Earlier this summer, the Post asked our readers what issues you wanted to hear candidates in contested races address leading up to the Nov. 5. election.
Based on that feedback, we developed a five-item questionnaire centering the issues most important to residents across Johnson County.
Each day this week, we’ll publish the candidates’ responses to one question. Read the candidates’ responses to the previous question about homelessness, property taxes and housing affordability.
Today, we’re publishing candidates’ responses to the following question:
The county’s budget for 2025, recently approved by the county commission, tops $1.8 billion. The county manager has said current budget trends over the next five years are “unsustainable,” suggesting services and programs may have to be cut. If you are elected to the county commission, what will be the areas of the budget that will be a priority for you to maintain and fully fund? In turn, where would you look for efficiencies? What services or programs do you think could be cut in coming years?
Below are the answers the Post received from candidates on the issue:
District 2
Jeff Meyers
Your safety is my utmost priority, as I will continue to support our law enforcement, Fire Departments, Parks Police and Med-Act to make you and your family have the highest level of protection and safety.
Money is on all our minds these days. I will continue to balance the top-notch services expectations of our community with a focus on being responsible and mindful with your tax dollars. I am proud to say since being a County Commissioner, I have reduced the mill levy more than any commission in the past 20 years or more while not reducing services. I will continue to look at consolidation of departments, services and personnel when it is appropriate and reasonable.
I want to look for efficiencies in all departments of the county. Our Budget and Financial Planning Department just contracted with a leading industry expert in analyzing public sector expenditures. I feel like this is going to pay great dividends. Through this process I believe we will be able to find ways to adjust services, personnel and department budgets to create more cost effective and possibly eliminating programs that are not serving our residents as they should.
Mark Hamill
During my opponent’s time in office, the Johnson County budget has increased from $1.2 Billion to $1.8 Billion. This far outpaces the rate of inflation, and our county has only grown by 2% in those four years. I believe Johnson County needs a new representative in District 2 who will take a closer look at the budget to prioritize “wants versus needs”.
My proven voting record on the JCCC Board of Trustees is far different from my opponent and displays financial responsibility. I have voted against tuition increases time and time again and voted to focus resources on students. These positions have often put me alone in votes where I am the only dissenting opinion. This proves that my policy is not based on party lines or pressure from the majority and that I will be an independent voice who evaluates each vote on a case by case basis.
When it comes to the priorities of our budget, we have to start with Public Safety. People want to live in Johnson County because of the amazing quality of life. We must make sure that the Sheriff’s department has all the resources they need to protect the citizens of Johnson County. The next biggest priority I believe is infrastructure. If we want to compete for the best and brightest in our community, our roads and water systems better be top quality.
The main way we can remain efficient is to stop wasteful spending. A big example of that is handouts to developers in the form of corporate welfare. Johnson county is an amazing place to do business. We do not need to incentivize developers with taxpayer dollars. I will always be a vote for the people of Johnson County, not special interest groups or large corporations.
District 3
Charlotte O’Hara
District commissioners must have a more active role in the budget process, rather than simply approving increases proposed by the County Manager. Commissioners should have authority to scrutinize departmental budgets and assess priorities.
My focus has been and will be on fully funding essential services: public safety, infrastructure, and health services, while looking for efficiencies in administrative and mid-management positions. Each program must be critically evaluated with measurable metrics and explore where restructuring could reduce spending affecting services. Responsible fiscal management will be key to addressing long-term budget sustainability.
Julie Brewer
I plan to work on the cost of doing the County’s business. We have to ensure we can retain residents and strike that balance of meeting residents’ needs without risking folks’ self-sufficiency due to rising costs. Budget efficiencies include:
- Enhance integration and consolidation of services. Example: rural fire district consolidation.
- Collaborate on cost sharing opportunities. Example: Mental Health Co-responder Program embedded in law enforcement and emergency services. This effort grew out of research and convening led by United Community Services of Johnson County, the agency I retired from last year. It is a shared resource model, using grant, county and city resources to fund.
- Align department investments with outcomes and priorities. I have deep experience leading outcome measurement processes that improve service impact.
- Pilot new approaches to achieve cost efficiencies.
- Advocate for state and local government coordination so cuts at the state level do not become local cost burdens.
As I share with voters, the best way to describe budget priorities is thinking of what we are required to do by the state and of services that have been determined local priorities by residents over time. Required activities include administrative services (i.e. running elections, collecting taxes, issuing licenses and permits, and maintaining court facilities) and public safety, health and disability services, and county infrastructure.
Locally, residents and employers through annual surveys and input sessions have prioritized quality-of-life services such as parks and recreation, libraries, senior services, airports and other economic development related services and supports.
District 6
Mike Storm
The current county commission’s budgetary policies have been characterized by high taxes and even higher spending. These unsustainable policies will require difficult decisions to be made by the commissioners elected this November. I believe the county must undertake a comprehensive efficiency audit, through a third-party vendor, to help determine what decisions are required to bolster the financial health of Johnson County government.
The audit will seek to determine where the county is spending its resources appropriately, where spending is overlapped and duplicative, and what changes are needed to more effectively manage our county’s resources.
To ensure no essential county services are disrupted, I will prioritize and seek to fully fund emergency services, public safety, and wastewater services, among other critical programs. I would also vote to fully fund the essential services requested by the Sheriff’s Office and the District Attorney’s Office.
An area of budgetary concern that is apparent are the large salary increases from year to year for county executives. According to open government data from 2022 and 2023, some of the top Johnson County government staff members saw their salaries increase by amounts in excess of $25,000, whereas regular and everyday staff members only experienced modest increases. More equitable increases could help to contribute to a path of budget sustainability.
Shirley Allenbrand
I have already been working with county staff on this issue and have supported consolidating departments like Emergency Management and MED-ACT which cut costs and improve ambulance services across the county.
We are just about to begin a line-by-line audit of our budget by an outside firm that will help identify line items that need reduced or changed. Nearly half of the $1.8 billion budget is reserves, not new tax revenue, which can be used to help offset programing or capital costs as the operating budget levels out.
Coming up:
Tomorrow we will publish the candidates’ responses to the following question:
Johnson County continues to experience significant growth, especially in the more rural and exurban fringes in the south and west. Residents in these areas frequently express concerns about increased industrial development and truck traffic, especially around the new Panasonic EV battery plant near De Soto and ongoing warehouse projects around Edgerton. What can the county commission do to mitigate some of the changes for longtime residents in these areas of Johnson County?
