The Unified Government’s Administration and Human Services Standing Committee met Tuesday evening and took up two significant informational presentations: an audit of nonprofit organizations using government facilities at no cost, and a comprehensive update from the Wyandotte County Public Health Department on its 2025 accomplishments and challenges heading into 2026.

Both presentations were informational only; no votes were taken on either agenda item.

Facility use by outside groups draws scrutiny

Legislative Auditor Reed Partridge, whose office was created by the UG charter to conduct independent reviews of operations, presented the findings of an audit requested by administration to identify nonprofit organizations that are using Unified Government facilities without paying fees.

The auditor found 18 groups in all, mostly community groups that meet on a weekly or monthly basis at community centers. However, Partridge highlighted three situations as particularly noteworthy. At the Parkwood Center near 10th Street and Quindaro, the Economic Opportunity Foundation occupies the entire top floor, approximately 5,400 square feet, including five offices, a kitchen, a conference room, and bathrooms.

Also, at the Beatrice Lee Community Center, the nonprofit Groundworks NRG occupies a roughly 250-square-foot space used primarily for storage, though the group also uses larger parts of the facility for periodic events. Memorial Hall hosts numerous no-cost users, the majority of which are actually other UG departments using the space for training and ceremonies. Nonprofits at Memorial Hall pay at a discounted rate, not for free.

A common thread across all three situations, Partridge said, was the absence of formal written agreements. “It’s just a handshake agreement,” he noted. The lack of documentation raises concerns about liability, insurance, and accountability, he said.

The auditor’s recommendations, directed primarily at department heads rather than commissioners, included requiring signed rental agreements approved by county administration, adhering to the existing fee schedule and documenting any exceptions, verifying that nonprofits hold all necessary licenses and permits, and tracking building usage regardless of whether fees are charged.

Partridge posed a broader policy question for commissioners to consider: when is it appropriate to offer community organizations reduced or free use of public facilities, and should that be formalized in policy?

The committee’s reaction was consistent across members. Commissioner Andrew Kump, citing his legal background, said his first concern was liability apportionment and insurance coverage and called for written contracts regardless of whether fees are charged. “We need to have a contract, a rental agreement that delegates the requirements and responsibilities for the party,” he said.

Commissioner Evelyn Hill echoed those concerns and asked how difficult it would be to bring existing arrangements into compliance with formal agreements. Zee Bishop from the UG Legal Department said the process would not be overly complicated, noting that parks facility users already sign agreements, though some longtime occupants without contracts might push back.

Commissioner Jermaine Howard called the audit a welcome step in addressing longstanding informal practices, noting that many arrangements across UG departments had been built on informal understandings over decades. “Somebody has to stand up and say, ‘All right, how do we do things the right way now?'” he said, urging the commission to ask what the right approach looks like going forward.

Commissioner Phil Lopez focused on the immediate risk: “We need to jump on some kind of insurance waiver pretty quick. Something bad happens and now we’re dealing with a lawsuit.”

Commissioner Christian Ramirez agreed with all of the above, noting that “just because we’ve done something doesn’t mean we need to continue doing it,” and said the commission would need to work through a broader policy discussion on which types of organizations should qualify for reduced rates. In the meantime, he said, “let’s use our fee schedule and let’s develop those rental agreements.” He also suggested that UG departments themselves, which use Memorial Hall at no charge, should be required to execute rental agreements as well, for consistency.

Hill suggested giving organizations time to adapt to changes rather than abruptly ending existing arrangements, and Howard agreed, noting that a sudden cutoff would likely generate significant community backlash.

Health Department highlights 2025 accomplishments, flags serious needs

Interim Health Department Director Terrie Garrison, accompanied by Strategic Communications and Operations Manager Colleen Kelly, presented the department’s 2025 Annual Report to the committee as the first in a planned series of department updates.

The department recorded $13.2 million in total operating revenue last year, with approximately 68% coming from federal, state, and other grants, 25.5% from local taxes, primarily the dedicated Health Tax Levy, and about 6.5% from service charges, licenses, and permits.

Garrison highlighted several accomplishments from the year, despite what she described as a challenging environment at all levels of government. The department expanded its Healthy Families Wyandotte home visiting program, nearly doubling its home visitor staff from three to five, after receiving additional funding from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. The department launched the PayIt electronic payment platform for both clinical services and environmental inspection licenses and permits.

Walk-in clinic hours were expanded to five days a week. An online application process was added for WIC clients, reducing the burden on working mothers who previously had to take time off to apply in person. The department also submitted its reaccreditation application to the Public Health Accreditation Board in November, following more than a year of preparation, and received the Organization Advocate of the Year award from Grandparents for Gun Safety for its violence prevention work.

The department also navigated significant disruptions during the year, including a local hiring pause, a federal government shutdown, and the clawback of ARPA pass-through funding. Garrison noted that despite vacancies in the Epidemiology Division, other staff stepped up to cover critical tasks including the communicable disease after-hours hotline.

Looking ahead to 2026, Garrison said the department is actively preparing for the FIFA World Cup coming to Kansas City this summer. Planning includes updating emergency response protocols for potential disease outbreaks, developing multilingual communications for international visitors, and preparing for potential heat-related illness during summer matches. The department also faces a CLIA laboratory recertification inspection this year, as well as the upcoming PHAB reaccreditation site visit, for which commissioners, who serve as the Board of Health, may be asked to participate.

On the needs side, Garrison identified three pressing areas. The health department building, constructed in 1972, is in need of capital improvements including ADA-compliant bathrooms and accessible signage. The department is also the last remaining user of an outdated electronic medical record system shared among several Kansas counties, and is exploring options for moving to a new platform. Staffing remains a persistent challenge, particularly for nursing and nurse practitioner positions, where competition with other healthcare providers on pay and benefits is difficult to match.

Hill pressed Garrison on lead poisoning, vaccination rates, and the county’s standing in statewide health rankings. On lead, Garrison said the older housing stock in Wyandotte County continues to present challenges but encouraged eligible residents with young children to contact the department’s kNOw Lead KCK program for home assessments and remediation services.

On vaccination rates, she said the department has held ground but is focused on gaining it back, particularly amid a nationwide measles outbreak that she described as the worst in 30 years. On health rankings, Garrison noted that the Robert Wood Johnson County Health Rankings program has been discontinued, but said the county has seen incremental internal improvements across multiple indicators in recent years.

Ramirez closed the presentation with praise for the department, noting that it was the public face of local government during the COVID-19 pandemic and continues to provide essential services county-wide, not just in Kansas City proper, but also in Bonner Springs and Edwardsville. He pledged to continue advocating for additional funding for the department.

After hearing both presentations and a brief birthday acknowledgement for Commissioner Hill, the committee adjourned.