KSHB 41 reporter Rachel Henderson covers neighborhoods in Wyandotte and Leavenworth counties. Share your story idea with Rachel.
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The debate over whether Wyandotte County's Unified Government should lift its employee residency requirement continues, with incoming leaders offering varied perspectives on the matter.
Currently, UG employees are required to live within county limits.
However, commissioners voted to table discussions about the residency requirement until the new administration takes office, following a Nov. 17 Administration and Human Services Committee meeting.
The Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department is currently facing staffing challenges, with 332 officers, including 20 currently in the KCKPD Academy.
The department is funded for 343 officers but has full-sworn capacity for 385.
Mayor-elect Christal Watson said she doesn't have a strong preference but leans toward lifting the requirement due to potential advantages.
"I see both sides of the coin,” Watson said in a Nov. 11 sit-down interview. “I do lean more heavily towards lifting the residency only because there are some advantages to doing that. I know I've listened to the police, I've listened to the community at large, and people want to feel safe. Even our police want to feel safe."
Watson emphasized that officer safety extends to their families and living situations.
"If families, the families of those officers, don't feel safe and feel that they would be better off in another community, we shouldn't hold them to that," she said.
She also stressed the importance of community input in the decision-making process, noting that as mayor, she cannot typically vote on commission matters.
"I honestly think we just need to put it out for the community to tell us what they want," Watson said. "I want to advocate and champion what the majority wants, and we will look at what is in the best interest of the community again."
Rather than focusing on potential negative economic impacts, Watson suggested emphasizing Wyandotte County's positive attributes.
"We have to look at it from a positive and not a negative," she said. "I believe if we don't focus on that and focus on what's great about Wyandotte County and move towards marketing us to a place where people want to live, then maybe we won't lose those people."
Incoming District 2 At-Large Commissioner Andrew Kump, whose father was a KCK police officer, said he wants to take a data-driven approach to the issue.
"I want to have a very empirical and pragmatic approach to it," Kump said. "So if there's a good, data-driven argument for removing it, I would consider that. If there's a data-driven argument for keeping it in place, I would consider that."
Kump said he's examining multiple factors in his decision-making process.
"Will it impact response times for first responders?" Kump said. "Will it impact community relations specific to law enforcement? And does that impact things like employee recruitment and retention?"
He acknowledged that recruitment and retention appear to be driving forces behind calls to remove the requirement.
"What I'm hearing is that one of the big drivers for removing residency is to help with employment recruitment and retention," Kump said.
If the residency requirement remains in place, Kump suggested alternative solutions to address staffing challenges.
"Make it easier for people to move and live here, so more housing development, more competitive pay, maybe a referral bonus system, things like that to strike that balance of what the community needs and what we can do as a commission," he said.
Kump emphasized his commitment to data-driven decision-making.
"I want to make decisions based on data and what we're seeing in other communities," he said. "I'm willing to do what the data shows."
The incoming commissioner acknowledged the complexity of the issue as he prepares to take office.
He said he’s already met with several commissioners ahead of the Dec. 15 inauguration and has plans to meet with Watson this week.
"It's a topic that's on a lot of people's minds, I think in large part because of the employment shortages that we're experiencing across certain departments in Wyandotte County," Kump said.
The community has been vocal about the issue, with residents expressing mixed opinions.
KSHB 41’s Rachel Henderson spoke with some after the last October meeting on the issue.
Since then, UG staff have collected extensive data on the topic, which was included in their Nov. 17 presentation.
The data outlines vacancies in several departments, including fire, police, and parks and recreation.
Staff also presented alternative options, such as changing the requirement for specific officials or exploring a 15- or 30-mile radius from City Hall.
You can view the presentation in its entirety here.
Incoming Commissioner Carlos Pacheco declined to comment until he takes office and reviews more data.
Commissioner-elect Jermaine Howard was not available for comment by deadline.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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