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November 7, 2011 - Wichita, KS - Residents of seven counties representing 56% of the state's population can now see how much their county officials are paid. Complete 2010 payroll listings for the five largest counties (Douglas, Johnson, Sedgwick, Shawnee, and Wyandotte) plus Butler and Cowley counties are now available on KansasOpenGov.org, with links to additional analysis at KansasWatchdog.org.
Of the six pure county payrolls examined (Wyandotte County is a unified government with Kansas City, Kansas), the highest paid employee earned $205,609 and worked for Johnson County. In terms of total payroll per resident, Johnson County spent the most at $301; Cowley County spent the least at $ 145. These data were obtained by Kansas Watchdog via the Kansas Open Record Act (KORA) and reflect official government records.
"Especially in challenging economic conditions, it is imperative for government to operate as efficiently as possible. Giving citizens and government the ability to see how taxpayer money is spent is in everyone's best interest," said Kansas Policy Institute president Dave Trabert. KPI operates KansasOpenGov.org and is a sponsor of KansasWatchdog.org.
*Wyandotte County operates a unified government with the city of Kansas City, Kansas
Property tax data for all taxing jurisdictions within each county is also available on KansasOpenGov.org. Just as the county payrolls examined vary widely, so do the property tax changes since 1997. The property tax data is available with an interactive county map that shows users how much property taxes, mill rates, population and residential assessed values changed from 1997 to 2010. | 
