The Unified Government’s Public Works and Safety Standing Committee voted 5-0 on Monday, Nov. 9, to bring trash carts to all of KCK. The committee also heard why the county’s tornado sirens stayed silent during the destructive Aug. 19 windstorm.
Commissioner Christian Ramirez (District 3) chaired the meeting in place of Commissioner Andrew Kump (At-Large District 2), who was absent. Commissioner Jermaine Howard (District 1) sat in for Commissioner Bill Burns (District 2). Commissioners Evelyn Hill (District 4) and Phil Lopez (District 6), along with BPU board member Gary Bradley-Lopez, rounded out the committee.
Carts become permanent
After two pilot phases, the committee voted for an amendment to the UG’s residential trash contract with Waste Management to extend trash carts to the whole city and make the arrangement permanent through the end of contract in 2032.
Dave Reno, community engagement officer for Public Works, said a survey of pilot-area residents found about 70 percent in each phase wanted the program to continue.
Residents reported easier recycling, cleaner streets, and fewer missed pickups. Staff said Waste Management collected more than 600 tons of recycling in the first six months. Ramirez said the carts have cut litter in his neighborhood and reduced debris in Argentine’s storm sewers.
The amendment includes changes requested by many residents. Solid Waste Manager Diana Miles said every home keeps two free 96-gallon carts but may swap to a smaller cart at no charge in June 2027. An extra cart costs $10 a month, and yard waste pickup pauses from December through February.
The amendment goes next to the full Board of Commissioners. If approved as expected, the carts will arrive in the rest of the city in February and March, and the final phase begins Apr. 1.
Why the sirens stayed silent
Kump requested a review of the siren policy after the Aug. 19 storm. Hill said residents called her asking “how come there was no siren?”
Jennifer Tarwater, director of Emergency Management, said the policy is for the county’s 86 outdoor sirens to only sound for tornadoes. A weather service warning, a report from a trained spotter or public safety official, or the duty officer’s judgment can trigger them. On the night of the storm, the weather service issued only severe thunderstorm warnings, and no tornado was spotted or showed on radar.
Bradley-Lopez asked whether anything should have gone differently under the current policy. Tarwater said no.
Warnings were issued about downbursts, the highly-destructive winds that can be over 100 miles per hour, but they covered the metro area, and were not specific to Wyandotte County.
Metro emergency managers are discussing whether sirens should also sound for damaging winds. Tarwater warned against overuse. “One of the things that we want to avoid at all cost is to desensitize people to how often we use them,” she said.
Tarwater promised a policy review within two months. Ramirez, Hill, and Howard sit on the Mid-America Regional Council board, and Ramirez urged a regional standard. “In my opinion, we shouldn’t be less than what MARC does,” Ramirez said.
Sirens are meant to be heard outdoors, so Tarwater urged residents to sign up for Everbridge weather alerts, use a FEMA or Red Cross app, or buy a weather radio, which can all provide an early warning when residents are indoors.
Ditching backlog
Public Works provided a Kump-requested update on roadside ditches. The county stopped maintaining ditches at unification in 1997. More than 25 years of deferred maintenance has led to several problems. Clogged ditches have flooded homes and, in one case, let storm water undercut a road so badly that the UG closed it for months.
Apollo Hernandez, the program’s project manager, said the UG has 1,600 driveway culverts and 4,771 ditches. Of 205 pending requests, five are high priority, meaning water threatens a building or could freeze on a roadway. Six are medium, and the rest are low.
“A lot of people intentionally filled them in. They wanted level yards for mowing convenience,” Hernandez said.
Hill asked about the $13 million cost estimate which was described as “a floor, not a ceiling.” Hernandez explained that amount would only cover digging, not rock lining, liners, or new pipes.
The commission directed $1 million in American Royal funds to the program. A contractor quoted about $755 thousand for the high- and medium-priority sites and a few low-priority ones.
“I know that one million is a very minuscule drop in the bucket for what’s needed, but it’s money that we didn’t have before and now we’re able to do some good with it,” Ramirez said.
Vision Zero grants come up empty
Sarah Shafer of Public Works engineering said the UG did not win a federal Safe Streets and Roads for All grant for five Vision Zero safety projects totaling $19.7 million. The UG had lined up a $3.9 million Build Kansas grant toward the local match. Staff will ask federal officials for feedback and reapply, likely in the spring.
Alyssa Marcy, the newly named interim planning director, said the plan has also paid for crash analysis studios in USD 500 high schools, where students study crashes near their schools.