Accusations flew at the Platte County Commission’s budget hearing held Monday, with the county prosecutor and presiding commissioner verbally sparring during a lengthy meeting.
During the routine budgeting process, the county auditor creates a recommended budget, then commissioners review that budget and make their changes – which can be small, or large. In the end, state statute requires the budget be balanced. At least two officeholders were less than pleased at the commission’s changes in the proposed budget, with Prosecutor Eric Zahnd and Sheriff Erik Holland voicing concerns during a public hearing.
Commissioners reduced 2026 expenditures by approximately $600,000 from Auditor Kevin Robinson’s recommended budget through a variety of changes to the general fund. A significant portion of the $600,000 is the reduction of the auditor’s recommended 5 percent cost of living increase (COLA) for employees and related expenses to the commission’s proposed COLA of 2.5 percent. After the conclusion of the hearing, commissioners approved the amended budget unanimously.
That change significantly impacted law enforcement, according to Zahnd, who publicly revoked his endorsement of Presiding Commissioner Scott Fricker’s reelection bid and asked Fricker to return his multiple campaign contributions.
“I feel like I’ve been scammed,” Zahnd said, “and I fear Presiding Commissioner Fricker will try to hoodwink the voters in a bid to stay in power.”
Zahnd said he was asking for a refund of his campaign contributions like he “would ask for a refund for a car that turned out to be a lemon.” Zahnd also said he would “no longer attend Presiding Commissioner Fricker’s campaign events to be trotted out like a show pony when [Fricker] falsely claims to support law enforcement.”
Zahnd ended his statement with an ominous prediction.
“Make no mistake . . . due to the lack of funding from this commission, Platte County will become a more dangerous place to raise a family, own a business, and go to school or work,” Zahnd said. “I will not stand silent as this commission makes that fateful decision. I will not be shushed by a presiding commissioner. I will not cut my remarks short.”
Following Zahnd, Holland took the podium. Holland asserted that retaining current employees and being able to attract and hire qualified applicants is essential to maintaining safety in Platte County.
“The commission’s proposed budget does not even keep up with the cost of living increase employees’ have experienced over the last year and effectively takes us a step backwards,” Holland said. “We all also know that at some point in the future the County will be faced with having to give large increases in order to make up lost ground. In the past we have experienced the compression and staffing shortages that were caused, at least in part, by not maintaining a competitive compensation position.”
Holland concluded his remarks by asking the commission table the budget and reconsider its position, given that Missouri law provides the commission more time to finalize the budget.
“The Auditor presented a balanced budget to the Commission,” Holland said. “While it didn’t fund salaries at the level we requested, it would put us in a better position than the Commissions’ proposed budget and shows that a more competitive salary position is possible within a balanced budget for the County.”
Zahnd also brought up a recent commission workshop session, where he had suggested the county contract with a consultant to see if there are ways to process cases more quickly, thereby reducing the length of stay of prisoners in the detention center. He said he thought the study, which would cost a relatively small amount of money – $25-75,000, would be easily approved by the commissioners. It was not.
“I’ll admit, I lost my cool,” Zahnd said.
“He didn’t just lose his cool,” said District Commissioner Allyson Berberich. “It was super inappropriate. He used foul language and stood up and shook his finger and screamed and yelled at the room. I was very offended.”
District Commissioner Joe Vanover agreed, stating he’d never heard Zahnd swear that much in the 25 years he’d known him. Vanover was previously employed as an assistant prosecutor in Zahnd’s office for a number of years.
Fricker responded, after attempting to stop Zahnd several times and finally waiting for both Holland and Zahnd to finish speaking.
“I think he’s unhappy because his staff didn’t receive a bigger raise than the other people in the county,” Fricker said. “That’s what’s really behind it. We have always, in my previous three budgets, as the prosecutor said, fully funded law enforcement. We gave them exactly what they asked for. And the minute that we don’t increase salaries by the amount that they wanted us to increase them by, then we get this outrage. Well, our responsibility is to the people of Platte County. And one of our number one responsibilities is to make sure this county stays fiscally sound and we take that job very seriously.
“Nobody else at the county, not the prosecutor, not the sheriff, not the other officeholders, shares in that burden. That is our burden. That is our responsibility and we’re happy to take that seriously.”
Fricker said that two years ago, the county did have an excess in tax collections, and that extra money was returned to the taxpayers in the form of a greatly reduced county property tax.
“We will always prioritize the taxpayer,” Fricker said. “Second would be law enforcement. We are committed to making sure our law enforcement agencies have the tools that they need to do their jobs, subject to the first priority, which is fiscal responsibility and our commitment to the people of Platte County to make sure this county is financially sound on a year-to-year basis.”
Fricker said he would be happy to return Zahnd’s campaign contributions because “I don’t make deals for campaign contributions, from anybody.”
Zahnd began his statements by reading aloud a thread of a text conversation among he, Fricker and Holland. The texts were exchanged on Friday, Jan. 2, three days before the Commission budget meeting. At 10:04 a.m., Zahnd sent Presiding Commissioner Fricker a text stating: “Scott, are you available to meet with [Platte County Sheriff] Erik [Holland] and me about the Commission’s 2026 budget? I propose coffee at Fitti’s at 10:00 [a.m.].”
Fricker responded: “No sorry. And besides, the 2026 budget is done.”
Zahnd replied: “Okay. I’ll make my comments publicly Monday. I wanted to give you a chance first, but I understand you’re not interested in that.”
Fricker then said: “I had a long conversation with Erik [Holland] last week and I suspect your concerns are similar. Everyone wants more money, not just the two of you. We will spend $3 million more on building improvements than we had in ARPA funds, a big chunk of which went into your space so that you could have a professional space for your attorneys. Same thing for the sheriff’s office. We are burning money faster than we’re making it, and something had to be done. I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t ask me for money that we don’t have.”
Zahnd replied: “That’s fine, I’m just going to tell the public the truth about your supposed support for law enforcement. Hope you have a good weekend.”
Fricker stated: “I gave you everything you asked for over the last 3 budgets, and because your staff didn’t get bigger raises than everyone else, you’re going to do this? You do what you have to do.”
Zahnd said he did not reply.
Also at the hearing, Robinson said he hoped to spark conversation about the jail overcrowding situation as the county has been faced with steeply rising costs for sending prisoners to be boarded at other counties.
Fricker said the attempt to spur conversation was not necessary, as the commission was already working on the jail overcrowding problem.
Robinson’s motives for allowing Zahnd to speak at the hearing were also called into question, with Fricker stating Robinson was using Zahnd to editorialize on budget amendments he didn’t agree with to make a political statement.
“Your job is to keep track of the money,” Fricker said. “Your job is to count numbers. Your job is to make a proposed budget, not to set the permanent budget. You do not set policy. You count, and you do a pretty good job of that. And here you are, editorializing, through other people when you know perfectly well we have a public comment period.”