The Greenwood County Commission concluded the year with a full agenda, including pay-rate changes, transfers and Road and Bridge purchases, during its regular meeting held on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025.
Several items related to the Road and Bridge Department were approved. Supervisor Allen Greenwood presented three bids for grader tires, with the commissioners approving the bid from Rock’s 54 Tire & Oil, LLC, totaling $24,000. The bid was for 20 14.00-24 Galaxy grader tires at $800 each and 8 17.5R25 Double Coin grader tires at $1,000 each for a total of $24,000. T&W Tire out of Wichita also submitted a bid for $799.45 and $896.45 each for a total of $23,160.60; West Creek Repair presented a bid for a different brand of tire, coming in at $750 each and $920 each, respectively for a total of $22,360.
Administrative Assistant Kassi Lazar presented an employment verification for a new full-time Road and Bridge Secretary. Kimberly Church began her new role on Monday, Jan. 5, at $16/ hour.
Commissionersalsoaccepted equipment bids presented by a CAT representative. A package including a skid steer with forks and bucket and two excavators with hydraulic thumbs and buckets was approved for $397,000. The price reflected trade-in values for excavators currently owned by the county.
County Clerk Deann Mc-Caffree presented year-end pay rate changes, noting a 3% Cost Of Living Adjustment (COLA) and up to 2% merit increases for all county employees, excluding the Sheriff’s Office, as Sheriff Heath Samuels plans to present his department’s wage increases in the coming weeks. The commission held a 10-minute executive session to review the recommendations. The commissioners approved the 2026 pay rate changes as reviewed. As Herald staff was preparing this article, discrepancies were noted as several received more than the 5% increase as the 2% merit increase was added after the 3% COLA was added to the 2025 pay rate. Several others were factored differently with them calculating the 3% COLA and merit raises separately based on the 2025 pay scale (making it no more than 5% increase). As of presstime, The Herald was still awaiting a return call for clarification.
Outside of the COLA and 2% merit raises, the commission also approved an employment status change for part-time real estate tax clerk Jean Edwards in the Clerk’s Office, from $18.05 (after merit and COLA) to $20/hour. Clerk McCaffree noted the raise was due to knowledge and job experience.
A complete list of employee rates can be acquired by filing a Kansas Open Records Act (KORA) request for the 2026 Pay Rate Changes with the Greenwood County Clerk’s Office.
A large portion of the meeting focused on year-end budget transfers across multiple county departments. Transfers included funds for equipment reserves, health claims accounts, capital outlay, bridge and machine funds, and fire department equipment payments. The transfers were as follows: Attorney: $8,700 to Health Claims; Road and Bridge: $597,000 to Special Machine (for grader payment for next two years and the equipment that was approved to be purchased at this meeting); Road and Bridge: $142,000 to Special Bridge; Solid Waste: $52,000 to Special Machine; Recycle: $34,000 to Health Claims; Fire Department: final truck payment to Treasurer’s office $90,000; Fire Department: $110,000 to Equipment Reserve; Noxious Weed: $300,000 to NW Capital Outlay; Household Hazardous Waste: $18,000 to Equipment Reserve; Juvenile Budget: $52,000 to Health Claims; Treasurer: $24,000 to Equipment Reserve (for printers and computers); Health Department: $30,000 to Health Claims; Health Department: $4,000 to Equipment Reserves; District Court: $20,000 to Capital Outlay (for Special Equipment); Appraisers: $10,000 to Equipment Reserve; Appraisers: $6,000 to Health Claims; Emergency Management: $18,000 to Equipment Reserve; Emergency Management: $15,000 Health Claims; Register of Deeds: $43,000 to Equipment Reserves; Register of Deeds: $6,000 to Health Claims; Commissioners: $8,500 to Courthouse General Equipment Reserves; Commissioners: $8,500 to Health Claims; County Clerk: $21,000 to Equipment Reserves; County Clerk:-$15,000 Health Claims; Election: $48,300 to Equipment Reserve; Election: $5,000 to Health Claims. The Ambulance, Sheriff’s Office and courthouse general didn’t have funds to transfer.
After a short recess, the commission approved Resolutions 25-42 through 25-57, authorizing all listed yearend transfers. The vote was unanimous, and all resolutions were signed.
The commission held multiple executive sessions throughout the morning for personnel and legal matters involving Emergency Management, EMS, and township roads. No action was taken following any of the closed sessions.
Maintenance Supervisor Rawlings presented a report detailing building improvements completed over the past four years to assist his successor. Rawlings noted that this year’s projects included in the report were projects 815-1,003.
During old business, it was announced that Commissioner Judd Everitt was the winner of the Ugly Sweater Contest.
Special payables for Dec. 31, 2025, totaling $3,370.18 were approved.
The Dec. 22, 2025 meeting minutes were approved as presented.
The meeting adjourned at 12:08 p.m., with the year-end dinner following at 1 p.m.
The commission met for their first meeting of 2026 on Monday of this week. See related article.
