Joe Anthony, Operations Supervisor, earned his Noxious Weed Certification from the Kansas Department of Agriculture. Shelly Boyd, Activities Coordinator, successfully completed her certification from the National Recreation and Parks Association as a Certified Parks and Recreation Professional. 

Ethan Haines was promoted on March 28 to the role of Marketing Coordinator for the Parks & Recreation Department where he will oversee all marketing and communications for the department. Long-time tradesman Dale Bruscher has been promoted to Superintended within the Buildings & Logistics team. Carpenter Craig Fratzel was promoted to the Lead Carpenter position.

In early January, KCKPD promoted Officers April Hagan and John Stimach to Detective. During that same ceremony, Detectives Josh Cromwell and Michael Eckel were promoted to Captain and Captain Joseph Grasela was promoted to Major. 

Currently, the Wyandotte County Public Health Department is host to ten (10) public health AmeriCorps workers with additions to the Environmental Inspections and Lead Remediation Program. The department celebrated AmeriCorps Week on March 11-15, 2024.

Chief Oakman Honored for Outstanding Service to KCK Community

Friends of Yates honored Chief Karl Oakman with the 2024 Portrait of a Black Man Award for his outstanding commitment and service to the Kansas City, Kansas Community. He was presented with the award at the 4th Annual Black Men & Women of Distinction event. Please join us in congratulating the Chief on this recognition of his leadership and tireless efforts to make KCK one of the safest communities in the Metro.

KC Metro Chapter of American Public Works Association Honors Public Works Director Jeff Fisher

Director of Public Works Jeff Fisher received the 2024 Leader of the Year Award from the KC Metro Chapter of the American Public Works Association. Throughout his career, Jeff has shown a strong commitment to public service, beginning with serving in the United States Navy, and has demonstrated a remarkable ability to manage complex infrastructure projects while ensuring fiscal responsibility and community engagement. He has spread the mindset and practice that leadership at all levels is essential to achieving organizational goals, fostering a positive culture, and ensuring long-term success.

The More You Know: Subscribe to Our Newsletters

You may already receive the weekly DotteNews on Tuesday morning but we wanted to make sure you know of ALL options available to you. Staying informed about what's happening across the Unified Government can help you in your day-to-day and can help us meet goals for improved customer service and communications.

Did you know that you can subscribe to receive press releases as they happen? How about updates specific to seniors and caregiver resources? Want to catch up on some great neighborhood resources and community events with Livable Neighborhoods?

If you're interested, you can update your subscriber preferences to opt-in for your preferred updates. We'll have more topic-specific options coming soon so please stay tuned.

UG Launches Recruitment Campaign

Just in time for next week's UG Public Service Career Expo, check out the new series of recruitment videos that we've launched. The goal will be for these videos to be incorporated into Workday as part of our career postings but, in the meantime, be sure to check out the initial videos now available on our YouTube channel. We encourage you to share them with your neighbors and friends. More to come soon!

Budget Simulator: Your Voice Matters

The Budget team has launched two budget simulators for the 2025 budget process and you are invited to submit your own balanced budget for both the city and county. Open until April 30, the budget simulator is a great platform for sharing your priorities. Want to reduce property taxes or BPU PILOT? Want to increase services? Let us know! All comments are anonymous and will be provided to the UG Commission and County Administrator later in the budget process. Please forward to your neighbors and friends and encourage them to also submit their balanced budget by the end of this month.

Take an e-Bike for a Spin! UG Membership Reminder

The Unified Government has a special offer for all employees - you can enjoy a FREE RideKC Bike membership by entering the code UG9722 in the app. Download the app, set-up an account, and enjoy 80 minutes FREE each day. Bike stations are currently available around Rosedale and in front of the Municipal Building but you are able to ride anywhere east of the Neighborhood Resource Center and into neighboring cities! Learn more here.