ShawneeDispatch.com

Could a merger between Johnson and Wyandotte counties creating one super county ever happen?

Most Johnson County officials don't seem to think so -- in fact, most officials in Wyandotte County, where the proposal originated, don't seem to think so, either.

Kansas Rep. Chris Steineger, D-Kansas City, Kan., proposed the idea a week ago, and ever since local officials have been reacting with shock. Steineger's Senate Bill 427, which was discussed Tuesday by the Committee on Ways and Means, creates a commission to study the issue of combining the counties under one political leadership.

Steineger said the merger would create a "power player on the plains" that could compete with cities like Atlanta, Denver, Dallas and Indianapolis. He said the a Johnson/Wyandotte unified government would provide a simplified and faster planning and decision-making process, more transparency and great accountability.

But the issue is floundering already, with many locals pointing out that the counties are just too different. Kansas Sen. Nick Jordan, R-Shawnee, said he didn't think the plan had found many proponents.

"I don't know that it's a very plausible plan," Jordan said. "I have not heard a lot of support from other legislators."

Steineger remained unfazed by much of the initial reaction Monday.

"It's an interesting reaction," Steineger said. "It's an unusual new concept we're talking about... I'm trying to get people to think outside the box."

Though residents of the counties could argue that they are too different, Steineger simply said "We're all Americans, we all live in Kansas, we're all Midwesterners -- we have a lot in common."

"In the long term it's about being competitive in the global economy," he said. "Other cities like Bangalore, India, or Shanghai, China, have a unified, consolidated political structure that can make decisions quickly and lead their people and focus the city's resources to compete and achieve."

But a majority of officials remain to be convinced. Shawnee Mayor Jeff Meyers said the proposal came out of the blue, and he didn't think most people would take it seriously.

"My initial thought was it definitely sounds like it wouldn't be realistic in happening right now, or any time in the near future that I can see," Meyers said. "... I don't know if it's something that people are going to spend much time digesting. My initial reaction was that it won't get very much play at all."

Steineger has touted the strength of the combined economic bases in the two counties, but Jordan said he thought both counties were doing very well economically as they were.

"I don't know that combining them would provide a stronger economic base or not," he said.

Jordan said one of the biggest difficulties would be getting residents to give up their communities' identities, especially Johnson County's 22 municipalities.

"To try and bring all that together in one merged government would be a real difficult task," Jordan said. "... Once a community has developed their own lifestyle and has their own image, it's difficult to relinquish that."

Meyers said he thought of the proposal as an unrealistic suggestion with huge hurdles to overcome. He said it appeared that the reasoning behind making the suggestion was political.

"I think he has the potential of upsetting an awful lot of people," Meyers said. "It may not be the wisest approach of doing something if he's serious about wanting to make that kind of suggestion. It's playing with fire, I would think."

Wyandotte County officials have not expressed much support for the proposal, either. Unified Government spokesman Don Denny said Mayor/CEO Joe Reardon saw no need for the merger.

"The mayor's position is that the current process is working quite well for both counties the way things are set up now," Denney said.

County legislators also expressed a lack of support. Sen. Mark Gilstrap, D-Kansas City, Kan., laughed when asked for his reaction to the proposal.

"That's my reaction," he said, going on to explain that Steineger's proposal "caught me off-guard. As the legislative chairman for my delegation, I was not approached. I wasn't warned about it... I don't think it's a serious issue."

Steineger acknowledged that there were some elected officials resistant to the idea, which he expected, though he said he hasn't maintained a list of either proponents or opponents.

"I'd say anybody who dismisses this idea outright hasn't taken the time to hear both sides of this case and think about what we can accomplish, what we could become," Steineger said.