photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Kirsten Watkins, interim CEO of Bert Nash, speaks at a Douglas County Commission meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026.

Douglas County commissioners approved a consultant to review the Treatment and Recovery Center’s finances and operations as they plan to weigh its future funding and role in the county’s crisis system.

The county and the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center will be working with Dr. Margie Balfour and MultiPass Consulting to complete the review with a cost not to exceed $98,900.

The scope of work includes a data review in January, a three-day site visit in February and a series of meetings and interviews with Bert Nash leadership and staff, key community stakeholders, law enforcement and first responders and other experts associated with the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, Medicaid and more.

The project’s first phase is expected to run from January through March and it will include a memo summarizing initial interviews and the site visit. Bert Nash and MultiPass plan to return to the County Commission at the end of the phase to share early findings, according to an agenda memo. The second phase will involve producing a final report with analyses and recommendations, and it is expected to be completed in May.

Bob Tryanski, director of behavioral health projects, said the scope of work looks at five things – operations, staffing and leadership, data reporting and financial stability, how the TRC integrates with the overall Douglas County crisis system and operational support.

Kirsten Watkins, interim CEO of Bert Nash, said the organization was fully supportive of the scope and the objectives of the review of the TRC.

“We thought a lot about all of the things that would be important for us to know across many different arenas, so things like finance and staffing and utilization of services and just the way that our system is working within itself and collaborating with other aspects of the crisis system,” Watkins said. ” … I think the collection of all of those questions are important things.”

Commissioner Shannon Reid said she is excited about what the county and Bert Nash will learn from the review.

“I’m eager for the report back to us, but I’m mostly hopeful that it feels like a really … helpful process to Bert Nash and the county for how we think about the next iteration of this very important service,” Reid said.

As the Journal-World reported, Bert Nash came to commissioners in December 2025 with a $1 million funding request for 2026 to support a revenue gap in the TRC’s ongoing costs, but county commissioners decided to defer the request until a review is completed. Since then, county and Bert Nash staff have been working to get one started.

Even as the review process takes shape, Watkins said it’s still important to think about the immediate needs for the organization this year.

“While I think it’s very important to have this information to inform those decisions for 2027, it is my primary responsibility and duty to ensure that we can make it through 2026 and continue to provide these essential services for the duration of 2026, so I don’t want that to get lost in the next year.”

The memo in the agenda said after phase one of the project is complete, Bert Nash can approach the County Commission for consideration of additional 2026 operating funds for the TRC.

IN OTHER BUSINESS, COMISSIONERS:

• Elected Reid to be chair of the Douglas County Commission in 2026 and Commissioner Karen Willey to be vice chair. In 2025, Commissioner Patrick Kelly was chair and Reid was vice chair.

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

The Douglas County Commission elected Shannon Reid as chair and Karen Willey as vice chair on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026.

• Heard an update on the Kansas Legislature, who began their 2026 legislative session on Jan. 12. Little Government Relations provided an update regarding activities to date and areas that may be of interest for Douglas County to monitor in the coming weeks.

• Signed a letter of consent for the ownership of Hamm Landfill to be transfered to Allied Waste Systems, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of U.S. waste disposal company Republic Services. Douglas and Jefferson counties have maintained a long-standing partnership with the landfill for solid waste management management, and the new assignment requires consent from both parties.

Douglas County is currently undertaking an update to its waste management plan, as required by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. The updated plan will incorporate public input from a survey, include a review of prior agreements to ensure the county is aligned with current regulatory requirements and establish long-term solid waste management goals. The plan will be presented to the County Commission for consideration and approval in the coming months, according to a memo in the agenda.

• Authorized the Public Works department to solicit bids for dust control chemicals for rock roads and to continue the user fee dust control program for 2026, with a user fee not to exceed $1.65 per linear foot an administrative fee of $60.00 per application, and a late fee of $15.00 per application.