BY KEITH LIPPOLDT
klippoldt@gbtribune.com
Barton County Administrator Matt Patzner and Central Kansas Community Corrections (CKCC) Director Brooke Haulmark addressed the Commissioners for a letter of support for increased funding for CKCC at Tuesday’s Barton County Commissioners meeting at the Courthouse.
“The Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC) provides grants to county departments to fund community corrections,” he said. “These grants help counties supervise and support people who have been convicted of felons. While the KDOC is currently considering different funding formulas, statistical information indicates that Central Kansas Community Corrections in our district is largely underfunded. Today, the Commission will consider a letter of support for increased local funding.
“I’m going to read a few bullet points that I think really, really drive the point home. So the 20th Judicial District covers over 4,000 square miles, making it the fifth highest square miles in Kansas. The necessary drive time chips away at available client time. With an average CKCC daily population of 237 active clients, our Intensive Supervision Officers (ISO) have the seventh highest caseload in Kansas. The higher the case load, the less client time. CKCC receives the 28th lowest amount of funding per client out of 31 districts. At a mere $3,408.83 per client a year, we fall below the state average of $3,560. At this time, I would ask you to consider signing this letter of support for additional funding for community corrections.”
Haulmark also had the opportunity to speak to the Commissioners and she presented data that, too, showed the inequities in the current funding formula.
“We were able to, over the past year, actually put numbers to how many clients we’re serving, how many square miles, the timeframe that it takes to do the services that we need to do to be able to accurately show that we are underfunded compared to the other jurisdictions,” she said. “But also, our work suffers because of that and, ultimately, that harms our community. So in order for us to do better. They need to fund us appropriately.”
Commission Chair Tricia Schlessiger is aware of the situation and believes the Commissioners should assist in the situation.
“I think I brought this to the forefront after sitting in on a three hour Zoom meeting with Director Haulmark on the funding formula for community corrections,” she said. “And it became clear during that meeting that the differences between the community corrections districts, or judicial districts, across the state, was very clear in that meeting, and that we are clearly underfunded for the miles we cover, the clients we serve. And that is having, I feel, a direct impact on our community.
“I don’t know that the letter will result in any action, but I do feel like they need to know that we noticed that they’re underfunded. We want to bring to their attention that they’re underfunded. It just seems the funding formula, for one, has always kind of been a secret. I’m not sure what the logic is behind it. And now that they’re trying to put some logic behind it, it appears as if we’re grossly underfunded.”
Haulmark said the lack of funding is causing hardships on employees, actually causing turnover in the department.
“Based on our current staffing, because we did have one ISO resign, feeling that he or she was overworked, we’re 288 staffing hours short every month for the work that’s expected of us.”
Commissioner Shawn Hutchinson made a motion to approve a letter of support for increased funding for CKCC. Zimmerman seconded the motion that passed 5-0.
Here is a brief look at what the Barton County Commissioners did Tuesday morning:
• Employee Engagement Committee (EEC) President Judith Castro recognized employees who have reached employment milestones with the County. Twenty employees were recognized by Castro. The longest tenured employee of this group was Warren Peterson who has spent 40 years with the Sheriff’s Office.
“On behalf of the EEC, we would like to thank all the employees for their years of service,” Castro said.
“I know these guys hear me say it a lot and put things on Facebook, but you guys really are Barton County, and that’s when we brag about Barton County being the best county in the state of Kansas,” Commissioner Barb Esfeld said. “It’s because of you guys.”
Commissioner Donna Zimmerman added “she couldn’t agree more.”
• Castro also announced the EEC is in charge of creating short and long term goals and project development to improve employee retention and employee satisfaction.
She announced that in addition to herself, Charlotte Konrade, Ryan Lichter, Trent Bitter and Richard Estes will serve on the committee with terms expiring Dec. 31, 2025.
• County Clerk Bev Schmeidler presented the Commissioners with an Accounts Payable Register for the period of Feb. 25 through March 11, 2025.
Commissioner Duane Reif made the motion to accept the Appropriations. Esfeld seconded and the motion carried 5-0.
• County Engineer Barry McManaman provided details of the NE 30 Road Resurfacing Project that will begin later this summer.
“I’d like to present for consideration today a bid on a hot mix asphalt overlay project,” he said. “This project would extend from just east of Barton Community College at Northeast 30 Avenue, and going east to the K-156 highway junction. It’s really a continuation of the project that we did last year that went from U.S. 281 over to northeast 30 Avenue. We opened bids on Feb. 26th and we received only one bid, and that was from Venture Corporation in the amount of $527,030.85. Venture anticipates doing the work sometime in July of this year. The project consists of an inch and a half hot mix overlay, some very minor milling - just for some butt joints at each end - putting rock edge wedges along the side so we don’t have a drop off condition, and then putting down the permanent pavement marking.”
Zimmerman made the motion to accept Venture’s bid. Reif seconded and the motion passed 5-0.
• County Appraiser Wendy Prosser reported that due to an increase in postage costs, the Masters Touch billing totaled $8,704.92. This was the cost of sending the Tax Evaluation letters to all of Barton County.
Esfeld made the motion to accept the overage of $247.89 that was seconded by Commissioner Shawn Hutchinson. The motion passed 5-0.
