SESSION OF 2021
SUPPLEMENTAL NOTE ON SENATE BILL NO. 53
As Recommended by Senate Committee on
Local Government

Brief*
SB 53 would establish the composition of a charter
commission for Sedgwick County. Commission membership
would be composed as follows:
● Three members each would be appointed by the
members of the Senate and the members of the
House of Representatives who are residents of
Sedgwick County; the bill would require each of
these appointed members to be from a different
senatorial district;
● Two members each would be appointed by the
Sedgwick County Republican and Democratic
central committees;
● Eight members would be appointed by the
Sedgwick County Board of County Commissioners.
The bill would require one appointed member from
each county commission district with the remaining
representing the county at-large;
● Two members would be appointed by the Wichita
Regional Chamber of Commerce;
● Three members would be appointed from
Sedgwick County cities; one of those would be the
mayor of Wichita or a designee and two would be
____________________
*Supplemental notes are prepared by the Legislative Research
Department and do not express legislative intent. The supplemental
note and fiscal note for this bill may be accessed on the Internet at
http://www.kslegislature.org
 either mayors or their designees appointed by the
Sedgwick County Association of Cities; and
● Two members would be appointed by the
Metropolitan Area Planning Commission and must
reside in the unincorporated areas of Sedgwick
County.
The bill would require all members to be appointed
within 21 days after establishment of the charter commission.
Members of the commission may not hold an elective state or
county office.

Background
The Senate Committee on Ways and Means introduced
the bill at the request of Senator McGinn.
[Note: The bill is identical to 2020 SB 406, as amended
and passed by the Senate.]

Senate Committee on Local Government
In the Senate Committee hearing, the chair pro tem of
the Sedgwick County Commission provided proponent
testimony. She noted Sedgwick County was designated as an
urban county in 2018. She stated the bill is necessary
because current statutes allow a charter commission for an
urban county to be composed only of Johnson County
residents and that, if the Sedgwick County Commission
decided to establish a commission, that charter commission
should be composed of Sedgwick County residents. No other
testimony was provided.
The Senate Committee recommended the bill be placed
on the Consent Calendar.


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Fiscal Information
According to the fiscal note prepared by the Division of
the Budget on the bill, the Kansas Association of Counties
reported enactment of the bill would have an impact on the
budget of Sedgwick County but it was unable to provide an
estimated cost.
Local government; Sedgwick County; charter commission


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