Larned State Correctional Facility budget hearing notes shrinkage reduction and reallocation of five FTEs to Lansing

Nicole Rincher, fiscal analyst with KLRD, summarized Larned State Correctional Facility's budget estimates for FY2025 and FY2026, highlighting shrinkage reductions, reappropriated building funds for capital work and an FTE reallocation to Lansing.

Rincher said the FY2025 approved amount was $18,500,000 and the agency's revised estimate was $19,800,000 (about $1.3 million or 7.2% above approved). She said the agency carried forward $459,000 in SGF reappropriation and $545,000 in Correctional Institutions Building Fund reappropriation to be used on capital projects. The agency added $957,000 to reduce the shrinkage allocation to 5%; Rincher emphasized that this transfer of funds from KDOC central office to the facility did not increase the total state budget.

Rincher said the agency deleted $730,000 in SGF and salaries to incorporate previously approved shift differential into base pay for FY2025. She also said the agency deleted five FTE positions and added them to the newly reopened housing units at Lansing, which reduced Larned's FTE total to FY2024 actuals. For FY2026, Rincher said the agency requested $19,300,000 (about $1.3 million or 7.5% above the FY2025 approved total), again citing a $1,000,000 shrinkage-reduction addition and deletions tied to shift-differential-to-base adjustments. She said the LBC recommended adding $105,000 SGF for premium pay for bilingual officers in the FY2026 package.

Representative Resmond asked whether a staff shortage existed at Larned given the deletion of five positions; Rincher (and staff clarifications in the transcript) answered that there was no staff shortage indicated in the presentation. The agency submitted a revised estimate of $545,000 from the Correctional Institutions Building Fund for capital improvements, which Rincher said were reappropriated funds.

The committee closed the Larned hearing and moved to the El Dorado presentation.