Commissioners ask city–county baseline before en banc discussion on encampments and services

Sedgwick County commissioners used part of a June 23 staff meeting to press for a fact-based en banc agenda on homelessness, asking staff and legal counsel to prepare a baseline report on what the city and county can each do about encampments, who enforces laws and what resources are available to connect people to treatment and shelter.

Commissioners asked whether the county has a specific encampment law for unincorporated areas; Justin Wagoner, the county counselor, said he was not aware of any county resolution specifically addressing encampments in unincorporated areas and explained that county resolutions are ordinarily enforced in county court — a forum that cannot impose custody — unless prosecuted in district court. "Of course, our resolutions traditionally do not apply within the city limits of any city," Wagoner said.

Armand Shkraf, assistant county counselor, described county enforcement and penalties for code violations: the county court uses a tiered fine system that typically caps at $500 for most violations (with some fire-code exceptions up to $1,000) and can escalate to bench warrants and cash bonds when people fail to appear. Shkraf said which county employees issue citations depends on the code section: park superintendents, MABCD officers or sheriff deputies could be delegated citation authority in new code language.

Commissioners debated enforcement goals and resources. One commissioner said enforcement without shelter capacity simply shifts encampments into other parts of the county and urged coupling any enforcement tools with accessible services. Another commissioner argued that drug use is the primary driver in downtown encampments and that addressing substance use disorders and mental health is the priority; that commissioner pressed staff for documentation showing how many people have been reached with opioid-settlement or related funds.

A county official who works on behavioral health and shelters characterized a persistent subgroup of the homeless population as "hardest to engage," describing individuals with severe persistent mental illness and debilitating substance use who do not sustain housing even when provided intensive supports. That official said county pilots have struggled to keep such individuals housed and argued additional housing models and long-term clinical supports are needed.

Staff described an ongoing county–city coalition to coordinate procurement and programming; staff said the coalition has worked through complex intergovernmental procurement and legal issues and expects to issue initial RFPs within weeks and to have contracts in place before year-end. Commissioners requested that staff compile for the en banc: (1) a comparative inventory of city and county ordinances and enforcement powers; (2) shelter bed and transitional housing capacity; (3) data on homelessness outside Wichita's city limits; and (4) an accounting of current opioid-settlement and behavioral-health funds and their planned uses.

Next steps: staff will prepare the requested baseline report and coordinate with city staff to ensure the en banc discussion focuses on available authorities, capacity and funding options rather than assumptions about who is responsible for enforcement.