TOPEKA (KSNT) – The Shawnee County Board of Commissioners still needs to cut more than $190,000 from various county departments to meet its budget.
County Commissioner Kevin Cook called on all department heads on July 28 to attend the next commission meeting to help identify ways they can cut 2-5% of their budgets. At the meeting on Monday, Aug. 4, the departments and community partners presented a combined $4,337,183 in potential budget reductions.
The commissioners voted to tentatively cut $562,300 from those amended budget requests, leaving $192,517 left to cut to meet the county’s 49.326 maximum mill levy for 2026.
Commissioners discussed various ways to reduce budgets with the department heads. District Attorney Mike Kagay said that last year was the first time the District Attorney’s Office had been fully funded under his term.
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Representatives from Valeo expressed concerns during the meeting. They said all cuts are deep and will force the behavioral care facility to make some “extremely difficult decisions.”
The Shawnee County Department of Corrections reports that a 3.3% budget cut would necessitate the delay of the mental health facility. County commissioners signed off on the construction of the mental health unit at the Shawnee County Jail back in June 2023.
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So far, departments and community partners have identified the following potential reductions to their 2026 budget requests:
| Department | Adjustments |
| Department of Corrections | $1,397,634 |
| District Attorney | 87,252 |
| District Courts | 323,705 |
| Emergency Management | 21,800 |
| Sheriff’s Office | $1,001,490 |
| Fair Association | $5,400 |
| Parks + Recreation | $500,000 |
| Appraiser | $86,000 |
| Public Works | $543,468 |
| Ambulance | $20,000 |
| Health Department | $62,300 |
| Extension Council | $1,750 |
| TARC | $31,843 |
| CRC-Programs for the Elderly | $26,236 |
| CRC-Social Service Grants | $7,755 |
| County Clerk | $55,833 |
| Information Technology | $164,717 |
| Total | $4,337,183 |
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