The Sedgwick County Commission passed the 2022 county budget and capital improvement program.
The county's 2022 budget is set at $462,548,518 while the 2022 Capital Improvement Program is set at $44,851,064. The budget will be supported by a property tax amount of $161,536,297. That is equivalent to a mill levy of 29.359 mills.
Prior to adoption, the board spent over an hour discussing how to improve funding to the county's senior centers. The commission voted to move $500 thousand to a contingency fund and will have a study done aimed at improving that funding. The board also gave an additional $24,249 to senior centers in Valley Center and Mulvane.
The commission adopted the Fire District Number 1 budget of $21,095,559 million, supported by a property tax of $18,474,511 million, equivalent to 17.889 mils. The board also approved an additional 2 percent pay increase for fire staff.
Also during Wednesday's meeting, commissioners approved sign-on bonuses for new county employees, including EMS paramedics, corrections and cooks. Under the plan, new paramedics would get a $2500 signing bonus, new corrections workers would get $1500, and new cooks $500.
Last week, the county approved sign-on bonuses for several difficult to fill positions in emergency communications, facilities maintenance and COMCARE.