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Sedgwick County urges state to change funding formulas, clarify handling of unclaimed cremains and juvenile corrections options
Summary
In a recorded District 4 update, Commissioner Ryan Beatty said Sedgwick County is pressing the Kansas Legislature to alter funding formulas so local property taxes stop subsidizing state-run services, to provide statutory guidance for unclaimed cremains, and to give judges more options in juvenile corrections tied to Senate Bill 367.
Commissioner Ryan Beatty of Sedgwick County said in a recorded District 4 update that the county is asking the Kansas Legislature this session to change funding formulas so local property taxes no longer subsidize state services, to clarify state rules for handling unclaimed cremains, and to allow more sentencing options for juveniles affected by Senate Bill 367.
Beatty said the county "actually operate[s] 16 different services, all managed by county government, on behalf of the state of Kansas," including elections, the county appraiser, courts and the Tag Office. He told District 4 residents the county develops an annual legislative platform that it presents to the Legislature at the start of the session each January.
The county provided figures to illustrate the fiscal pressure it says those responsibilities create. Beatty said inflation since February 2008 has increased about 42 percent and that the 16 departments the county operates have seen expenses rise "33% up to $256,000,000." He said state aid for those programs has fallen about 18 percent in the same period, requiring Sedgwick County to use local property tax dollars to close the gap.
"For the Tag Office, we're now having to supplement the operations of the program upwards of $1,000,000 a year," Beatty said, adding that the county wants the state to change funding formulas so local governments are not forced to cover state functions with property taxes.
Beatty also described what he called a lack of state guidance for the county's Forensic Science Center, which manages the county morgue. "Currently, we have over 400 unclaimed cremains that are being stored by the county, and that number is also growing," he said. He said the county performs cremations for unclaimed remains and that pending legislation would clarify the county's options for disposition of those cremains "in a dignified, respectful way." The update did not specify which disposition options the legislation would authorize.
On juvenile corrections, Beatty referenced Senate Bill 367 and said the county is seeking changes to give district court judges more flexibility and intermediate placement options, such as approved group homes, for juveniles who are beginning to enter the criminal justice system. He said some provisions of SB 367 have limited judges' available corrective options and that statutory changes would be necessary to restore those options.
Beatty closed by saying the county will report the results of its legislative platform after the session concludes and invited constituents to contact his office with questions or feedback.
