County Administrator David Johnston has resigned from the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, the UG announced this week. His departure takes effect Sunday, Jul. 5. Two of the top three executive staff positions are turning over at once, with this announcement following on the heels of the retirement of assistant county administrator Bridgette Cobbins.

Mayor and CEO Christal Watson confirmed the resignation in a news release. “We appreciate Mr. Johnston’s service and contributions during his tenure at the UG since 2023,” Watson said. “Throughout his time with the organization, Mr. Johnston played an important role in supporting the UG’s mission and the residents we serve. We thank him and wish him much success in his future endeavors.”

Watson said she will propose a recommendation for an interim county administrator at the Thursday, Jul. 2, full commission meeting.

A tenure that began with optimism

The UG hired Johnston as permanent county administrator in Mar. 2023. The Board of Commissioners confirmed him unanimously at its Mar. 2, 2023, meeting, and then-Mayor Tyrone Garner introduced him at a press conference days later.

Garner praised the hire at the time. “I am truly confident in the leadership and vision Mr. Johnston will bring to the Unified Government and our community,” Garner said. “Our community has faced many difficult challenges and obstacles over the past few years. It is exciting to have a permanent County Administrator that is up for the commitment to help guide us in a positive and truly unified direction.”

Johnston brought more than 35 years of public service and management experience to the role. He struck a hopeful note of his own at the introduction. “I appreciate the trust that Mayor Garner and the County Commissioners have in me by naming me the next county administrator for the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas,” Johnston said. “I look forward to bringing my years of experience to help the county meet its challenges and opportunities head on.”

A win on the PILOT fee

Not every chapter of Johnston’s tenure was contentious. After years of resident complaints about the payment in lieu of taxes, or PILOT, fee on Board of Public Utilities bills, commissioners voted in Sep. 2025 to cut the residential PILOT rate by a full percentage point, to 9.9 percent, the lowest level since 2009. “This is real relief for some of our residents,” said Garner at the time.

The UG’s finances also held steady on Johnston’s watch. S&P Global Ratings affirmed the UG’s “AA” long-term general obligation bond rating in 2024, pointing to a management team with a record of conservative budgeting that produced general fund surpluses in eight of the previous 10 audited fiscal years.

Friction over a utility fee and a no-confidence vote

Johnston’s tenure also drew public criticism on more than one front.

In Apr. 2026, the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 64 passed a vote of no confidence in both Johnston and Kansas City, Kansas, Fire Department Chief Dennis Rubin. The union cited a pattern of grievances dating back several years, including alleged violations of its labor agreement with the UG, disregard for established labor-management processes, and refusal to meaningfully participate in the grievance procedure. A vote of no confidence carries no binding authority and does not remove an official from office, but it signals organized dissatisfaction within a union’s ranks.

In Oct. 2024, residents grew frustrated after Johnston directed the Board of Public Utilities to remove the PILOT fee from customer bills entirely by Oct. 1, citing the county’s charter ordinance. The deadline passed without action, and BPU officials said the change would require a lengthy rate study. Johnston defended his original directive but acknowledged the rollout fell short of expectations.

New interim leadership steps in

The UG named Casey Meyer as to fill Cobbins’s position on an interim basis, effective immediately. Meyer most recently served as the UG’s deputy chief legal counsel, a role in which she carried responsibility for labor matters, including negotiations involving the fire department.

Meyer’s appointment follows the planned retirement of Assistant County Administrator Bridgette Cobbins, who is stepping down after 30 years with the Unified Government.

Watson is expected to lay out her recommendation for Johnston’s interim successor at Thursday’s commission meeting.