Ethics office reports rise in complaints; detention center and collections lead

Chris Crawford, director of Jackson County’s Office of Ethics, Human Relations and Citizen Complaints, told the Rules Committee on Tuesday that formal complaints filed with his office from January through mid‑November 2025 outpaced last year’s totals and that December was trending higher.

"Complaints for 2025 are 66% County related, 34% non County related," Crawford said, noting the non‑county share covers community issues such as municipal matters, police departments and disputes involving private or nonprofit organizations. He told the committee the office expects to finish the year with significantly more formal complaints than in 2024.

Crawford said the county’s detention center was the single largest source of formal complaints in 2025, and he attributed many of those contacts to facility‑related concerns. "I think it will make it easier on our detention center staff and officers to manage the process and also be a better environment for those inmates that are housed there," he said, adding that a new facility should reduce complaint volume.

The next‑highest category was collections, where Crawford said many complaints stem from confusion around the senior property tax credit process and deadlines. He emphasized that the spreadsheet in the report counts only formal complaints: "They don't account for every conversation that we have or every informal advice that we give to folks."

Legislator Sean Smith told the committee the county’s transition from the old Ascend system to a new collections portal has caused usability problems for residents trying to find tax bills and receipts. "The new public access area for searching collections and tax bills is ... more than a little kludgy," Smith said, urging follow‑up with the collections director so residents can self‑serve more easily.

Crawford said the collections director reported substantial internal training and expects improved efficiency once the system is fully rolled out; he agreed to follow up with collections on the specific usability concerns raised by the committee.

To address rising demand, Crawford outlined several outreach and operational initiatives: restarting community office hours (monthly or quarterly), producing signage, leaflets and QR codes for distribution across county facilities, and coordinating with Jackson County Public Health’s referral system to link residents to rental assistance and other community services. He expressed support for a countywide Healthy Homes‑style program similar to existing efforts in Kansas City and Independence to aid renters outside those cities.

A committee member requested adding a column to the report showing cases closed year‑to‑date; Crawford agreed to include that. He also said the office tracks complaints by legislative district where possible and can provide district‑level summaries but cautioned that not every case contains traceable district data.

With no ordinances or resolutions on the agenda and no formal votes taken, the committee adjourned. Sean Smith closed the meeting and said the World Cup committee would convene at 10 a.m.