A former Allen County commissioner put the current body on the spot Monday morning when he questioned some of their spending decisions as they work on their 2027 budget.
Humboldt resident Dick Works urged commissioners to revisit the county counselor contract and restore a previously discussed $50,000 reduction to the Bowlus Fine Arts Center budget.
For years, the county has dedicated 1 mill in property taxes to the Bowlus. That allocation, which fluctuates with property valuations, generated about $199,000 this year and is projected to provide approximately $207,000 next year. Under the current proposal, the county would instead provide the center with a flat annual contribution of $150,000.
WORKS SAID that legal services presented one of the county’s greatest opportunities for savings.
The county pays Bob Johnson just shy of $135,000 a year for his legal services. That figure includes health insurance, mileage reimbursement, and enrollment in the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System.
Works said that neighboring counties spend considerably less on legal services.
According to Works, Anderson County budgets $19,000 annually for county counselor services, while Neosho County uses legal counsel on an as-needed basis and has not exceeded $4,000 in any month, or about $48,000 annually.
Works also noted that Woodson County, which uses the same county counselor as Neosho County, spends a little more than $15,000 a year.
Works pointed out that while Bourbon County pays about $96,000 annually for legal services, it also uses Johnson as its county counselor.
He suggested the two counties explore sharing more of that cost.
“You guys ought to figure out a way to share,” he said. “If you’re already sharing that county counselor, you ought to share the salary.”
He also encouraged the commission to seek new proposals for legal services next year. “It would be good just to see what the competition is like out there,” he said.
Works questioned several other budget line items, including the Special Bridge Fund, noxious weed vehicle purchases, and the Solid Waste Fund.
Reviewing the Special Bridge Fund, he noted the county budgeted more than $1 million this year but had spent only about $61,000 during the first six months. “I don’t know what kind of big bridge projects you’ve got going on, but that’s a big chunk of money to spend in the remaining six months when you’ve only spent $61,000 in the first six months,” he said.
TURNING TO the Solid Waste Fund, Works noted the landfill is expected to receive an additional $650,000 in tipping fees and roughly $700,000 in sales tax revenue this year while having spent only about 30% of its budget through June.
Works suggested excess tipping fee revenue could help offset future ambulance expenses rather than relying entirely on additional tax revenue. He also questioned whether the county had budgeted enough interest income, saying the county’s cash balances should generate additional revenue that could further improve the budget.
