The FY 2024 budget for Johnson County Government remains a work in progress and now heading into the homestretch.

County Manager Penny Postoak Ferguson presented the proposed 2024 budget to the Board of County Commissioners on May 18. The budget plan was crafted to address the needs of a growing community, maintain high public service levels and provide competitive compensation for recruitment and retention of county staff.

A key budget priority for the county manager is addressing a recent comprehensive salary and benefits study showing the county’s salary grade structure was below market by an average 6.1%

“In order to provide high quality programs and services to our community, we need to be able to recruit and retain high quality employees,” County Manager Postoak Ferguson said. “This budget allows us to serve our residents, support a growing community and provide our employees equitable pay.”

The budget proposal includes a 0.250 mill levy rollback on the county’s property taxes. If the 0.250 mill reduction is approved in 2024, it will be the sixth mill levy reduction in seven years, totaling a taxing rollback of 2.249 mills since 2017.

The total estimated mill levy is proposed at 24.358 mills. The proposed mill levy for the county taxing district is 17.522, retaining Johnson County’s position of having the lowest mill levy among all 105 Kansas counties. The proposed budget includes constant mill levies for the Library Taxing District (3.815 mills) and Park and Recreation Taxing District (3.021 mills).

The proposed FY 2024 Budget totals approximately $1.79 billion with $1.26 billion in expenditures and $531.1 million in reserves.

Highlights of proposed FY 2024 budget include:

• A Capital Improvement Program totaling $384.4 million. Most of the funded requests focus on maintenance of existing capital assets. It includes funding for improvements now underway at the Nelson Wastewater Treatment Facility in Mission and construction of a new Human Services Building for Mental Health and the Department of Health and Environment.
• The maximum number of FTEs is set at 4,265.94, including 4 FTEs for problem-solving beds to provide support to individuals transitioning from incarceration back into the community; 10 Sheriff’s Office FTEs previously authorized as temporary positions to provide support for court security and detention, 9 FTEs for MED-ACT including 2 for a new Community Paramedicine program, as well as new positions for Mental Health Center, District Attorney’s Office and Department of Aging and Human Services.
• A 5% combined merit increase, and market movement is recommended for county employees.
• Increased funding to the Election Office for the 2024 presidential election and an additional presidential primary election.

The BOCC is scheduled to formalized changes to the proposed FY 2024 budget and set the maximum expenditure authority for legal publication on June 29 for publication on July 18.

“The budget, as published, cannot be increased, but it can be reduced,” said Chairman Mike Kelly. “It is not the final budget vote, and we still have to hear from the public and always welcome their comments.”

The public hearing for the FY 2024 budget is scheduled on 6 p.m. Aug. 21 at the Johnson County Administration Building (111 St. Cherry Street, Olathe) in the BOCC hearing room.

The BOCC is scheduled to adopt the final FY 2024 Budget resolution on Aug. 31. By state law, Kansas counties must adopt and file by Oct. 1, their FY 2024 budget with the County Clerk, which in Johnson County is the Department of Treasury, Taxation and Vehicles.

More information is available at the jocogov.org/budget.