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KDOC reports improved hiring but warns health care contract, rising population will push costs
Summary
Secretary Jeff Zmuda said recruiting and pay increases have reduced correctional officer vacancies to about 11%, but KDOC warned that a $102 million health‑care line item, rising contract costs and population growth will keep pressure on state budgets.
KDOC Secretary Jeff Zmuda told the interim Joint Committee on Corrections and Juvenile Justice that pay investments and recruitment efforts have cut uniform vacancies substantially since the pandemic, but that budget pressure from health‑care and food contracts and a projected rise in inmates will require further attention by the legislature.
“We have just over 3,500 staff, and nearly 60% of them are serving in uniform positions,” Zmuda said during the department’s annual report. He showed vacancy trends that dropped from roughly 460 uniform vacancies in early 2022 to approximately 200 after recent pay enhancements; KDOC reported uniform vacancies near 11% statewide, down from a pandemic high of about 33%.
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