Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, KS

We are excited to announce that our first day of the new renewal-only pilot Motor Vehicle Location in Bonner Springs, KS, was a huge success yesterday! This incredible partnership with the City of Bonner Springs offers our residents an additional option for vehicle renewals. Per Wyandotte County Andrea Vinyard, "We were able to service 65 car renewals and received six customer surveys — all of which rated each category 5 out of 5 (“Excellent”)."   A few of the comments shared included: “Very fast and convenient and super friendly.” “Jordan and Alejandra helped me out with my renewals; they are the best — thanks again from the teacher/soldier from Killeen, TX.” Unified Government Chief Financial Officer Shelley Kneuvean said, "I loved that our first customer was the Mayor of Bonner Springs, Tom Stephens. He showed up like all other citizens and wasn’t given preference in line."   The UG is looking forward to keeping this momentum going, helping ease wait times, giving residents the time and space to take care of their business, and setting our team up for continued success. To read more about the new pilot Bonner Springs, KS Renewal Only location, please visit: https://lnkd.in/gPh5wBba #Dotteproud

Big news for our parks & green spaces! Our Parks & Recreation Department has just been awarded $200,000 in no‑match grants by the Kansas Forest Service to support and enhance our urban forest. This comes via two $100,000 grants under the Kansas Forest Service’s Urban & Community Forestry Program. What does this mean for us? *Planting 120 new trees across 13 public parks & city-managed spaces *Removing 45 dead or hazardous trees to keep things safe *Better canopy health, improved air quality, more shade, greater biodiversity *All at no cost to local taxpayers, thanks to the no-match structure of the grants Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gE3ax8HH Keep up the fantastic work, Angel Ferrara, CPRP, and the entire UG Parks & Recreation Department #DotteProud #WyCoGreenSpaces #WyCoParks

UG Partners with City of Bonner Springs to Open Tag Renewal Location Beginning Thursday, October 16, 2025, the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas (UG), in partnership with the City of Bonner Springs, KS, will open a new Motor Vehicle Renewal Only location inside the Bonner Springs City Hall (200 E. 3rd Street, Bonner Springs, KS). This pilot location will offer all Wyandotte County residents the option to walk in and complete vehicle renewals only on Mondays and Thursdays from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Continue Reading: https://lnkd.in/gPh5wBba Shelley Kneuvean Andrea Vinyard

A huge shoutout to Kansas City, Kansas Police (KCKPD) Chief Karl Oakman and the KCKPD for being highlighted in the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) national newsletter. The article spotlighted the department's tremendous community success with the youth driver's education program. Kansas City Police Department (KCKPD) Chief Karl Oakman discovered through a survey that the city has a significant number of unlicensed drivers, particularly in urban areas. In turn, young drivers in urban areas are more likely to enter the court system for driving without a license and to face challenges managing associated fines. As Chief Oakman noted, “Often the first interaction between a community member and police is a negative traffic encounter—and most use of force incidents occur during traffic stops—so preventing these has multiple benefits.” This program, launched in 2022, offers driver's education taught by officers in unmarked department vehicles. Since then, 340 young adults have obtained their licenses, which in turn has given them opportunities to develop other valuable skills as well. This successful and innovative program also reduces the likelihood that those drivers will incur tickets and be involved in accidents in the future. It also enhances the department’s recruitment efforts by fostering a positive relationship between young people and the police. Thank you to the KCKPD for their continued dedication to keeping Wyandotte County/ KCK safe! (Faith & Blue Weekend) If you are in the KCK area this week, please plan to join us for the Faith & Blue Weekend. Kicking off tomorrow with a city-wide prayer along State Avenue. Check out the flyer and our website for complete details. Learn More about the KCKPD by visiting: https://www.kckpd.org/Home #Dotteproud #KCK #WYCO #KCKPD Photo of KCKPD Chief Karl Oakman speaking at the PERF’s 2024 meeting on the opioid epidemic in Washington, D.C.

