an additional 48 hours for those with disabilities
- Community service: Punishment for first offenses is limited to community service, and indigent offenders must be given community service instead of a fine
- Repeat offender provision: Only after a second violation can fines be issued (up to $200 fine or 30 days in jail)
- Enhanced outreach: Punishment for a first offense includes referral to services that can help the homeless person
- Private property distinctions: Property owners can still request immediate removal from private land via the trespass ordinance
Commissioner comments reveal divided perspectives
Commissioner Bill Burns (District 2), whose eastside district contains several homeless encampments, strongly advocated for the ordinance. “I get a lot of complaints from taxpayers that pay their taxes, keep their property up and everything…They’re asking me, ‘Why isn’t the UG doing something about it?'” Burns emphasized this was “not set in stone” and could be amended later with “better procedures.”
Commissioner Tom Burroughs (At-Large District 2), who chairs the Public Works & Safety Committee that advanced the ordinance, defended it as necessary while acknowledging limitations: “Doing nothing is not the answer.”
Commissioner Melissa Bynum (At-Large District 1) expressed concerns the ordinance would not solve underlying problems: “You all have not been given a robust alternative of who to refer folks to and housing options for them to access…This kind of whack-a-mole approach…has really nothing to do with legal.”
Bynum emphasized the need for investment in affordable housing and better public engagement in economic development decisions and stressed that the issue is about systemic policy choices. “It’s on us to put the investment in affordable housing. It’s on us when we’re voting on LIHTC [Low-Income Housing Tax Credit] projects to not use rhetoric to scare neighbors.”
Commissioner Andrew Davis (District 8) voted against the measure, calling for more substantial solutions and active involvement from the UG. “We need to hire someone at the Unified Government that can do this work…We need to hire a consultant or someone that has done this work successfully in other communities to advise us here.”
Davis emphasized the need for dedicated staff working on homelessness 40 hours a week, noting the current approach of “playing pinball from one department to another” isn’t working.
Commissioner Gayle Townsend (District 1) acknowledged the difficulty of the decision: “This is one of those topics that there is no perfect answer and there’s no right answer.”
Emotional testimony from community leaders
Randy Strom, CEO of Wyandotte Behavioral Health Network, offered testimony about people he’s known for a decade who became homeless despite having Social Security Disability income that simply couldn’t cover fair market rent. He challenged commissioners, “If you vote for in favor of this or if you don’t vote for in favor of this, publicly commit to an emergency shelter in Wyandotte County in 2026.”
County Administrator David Johnston emphasized the complexity of the issue and noted community resistance to solutions, such as emergency shelters or service centers. “When those neighborhoods found out we were looking in their neighborhood, we got calls that said constantly, ‘not in my backyard.'” He called for community dialogue in 2026 to educate residents about homelessness and build support for housing solutions.
Mayor Garner’s perspective
Garner delivered extensive remarks reflecting on the intractability of homelessness nationwide. He noted his experience at mayors’ conferences where no city has found a definitive solution to growing homelessness.
“I don’t know what’s causing the increase in homelessness,” Garner said. “I’ve been to San Antonio. They have an awesome facility there that provides the best wraparound service, a bridge to housing. But that was a hundred million dollar facility…and even with that, if you talk to the curator there, that has not shown to be a solution to the problem.”
Garner emphasized the ordinance represents “a good first step to a multifaceted approach” and stressed the need for community investment beyond government. “It’s ludicrous to say ‘fix the problem,’ but nobody wants the problem fixed anywhere near them. These are people, these are people’s lives and they have to go somewhere.”
The mayor also gave the perspective from his long career in law enforcement. “I’ve seen these camps, I’ve been in them as a police officer. As a public safety director, I’ve been in them. It’s unsafe for anyone to be in these encampments.”
He praised incoming mayor-elect Christal Watson for attending the meeting and expressed confidence the conversation would continue under new leadership.
Police outreach programs continue
Master Sergeant Angela Joyce described the KCKPD’s homeless outreach program, which she developed in 2019.
“The majority of your homeless have lost their birth certificate, their social security cards, their IDs,” Joyce explained. The “City ID” program has issued over 705 cards to help homeless individuals obtain state identification, a critical barrier to accessing services. She noted that over half of the recipients have gone on to get state-issued ID, helping them to get jobs, housing, and additional government services.
Data highlights scope of crisis
According to data presented at the meeting and previously reported figures from the January 2025 point-in-time count:
- 252 people were counted as experiencing homelessness in Wyandotte County during the January 2025 point-in-time count, with 115 unsheltered and no year-round shelter available in the county (data previously presented at the Oct. 2 commission meeting)
- The county’s cold-weather shelter only opens when temperatures drop to 25 degrees or below
- Encampment cleanups cost the UG between $5,000-$7,000 each, involving multiple departments including Police, Fire, NRC, Buildings and Logistics, Streets, Parks, and Public Works
- Fire department emergency responses to unhoused individuals: 245 calls over the past two years, costing approximately $100,000, according to Fire Chief Dennis Rubin. Chief Rubin cautioned this is an underestimate since the previous tracking system didn’t indicate whether patients were unhoused
Other business
Education week recognition
The commission began the evening on a more celebratory note, recognizing Wyandotte County’s educational institutions during American Education Week (Nov. 17-21). J.D. Rios, a long-time educator with USD 500 and former Kansas City Kansas Community College board chair, presented “Dotte Proud” recognitions to all four area school districts, as well as Donnelly College and KCKCC.
Garner emphasized education’s importance: “The first step to hope, the second step to opportunity and the third step to an improved destiny starts with an education.”
Gingerbread contest winner
The Human Resources department was recognized as the winner of the UG’s annual Gingerbread House Contest held at the Mayor’s Christmas Tree Lighting event. The contest, in its third year, features creative entries from various UG departments.
K-5 Highway modernization
KDOT consultants presented on the K-5 modernization project from I-435 north to K-7, with 2.5 miles in Wyandotte County. The project addresses safety concerns on a corridor with crash rates 3-10 times higher than comparable Kansas highways. Over the past 10 years, the corridor has seen three fatalities and 18 serious injuries.
Consent agenda
The commission approved several items on consent, including:
- Termination of 12 Tax Increment Financing (TIF) districts and one Community Improvement District (CID), including Strawberry Hill TIF, Prescott Plaza TIF, Metropolitan Avenue TIF, and others that have collected their full funding or have reached time limits
- Authorization to apply for a $5 million DHS/FEMA Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems grant in preparation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup
- Appointment of Commissioner Ramirez as voting delegate for the Kansas Association of Counties Annual Conference