The Lyon County Commission has approved its 2020 budget for publishing.
The approval followed a presentation of the current budget by Lyon County Controller Dan Williams during the commission’s weekly action session Thursday morning. The total budget is just over $20 million which equates to a .75 percent, or three-quarters of a mill, decrease from 2019. Williams tells KVOE News a rise in valuations helped contribute to the mill decrease.
Williams says local organizations have also had a hand in making the budget process a smooth one. He says recent allocation requests have decreased from institutions such as Newman Regional Health — who submitted a request for 2020 which was $125,000 less than the year before — which has allowed for funding to be placed into other necessary funds. Williams says the budget also comes in well under the Consumer Price Index cap of 1.5 percent set by the state of Kansas.
The commission will hold a formal budget hearing on August 22, at 10 am inside Lyon County District Court at which time the budget may see final approval.
Following the budgetary matters, Lyon County District Court Judge Merlin Wheeler proposed a Memorandum of Understanding before commissioners regarding a continuity of operations plan (COOP) agreement. According to Judge Wheeler, the plan provides assistance in facilities should the State Judicial Center in Topeka be the subject of a disastrous event which impairs the ability of operations to continue.
Judge Wheeler explains what situations would fall under the definition of a disaster.
Commissioners approved the memorandum unanimously.
In other business commissioners also approved several requests from Lyon County Engineer Chip Woods, approved and rejected bids for work at the Lyon County Jail and received an update from North Central Flint Hills Area Agency on Aging Director Julie Govert Walter on operations at the Friendship Center.
The Lyon County Commission will meet for their weekly action session next Thursday at 8 am inside the Lyon County Courthouse.
