The Bourbon County Commission voted Monday, July 20, to cap its 2027 budget at a mill levy of 56.669 — the same rate as the current year — rejecting its auditor’s recommendation to leave a slightly higher ceiling in place. Because the flat rate still raises more revenue than last year, the commission is required to hold a public hearing before it can adopt the budget. That hearing is set for Sept. 14, 2026.

The decision followed the July 13 meeting, at which commissioners tabled the property-tax-rate decision to July 20.

The mill-levy vote

Matt Lawn of Baker Tilly, the county’s budget consultant, recommended adopting a cap of 57.705 mills. He told commissioners the higher ceiling would preserve flexibility over where to find the roughly 1.027 additional mills needed to cover an EMS shortfall — a deficit he attributed to declining collections and pegged at about $50,000 — and rising elections costs, without committing the county to actually levy at that rate.

Lawn said he did not anticipate needing that mill levy for the final budget, but by allowing it, the commission would give him the flexibility to move funding around to cover the projected shortfalls. “I would like to retain some options as to where to take them from. I don’t anticipate you adopting more than 56.665 mils,” he said.

Commissioner Mika Milburn-Kee instead moved to adopt a flat cap of 56.669 mills which was Baker Tilly’s recommendation last week and matches last year’s rate. Commissioner Joe Allen seconded, and the motion passed. Commissioner Gregg Motley voted no, arguing the commission should trust the expert it hired to set the ceiling rather than lock in a number before the budget was finalized. Commissioner David Beerbower also voted no, wanting to defer the expert’s opinion as well.

“We’re not approving any mill levy. We are approving a notice to submit to the county clerk that caps each individual fund, the amount of mills going into each individual fund. But I need some kind of direction on that,” explained Lawn.

“It’s looked at by funds, not looked at by overall,” agreed Clerk Susan Walker, confirming his explanation.

The vote forced Lawn to reallocate within the flat cap. He shifted the additional elections and EMS mills out of the General Fund, reducing that fund from 13.004 to 12.120 mills and setting the Elections levy at 1.036 mills. Commissioners then authorized Chairman Samuel Tran to sign the notice to the county clerk to exceed the revenue-neutral rate at 56.669 mills, with the 2027 proposed revenue of $8,147,031.

Because the flat 56.669-mill rate raises more money than the revenue-neutral rate of 54.664 mills — about $309,000 more, or roughly $22 per resident, since assessed valuation in the county grew about 3.7 percent — state law requires the county to notify the clerk and hold the September 14 hearing before it can adopt the budget.

“This is not my money. This is not our money. This is the people’s money,” Tran said during the budget discussion, noting that adding staffing options requested by county offices could push the levy up by close to a full mill. “We’re going to have to make some hard calls again.”

Department budget requests

Several officeholders walked the commission through their 2027 requests:

• Elections. County Clerk Susan Walker presented a flat clerk’s budget but a significantly larger elections budget, including $11,500 for new poll pads after the 10-year-old units failed on the morning of election day, new voting booths to replace existing ones she described as having mold and sharp aluminum edges, $3,500 for onsite ballot shredding, and a three-quarter-time employee at $16 an hour. She also said the state’s “Elvis” software for voter registration cost will quadruple in 2027.
• Treasurer. Treasurer Jennifer Hawkins presented two options: Option 1, wage increases to bring her staff in line with other courthouse clerical pay; and Option 2, which adds a position to bring commercial motor vehicle registrations back in-house. Residents currently must drive to Garnett or Girard for that service. Hawkins noted she was not requesting any increase to her own salary.
• Conservation District. Jarred Pollock, joined by Ronnie Brown, presented a $40,000 funding request, noting that state and federal funding for the district is given in proportion to local funding by the county. He also described the district’s role in soil health, water quality, and its partnerships that draw state and federal matching dollars back to local landowners.
• Register of Deeds. Presented by Walker, the office sought a modest increase of about $6,300.
• EMS. EMS Director Teri Hulsey asked about hiring an additional paramedic to reduce overtime worked by current employees. Commissioners deferred the request pending the full budget picture.

Other business

Commissioners also:

• Authorized Tran to sign a $3,199 Otis service call, paid from the general government fund, to restore the courthouse elevator. Tran reported that Kone had terminated its elevator contract after Otis performed intervening work, and noted the courts need the elevator for a full docket running through September.
• Voted 3-2 to table the $116,500 comprehensive-plan and zoning agreement with the consulting firm Confluence — reduced from an initial $152,000 estimate and first reviewed at the county’s June 29 meeting — citing a lack of budget funds. Commissioner David Beerbower, who read a statement describing growing interest from data centers, renewable-energy developers and large-scale battery storage in rural county land, moved to table the agreement until it can be budgeted. Beerbower, Motley and Allen voted in favor; Tran and Milburn-Kee opposed. Chairman Tran, who wanted to keep the option alive, warned the firm’s offer would likely expire.
• Authorized Tran to sign a letter requesting the appointment of Lou Howard to the Homeland Security Council.
• Approved a $2,000 payment to MSB Law from the general government fund.
• Approved accounts payable, including a $1,600 reimbursement for an aluminum flatbed for Road & Bridge truck #141.
• Held a 30-minute executive session to discuss employee health data.

Public comment

During public comment, Tim Emerson of Emerson and Company thanked the commission and invited feedback. Kevin “Skitch” Allen urged the commission to hold spending down and to “live within our means,” and publicly pressed Commissioner Beerbower over unreturned phone calls. Michael Hoyt argued a forensic audit is unnecessary given the county’s clean Baker Tilly audits and walked through the new Kansas HB 2622, which subjects certain lease-purchase agreements over $100,000 to protest petitions, warning of the cost of any resulting special elections. Pete Owenby urged commissioners to hold the line on taxes.

Looking ahead

Tran reminded residents of a town hall on Wednesday, July 22, at 5:30 p.m. at the Ellis Fine Arts building. Commissioners also flagged future agenda items, including courthouse space proposals from each department at the first meeting in August, and a discussion with Kansas Wildlife and Parks regarding the old landfill property.

The 2027 budget public hearing is scheduled for Sept. 14, 2026.