Bourbon County commissioners debate competing 2026 budget plans, mill levy and E911 funding

Bourbon County commissioners debated competing budget proposals on Aug. 11, 2025, focusing on mill-levy levels, county cash reserves and who will pay for E911/dispatch costs in 2026. Commissioners heard a Budget Advisory Committee draft, Commissioner Milburn’s “worst-case” contingency plan and Commissioner Tran’s plan to roll some figures back to 2025 levels. The board scheduled a public hearing on whether to exceed the revenue-neutral rate at 5:30 p.m. the same day; the work session itself produced no formal votes.

The most immediate choice before commissioners was how high to set the mill levy for 2026. The Budget Advisory Committee (BAC) presented a draft that set the mill at 59.135; commissioners noted that an earlier figure discussed during the process had been 62.5 mills. Commissioner Tran said her plan would “roll us back to 2025 levels,” producing a mill levy in the roughly 59–60 range, and noted projected countywide revenues “down to 128” (not further specified). County staff told commissioners the revenue-neutral rate cited in the discussion was 57.55 mills. Commissioners emphasized trade-offs between building cash reserves and meeting departmental requests.

Public safety and the sheriff’s vehicle fleet were recurring topics. Commissioner Milburn described her proposal as a conservative “worst-case” plan and said it was contingent on agreements with the City of Fort Scott; she warned it would be a one-time measure that required five commissioners to adopt a strategic plan for later years. Commissioners and staff discussed using sales-tax proceeds to cover some sheriff’s operating costs that had been paid from the general fund, and whether that would be sustainable long term. County staff estimated collective vehicle maintenance and fleet-related costs in the “$75,000 to $100,000” range annually, and said the sheriff’s budget included requests for vehicle replacements that would not be funded under some plans.

Dispatch/E911 funding was a central, separable item. Brad, speaking for the City of Fort Scott, reported the city’s offer to contribute $3.50 (per what was described at the meeting as a dollar figure tied to E911) with the county contributing $2.40; under that proposal the city would continue to operate dispatch for 2026. Commissioners discussed folding part of the sheriff’s increase into the sales-tax fund to offset E911-related costs, and staff said that could be reflected in the budget drafts. Commissioners agreed to pursue a joint work session with the city in early 2026 to map out longer-term responsibilities and costs for dispatch and related interlocal agreements.

Department heads’ compensation and midyear requests also framed the debate. Commissioners noted that most departments would receive wage adjustments in the BAC draft except for some specific elected offices; some elected officials told the board their budgets had been cut and asked for exceptions or to retain staff health-insurance coverage. Commissioners discussed the risks of one-time fixes versus sustained changes: several said they favored building reserves now if the board simultaneously commits to a strategic plan for 2027–28.

The board did not adopt any final mill-levy resolution in the work session. Commissioners directed staff to include the discussed numbers in upcoming budget materials and to hold the revenue-neutral hearing at 5:30 p.m.; any formal change to the published rate would require action at the public hearing or in future official meetings.

Ending: Commissioners left the work session with no vote but with a schedule for a public revenue-neutral hearing and an agreement to pursue joint city–county meetings on E911/dispatch in early 2026. Staff was asked to update budget documents to reflect the options discussed so the board could finalize choices during the formal budget process.