Leavenworth County attorney requests two part-time positions; office defends public-information role amid fentanyl and scam response

Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson and staff presented the county attorney—s 2026 budget request and defended additions of two part-time positions and a public-information role that the office says has reduced paperwork backlogs and improved public education on fentanyl, scams and other criminal matters.

Thompson said the office gained two part-time employees using available funds to handle a surge in paperwork after the state rolled out Odyssey and after the county—s previous case-management system was retired and replaced; that technological transition, he said, produced extra manual work for prosecutors and staff. "We were mandated to work with Odyssey, which is the program the state uses. That has caused such an extra bind and more paperwork," Thompson said. He told commissioners the part-time hires are experienced, longtime county employees who helped the office handle work while attorney hiring remained difficult.

Thompson also described the public-information officer (PIO) role as central to public education about fentanyl dangers, scams and ongoing high-profile prosecutions. He said the PIO has helped the office reach residents with warnings about fraudulent calls, to explain court outcomes and to reduce misinformation, and he said that other counties of similar size have PIOs. "When I campaign ... I promised ... we would have as open communication and open door as possible so everybody can see what this office is doing," Thompson said.

Commissioners questioned whether the county attorney—s PIO is a necessary line-item during a constrained budget year. Some commissioners described the position as a valuable public-safety and transparency tool; others characterized it as a discretionary expense that could be reduced. Thompson said removing that capacity could increase other offices— workloads and reduce the office—s ability to quickly warn residents about scams and drug risks.

Thompson provided caseload figures to commissioners to contextualize staffing needs. He said the office had been underfunded for years and has taken incremental steps to raise staff pay and retain attorneys; he said recent years required heavy trial and backlog work following the COVID pause and that hiring has remained constrained in the legal field generally.

Why it matters: The county attorney—s office prosecutes criminal and juvenile matters and leads public communication on drug risks and ongoing investigations. Commissioners raised whether PIO funding is a discretionary luxury or a necessary public-education tool allied to prosecution and prevention.

No formal budget vote was taken at the session. Commissioners asked the county administrator to return with budget scenarios and to include options that avoid employee pay reductions in advance of an insurance change.