This week, Plant Manager Nancy Laughlin and Plant Operator III Michael Callahan hosted a great group at the Environmental Services Wolcott Treatment Plant in KCK. Johnson Controls brought fifteen process engineers from Kiewit Corporation to tour our facilities and learn more about our systems and infrastructure. It’s always rewarding to see private-sector professionals impressed by the innovation, dedication, and professionalism of a public utility. "We are proud to showcase the incredible work our team does every day to protect our community and the environment," said UG Environmental Services Director Jeff Miles. Learn More about UG Environmental Services by visiting: https://lnkd.in/gZTf-J_X #DotteProud #KCKES #EnviornmentalServices #WYCO #KCK

October is Walktober in Wyandotte County, and the WYCO Parks & Recreation is excited to invite the community to join us for a series of walking events throughout the month. These events will highlight both new and existing trails in our parks and provide a chance to celebrate recent improvements and additions. Each walk will take place from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM and is completely free to attend. Some of the walks will also feature ribbon-cutting ceremonies to officially open new park amenities. Check out the photo below from the Oct. 3rd Pierson Park Walktober ribbon-cutting ceremony. A huge shoutout goes to the young people of “Girls On The Run” who were allowed to join us in our ribbon-cutting ceremony. A huge shoutout to the young people of “Girls On The Run” who were allowed to join us in our ribbon-cutting ceremony. A huge shoutout to the young people of “Girls On The Run” who were allowed to join us in our ribbon-cutting ceremony. Grab your sneakers and join us this Friday at Wyandotte County Park at 11:00 AM to celebrate Walktober. Kudos to the Best Parks & Rec. Department: Angel Ferrara, CPRP, Shaya Lockett, CPRP, Ethan Haines, Vincent Billaci, Matthew Zayas, MPA #Dotteproud #WYCOWalktober

This week, the Unified Government Procurement Department hosted the Building Connections Vendor and Small Business Resource Fair at Memorial Hall. The FREE Vendor & Small Business Fair brought together small businesses and local companies offering goods and services, providing an opportunity for them to meet and learn about working with government and other large organizations. The Unified Government is committed to partnering with our local businesses to ensure they are equipped with guidance, resources, and prepared for opportunities. Thank you to all of the business presenters, vendors, and event attendees. For the complete list of presenters and vendors who participated, please refer to the comment section. Check out this 2025 Building Connections Vendor & Small Business Resource Fair highlight video Looking for Wyandotte County Small Business Resources? Check out DotteBiz, an online small business resource tool: https://lnkd.in/gTN4cxWk #DotteProud

Check Out What's New in KCK: Atlas 9 Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Last week, Atlas9 officially opened its doors to visitors near and far for a unique and creative experience in KCK. Altas 9 offers guests of all ages a feel of 90's nostalgia, live entertainment, as well as engaging art and technology installations. Want a sneak peek inside Atlas 9? Check out this highlight video created by UG Strategic Communications Community Storyteller Joshua Rizer. 📣Wyandotte County Admission Discount Alert: Did you know that Wyandotte County residents receive 25% off admission to Atlas 9? WyCo residents can show their ID with a WyCo address for this discount. WyCo Residents can also receive 25% off any ticketed item in the Homefield Development. Chelsee Chism, Visit Kansas City Kansas 📹 https://lnkd.in/gbP4wwaw #DotteProud #KCK

Request for Proposals Alert: Please help us spread the word about this Request for Proposal (RFP) opportunity. The Unified Government Transportation Department (UGT) is currently accepting RFPs for the installation of Automatic Passenger Counters (APC) and Automatic Voice Announcement (AVA) systems on UG Transit fleet of 25-foot cutaway buses. For complete details, please visit: https://lnkd.in/ejcc6Ur3

A huge thanks to Visit Kansas City Kansas Executive Director and WyCo World Cup Readiness Taskforce Chair Alan Carr for presenting at this month's Livable Neighborhoods Task force meeting. Alan provided a very engaging presentation to WyCo neighborhood associations and leaders regarding updates from the WyCo World Cup Task Force. These monthly meetings connect community members/ neighborhoods with various resources and helps fosters engaging conversations and networking. More information can be found on the UG website regarding the Livable Neighborhoods Taskforce. Connecting WyCo/KCK communities through collaboration and communication! #dotteproud #LivableNeighborhoods