photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Douglas County commissioners meet for budget deliberations on Friday, July 10, 2026.

Douglas County commissioners began discussing their budget priorities Friday, including whether to continue solvency funding for partner agencies and reduce support for organizations that may no longer need the same level of county funding.

As the commission’s budget process began, Commissioner Erica Anderson wanted to revisit the county’s approach to allocating “solvency” funding – or money used to cover financial obligations – to community partners, which was a topic of discussion last year as well.

Anderson said that each organization that has requested solvency funding from the county, both in previous years and during the current budget cycle, has faced unique circumstances, including reduced fundraising revenue, limited cash reserves or the loss of grant funding.

One partner asking for solvency funding is HeadQuarters Kansas, which provides 988 crisis line services for most of the state. The organization has requested $180,000 to help stabilize its budget and continue participation in regional crisis response efforts.

But county commissioners had a similar conversation with HeadQuarters last year. Commissioners even allocated $300,000 for 2026 to the organization in March after requesting their financial audits for fiscal years 2022, 2023 and 2024.

Commissioner Patrick Kelly said future county solvency support should depend on the organization demonstrating a path toward financial stability.

“I will say I get very concerned about multiple years of solvency requests,” Kelly said. ” … Because that does feel like now we’re just asking for ongoing funding. And if we were propping you up, once we propped you up, you had a plan to go forward and solve it going forward and maybe make tough decisions in order to do that.”

In addition, the Sexual Trauma and Abuse Care Center – a nonprofit providing 24/7 support to anyone affected by sexual trauma and abuse – is seeking additional funding support after it was notified that new state requirements will delay notifications for state-funded grant awards. Another request the organization submitted was to go toward hiring a dedicated fund developer to build the organization’s unrestricted funding base, as the Journal-World reported.

County commissioners also approved additional funding for Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center in 2026. Kelly said the funding was warranted because the organization operates the county’s Treatment & Recovery Center, and the $700,000 allocation will help ensure stable operations this year.

County commissioners also discussed whether or not it may be a good idea to revisit some of the ongoing funding the county allocates to different community agencies and departments each year. Commissioner Karen Willey said there may be opportunities for savings, and some organizations may not need as much county funding as they did in the past.

“Year to year, we do not have an ongoing obligation, even though we have ongoing intentions there,” Willey said. ” … Some of our organizations have grown past the need to have us.”

But where, how much and whether they even should cut funding is difficult to determine, and commissioners said it’s because sometimes community partners aren’t giving a full picture of their own budget.

“It really comes into our conversation about whether we fund you or not,” Willey said. “Please give us a story in your budget that makes intuitive sense and matches the narrative.”

CONSOLIDATED FIRE DISTRICT NO. 1

Most commissioners support expanding staffing for Consolidated Fire District No. 1 to strengthen emergency services. While the rural fire district put together a proposed 2027 budget without a property tax rate increase, as the Journal-World reported, the district asked commissioners to consider additional funding to hire more staff.

The staffing expansion on the table was to fund 10 positions – six full-time firefighters, three captains and one chief officer. This would mean an increase to the property tax rate of 4.10 mills.

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Deputy County Administrator Sean Pederson and Chief John Mathis meet with county commissioners on Friday, July 10, 2026.

Any property tax increase for CFD No. 1 would not be countywide. The increase would only apply to properties located in the fire district, which was formed in 2020 with the consolidation of township fire departments in Wakarusa, Kanwaka, Eudora, Clinton and Lecompton townships.

A majority of the other county commissioners agreed with funding all 10 positions in 2027, but Commissioner Gene Dorsey thought the 4-mill increase to the property tax rate was too high. He thought it would be better to ease into the increase of positions, funding only some this year and revisiting it again next year for 2028.

Commissioner Shannon Reid said while it would be a significant mill levy increase, she was supportive of funding the positions.

“I think we have a lot of information to support that the increased capacity will make a big difference in stabilizing the department in a way that allows them to build better public programming,” Reid said. “And just increase the coverage across such a deep geographic area.”

WHAT’S NEXT?

Douglas County staff has proposed a $201.5 million budget, holding the property tax rate flat at 40.669 mills, as the Journal-World reported. One mill is equal to one dollar per $1,000 of a property’s assessed value. With the proposed budget, a homeowner with a $600,000 home would pay $2,805 in property taxes to the county under the proposed mill levy. A $300,000 home would have a bill of $1,405 and a $200,000 home would incur $935 in taxes.

The tax a property owner pays is determined by both the mill levy and the property’s assessed value, so even if tax rates stay steady or are lowered, rising property values might still cause tax bills to go up for many residents. The total assessed property valuation increased by 4.9% in 2026, compared to a 5.7% increase the previous year.

County commissioners will continue with 2027 budget deliberations on Monday. The public is welcome to attend in person or join virtually on Zoom. There is no opportunity for public comments during hearings or deliberations. The details from the meeting and recordings will be available on the county’s YouTube page.

The full 2027 proposed budget can be accessed on the county’s website at dgcoks.gov/administration/budget.