photo by: Journal-World

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

More than a month ago, Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical briefed county commissioners on two scenarios for its budget — where the city wants to make at least $1.5 million in cuts — and the commissioners didn’t sound enthusiastic about either one.

In one scenario, the county would have to provide more than $1.5 million in extra funding for LDCFM. In the other, the county wouldn’t provide extra money, and the department would cut as many as 18 positions and reduce one ambulance from 24/7 service to just 40 hours a week, among other things.

Now, before their meeting on Wednesday, county commissioners will hear from LDCFM again — this time about some new scenarios to hit the city’s budget targets while minimizing the effect on emergency medical services.

Currently, the city funds about 64% of LDCFM’s operations, and the county is responsible for about 36%. But as the city has been trying to close a more than $6 million budget hole for 2026 — and has directed LDCFM to find between $1.5 million and $1.9 million in cuts — some local officials have wondered whether the county should contribute more.

In April, LDCFM shared its two original budget scenarios with the County Commission. Both scenarios would shut down one fire engine and upstaff a ladder truck to four personnel, but there are big differences in what else would happen and what it would cost the county.

The first scenario would require the county to increase its contribution by $1,575,000, and it would allow the department to add a new ambulance while cutting only one full-time position. The second scenario, according to a memo from LDCFM to commissioners, would require “much more dramatic cuts.” It would reduce LDCFM’s number of battalion chiefs from six to three, eliminate the prevention lieutenant and training lieutenant positions and convert an existing ambulance from 24/7 to 40 hours a week. The memo said there would be a net reduction of 18 full-time-equivalent positions.

At their meeting on April 9, county leaders voiced frustration with these scenarios.

Commissioner Erica Anderson said it was unacceptable that cuts to LDCFM could mean losing valuable staff. Commissioner Shannon Reid said that the city had been direct in saying LDCFM was getting cut, “and we will lower our standards to match it.” And County Administrator Sarah Plinsky said that the last time the county absorbed a $1 million transfer from the city for LDCFM, it raised taxes.

The memo from LDCFM to county commissioners in advance of this week’s meeting says that “County Commissioners and staff indicated the County was not interested in Option 1” — the one where the county would pay about $1.5 million more. It says that LDCFM has crafted several new options that “use Option 2 as a baseline” and adjust the share that the city and county each pay “to meet reduction targets while restoring or adding EMS resources.”

In Option 1, the county would have been responsible for between 41% and 44% of LDCFM’s funding, rather than the current 36%. Each of the new scenarios has the county covering more than 36% of the funding, but less than the 41% to 45% in Option 1. They would all maintain 24/7 ambulance service, and one of them would even staff an additional ambulance to meet increased demand for services, the memo says.

Commissioners will not have to make any decisions right now. The presentation on Wednesday is at a work session before the commission’s meeting, so it is for informational purposes only, and no action is expected to be taken.

In other business, county commissioners will:

• Consider approving a request to rezone land at Burning Barrel Farm — an agritourism property — from AG-1, Agricultural, to AG-2, Transitional Agriculture. According to a memo in the agenda, the property owner wishes to live near the agritourism operation and intends to divide the land into two separate parcels. The proposed AG-2 zoning would permit the creation of a 10-acre residential parcel and a separate 20-acre parcel designated for agritourism and farming activities.

• Consider approving a waiver from the formal bid process and repair the fire suppression system water line at the Historic Douglas County Courthouse with SAMCO Mechanical in an amount not to exceed $235,000. County staff became aware of a water line leak to the west of the courthouse on Massachusetts Street last week after a 25-year-old pipe leaked.

A memo in the agenda states that at the time the agenda for Wednesday’s meeting was submitted, the final cost was not complete. County staff anticipates the final costs will be below $200,000, but county administration will update the county commissioners when the final costs are in.

• Consider two separate requests for property tax relief on two properties that were damaged by fire. One fire caused $5 million in damage to part of the Brandon Woods senior living facility; the other caused $750,000 in damage to a home. Both fires resulted in damage exceeding 50% of each building’s pre-disaster value. Under Kansas law, county commissioners may waive or reduce some or all of the 2025 property taxes for these properties.

• Consider appointing Brad Eldridge to a four-year term as the county appraiser from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2029. Eldridge was first appointed to complete the term of Steve Miles in mid-2023 after he retired from the position.

• Consider approving a contract for government affairs representative affairs services from Little Government Relations at $60,000 per year, which is renewable annually up to five years, and bringing the potential total contract value to $300,000.

The County Commission’s work session will begin at 4 p.m. Wednesday in the Douglas County Commission meeting room at 1100 Massachusetts St. The business meeting will follow at 5:30 p.m. The meeting will also be available via Zoom.