FORT SCOTT, Kan. — The Bourbon County Commission reached a consensus Monday night to resolve a dispute over 2027 budget directives sent to county department heads by budget advisors Baker Tilly.
The dispute began Monday morning when Baker Tilly senior manager Matt Lawn emailed 2027 budget worksheets to county department heads. The email stated that the County Commission had determined no additional revenue would be budgeted above 2026 levels, directed departments to cap their total requests accordingly, and restricted them from modifying personnel line items.
During Monday evening's commission meeting, Commissioner Gregg Motley objected to the advisory firm distributing directives that he said excluded local elected officials and department heads from the budget process.
“...My objection to the email that Matt sent out was there were two bullet points not pertaining to revenue but expenses that restricted the department heads and elected officials from having input into their budget that were not agreed to by the commission in any way, shape or form," Motley said.
Commissioner Mika Milburn-Kee said she supports the firm's instructions and expects county departments to find operational efficiencies. She said that during prior work sessions, she sought to cut 10 percent out of collected revenues and opposes capturing increased property tax valuations.
Milburn-Kee then asked her fellow board members to state their intentions regarding the county's tax valuations, turning first to Commission Chairman Samuel Tran, who said he had no intention of raising taxes. Milburn-Kee then questioned Commissioner Joe Allen.
"Joe, do you intend to take the increased valuation?" Milburn-Kee asked.
"I don't know," Allen responded.
When Allen began to respond, Milburn-Kee interrupted. "It's a very straight answer," she said.
"I started to answer, but you were still talking," Allen said. "So I do not want to tax the people more than we need to. That being said, let's keep moving forward and get a plan" .
Milburn-Kee then addressed the board.
"I just think that we need to give straight answers and not play politician and dance around the answer," Milburn-Kee said .
Ben Hart of Baker Tilly, joining the meeting via speakerphone, said the directives were intended as a standardized baseline to gather data for upcoming summer workshops.
"...these instructions are not meant to send a message of any type," Hart said. "This is to collect information so this governing body can have a conversation during the workshops this summer. No more, no less".
Tran noted that individual commissioners hold divergent budget objectives—ranging from a 15 percent property tax reduction previously proposed by absent Commissioner David Beerbower to his own preference of remaining revenue-neutral. The commission ultimately formed a consensus to proceed with Baker Tilly's current forms, under the clarification that the 2026 figures are merely a benchmark and that any departmental request exceeding that limit must be fully justified in the form's notes section.
During the commissioner comments section at the end of the meeting, Allen responded to Milburn-Kee's earlier remarks.
"So a comment was made tonight about dancing around questions and kind of implemented (sic) political reasons. I just want to say that I am not dancing around questions." Allen said.
Allen said that as a new commissioner, he is still learning the county's budget process.
"The budget affects a lot of people to include our citizens, to include our employees, include our department heads, elected officials, include everybody in this county," Allen said. "And so to stand up and say, ‘I stand for this’, I'm not going to say that yet".
Allen said he wants county taxes kept as low as possible but does not want to cut spending without first ensuring that roads and basic community infrastructure can continue to operate.A copy of the email sent to county department heads is linked below this article.
Other Business
Accounts Payable and Legal Fees The commission voted 4-0 to approve $363,496.33 in general accounts payable . During the line-item review, Motley pointed out a March invoice of $4,500 from outside counsel Jacob Bielenberg, noting the county had spent $12,500 on legal fees the previous month.
Motley recommended that commissioners prioritize consulting County Counselor Bob Johnson, who is on a standard county retainer, before outsourcing legal queries. Tran agreed with the necessity of safeguarding taxpayer funds but noted that the specific litigation items could not be discussed in an open session.
Audit Engagement Tabled A motion introduced by Motley to retain accounting firm Jarred, Gilmore & Phillips for the county's mandatory 2026 financial audit resulted in a 2-2 tie vote, forcing the decision to be tabled until District 2 Commissioner David Beerbower returns. Motley and Allen voted in favor of the audit contract, while Milburn-Kee and Tran voted in opposition.
Health Department Request Rebecca Johnson, administrator for the SEK Multi-County Health Department, formally presented a 2027 county funding request of $93,291, which includes a 2.8 percent cost-of-living adjustment. Johnson reported that compounding state and federal cuts have stripped her department down to minimum legal staffing thresholds.
Hidden Valley Road Maintenance Joe Allen brought forward ongoing safety and logistics complaints from local residents, UPS, and mail carriers regarding heavily eroded and washed-out gravel roads at Hidden Valley. The board reached an informal consensus to explore grading the main loop once a month to ensure emergency vehicle access.
EMS Equipment Request EMS Director Teri Hulsey requested funding to replace a computer used by emergency medical technicians and paramedics for daily field reports. Hulsey said Stronghold Data, the county's IT vendor, made two unsuccessful attempts to upgrade the computer's memory.
Chairman Tran asked Hulsey whether an unused computer in county storage could be assessed by Stronghold before the county purchased a new machine, and Hulsey agreed.
Other Actions
- Agenda Modification: Voted to alter the meeting agenda to address the Baker Tilly budget dispute early in the order of business.
- Accounts Payable: Approved the disbursement of $363,496.33 to cover ongoing county operational invoices .
- Tax Corrections: Approved tax corrections as presented.
- Solid Waste Plan: Formally approved the five-year plan, with the only change being that the transfer station will no longer take soybeans from ADM (Archer-Daniels-Midland).
- Fireworks Permit: Approved a retail sales license for Hale Fireworks LLC at 2523 S. Main St.
- Surplus Property Auction: Granted Commissioner Joe Allen formal authority to photograph, catalog, and post surplus county hardware onto an online public auction site
