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JCAPS director presents $815,231 grant; Seward County removes proposed pay raises before approval
Summary
Seward County’s JCAPS director presented a FY2027 grant application for $815,231.25 from KDOC. Commissioners approved the application but voted to remove proposed pay raises from the submitted line items; the chairman was authorized to sign the revised application ahead of the March 15 KDOC deadline.
JCAPS Director Chelsea told the Seward County commission on March 2 that the FY2027 comprehensive plan grant application to the Kansas Department of Corrections would allocate $815,231.25 to salaries, benefits and agency costs. She said the allocation must be shown by line item to KDOC and that unused funds carry over, and she described constraints on adopting a different pay matrix without additional funding.
Public commenter Dr. Caroline Huddleston and several commissioners questioned whether staff pay should follow the county pay plan or the OJA pay matrix. Huddleston presented comparative tables showing other districts’ pay grades and urged aligning JCAPS staff with county pay schedules.
During discussion the director said she would prioritize services to youth over raises: “I will always provide services to the youth before I ever give a raise.” Commissioners debated optics, carryover funds and the potential effect of pegging salaries at matrix maximums without extra allocations.
Commissioner Metland moved to approve submission of the KDOC comprehensive plan grant application but to return the pay line items to prior-year levels (effectively removing the proposed pay raises). Commissioner Stanton seconded the motion; the board recorded four votes in favor and one abstention. Because KDOC requires the form by March 15, the commission then authorized the chairman to sign the revised application once staff made the agreed changes.
What happens next: the county will revise the application to remove the pay increases, the chairman will sign the form for submission, and the JCAPS director said she will continue to seek supplemental grants if additional pay funding is needed.
