Leavenworth County hears requests from local nonprofits for operating and capital support

Leavenworth County commissioners on Tuesday heard funding requests from several local nonprofits seeking support to cover operating shortfalls and capital needs.

Jenna Motley, client services manager at the Alliance Against Family Violence, asked the county for $40,000 to cover two priorities: masonry and interior repairs after recent termite treatment at the shelter and support for essential personnel whose positions are not covered by restricted state and federal grants. Motley said most grant funds are restricted and do not pay for general operations or key leadership roles; she told commissioners the executive director position is covered by grants for only about 6% of its cost and that reduced county support would oblige the shelter to seek other funding but would not force it to close.

Kelly Williams, executive director of the First Judicial District CASA Association (Court Appointed Special Advocates), described CASA’s three programs — volunteer child advocates, a supervised child-exchange and visitation center, and a child advocacy center that conducts recorded forensic interviews observed by law enforcement and DCF for investigations and prosecutions. Williams said CASA served 55 children with CASA advocates last year, struggles to recruit volunteers and relies on an uneven patchwork of city allocations, CDBG funds and church donations. She said she will provide commissioners with a client origin breakdown by city and county on request.

Mackenzie Murley, executive director of Spero Women’s Clinic, and nurse manager Beth Jones outlined the clinic’s free services — medical-grade pregnancy testing, first‑trimester ultrasounds, STI testing, KanCare eligibility assistance, and a medication-based abortion-pill reversal hotline referral. Jones cautioned that telemedicine abortion-pill provision without ultrasound can miss ectopic pregnancies, a condition that can become life-threatening if not identified; Murley cited state data showing about 19,000 reported abortions in Kansas in 2024 and said Spero saw client counts rise from 99 in 2024 to 155 in 2025.

Michelle Hill and Shanna Flack of Riverside Resources described employment, transportation and staffing pressures for their work with adults with developmental disabilities, noting rising vehicle and fuel costs and a growing list of capital and operating needs. Riverside requested increased county support this year compared with the prior year to help expand community-based employment and maintain residential slots (the organization cited 24 residential positions).

Marno McGee, treasurer for the Leavenworth County Fair Association, summarized a strong 2025 fair (reported expenses of about $94,700 and revenue near $183,200), outlined roughly $250,000 in identified capital needs (including finishing a horticultural barn renovation and replacing an old rabbit barn) and asked commissioners to maintain the fair appropriation at $50,000.

Trico Thomas and extension office staff reviewed the county extension’s broad programs — 4‑H clubs, master gardeners, youth outreach and family consumer sciences — and requested a roughly 10% funding increase to help cover cost‑of‑living adjustments and to replace aging vehicles that support county outreach.

Commissioners asked follow‑up questions about client residency data, the mechanics of CDBG allocations through cities, whether organizations had pursued direct city funding, and whether some award requests could be pared back given county budget constraints. Presenters agreed to provide additional data to commissioners for budget deliberations. The commission did not take votes on any of the requests during the session; next steps are for staff and commissioners to review requests during the budget process.