Geary County commissioners pare outside appropriations, agree 5% admin fee as budget trimming continues

Tammy Robinson, who led the county’s budget review, told the Geary County Commission during a July work session that updated appropriations and reserve adjustments have cut the county’s initial needs from roughly 64.124 to 61.904 and lowered the county’s requested levy from about $21 million to about $20 million. Robinson said the county also received a franchise-fee check from Cox Communications for $10,008.28 and proposed conservatively counting $10,000 per year in that line.

The commissioners front-loaded decisions that reduce the levy while protecting core services. Robinson presented a package of revenue and appropriation options — including modest increases to motor-vehicle transfer revenue, charges for building use and equipment, and an administration fee — and commissioners agreed to adopt a 5% administration fee for outside appropriations, a rate Robinson recommended to match existing county practice.

Why it matters: The commission is trying to shrink a projected increase in the mill levy while keeping essential services and a proposed 2% cost-of-living adjustment for county employees in the plan. Commissioners repeatedly framed the exercise as a choice between cutting services and raising taxes, and sought cuts to outside appropriations first.

Most important facts: Robinson told the commission the county could capture roughly $52,000 from a 5% administration fee applied to applicable appropriations and that modest new revenue items (franchise fee, a higher motor-vehicle-transfer estimate) add roughly $60,000 in options not yet reflected in the worksheet. The commission voted informally to set soil conservation at $25,000 so the entity can preserve its state matching ability, adjusted the extension request to about $330,000 and agreed to phase in rent on some county-occupied space rather than charging full market value immediately.

Debate and distinct positions: One commissioner emphasized protecting employees and core services, telling colleagues that they must “protect our core services and our our employees” while still looking for savings. Commissioners discussed charging outside agencies — including United Way and the DMV — rent at market or half-market rates; several favored a gradual approach to avoid “blindsiding” nonprofits that rely on county funding.

Infrastructure and personnel trade-offs: County road and public-safety officials warned of service consequences if deeper cuts are required. A roads official described the county’s bridge inventory and deferred maintenance pressures, noting a large backlog of structures and an aging average bridge fleet. The sheriff’s office and others described recent staffing and contract changes that affect departmental revenues; a planned $120,000 grant to fund a third SRO did not materialize and dispatch-contract shifts moved hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue between budget categories, complicating net comparisons.

Next steps: Commissioners left several items on hold — juvenile detention funding, the MAC and certain EDC (Economic Development Corporation) requests — and scheduled a follow-up session for Thursday at 3:00 p.m. Staff were asked to draft notification letters to outside agencies about the phased rent and admin‑fee changes and to return with any additional numbers requested by commissioners.

Quote: "We need to protect our core services and our our employees," a commissioner said during debate over cuts and COLA funding. Robinson highlighted the new franchise fee as one concrete offset: "we received $10,008.28," she said.

What remains unresolved: The commission has not formalized any ordinance or final levy; the work session narrowed options but several agency requests remain undecided pending further departmental follow-up and the next session.

Ending: The commission will reconvene later this week to finalize hold items and to adopt the next worksheet to present for the formal budget submission.