Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Works topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Public Works director seeks equipment, truck and continued road projects in 2026 budget
Summary
Public Works Director Courtney House outlined a 2026 budget request driven by salary increases and capital outlay for trucks and a new paint truck; she reviewed ongoing road, bridge and culvert projects including Auburn Road, Southeast 40th Street, Jordan Road bridge work, and plans for a regular dump-truck replacement cadence.
Courtney House, director of Shawnee County Public Works, presented the department's 2026 budget proposal and a multi-year project schedule, saying salaries rise by about $480,000 (an 8.6% increase over 2025) and non-salary requests reflect modest net increases driven largely by required retirement transfers and a new CDL training program.
House said the department now has 60 employees and has reduced field-office vacancies from about 15 last year to five. "For 2026 compared to 2025, salaries increased $480,000, which is an 8.6% increase over 2025," she said. The department is proposing a new CDL training program with an initial budget request to support filling up to five trainee positions.
On capital needs, House said the department plans to buy at least one dump truck per year to keep up with heavy use and requested a cabin chassis for a supervisor and a new paint truck. She described a proposed net equipment expansion of roughly $754,300, to be funded partly through capital outlay and the special machinery fund, and said the county has had good results selling old equipment on Purple Wave.
House reviewed road projects and timing: Auburn Road construction is underway, the roundabout to the school is open and work continues north toward K-4. She called Southeast 40th Street a high-priority connector project with an anticipated cost of about $5 million for a segment between California and West Edge. She described options at the Southeast 40th and Southeast Adams intersection, noting the pavement is failing and the county could either replace pavement and keep the signal or install a roundabout.
House said several bridge projects have shifted earlier in the schedule, including Jordan Road over a Wakarusa River tributary (moved up to 2026), and identified planned bridge rehabilitation and deck work in 2029. She described planned culvert replacements (Barrington Road) and a shared boundary project on Northwest 94 with Jackson County.
Commissioners asked about pavement type, roundabout siting, and whether increased staffing would allow Public Works to do more work in-house rather than contract with private firms. House replied the department will perform work it has equipment and expertise to do and continue to contract large projects beyond internal capacity. No formal actions or votes were recorded at the end of the presentation.
