The Unified Government Board of Commissioners voted 8-2 Thursday night to approve a controversial $250 million battery energy storage facility on Metropolitan Avenue, overriding the planning commission and sparking an hour and a half of questions and debate. Commissioners also approved the first round of spending from the American Royal development fund and formally adopted a sister city relationship with a city in Argentina ahead of this summer’s World Cup.
Battery storage project approved over planning panel’s objection
The commission approved a special use permit for East Side Storage and Accelergen Energy to build a large-scale battery energy storage facility at 8900 Metropolitan Avenue. The planning commission had recommended denial on a 6-1 vote on Apr. 13. Because the vote overrode that recommendation, it required eight votes to pass. The accompanying preliminary plan review was approved by the same 8-2 margin. Commissioner Phil Lopez (District 6) and Commissioner Chuck Stites (District 7) voted no on both items.
Josh Skogen, Accelergen’s co-founder and senior vice president of development, described the project as a private investment that would store electricity generated during off-peak hours, primarily from wind assets, and return it to the grid during periods of high demand. He told commissioners the project would provide $27 million in guaranteed minimum revenue to the county, $8 million in new local earnings from construction jobs, $9 million in annual energy savings, and $50,000 in annual scholarships for the term of the project.
“What we’re talking about tonight is a private investment totaling $250 million to increase the reliability of the infrastructure you already have in place,” Skogen said.
The facility would occupy about 10 acres of a 64-acre parcel, with the remaining land kept undisturbed for continued cattle grazing under a deed restriction. Skogen said the company had agreed to more than 20 conditions of approval developed in response to community concerns, including noise limits, a prohibition on double-stacking battery containers, and a commitment to put the electrical connection to the BPU substation underground. The facility must also stay up-to-date with evolving safety codes, even if they change during the life of the permit.
The planning commission recommended denial on Apr. 13 on a 6-1 vote. The commission cited incompatibility with adjacent single-family and rural uses, non-conformance with the PlanKCK Comprehensive Plan, which designates the property as Rural Residential rather than a utility use, and concern that the site could become a brownfield after decommissioning. Skogen addressed three specific compatibility objections the panel had raised by committing to run the power line underground, remove spare parts storage, and pave the site entrance road.
A protest petition filed against the project was invalid because the valid signatures obtained did not represent 20 percent of the total land area within a 200-foot buffer area. Stites noted that the signatures would have cleared that threshold if all signatures had been submitted in valid form.
The main safety concern raised by commissioners was fire. Skogen said the project uses lithium iron phosphate batteries, a technology that does not contain heavy metals and is not subject to the thermal runaway that has caused multi-day fires at facilities using older battery technologies. He said that of the three recorded incidents involving the technology used by Accelergen, none lasted more than one day. The company has submitted a draft emergency response plan to the KCK Fire Department.
Andrew Ferris, the BPU’s chief financial officer, confirmed that the utility does not currently have a contract with Accelergen but said the project is compatible with what BPU would consider for grid reliability. He said battery storage helps absorb wind power that would otherwise be wasted overnight and returns it to the grid during peak demand hours, which can also help stabilize energy prices.
Commissioner Andrew Davis (District 8) made the motion to approve, framing the permit to include built-in accountability checkpoints. “My motion is to approve the 10-year special use permit with the condition that the three five-year renewals are subject to passing compliance checks by our staff as stipulated by all of the conditions in the SGP,” Davis said. Commissioner Bill Burns (District 2) seconded the motion.
Commissioners voting yes were Davis, Melissa Bynum (At-Large District 1), Andrew Kump (At-Large District 2), Jermaine Howard (District 1), Burns, Christian Ramirez (District 3), Evelyn Hill (District 4), and Pacheco.
In a statement posted to social media after the meeting, Pacheco explained his vote in terms of the county’s broader tax strategy. “This is about fairness,” he wrote. “We should not rely solely on the people who live here to fund everything when there are opportunities to grow our tax base responsibly.”
American Royal fund: $865 thousand in first expenditures approved
Commissioners approved, 9-1, the first spending recommendations from a $5 million origination fee paid by the American Royal Association as part of the development agreement approved in December 2025. Stites cast the only no vote.
Commissioner Bynum, who chairs the subcommittee managing the fund, said the group has met three times and faces a deadline to allocate all $5 million by July 3. The approved expenditures total $865,000 and include $150,000 toward a downtown grocery store, identified in the resolution as a contribution to the pre-opening fund for United Market; $250,000 for the Little Turkey Creek infrastructure project; $300,000 for economic mobility and business support tied to the World Cup; $150,000 to enhance the UG’s existing small business grant program; and $15,000 for World Cup cultural training.
Bynum noted that redirecting the $150,000 previously committed to the grocery store from the general fund would free up those dollars. Commissioner Kump highlighted the Little Turkey Creek project as serving double duty by mitigating flooding near 82nd Street and Riverview Drive while also addressing requirements under a federal consent decree.
