Committee restores $1.9 million for dam repairs and approves Wildlife and Parks budget as amended

The committee reviewing state budgets voted to reinstate $1.9 million in state general funds for one-time dam repairs in the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks' fiscal 2025 budget and then approved the department's budget as amended.

The reinstatement motion, made by Representative Long and seconded by Representative Carlin, passed on a voice vote. A later substitute motion to restore roughly $292,005 for EDIF operating expenditures and $398,359 for park operations was defeated; the committee then passed the Wildlife and Parks budget as amended.

The reinstated $1.9 million had been included in a 2024 appropriation and was identified by the agency as remaining reappropriated funds for dam repair work. "We at the agency ... we've got over $11,000,000 in dam repairs that we need to make on various dams, and this was given to the agency to help us ... begin to nip away at the dam repairs that we have," Christopher Kennedy, acting secretary for Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, told the committee. Kennedy said the agency originally received $2.4 million, has spent about $800,000 on divers and inspections, and intended the remaining $1.9 million for repairs.

Why it matters: agency officials told lawmakers the department manages thousands of dams on public wildlife areas and faces a multi-million-dollar backlog of repairs. Members questioned whether the $1.9 million was still available and why the Legislative Budget Committee (LBC) had recommended deletion; staff said the LBC initially recommended removing the reappropriation but the building committee recommended retaining it.

Committee staff gave members a line-by-line summary of differences between the agency request and the LBC recommendation. Luke Dury, senior fiscal associate for KLRD, told the committee that the LBC recommended deletion of the $1.9 million reappropriation and that, separately, the LBC had proposed deleting all FTE increases included in the agency request. Dury also described LBC reductions in two EDIF line items: a reduction of $292,004.84 from EDIF operating expenditures and $398,359 from park operating expenditures, with an offset of $109 added for National Guard and veterans licenses.

Debate and other questions centered on scope and timing of capital and operating funds. Members asked whether the dams cited by the Department of Agriculture were the same dams at issue for Wildlife and Parks; Kennedy said they were different: the agency's dam repairs are on public wildlife areas the department owns. Members also discussed trails funding. Staff said the $3 million general-fund appropriation set in 2024 served as the full match to draw down an estimated $7 million in federal REAP grant funds for trail development in 2025 and an estimated $5.1 million in 2026; the Flint Hills Trail project was described as an eight-year effort.

Representative Carlin, who moved the substitute to restore the EDIF operating and parks amounts, argued the department could not absorb a reduction in operating funds without shifting costs to fee funds or reducing services. Those who opposed restoring the EDIF amounts described the LBC action as an accounting adjustment and noted the department would still retain EDIF appropriations at a reduced level; staff said the agency's EDIF request for 2026 was about $4.6 million and the LBC reductions would bring that to about $3.9 million.

The committee concluded its deliberations by approving the budget as amended. "All those in favor of passing out the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks budget as amended, say aye," the chair said; members voted to pass the budget.

The department asked the committee for an inventory and triage plan for parks infrastructure; Kennedy told members he has directed the agency's engineering staff to compile an asset/infrastructure inventory and expects it to be complete in roughly four months, after which he said he would share triage plans with committee members.

Votes at a glance - Motion to reinstate $1,900,000 SGF reappropriation for one-time dam repairs (FY2025): moved by Representative Long; seconded by Representative Carlin; outcome: approved (voice vote). Note: roll-call tallies not recorded in transcript. - Substitute motion to reinstate EDIF operating expenditures ($292,004.84) and park operating expenditures ($398,359): moved by Representative Carlin; seconded by Representative Alcala; outcome: failed (voice vote). - Motion to pass the Department of Wildlife and Parks budget as amended: moved by Representative Roth; seconded by Representative Alcala; outcome: approved (voice vote).

Clarifying details - Reinstated reappropriation: $1,900,000 (one-time, SGF) for dam repairs in FY2025. - Agency-reported dam backlog: "over $11,000,000 in dam repairs." (Christopher Kennedy) - Amount spent to date on inspection divers: about $800,000 (Christopher Kennedy). - LBC reductions to EDIF: $292,004.84 (EDIF operating expenditures) and $398,359 (park operating expenditures); LBC added $109 for National Guard and veterans licenses (Luke Dury). - Trails development: $3,000,000 GF appropriated in 2024 counted as match to draw down an estimated $7,000,000 in federal REAP in 2025; estimated $5,100,000 in federal REAP in 2026; Flint Hills Trail described as an eight-year project (agency staff).

