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Sheriff urges action on KP&F retirement costs; commissioners weigh tax options
Summary
Sheriff Larry Atteberry and deputies asked Pawnee County commissioners to consider wage increases and KP&F retirement funding to retain staff; Treasurer Keenan said funding KP&F would require about 3 mils and commissioners deferred a final decision until after the legislative session.
Sheriff Larry Atteberry and his command staff asked Pawnee County commissioners on March 23 to consider wage increases and funding changes to cover Kansas Police and Fire (KP&F) retirement costs, saying pay adjustments are needed to recruit and retain deputies.
Atteberry outlined staffing pressures during an 11:00 a.m. discussion attended by Undersheriffs Josh Huff and Jason Reece. A payroll change notice to hire a Deputy 1 (Step 1) was approved by motion (moved by Miller, seconded by Burdett) and passed 3-0.
Treasurer Keenan told commissioners that "it would take 3 mils to fund KP&F" and noted that if the city contributed, the combined levy impact could reach about 5 mils — an amount that would fall to taxpayers. Commissioners discussed using the 1% Health and Safety fund as a temporary source, but Commissioner Rein said he preferred reserving that fund for property tax relief. Rein also said "with legislation still in session ... it would be best for no decisions to be made until the legislative session is over."
Commissioner Miller asked for a detailed breakdown of how many employees occupy each step on the pay scale so the board could understand the budgetary impact of raises. The board agreed to continue the conversation in a follow-up meeting with sheriff's office leadership.
Next steps: commissioners requested more detailed payroll-step data and deferred any decision on KP&F funding until after the state legislative session concluded.
