Leavenworth County leaders propose flat mill levy while shifting funds to equipment reserves amid staffing losses

Bill, a public works presenter, told the Leavenworth County Commission the department’s 2026 budget largely preserves prior line-item spending while directing new revenue into equipment reserves to address rising replacement costs. The presentation covered the GIS and noxious-weed programs, the local service road fund’s flat mill levy, and mounting personnel turnover that county officials said is eroding operational capacity.

The county proposed a flat mill levy on the local service road fund while keeping most commodity and operating line items “revenue neutral,” Bill said, adding that the budget request reflects a 2.8% target on personnel and that most newly available mill levy revenue is being moved into equipment replacement and reserve transfers. “We use that savings to offset that,” Bill said, explaining the transfers pay for graders and other heavy equipment the fund purchases.

Leavenworth County’s public works officials said equipment costs have climbed far above inflation; Bill noted some replacement components and machines have roughly doubled in price in recent years. The budget keeps most day-to-day operating amounts flat but increases the equipment-reserve transfer to replenish a reserve that was used for bridge work in recent cycles. Bridge inspection costs were highlighted as an exception; the department expects its next biannual inspection to cost about $45,000.

Commissioners pressed on workforce pay and retention. Bill described continuing turnover across operator and heavy-equipment roles — dump-truck drivers, equipment operators and grader operators — and said pay progression in neighboring jurisdictions (including Jefferson and Douglas counties) and private-sector openings have outpaced Leavenworth County’s internal raises. “We hire folks in at the same starting wage as a union position...but once you're within the pay scale there’s no escalation at a rate that’s competitive,” Bill said. He said the county will bring back a targeted compensation proposal to try to hold trained operators beyond their first few years.

Commissioners and staff noted the county has increased road funding in recent cycles — including a full mill increase last year that added roughly $2 million annually to public-works budgets — but several speakers said deferred maintenance on overlays and chip-seal projects remains. County officials described prioritizing bridge and grant-matching projects in the capital improvement plan while acknowledging that backlog of routine road maintenance remains.

The presentation also covered two smaller general-fund programs. GIS remains largely flat, with turnover in analyst positions and one long-term tenured employee moved from a public-works fund into a general-fund position in 2022–23. The noxious-weed program was presented as “revenue neutral” after accounting for statutory obligations to subsidize certain chemicals that are sold at reduced cost under state mandate.

The county did not take any final votes in the session on changes to mill levies or staffing; staff said any formal changes would return later with specific proposals and comparative pay data. Commissioners directed staff to return with detailed compensation comparisons and options for addressing operator retention.

Looking ahead, public works staff said they will present a more detailed compensation plan at a future meeting and continue to prioritize replenishing equipment reserves so scheduled capital replacements remain possible without abrupt rate changes.