Sedgwick officials warn KDOC funding formula would cut community corrections, threaten programs and jobs

Sedgwick County officials told Wichita leaders on Oct. 29 that a proposed Kansas Department of Corrections funding formula would reduce the county's community corrections allocation by about 38% over three years, imperiling treatment programs and prompting staff cuts.

"Our allocation is gonna be reduced 38% over 3 years, so roughly $700,000 a year," Sedgwick County Department of Corrections Director Steve Stonehouse said, adding the county receives just over $5 million from a roughly $30 million statewide pot. Laurie Gibbs, the county—s deputy director of adult programs, warned that "doing this work with 40% less budget will be nearly impossible."

The county offers residential supervision, drug and veterans treatment courts, a 178-bed residential center at 622 East Central, integrated substance‑use recovery specialists and three mental‑health ISOs funded with KDOC enhancement dollars. Gibbs said many clients arrive with severe addiction, untreated mental illness and housing instability and that the programs aim to replace criminogenic routines with employment and pro‑social activities.

County officials said the proposed formula shifts weight toward factors such as jurisdiction population, poverty rate and a KBI crime index, and that Sedgwick was not invited to the committee that developed the proposal. Commissioners and the county director argued the formula is not demonstrably linked to public‑safety outcomes and disproportionately penalizes Sedgwick, which houses the state's largest felony caseload and a higher share of person felonies.

"When you tie funding to artificial success rates, organizations begin to manipulate some of the things to keep people from falling below the 75," Commissioner Beatty said, contesting KDOC—s statutory success‑rate metric that requires either 75% success or a 3% improvement year over year.

Stonehouse said the formula would also cut behavioral‑health funding from about $685,000 a year by 50%, which Gibbs said would eliminate recovery specialists and other services that "have been game changing for us." The county estimates the formula would require eliminating about 20 positions over three years and reducing program capacity, increasing caseloads for remaining staff.

District Attorney Mark Bennett, who addressed the en banc, cited sentencing‑commission data showing Sedgwick recorded a higher share of person felonies than many peer counties and urged elected officials to press the legislature and governor's office to seek a fix. "This is penny wise and pound foolish to me," Bennett said, arguing that prevention, employment and housing supports are vital stabilizing factors.

County leaders said they have asked Secretary Smuta and KDOC staff for a pause or "hold harmless" proviso while the Community Corrections Act and the funding formula receive a neutral, evidence‑based review. Stonehouse suggested a public university or the Council of State Governments could perform an independent assessment of the formula and the statute underlying it.

Council and commission members discussed next steps including: a public hearing the county said is scheduled Monday on the topic, sending joint letters to state leaders, coordinating with the South Central legislative delegation, and pursuing legislative provisos if necessary. "If the governor wanted to stop it, she could stop it," one council member said when asked about executive options.

The county provided several data points during the briefing: it supervises roughly 1,100–1,200 individuals at a time (about 320 courtesy cases), reported a roughly 44% return‑to‑prison rate in the period under discussion, received 278 courtesy cases in 2023 (95% from other counties), and said 25% of closed unsuccessful courtesy cases resulted in a new crime. Stonehouse said the county invests local matching funds in addition to KDOC allocations and that the new formula does not credit jurisdictions for local matching.

Officials urged the city and county to coordinate advocacy. The en banc concluded with a request for county staff to provide time‑series data on juvenile bookings with firearms and other metrics to support legislative outreach and public education.

The county said it was exploring legal, legislative and public‑communication options but no formal state legislative change or court action had been finalized at the meeting.