Shawnee County budget hearings open; jail staffing, health contracts and radio upgrades drive large requests

Shawnee County commissioners opened a daylong round of budget hearings on Monday, July 13, with presentations from the district attorney, courts, Department of Corrections, sheriff, parks, and several community programs.

The Department of Corrections told the board its 2027 request would rise about 9.3%, driven largely by salary increases, a new health-care contract and deferred maintenance. "The biggest increase was in health care," Director Bridal Cole said, citing a contract transition that he said increased medical costs by about 10.9% and contributed materially to the department’s budget pressure. Cole said the request also funds 10 additional correctional specialists to staff a behavioral health unit and a multi-year program to replace original locks and elevator controls in the older portions of the detention center. He listed a plumbing engineering estimate for the original facility at roughly $717,000 for 2027.

Cole warned the commission the recent state change to bonding procedures will likely increase average lengths of stay in the jail and add costs. "It is the law. It is what it is," he said, adding his office is working closely with courts and the district attorney to mitigate impacts.

Sheriff Brian Hill told commissioners the sheriff’s office has shifted most of its budget into pay and benefits (he said about 89% of his department’s operating budget) and is seeking funds for major communications upgrades. Hill said a federal encryption mandate means many mobile radios must be replaced and estimated roughly $1.7 million for mobile radios alone; he and other staff said the entire radio and backhaul system will ultimately require additional investment. The sheriff highlighted operational gains from a county real-time crime center and trial drone hubs, and noted a residential camera registry that now shows more than 1,100 registered devices as a resource for investigations.

Parks and Recreation Director Tim Laurent described a $20 million operating request (roughly a 3.45% increase) driven mainly by personnel and utility cost increases and a $625,000 slate of CIP projects for 2027. He also walked commissioners through a longer list of bondable projects that together would exceed tens of millions of dollars, including Westlake dam work and a possible new Shawnee North community recreation center.

Commissioners did not take final votes on departmental budgets Monday; the hearing will continue through the day and the presentations were recorded and posted online for public review. The commission took one procedural vote to formally open the budget hearing early in the meeting, which passed 3-0.

The county’s finance director and staff said they are continuing to review departmental requests, grant opportunities to offset capital costs, and the local fiscal impacts of the recent state bonding changes.

Ending: The commission’s budget hearing will resume later in the meeting cycle and all department requests will be considered before a final proposed budget is published.