COUNTY EXECUTIVE
Mike Sanders
“America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand.” – President Harry S. Truman During his January 2007 inaugural address , County Executive Mike Sanders cited those words as a guiding force for boldly confronting the many challenges facing Jackson County. He has since set out to instill positive changes to make County government more responsive and responsible. Budget Crisis After voters overwhelmingly elected him County Executive on November 7, 2006, Mike’s first priority, upon taking office, was overcoming one of the worst budget crises in County history. His administration inherited a $6.3 million shortfall in the County’s General Fund, a deficit that threatened to shut down County operations. But as 2007 drew to a close, Jackson County’s budget had been successfully balanced through reductions and increased efficiency – all without compromising the services citizens depend on and without asking voters to approve new taxes. All executive departments reached the goal Mike set for them; trimming their budgets by at least 11 percent. When delivering his 2008 budget message , Mike emphasized long-term planning, rather than quick fixes, to establish lasting fiscal stability. Open & Professional Government
To create more transparency and accountability in County government, Mike has put in motion many initiatives: • He has implemented changes purposed by the COMBAT Review Committee he formed to study the COMBAT program structure, accomplishments, changing needs and current goals. He has mandated that all funds generated through the COMmunity Based Anit-drug Tax be used for their intended purpose – drug prevention and treatment programs – rather than plugging leaks in the County’s General Fund. • He has also appointed an Ethics Committee to draft a comprehensive Code of Ethics for all County officials and employees, a Pension & Retirement Review Task Force to analyze the County’s current pension plan and an Assessment Review Commission to ensure fairness in the assessment of real estate and personal property for taxing purposes. • Mike has collaborated with the Legislature to provided close County oversight of the voter approved and funded stadium improvements at the Truman Sports Complex, and he continues to keep County Legislators better informed in all areas of policy and County business. He supported the formation of a new Legislative budget committee to monitor the public’s money. Public Safety
As a former Jackson County Prosecutor, Mike understands how essential public safety is to the County having livable communities. On his first day in office as County Executive, he filed a legal motion to end the inmate release matrix system at the Jackson County Detention Center. Three months later, a Federal Court approved the motion and now prosecutors, judges and law enforcement officers determine who should be released from (and who should remain incarcerated in) the Detention Center. Since his days in the Prosecutor’s Office, Mike has seen a need to consolidate public safety efforts within Jackson County through a regional detention center that would meet all the needs of the County and the 18 municipalities in the County. As County Executive he has begun meeting with various city officials to collaborate on this project, which he believes is crucial to assuring enough jail space to effectively maintain public safety. Looking To The Future
From the regional detention center to discussing a regional approach public transit, Mike is attempting to usher in an era within the County and the entire Greater Kansas City area of more cooperation and less confrontation. That cooperation, he believes, is vital to the success of the County, as well as the wider metro and regional area. While going about his daily duties as County Executive, Mike realizes the decisions made today have consequences tomorrow. Though proud of the County’s efforts to put its financial house in better order and balance the 2008 budget, Mike has repeatedly noted that much work is still to be done. “It is clear our hard work must continue,” he said in his 2008 budget message. “We have to plan for the long-term. We have to look ahead to 2009, 2010 and beyond. As we move forward, we must budget and govern wisely, not wishfully. Our decisions must be grounded in reality, and we must act responsibly. We owe it to the citizens of Jackson County, and we also owe it to our children’s and grandchildren’s futures.”
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