Ottawa County commissioners weigh changing museum funding model and freeze hiring pending review

Commissioner Carla Grund, First District, told the Board on Sept. 8 that her review of 90 Kansas counties shows Ottawa County may be the only county fully funding a museum and paying museum salaries. She said Ottawa County was ninth highest in dollars budgeted for county museums and noted, "the 2025 museum budget is $110,500.00 and that does not include additional expenses the County pays including employee benefits" (she cited about $27,000 for family healthcare and KPERS).

Grund proposed three paths: give an appropriation to the museum and have the museum board operate it; hire a 999 employee in 2025 while the museum establishes a 501(c)(3) and move to an appropriation in 2026; or hire the worker as a contract employee with no county benefits. She said Ottawa County currently has no full-time museum employees and that "we have a great opportunity to make a change right now." The Commission raised visitor-count concerns—Grund noted eight visitors on the museum visitor log during the last four weeks—and discussed whether hours or programming should be adjusted to obtain more value for the county.

The Commission reached consensus to freeze any hiring until they determine a long-term approach. Commissioner Duane Morris suggested reviewing hours and operations to "get the most bang for our buck." Grund later tied the museum conversation to broader budget choices, saying she would like to reduce the Employee Benefits cash reserve by $200,000 to lower the mill levy in 2026. Next steps: the Board will pursue follow-up analysis and report back before authorizing hiring or a budget shift.