These are the minutes for March 2005, as approved by the Bourbon County Commission.
| March 4, 2005 | March 7, 2005 |
| March 11, 2005 | March 14, 2005 |
| March 18, 2005 | March 21, 2005 |
| March 25, 2005 | March 28, 2005 |
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The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all commissioners and the county clerk present. Hazel Swarts was in attendance as an observer. Lane Cutler asked commissioners to clarify an article in the newspaper about Meritage buying rock for a county road. Commissioners clarified that the rock will be purchased from an outside quarry and hauled and put down by the county crews. Mr. Cutler thanked the commissioners for the explanation and also asked if county ditches can be cleared out to help with drainage. Commissioners received the monthly progress report from the Extension Office. David Neville informed commissioners of a woman who fell on the courthouse steps yesterday. He renewed his request to have the steps changed to a sloping ramp. Mr. Brittain stated he could speak with Don Russell to see if there are ADA grant funds available and check back with David. Clyde Killion gave a road report. Now that the weather is starting to warm up, the crews are preparing to work with the asphalt program and with chip and seal projects. Mr. Killion also mentioned that Cebridge is expanding its cable service to the Meadows and will need to cut across county roads. Commissioners reminded Mr. Killion to have the cable personnel apply for a permit with the county. Jason Silvers, reporter with the Fort Scott Tribune, was present. Hazel Swarts commented to the commissioners about the ramp situation. She stated that she has written many successful grant applications in the past and would be happy to help Mr. Russell for the county. Commissioners thanked Mrs. Swarts for the offer. At 9:30 am, the Board of County Canvassers convened to finalize the results of Tuesday’s City Primary Election. Those present were the commissioners, Joanne Long, Cecelia Key, Hazel Swarts, Jason Silvers, Kathy Dancer, Thom Prue and Barbara Wood. Commissioners reviewed 20 ballots (18 provisional and two advance ballots). Commissioners approved 16 ballots to be added to the unofficial totals. The four that were not accepted were two provisional ballots from people who were not registered voters on Election Day, one voter who does not reside inside the city limits, and an advance ballot that was received on March 2nd. The 16 ballots were run through the ballot counter and their totals were certified by the Board. No changes in candidates for the General were made with the additional votes. Commissioners signed the abstract of votes cast. Gary Houston left the meeting at 10:15 am. Robert Davis and Connie Wollenhaupt spoke with commissioners about their property situation. They asked the commissioners to write a letter stating that the road was vacated and the land reverted back to the landowners at that time. Commissioners will ask the county attorney about writing such a letter. Ms. Wollenhaupt asked commissioners about the rules for 4-wheelers and dirt bikes on county roads. Commissioners informed Ms. Wollenhaupt that as long as they are not driven on state highways, within city limits, and according to rules of the road, there are no restrictions. Mr. Davis asked about septic regulations. Commissioners advised Mr. Davis to speak to Roger Lee. Laura Hyer spoke to commissioners about her recent trip to Washington, DC. She also recommended the creation of an Executive Committee to advise and plan homeland security projects as well as being an oversight board for 911/wireless in Bourbon County. No action at this time. Hazel Swarts praised the courthouse janitors for their hard work. She mentioned the article in last night’s paper about the $300,000 extra in carryover and said that she would be in favor of giving raises to faithful county employees, or even a one-time bonus, if permanent raises cannot be given. After routine business, the meeting adjourned at 11:00 am.
ATTEST: (ss) Joanne Long, County Clerk |
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The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with Terry Graham and Bill Brittain present. Joanne Long was also present. Minutes of the previous meetings were read and approved. Clyde Killion gave a road report. Jim Miesner, President of Fort Scott Community College, met with the commissioners to update them on the college regarding its funding, current and upcoming programs and student base. He asked if he could re-instate regular updates with the commissioners on an annual, bi-annual or quarterly basis. The commissioners agreed that would be an excellent idea. Mr. Miesner explained that the Fort Scott Community College service area includes all persons from northern Crawford County, north through all of Bourbon, Linn and Miami Counties. The college is charged with meeting the educational needs of the people in that area. FSCC has facilities in Paola and Pittsburg. The college also has a presence in area high schools for college courses and night school. Recently FSCC has partnered with both John Deere and Harley Davidson, to provide training in conjunction with PSU. The facilities are located in Frontenac, in order to be close to PSU. FSCC pays rent on the buildings and provides for the instructor and supplies for the courses. Mr. Miesner feels these cooperative agreements help all of southeast Kansas. Having these world-renowned businesses working with Fort Scott Community College is an excellent way to pave the way for future collaborative efforts. Mr. Miesner explained that the college’s mill levy is very near where it was 10 years ago. The board of trustees is unwilling to raise it any further, so the college has to think of creative ways to bring in revenues. He explained that about 25% of the college budget is funded by student services, 25% from federal funds, 24% from state taxes and 19% from Bourbon County taxes. Other counties pay about 2% of the overall budget. Studies have shown that the number of traditional students has dropped over the years so colleges, like businesses have to go where the customers are. Mr. Miesner spoke of several upcoming programs and also applauded those FSCC programs that continue to excel. He would also like to partner with emergency services to provide training in that field. The commissioners thanked Mr. Miesner for the update. Terri Johnson spoke with commissioners about the letter for Robert Davis. Joanne Long wrote a letter and Terri approves of it. Commissioners signed the letter. Ms. Johnson also spoke with commissioners about the Community Corrections agreement. She asked if Bourbon County signed the agreement. We have. She then asked about the Memorandum of Understanding. Valorie Leblanc will ask Larry Davenport if the insurance is available. Ann Ludlum asked commissioners to pick one of the 51 Walk Kansas teams as a “Commissioners’ favorite”. After deliberation, the commissioners