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Johnson County staff recommends dissolving Wastewater Development Advisory Committee
Summary
Johnson County Wastewater staff told the Board of County Commissioners the Wastewater Development Advisory Committee is duplicative of existing staff functions and recommended dissolution; commissioners voiced support at an agenda review on Jan. 16, 2025. No formal vote was recorded at the review meeting.
Susan Pekerick, a Johnson County Wastewater official, told the Board of County Commissioners during an agenda review on Jan. 16 that the Wastewater Development Advisory Committee (WDEC) — formed in 2020 — should be dissolved because its work duplicates functions already performed by staff. "The Wastewater Development Advisory Committee was formed in 2020, by the, county commission and the purpose of that committee really was to serve as a conduit for the development community and work with Johnson County Wastewater staff to evaluate and recommend, improvements to our processes, our procedures and our standards," Pekerick said.
Pekerick told the board that staff and legal reviewed board- and committee-level bodies and determined WDEC should be dissolved. She said staff already gather development-industry feedback through other mechanisms, including surveys conducted semiannually and follow-up surveys for development customers.
Commissioners generally supported the recommendation. Commissioner Allenbrand praised staff and legal review for eliminating duplicated services. Commissioner Hanslick said the committee did not have a policy‑making role and that staff expertise was the primary need. Commissioner Brewer raised concerns that formal committees can become cumbersome and create conflict-of-interest constraints that limit informal technical advice; he said dissolving a duplicative committee could remove a barrier to timely project checks.
Chairman Mike Kelly and other commissioners emphasized that dissolving WDEC would not end the county's involvement in wastewater policy planning. Kelly said the board and Johnson County Wastewater would continue to collaborate with cities, engineers and the private sector on policy that will be needed as the county grows.
The discussion occurred during the Jan. 16 agenda review; no formal vote on a resolution to dissolve the committee was recorded in the transcript and the item is on the agenda for the Jan. 23 business session for final action.
