Budget panel hears Kansas Fire Marshal ask for investigator pay increases, debates FTE and contractor cuts

The Kansas Legislative Budget Committee on Oct. 12 reviewed the Fire Marshal's requested changes to the Transportation and Public Safety budget, including a $401,547 investigator salary progression proposal for fiscal 2026 and a number of fee-fund adjustments that the committee removed or reduced.

The Fire Marshal told the committee the agency asked for $60,000 in special revenue in fiscal 2025 to hire an economic-impact contractor to comply with requirements of HB 2648; the Legislative Budget Committee (LBC) removed that supplemental enhancement request along with other supplemental requests. "This is a request associated with the HB 2648' bill from last year that requires an economic impact statement," a fiscal analyst said, summarizing the agency request and the LBC decision. The Fire Marshal added, "we do have 75 positions. We are 100% fee funded, through the Fire Marshal Fee Fund, the Boiler Fund, the Elevator Fund, and the Safe Cigarettes Fund."

Why it matters: the agency said pay and staffing decisions affect investigative capacity, inspections and firefighter support across Kansas. The Fire Marshal described a reorganization that moved boiler- and elevator-program staff into a separate industrial safety division and proposed shifting 3.5 full-time equivalent positions among…