Douglas County commission candidates debate NDAs, budget transparency

Douglas County commissioners reached a tentative agreement on July 15 for an approximately $199.2 million 2027 budget with a 40.286-mill levy, a 0.383-mill cut that would mark five straight years of property-tax-rate reductions. That budget outcome has become part of the county commission campaign, where candidates are being pressed on whether elected officials should ever sign nondisclosure agreements and how much the public should see when spending decisions are made.

At a June 28 candidate forum, the discussion already centered on data centers, property taxes and transparency, and those same themes have carried into the NDA debate. Candidates Patrick Kelly, Shannon Reid, Karen Willey, Jamie Shew, Milton Scott and Barrin are now being judged not only on their positions, but on how they would handle controversial decisions if county government tried to keep details behind closed doors.

The stakes are practical in Douglas County because the Budget and Finance office says it maintains the budgets for all taxing entities in the county, including the county, cities, townships, cemeteries, drainage districts and the Northeast Kansas Library. The office also sets all tax mill levies within Douglas County and prepares the tax abstract, which means budget process choices affect the figures residents use to track their bills and compare county priorities.

Douglas County has also tried to make that process easier to follow through Open Budget Douglas County, an interactive platform the county says was launched to help the public understand and explore the annual operating budget while promoting transparency, accountability and community empowerment. That platform sits alongside a budget cycle that has drawn unusually close scrutiny in recent years.

The county’s 2026 proposed budget was $206 million with a 44.208-mill levy. Commissioners began 2026 budget hearings on July 8, 2025 and later approved the budget on Aug. 27, 2025 after about 21 hours of hearings and deliberations in July, a process that showed how much attention county finances already receive when tax bills and service levels are on the line.

For 2027, commissioners began public hearings on July 6, 2026 and spent the week on justice system partners, heritage and conservation, economic development, vulnerable and vital services, and core services including zoning and codes, public works and the treasurer’s office. The county first announced a $201.5 million proposed budget on July 1 with a flat 40.669-mill levy before the tentative July 15 agreement lowered the rate again.

That makes the NDA question more than a campaign talking point. In a county where commissioners control taxes, spending and land-use decisions, secrecy would shape how residents follow the process, and openness would determine how clearly they can judge the next set of choices.