Shawnee County commissioners review 2026 budget and CIP; district attorney warns staffing cuts would hurt prosecutions

At a Board of Shawnee County Commissioners work session Thursday, Aug. 7, commissioners reviewed the proposed 2026 budget and capital improvement plan, heard a warning from the county’s district attorney about staffing and prosecution capacity, and discussed a $36.5 million list of potential new debt largely for parks projects.

The discussion matters because commissioners must balance a proposed maximum mill levy and department wage requests against one-time costs and capital needs. County financial staff told the board they can use reserves to cover an extra 27th pay period that occurs once every 11 years, but holding a flat mill levy would still require roughly $2.52 million in additional reductions or revenues.

Financial administrator Jennifer Sauer told the board the appraiser’s office could make a full 5% staffing adjustment, producing a savings the group applied to ledger totals. Commissioners referenced a $150,485 adjustment that reduces the gap toward the county’s published figures. Sauer said the maximum published mill levy figure on the screen was 49.326; she said staying at a flat levy of 48.326 would leave a shortfall of about $2,522,485.

Sauer and commissioners also discussed how the county will pay for the occasional 27th pay period. Sauer said the county plans to draw from reserves accumulated after 2024 to cover the single-year spike rather than increase the mill levy for a one-time payroll anomaly.

Wage and staffing pressures were a recurring theme. Commissioners noted cuts already made in several departments (including a 5% reduction in public works and a $1 million reduction in the sheriff’s budget) and said those reductions could affect roads, corrections and other services. Commissioners and staff also raised concerns that a new mental-health facility coming online will not be fully staffed for the full year.

The county’s District Attorney addressed the board during the budget discussion. Identifying himself as the elected District Attorney for the Third Judicial District, he said wages are the primary driver of his office’s proposed increase and that he has moved some functions previously paid for with diversion funds into the general budget after consulting the county counselor’s office. He told commissioners he added funding for a cold-case account after an earlier comment by Commissioner Aaron Mays and said recent results from his office are “historic,” warning that reduced funding would cause attrition and could “affect our ability to file cases on time.” He added, “This is based on historic trends. We did our own wage study…My new attorneys…are 20% behind. I’m trying to get that down to 10.”

Commissioners pushed back on the size of the DA’s requested increase, describing an increase in the roughly $800,000 range over the prior year as significant. The DA responded that the increase is driven mainly by bringing pay closer to neighboring jurisdictions rather than adding positions; he said he has eliminated two attorney positions and two support staff positions from his request and that the increase is intended to retain existing staff.

The board also discussed a pay-classification study. Commissioner Aaron Mays said he would not support doing a comprehensive study at this time, though other commissioners signaled interest in at least studying nonclassified (nonunion) employees to inform future wage decisions.

On capital outlay and the CIP, staff reported proposed uses of reserves and new-debt requests. Sauer identified $3,044,000 in election-equipment costs that the county intends to fund from reserves. Staff said capital-outlay requests for 2026 total roughly $2.9 million after those adjustments. Facilities director Justin Landon reviewed several facilities projects flagged for 2026 funding, including a JP Lewis front entry floor replacement, courthouse restroom renovations (including added stalls and ADA work), and an elections-office HVAC controls update. Landon noted the elections HVAC estimate could be reduced after further review.

County staff listed 14 capital projects still under consideration for 2026 funding; those included: replacement of a sheriff’s K-9 detection machine, a paint-striping truck for public works, a work-crew building fire-detection system at the jail, a final tranche of funding for courthouse restroom renovations, JP Lewis entry-floor work, quad-field turf replacement, elections HVAC controls, Department of Corrections security upgrades, inmate-transport vehicles for the adult detention center, park renovations at Garfield, Shawnee North and Nana Park, the Stormont Events Center portable chairs request, pursuit vehicle replacements for the sheriff, and garage/equipment/technology updates for a county facility on First Street. Sheriff’s Office representatives said some items, like the garage update, could be deferred.

Parks and Recreation requested that some projects be bonded as new debt. Staff said the new-debt wishlist totals about $36.5 million and centers on parks projects including Family Park phase 2 (with a proposed golf club/pro shop and clubhouse elements), Lake Shawnee boathouse work, Shawnee North Community Center replacement, Old Prairie Town improvements and other park site renovations. Parks Director Tim LaRue said the clubhouse replacement at Family Park is the project the department most wants to bond and that some clubhouse changes could increase revenue to help pay a bond. Parks staff and commissioners discussed scaling back or phasing projects (for example, reducing a $350,000 playground request to $290,000 while preserving flexibility to seek bids).

Stormont Events Center representatives reported savings on a portable-chair request by consolidating chair inventories, cutting about $200,000 from an earlier combined estimate. IT staff said they could reallocate previously approved fiber project funds to avoid a $70,000 switch replacement request.

County staff also flagged two additional potential new-debt items for 2027 — an adult residential center and DOC renovations for inmate processing — that together could add roughly $37 million to future bonding discussions, plus an unknown amount for potential garage renovations.

No final budget or bonding decisions were made; commissioners noted work-session rules prevent formal motions. The board agreed to revisit the CIP and budget at a future meeting.

Ending: Administrative notices during the work session included a reminder that the county’s revenue-neutral rate hearing and the 2026 budget hearing are scheduled for Sept. 8 at 9 a.m. in the commissioners’ chambers at 707 Quincy. County weed director John Lane said the Kansas Department of Agriculture plans to add several noxious weeds (including honeysuckle and spotted/diffuse knapweed) to the state list this year with cost-share chemical options; KDA will not enforce reporting until 2026. Health Department Director Theresa Fisher announced the health department’s annual community conversation on Friday, Aug. 15, from 10 a.m. to noon at Marvin Auditorium at the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library. The board recessed into three executive sessions after the meeting (see separate item).