Sedgwick County to consider state MOU unlocking $1.5 million for testing tied to 20th & Grove contamination

Sedgwick County officials plan to ask the Board of County Commissioners on Wednesday to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the State of Kansas that would allow the county to receive $1,500,000 for medical testing related to a contamination plume near 20th and Grove.

The MOU also describes a dollar-for-dollar local match that could unlock an additional $1,000,000. County staff said private funds and the Kansas Health Foundation have been involved in earlier efforts; the foundation privately raised $400,000 last year but only about $35,000 was used for testing because local clinics lacked capacity to implement it.

The MOU would give Sedgwick County authority to receive and manage the state funds, county staff said. “For the $1,500,000, we will receive those funds to Sedgwick County as the result of the MOA. We will then be responsible for managing the funds and compliance of projects,” a county staff member said during the agenda review.

Commissioners pressed staff on several operational and policy questions. Commissioner Howell said he had not seen the underlying data and asked why testing would be routed through federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) rather than by vouchers or other providers with laboratory capacity. “I don't know if I want FQHCs to get into that type of diagnostics,” Howell said, adding concern that the MOU appears to pick a path before the county has the evidence to justify it.

County and health leaders responded that the FQHCs already serve the affected neighborhoods and can provide ongoing care if initial tests show problems; but they acknowledged that FQHCs currently lack sufficient capacity and that additional support or a third-party manager would be needed. County staff said they and partner organizations have discussed using an RFP to contract an organization to deploy the program rather than having the county health department administer it.

Commissioners and staff also discussed the MOU's time limits and a stated repayment requirement if funds are not used within the program timeline. A county finance staff member said the MOU is structured so state funds must be repaid if not used and gave a repayment deadline specified in the agreement.

Several commissioners urged more public data and clarification of long-term cost and service models. Commissioner Howell asked whether a long-term endowment or other permanent funding approach had been considered; other commissioners and staff said those ideas had been discussed but the MOU is a near-term step to unlock money and build capacity for testing.

The item on Wednesday is the county's signature to accept the MOU and begin managing the state funds; commissioners will return to the item for public briefing and questions before deciding whether to sign. No formal vote on the MOU was recorded in the agenda-review discussion.

Background: County and state officials said the contamination site at 20th and Grove was identified about four years ago, with remediation work underway. Officials said town-hall discussions and community concern followed discovery of a subsurface plume under a residential area; KDHE and legislative leaders engaged with local officials to create the funding program described in the MOU.

What’s next: County staff said they will present the MOU for a public vote at the commission meeting on Wednesday and will provide additional briefings and documentation to commissioners in advance.