County Commission Begins 2027 Budget Hearings

The Thomas County Commissioners met again on May 18 to begin the process of budget reviews with each department. Already facing an uphill battle, Chair Mike Baughn has warned the county department heads that this year will be difficult.

Prior to the hearing, the commissioners tackled a variety of business, from a local disaster declaration after last week’s storm to concerns over tree preservation in Levant. With the initial call to order, the room pledged allegiance to our country, then kicked off the meeting with accounts payable.

For the Courthouse General Fund the total came to $27,797.25, with Road and Bridge coming in at $26,349.19.

Moving on, Emergency Manager David Becker presented Resolution 2026-10, declaring a local disaster emergency after the brutal storm on May 16. Becker noted that wind speeds were recorded at 75 mph causing widespread damage to the community. Numerous trees, utility poles, and power lines had been compromised during the storm.

Western parts of Colby were still without power on Sunday, and Becker said the damage in Colby alone was more than $39,000, which was the threshold to receive state aid in recovery. He also noted that officials were working to combine Thomas County’s disaster with the wildfires in southwest Kansas to meet federal thresholds unlocking federal assets.

The Commission then moved on to approving a communications contract with the city of Colby, which covers dispatch services for city and county emergency personnel. The county’s share of the contract will be just over $183,000.

As the meeting moved forward Tracey Hatfield from Levant presented to the commission her concerns over tree removal in Levant. She was concerned about the long-term consequences citing improved air quality, maintaining shelterbelts, and preventing blowing dust which has caused major accidents recently.

The conversations centered around the location of trees that have been removed, mentioning the county’s need to clear rights-of-way to improve visual lanes and safety. Chair Baughn advised Hatfield to work with her township and possible K-State Extension to work on replanting trees.

Typical for this time of year, various groups and organizations make their request to the Commission for budget allowances, a challenging responsibility as commissioners work to balance budgets and community services.

For Monday it was Jenny Linden, Director of Prairie Museum of Art and History. She had some positive feedback to provide about last year at the Museum, which was her first as Director.

The museum is looking to expand their services in a new direction with free community programming, designed to create a welcoming gathering space for county residents. While the museum attracts several out-of-town guests, Linden noted that it was challenging to attract local residents.

Her team has moved the needle forward in several instances, most notably doubling their rental and event revenue. She also brought on the museum’s second full-time associate Dr. Constance Spotts, who has been working meticulously to digitize their archived content.

Linden praised her team, highlighting all the progress that has been made in the last year while comparing it to premier museums in the state. Her request from the county was $105,000, a marginal increase from years past, but she noted her team’s lack of benefits and health insurance was something she hopes to address.

The county then moved on to concrete crushing bids. With a large stockpile of concrete on hand, officials were interested in crushing it for county use. They received two bids, one from Sporer Land Development for $171,000 and Eberly Construction for $141,750.

Commissioners opted to table the decision until the next meeting so that officials could review the bids and determine how much crushed concrete they want to hold for internal use.

The meeting then moved to the commissioners supporting Kyle Railroad Grant to improve rail safety in our area. The proposed improvements would modernize track and crossings across the region.

Then, the commission entered executive session to discuss personnel matters at the Landfill, without taking any binding action after 15 minutes. They then approved several Tax roll corrections before taking a brief recess.

Commissioners then entered budget hearings for the county departments, the first few groups were encouraging, as they had cut their budgets from the previous year. The Treasurer’s Office was first, with an 8.71% decrease from the 2026 budget. County Treasurer Layn Bruggeman requested $182,450 noting that state law now allows the county to collect up to $15 per car registration to fund operations.

Thomas County imposes a $5 charge for this fund, which offsets her payroll by two full-time associates rather than paying through property taxes.

The Health Department was similar with a 3.1% decrease over last year. Director Kendra Glassman highlighted staffing changes that will result in searching for two full-time registered nurses.

The Elections budget was also down slightly, decreasing by 0.26%, but County Clerk Keesa Mariman warned of statewide voter registration cost that is expected to rise significantly in the future.

Mariman also cut her budget in the clerk’s office by 5.07%, bringing her total to $94,500 and $154,450 for both Elections and the Clerk’s office respectively.

Mariman who heads the transportation operations, requested $157,150 for operations, which was also below 2026 budget by 0.75%. The county received two grants totaling approximately $69,000 for operations and the funding of a second vehicle cutting the county’s contribution to only 20%.

Landfill and Recycling was the final group to present to the Commission; they requested $783,750 a 6.29% increase from this year’s budget. Commissioner Luedke noted that several major needs are expected at the landfill in the years ahead.

In order to stay compliant with KDHE, the county must operate a compacter every day, and cover waste every day. He thinks the life of the compacter is limited, and recommends that they begin planning to replace it at a cost of more than $1 million. Officials were also concerned that capacities were filling too quickly, and they might need to purchase a permit to dig a new cell.

Following the budget workshop, commissioners adjourned the meeting. Their next regular session is expected to include a decision on the concrete crushing bids and continued work on the 2027 county budget.

by Derek White