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Sedgwick County Extension outlines services, warns of budget strain after 10% cut
Summary
Extension leaders and K‑State representatives told county staff the office will post a vacant adult development/SHIC agent position in February, outlined programs and a 2025 budget with $853,000 in salaries, and urged the commission to consider potential impacts of recent cuts on services.
Dr. Brantley, who presented the Sedgwick County Extension Council's 2025 budget, told county staff the center must manage a recent 10% reduction and that “we have salaries and wages at $853,000,” a line item she highlighted as central to keeping agents in place.
Janet Sprecher, chair of the Sedgwick County Extension Board, said the board has taken the 10% reduction into account but worried about future cuts as the county begins the 2026 budget process. “We have taken that into account in our planning processes,” Sprecher said, asking the commission to engage early in budget conversations to avoid program erosion.
Greg Hadley, K‑State’s extension director, placed the local program in a statewide context, highlighting volunteer capacity and outreach: he cited roughly 43,000 volunteer hours from Sedgwick County and described a surge in contact metrics since the pandemic. Hadley also described the university’s ‘big 8’ priority areas — including broadband and housing — and encouraged commissioners to route local issues to appropriate K‑State specialists rather than expect direct service delivery from extension.
County finance clarified how the county supports the program beyond direct appropriations: CFO Lenjit Porusso said facilities costs (staffing, utilities, maintenance) are tracked in a separate fund center, reporting roughly $247,000 in 2024 facility-related expenses that the county regards as indirect support rather than a direct cash allocation.
Commissioners asked for follow-up detail on revenue sources (KDADS, K‑State reimbursements, rentals, program fees and donations) and recommended the extension and county aging programs coordinate service delivery during peak seasons such as Medicare open enrollment. The extension team said it would post the vacant adult‑development/SHIC agent role in early February and return with requested staffing and budget clarifications.