“There’s still $4.1 million left and so this is by no means the end of what we plan to do,” Davis said, signaling that future recommendations would address property tax relief, illegal dumping, parks, and infrastructure priorities raised by constituents.
In addition to the origination fee, the development agreement requires the American Royal to pay the UG $1,315,789 annually for up to 19 years or until STAR bonds are repaid.
Sister city relationship established with Argentinian city ahead of World Cup
The with Argentinian national team setting up its home base in KCK, the commission unanimously approved a resolution and proclamation establishing a formal sister city relationship in the country. Nicknamed “la Perla del Sur” (the Pearl of the South), Concepción is the second-largest city in the province of Tucumán in southern Argentina and a financial and agricultural hub for the region.
Mayor Christal E. Watson said further events would be planned to celebrate the relationship before and during the 2026 World Cup. The proclamation cites a shared interest in soccer and an expectation of cultural exchange between residents of the two cities during the tournament.
Lobbyist reports: property tax relief stalls again at Statehouse
Paul Davis, the UG’s legislative lobbyist, gave a recap of the 2026 session of the Kansas Legislature, which wrapped up on Apr. 11. Davis told commissioners the session was the fastest-moving he had seen in 23 years as either a lobbyist or a legislator.
Property tax relief was the dominant issue, Davis said, but the two chambers approached it differently and could not reconcile. The Senate passed a constitutional amendment to cap property valuation increases at 3 percent and roll valuations back to 2022 levels, but the House rejected it three times. The Legislature then passed a spending restriction bill, which the governor vetoed. A modified version also passed and was vetoed by Governor Kelly earlier in the week, Davis confirmed, and because the legislature had adjourned, no veto override was possible.
Several commissioners expressed frustration with the deadlock. Pacheco told the commission he intends to introduce a local tax relief program, called CARE, that would provide rebates to homeowners when their property tax bill exceeds a certain percentage of their income or when appraised values spike sharply. He said the Economic Development and Finance Committee would vote Monday on whether to direct staff to produce a feasibility study.
Davis also briefed commissioners on other notable legislation. A sports authority bill creating the governing body for the Kansas City Chiefs’ proposed stadium passed, along with a reauthorization of STAR Bond financing. Davis credited the Wyandotte County legislative delegation with winning a seat for Mayor Watson on the sports authority board after an earlier draft excluded her. A by-right housing development act streamlines local permitting for developments meeting existing zoning requirements. A World Cup alcohol sales bill allows cities and counties to opt in to 23-hour alcohol sales between June 11 and July 19. Construction contract bid thresholds for local governments rose from $25,000 to $100,000. A bill to end in-state tuition for children of undocumented immigrants, which the governor vetoed, failed to achieve a veto override in either chamber.
Commissioner Burns criticized the legislature’s decision to give its members a 4.1 percent pay raise while state employees received 1 percent. “If they’re going to give themselves a 4.1 percent raise, they should have given the rest of the state employees the same,” Burns said. “It just doesn’t look good.”
Homestead program sets record year
Before the formal agenda began, Mayor Watson announced that the UG’s homestead tax rebate programs had their largest season on record. She said 2,185 residents applied, an increase of 700 from the prior year. The UG’s utility and sales tax rebate program returned $682,714.28 to citizens, an increase of $217,258.74 from the previous year. The state property tax rebate program returned an additional $617,991, an increase of $149,381 from last year. Combined, the programs returned more than $1.3 million to county residents. Watson also noted that residents who qualified for the utility rebate would see further savings beginning in June, when the PILOT charge will be removed from their monthly bills through June 2027.
Community members honored as Dotte Proud
Three groups received Dotte Proud recognition at the start of the meeting. Commissioner Kump recognized Glen and Gina Cusimano, founders of Full Throttle Foundation, a nonprofit that provides boxing training and mentorship to youth in underserved communities across Wyandotte County. Kump said the couple started as a family-owned gym and expanded their community focus after Gina left a 15-year career in the medical field to join the operation full-time.
Mayor Watson recognized the City Hall janitorial crew, presenting certificates to Dorety Aguilar Miranda, Marvin Flores, George Showalter Jr., supervisor Ana Dolinar, Jose Hernandez, Ljubica Maracic, and Maria Montes Morales.
State Representative Lynn Melton recognized Chuck and Aileen Colbert, military veterans who each served roughly 24 years as Army military police and who spend their retirement picking up litter and cleaning sidewalks year-round. Melton said the couple has covered more than 200 miles of roadway in their cleanup efforts.
Planning and zoning consent agenda approved
The commission approved the full planning and zoning consent agenda 10-0 with no set-asides. A change of zone near 94th Street and State Avenue from agricultural to a planned apartment district, which also needed a master plan amendment, was approved for a senior care facility. Several short-term rental special use permits were renewed. Childcare center permits for two locations on North 99th Street were also renewed. An event space with live entertainment at 1813 Village West Parkway was approved for one year.