Sedgwick County reviews 37 advisory boards; commissioners ask for regular reports and cost summaries

Sedgwick County staff ran through a high-level inventory of 37 advisory boards—five of which are community advisory boards (CABs) and several that are joint city-county bodies—during the county's June staff meeting. Commissioners voiced interest in more regular reporting, clearer cost accounting and decisions about a handful of inactive or suspended councils.

Tanya provided a rapid summary of each board's scope, membership and scheduling. The list included several state-required bodies, technical appeals panels (building, plumbing, electrical and elevator boards), the Metropolitan Area Planning Commission, boards tied to juvenile corrections and community corrections (statute-based), and joint city-county boards such as the Wichita-Sedgwick County Access Advisory Board.

Several points drew sustained attention from commissioners: the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC) is currently listed as suspended and commissioners asked that the BOCC either act to formally modify or end the body or else resume its meetings consistent with the existing resolution. Commissioners asked staff to bring a recommendation back for action.

The sheriff and other speakers described two law-enforcement-related advisory bodies in detail. The sheriff noted the civil service board exists because state statute requires civil-service procedures for counties with populations over 50,000 and described the board as a "checks and balance upon me" for disciplinary decisions. The sheriff said the civil service board handles grievance hearings and discipline appeals; appointments to that board are statutorily constrained (the transcript records a party-balance requirement for appointments).

The Sedgwick County Fire District No. 1 steering council was discussed as a local example of an advisory body that commissioners and fire officials view as valuable. Doug Williams, the county fire chief, described the steering council as a community sounding board: "Every one of these live in the fire district. Every one of them pay our taxes. Every one of them pay my salary, and they have a different viewpoint than some commissioners do," he said, explaining the group's role advising operational decisions and local priorities. Commissioners suggested the steering council could be evolved toward a board-of-trustees model if desired.

Commissioners asked for a set of follow-ups: regular (annual or semiannual) updates to the BOCC from statutory and high-impact boards; a concise summary of cost-per-meeting and staff time for advisory boards (staff estimated roughly $1,718 per meeting to run the aging and physical disabilities advisory board, including staff time and room costs); and a comprehensive list of external boards and commissions on which county appointees serve.

Stormwater advisory boards drew particular attention because several related bodies have been inactive; staff noted one stormwater-management committee has been inactive since about 2018 after producing a countywide project list that lacked dedicated funding. Commissioners pressed staff to re-present prior stormwater planning materials and to consider dedicated revenue options (including a possible sales-tax mechanism discussed elsewhere in the meeting) to pay for regional stormwater projects.

Why it matters: advisory boards provide expertise, community connection and a pathway for certain policy recommendations, but commissioners said many of the county's boards do not currently provide timely or visible feedback to the BOCC and that a standard reporting protocol and clearer cost picture would improve accountability.

Next steps identified included: staff returning with a proposal for a regular reporting cadence for statutory and high-priority boards (monthly, semiannual or annual as appropriate), a consolidated cost and meeting-frequency spreadsheet for commissioners, and a recommendation about CJCC's suspended status.