ALLEN COUNTY, Kan. — Allen County Commissioners Tuesday approved cost of living raises for county employees for 2026. As presented by County Clerk Shannon Patterson, employees making less than $60,000 a year will see a five percent raise, those making more than $60,000 a 2.8 percent increase. The raises will be reflected on paychecks issued on Jan. 16, which will also cover work for the last four days of 2025.
Commissioners have taken the final step to extend a sales tax for facilities at Allen County Regional Hospital for another five years, adopting a resolution that formally puts the extension in place which voters approved in November.
Following a public hearing, the Commission approved amendments to the 2025 budget related to ambulance services and the airport. The Ambulance budget amendment reflects additional costs, including repair expenses, not anticipated when the budget was developed in the summer of 2024. The airport budget increase is tied to grants the county received for projects, on which the county has to first expend the funds and then be reimbursed for it.
The Commission approved the final plat for the Walnut Creek Subdivision near Humboldt. The Planning Board last month recommended approval of that plat, which had a number of revisions from the preliminary plat in that arrangements have been made to provide water and sewer service from Humboldt for what is now projected to be a 30-lot development, with lot sizes from 2.4 to 3.7 acres.
It also made changes to street names to match Allen County’s 911 addressing system. Developer Joe Works and the Commission also discussed road considerations, which will be looked at further in the future.
In his report to the Commission, Road and Bridge Supervisor Jeremy Hopkins said Bettis Asphalt and Construction expects to complete the overlay of 1150 Road from US 169 to the Neosho County line after the first of the year. This is part of a bridge replacement project just inside Neosho County that was recently completed and overlay work on what is Elk Road in Neosho County coming out of Chanute.
Hopkins and the Commission discussed a pending project to improve roads from the west entrance of Monarch Cement near Humboldt, which Monarch has agreed to pay material costs for. Hopkins said this work probably would be contracted out. Yet to be decided is whether the county should look at improvements to the intersection of 1600 and Delaware Road.
There was also discussion on a just over $58,000 contract with Schwab-Eaton for required bridge inspections, which also will include inspection of low water crossings in the county.
Commissioners and Hopkins discussed the difficulty in hiring CDL truck drivers, which the department has vacancies for. Given the high level of competitions for CDL license holders, there was discussion about what could be done to make positions more attractive.
Commissioner David Lee asked to temporarily step down from the board of Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center, which his fellow Commissioners agreed to with Commissioners John Brocker to take Lee’s place for now.
