WyCo administrator has second contract for Kansas City work not previously made public
The interim county administrator for Wyandotte County has a second contract for work outside her job at the Unified Government that has not previously been publicly disclosed, documents obtained by The Star show.
The news comes more than a month after it was revealed that Cheryl Harrison-Lee, while working for Wyandotte County, was also working under a separate contract for the city of Kansas City, Missouri. The additional documents show she has a second contract with Kansas City that had not been made public.
Concerns about Harrison-Lee’s work outside of her position in Wyandotte County were raised by Unified Government commissioners months after her appointment there. First, in April, The Star reported that her consulting firm — Harrison-Lee Development and Consulting — was under contract with Kansas City. Harrison-Lee is the CEO of the firm.
Now, documents show Harrison-Lee also has a contract with the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City — the umbrella agency for economic development in the city. She has been under contract with the agency since November 2021 and the contract is scheduled to end this November, according to the contract’s terms. But it can be extended.
At the same time, the Harrison-Lee Development and Consulting firm has been under contract with Kansas City, Missouri, for several years to help administer the Central City Economic Development tax. That’s a special sales tax that raises funds to boost development on Kansas City’s East Side, where neighborhoods were redlined by banks and neglected by political leaders for decades.
Her contract with the Unified Government says she can still work as a consultant on the side as long as it does not interfere with her job as county administrator.
But several commissioners in April said they had heard complaints from Unified Government staff that Harrison-Lee was hard to reach and was at times unavailable.
Harrison-Lee’s contract with the Unified Government will expire April 1, 2023. She will not seek to be the county’s permanent county administrator and the Unified Government will hire a firm to conduct the search.
In a written statement, Harrison-Lee said she is “pleased” to help the Unified Government understand the current situation.
“We are actively developing strategies to move forward as an organization and establish a foundation for the permanent administrator to be on a trajectory of continued success,” she said.
Ashley Hand, a spokeswoman for the Unified Government, said that during her 15-month tenure, Harrison-Lee is leading a key transition for the organization and is overseeing the COVID-19 pandemic recovery and also spearheading a critical effort to reimagine the organization in its 25th anniversary. The governments of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, consolidated in 1997.
Mayor Tyrone Garner, who championed Harrison-Lee’s appointment as county administrator, said in a statement that she is a very talented administrative professional and it was evidenced by her first-quarter accomplishments.
“As such, we recognize that her expertise is highly sought,” Garner said. “We are grateful that she is willing to assist our organization as interim as she brings competencies greatly needed.”
Harrison-Lee’s tenure
Harrison-Lee was appointed the interim county administrator on Jan. 6, 2021, after the Unified Government’s commissioners voted 10-0 to approve her 15-month contract. She was recommended by Garner.
She replaced Doug Bach, who retired as the County Administrator the same day she was appointed. She became the first woman and Black person to serve in the role — a month after residents of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, elected Garner as its first Black mayor.
Harrison-Lee’s base salary is $249,995.20, according to her contract.
As The Star reported, four commissioners publicly raised concerns about her time commitment as county administrator after it was revealed her consulting firm had been under contract with Kansas City, Missouri to help administer the Central City Economic Development tax.
Kansas City, Missouri, had inked a two-year contract with her company in March 2019. The contract was worth up to $182,000 per year. That was extended another two years, making her firm eligible for up to $728,000 in taxpayer dollars.
A week after the story was published, the commissioners called a Special Session and tried to convince Garner to initiate a nationwide search for a permanent county administrator.
Some commissioners were worried that if a search wasn’t launched and Harrison-Lee chose not to return as permanent county administrator, the Unified Government would not have enough time to find a new official. A few commissioners said the nationwide search was not a negative reflection of Harrison-Lee’s job.
Garner, however, refused the nationwide search during that meeting, expressing support for Harrison-Lee and telling commissioners that she’d only been on the job for four months. He then angrily walked out of the meeting, which left several commissioners stunned.
A week later, Garner reversed course and announced that he would start a nationwide search for a new county administrator. The decision came after Harrison-Lee told Garner she does not want to be included in a national search for Garner to begin the process.
“The hope is that we can have a thorough, transparent and inclusive process that will start as soon as we can get things in order,” Garner said during the May 12 full commission meeting. “Working with our commissioners in this regard is really important, as well as getting feedback from the community.”
Economic Development Corporation contract
The Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City is funded by the city and has different programs that offer tools to get projects done.
There are seven different agencies under the Economic Development Corporation. The corporation assists in putting proposals together for businesses and also helps in ways to provide incentives for businesses or other plans.
Harrison-Lee signed a contract with the Economic Development Corporation on Nov. 17, 2021. The scope of services for the contract lists 10 bullet points. They include:
- Facilitate business plan development with executive team
- Review economic development initiatives, review and provide feedback on strategic initiatives
- Develop board training guide
- Assist with Board visioning session
Her contract with the Economic Development Council says she will be paid $2,306.73 every week throughout the contract’s term. The total comes out to close to $120,000. It also says there is a $300 hourly rate for projects or tasks, “not defined in the scope.”
Heather Brown, the Interim President and CEO of the Economic Development Corporation, said that the services from Harrison-Lee’s firm have been been “additive and exemplary.”
“A few of the services provided are assistance in revamping the EDC’s marketing plan, formulating and presenting budget requests, addressing numerous human resource issues, as well as work on a visioning plan for the EDCKC board,” Brown said in an email.
Brown said any discussions on future contracts with Harrison-Lee’s firm will be discussed and approved through the Economic Development Corporation’s Board of Directors.
