Sedgwick County Manager Tom Stolz has presented a recommended budget for 2022 that totals over $483.6 million for county operations. The budget has $462.5 million for general operations and just under $21.1 million for the Fire District.
Stolz said it will be a balanced budget with no tax increase. He said one of the major goals will be recovery of the county organization from the COVID-19 pandemic, and there will be a continued use of funding and resources to meet the needs of the community from the pandemic. A fourth goal for the budget will be employee compensation, and Stolz said $7.5 million has been designated for employee reclassification and compensation. Stolz said there will continue to be a focus on lean government, with the county getting back to its strategic plan and back to normal operations. The mill levy for the county budget will be just over 29 mills and the fire district will have a levy of almost 18 mills.
Stolz said the budget will include funding to meet higher costs for the Sheriff’s Office, and a specialist will be hired to help with a backlog of cases in the District Attorney’s Office. He said a safety coordinator will be added to the County Manager’s office to oversee public safety services. Stolz said some federal coronavirus relief funding could be used to help with some costs, but budget staff is still looking at the details to see if that can be done. A zookeeper position has also been added to help with operations at the Sedgwick County Zoo.
Commissoner Lacey Cruse said she has concerns about staffing, and she said “We really have to figure out how to retain our employees. We have some of the best employees that I have ever worked with, and it’s important to pay them what they’re worth.” Commissioner Jim Howell voiced concerns about growth in the county’s budget over the years and he feels there should be discussions on “defining the guardrails” in county government and being more transparent and accountable to the people.
Stolz said the county has an online public forum that is now active for public comments on the budget, and there will be a public hearing on August 5th at 6 p.m. in the county commission meeting room. Another public hearing will be held August 25th at 9 a.m., and commissioners will vote on a final budget at that meeting.