Speakers (attributed in this article) - Christopher Kennedy — Acting Secretary, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (government) - Luke Dury — Senior Fiscal Associate, Kansas Legislative Research Department / KLRD (staff/government) - Representative Long — State legislator (government) - Representative Carlin — State legislator (government) - Representative Alcala — State legislator (government) - Representative Roth — State legislator (government) - Representative Rogers — State legislator (government) - Committee Chair — Committee chair (unnamed; government)

Authorities []

Proper names [{"name":"Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks","type":"agency"},{"name":"Flint Hills Trail","type":"other"},{"name":"Tuttle Creek","type":"location"},{"name":"EDIF","type":"other"}]

Clarifying_details [{"category":"reappropriation","detail":"one-time SGF reappropriation for dam repairs","value":1900000,"units":"USD","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Christopher Kennedy"},{"category":"dam_backlog","detail":"agency reported backlog for dam repairs","value":11000000,"units":"USD","approximate":true,"source_speaker":"Christopher Kennedy"},{"category":"inspection_costs","detail":"amount spent on divers/inspections to date","value":800000,"units":"USD","approximate":true,"source_speaker":"Christopher Kennedy"},{"category":"EDIF_reduction","detail":"LBC reductions to EDIF line items","value":"292,004.84 and 398,359","units":"USD","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Luke Dury"},{"category":"trails_funding","detail":"2024 GF match to draw down federal REAP funds","value":3000000,"units":"USD","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Luke Dury"}]

Community_relevance {"geographies":["Kansas","Flint Hills"],"funding_sources":["State general fund (SGF)","EDIF","federal REAP"],"impact_groups":["park visitors","local recreation economies","rural communities"]}

discussion_decision {"discussion_points":["Agency reported $11M+ dam repair backlog and $800,000 spent on inspections","Clarification that Wildlife and Parks dams are on public wildlife areas the agency owns, not the Department of Agriculture's dams","Trails funding timing and use of federal REAP match"],"directions":["Secretary Kennedy directed to compile asset/infrastructure inventory and triage plan (estimated ~4 months)","No direction to restore EDIF beyond failed substitute motion"] ,"decisions":["Reinstate $1,900,000 SGF reappropriation for one-time dam repairs (approved)","Do not reinstate $292,005 and $398,359 EDIF line items (substitute failed)","Approve the Wildlife and Parks budget as amended (approved)"]}

topics":[{"name":"Agriculture and Natural Resources Budget","justification":"Directly concerns the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks capital and operating budget decisions, dam repairs, and trails funding","scoring":{"topic_relevance":0.98,"depth_score":0.86,"opinionatedness":0.05,"controversy":0.45,"civic_salience":0.72,"impactfulness":0.65,"geo_relevance":1.00}}],

searchable_tags":["wildlife","parks","dam repairs","EDIF","trails","Kansas budget"],

salience {"overall":0.70,"overall_justification":"Local budget decisions affecting infrastructure repairs and park operations with multi-million-dollar implications for public safety and recreation.","impact_scope":"local","impact_scope_justification":"Funded projects and operating budgets affect state park infrastructure and local communities.","attention_level":"medium","attention_level_justification":"Significant to constituents who use parks and to local economies, but not a statewide emergency.","novelty":0.30,"novelty_justification":"Routine budget adjustments with a notable reinstatement but no new policy.","timeliness_urgency":0.45,"timeliness_urgency_justification":"Dam repairs have safety implications, but funding reinstatement addresses near-term inspection/repair work.","legal_significance":0.10,"legal_significance_justification":"Budgetary, not legal, action.","budgetary_significance":0.65,"budgetary_significance_justification":"Multi-million-dollar appropriations and operating fund reductions affect agency capacity.","public_safety_risk":0.40,"public_safety_risk_justification":"Dam repair backlog implies potential safety risk; funding affects mitigation.","affected_population_estimate":150000,"affected_population_estimate_justification":"Estimates reflect statewide park users and communities near affected dams; figure approximate.","affected_population_confidence":0.20,"affected_population_confidence_justification":"Transcript does not provide a clear population count.","budget_total_usd":1900000,"budget_total_usd_justification":"Amount reinstated as recorded in the meeting."}