photo by: Journal-World

The west side of the Douglas County Courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts St.

After a dissection of funding requests made by various entities countywide, Douglas County commissioners said no to a number of them Tuesday morning during the commission’s second day of budget deliberations.

So far in the deliberations, 26 supplemental funding requests have been rejected by the commission: among them were a $1 million request from the Salvation Army to remodel its facility at 1202 E. 23rd St.; a request for $72,000 a year for a full-time Juvenile Detention Center therapist; and more than $307,000 requested by DCCCA to put drug and alcohol prevention specialists at schools throughout the county.

For the commissioners, many of the decisions hinged on whether the county should be responsible for closing funding gaps left by other governments and organizations.

One example was the request by Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center for its WRAP program, which puts social workers in select Lawrence and Douglas County schools.

The commission rejected Bert Nash’s request for an extra $136,000 to help cover increasing costs of the program that currently serves schools in Lawrence and the surrounding area. A pair of commissioners said they liked the program, but don’t like how other governments have funded the program.

Commission Chair Patrick Kelly said that the city of Lawrence had previously cut funding for the program and that Lawrence Public Schools had also scaled back its support, creating a funding gap. Kelly, who is an administrator with Lawrence Public Schools, said that he was not in agreement with those decisions.

“(When that happened) Bert Nash and USD 497 said ‘we can make it work,'” Kelly recounted. “I struggle with other governmental agencies saying ‘I’m not going to fund this anymore, let’s have the county do it.”

The WRAP program — which stands for Working to Recognize Alternative Possibilities — is expected to continue in the next school year, but Kelly acknowledged it may face financial challenges.

But he added that sometimes it’s better for “things to get a little lean” in order to determine its overall value.

“If the county steps in every time and sort of takes on that role — I just have some concerns,” he said. “I like good collaboration.”

Commissioner Shannon Reid was in agreement with Kelly.

“To completely backfill the gap left by other government agencies doesn’t sit right with me,” she said. “It’s a hard one to say no to, but the way we came to this request is problematic for me, so I’m not supportive of it.”

The county already provides $860,000 for the WRAP program, County Administrator Sarah Plinsky said.

Commissioner Karen Willey said that she needed a more complete funding picture of the program before she would be comfortable providing additional county money. She also wanted more information on how the program works for Douglas County residents who attend a school in another county — which happens in places like Perry-Lecompton, Shawnee Heights, West Franklin and other school districts that are based outside of Douglas County but have territory inside the county.

One Bert Nash proposal did receive preliminary approval from commissioners on Tuesday. Both Reid and Willey said they were supportive of a $2 million request for Bert Nash to create additional supportive housing for individuals with behavioral health problems.

Kelly, though, expressed some reservations with the request. He wanted assurances from other entities that they are also fully committed to funding on their end — mentioning the city of Lawrence and its Affordable Housing Advisory Board as other revenue sources.

Commissioners on Tuesday rejected many other requests from entities that were seeking additional funds from the county. They included:

• A request from the nonprofit Artists Helping the Homeless for $900,000 to acquire and operate a new transitional house for single women, which included a $400,000 ongoing funding request for its operations.

• A full-time data quality analyst position for Bert Nash at a cost of $102,000 annually.

• Three full-time positions requested by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office — a network administrator, an office records and civil processing clerk and a support specialist — totaling approximately $206,000.

• An additional criminal defense attorney and social worker for Kansas Holistic Defenders, totaling $150,000.

County commissioners will continue their budget deliberations on Wednesday morning at the courthouse. The county administrator has recommended a 2024 budget that keeps the county’s property tax rate steady from a year ago. As commissioners approve and reject spending requests, the projected tax rate will change. However Plinsky said she couldn’t calculate whether the commission’s changes to her recommended budget will lead to an increase or a decrease in the mill levy. That picture is likely to come together after Wednesday’s deliberations.