decided on the Motivated Movers. Susan Quick and Sharon Elder asked commissioners if they had made any decisions about raises. Commissioners would like to talk about it when all commissioners are available. Mr. & Mrs. Bob Schweikert asked commissioners about paving their road at 240th from the new highway north, past Gorman’s to Maple Road. Commissioners assured the Schweikerts that they are on the schedule for this year for chip and seal. Joanne Long asked the commissioners about the city/county lunch for March. Bill Brittain indicated the city would like to move the luncheon from Fridays to Mondays so the mayor can attend. The commissioners thought that would be okay. No immediate date was set for March. Mr. Brittain also informed the commission that he spoke with Don Russell about the ADA grant for the ramp and that Mr. Russell is looking into it for us. Zack Reynolds, Craig Campbell and Robert Daylong met with commissioners regarding the condition of Irish road along the area of 216th Terrace, approximately ½ mile. They provided the commissioners with several pictures of large potholes and asked for their road to be paved. There are about 18 homes in the immediate area. They would also like a weight limit on the road as heavy trash trucks are causing sink holes at every house they stop. Also, the road has been made narrower by the side grasses that creep inward. They argued that an asphalt road would save money in the long run as it would last upwards of 10 years. Commissioners will see about a temporary fix of the potholes until a more permanent solution can be scheduled. Terry Sercer, DBBJB presented the commissioners with a contract for 2004 audit and 2006 budget services. He indicated a 4% increase in the audit due to stricter testing for fraud protection, as a result of high profile embezzlement cases. Bill Brittain made a motion to approve the contract for audit and budget services. Terry Graham seconded and both voted in favor. After routine business, the meeting adjourned at 11:20 am.
ATTEST: (ss) Joanne Long, County Clerk |
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The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all commissioners and the county clerk present. Minutes of the previous meeting were read and approved. Richard Nienstedt, City Manager and Don Russell, Economic Development Director, City of Fort Scott, met with commissioners on matters important to both the City and County. Mr. Nienstedt informed commissioners of a project the City is working with the City of Nevada on bio-fuels. As bio-fuels are made from soybeans and sunflowers, they are prevalent to this area. Commissioners agreed to hear a briefing about them in the future, as bio-fuels would create jobs and improve the agriculture of the area. Commissioners and City officials also discussed plans for the City/County luncheon. March is not looking good, schedule-wise, and the City has asked that the lunches be held on Fridays to allow for the Mayor to attend. No action at this time. The group also discussed the Bourbon County Economic Development (BEDCO) project in which it has asked the County to lay asphalt for a parking lot. As the City of Fort Scott has an injunctive order against laying asphalt, they would like the County to do it. No action. Another topic of discussion was 911 Communications. There will be a meeting of officials next week and the group is working toward a resolution. Don Russell spoke with commissioners about the possibility of additional tax abatement opportunities for Valu-Merchandisers. Mr. Russell explained that recent expansions, which created new jobs, could qualify the company for new abatements. Commissioners agreed to look at the request. Jason Silvers, reporter with the Fort Scott Tribune, was present. Clyde Killion gave a road update. Jeff Fischer spoke to commissioners about possible records storage for the County. No action. Charlie Blevins spoke to commissioners about a recent story in the newspaper which stated that the County allowed a gas company to bury lines in county rights-of way. He feels that there should be no laying of pipe in county ditches. Commissioners clarified that the company retained the rights to dig on private property on all but these three spots and that the County will be compensated by the gas company purchasing road rock for the areas. Laura Hyer spoke with commissioners about emergency preparedness and communications for 911. She and the commissioners can not agree on whether the dispatch center is ready to be placed on the first year project list. They will speak about it Monday. Susan Quick and Sharon Elder met with commissioners for a decision on raises. Since the auditor has found the County has a large carryover, it shouldn’t hinder the budget. Sharon Elder spoke about her Register of Deeds meeting this week in which she polled the officials as to what, if any raises they received. Most present received merit and cost-of-living raises. There was discussion of having an outside firm assess the wages of all County employees and going from there. Joanne Long made several calls in that vein. She will report back to the commissioners. Anna Miller also spoke to commissioners about employee raises and also asked if the County could place a food vending machine downstairs. The Correctional Center used to provide a commissary that could accommodate outside requests but the method of ordering has changed and eliminated any excess that could be sold. Commissioners said it was okay with them as long as the Sheriff approves. Terry Graham made a motion to adopt Resolution 10-05, adopting the 2004 Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy of the SEK Economic Development District. Bill Brittain seconded and all voted in favor. Bill Brittain made a motion to have Rick Zingre create a drawing of the proposed ramp for the east entrance of the Courthouse. Terry Graham seconded and all voted in favor. Doylene Kennedy asked commissioners approval to allow Marty Pearson to purchase filters at a sale on Monday. The commissioners approved the request. Commissioners received the report from the State on the rock from the County’s quarry. They will need an oral report on the technicalities in the report. Laura Hyer spoke again with commissioners about 911 communications. She doesn’t feel that everyone involved is setting aside personal feelings to work together. Bills and payroll for the period were approved. After routine business, the meeting was adjourned.
ATTEST: (ss) Joanne Long, County Clerk |
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The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all commissioners and the county clerk present. Minutes of the previous meeting were read and corrected. Clyde Killion gave a road report. Commissioners discussed possibly purchasing road rock from outside quarries to cover outlying county roads. No action. Jason Silvers, reporter with the Fort Scott Tribune, was present. Much of the meeting discussion was centered on the fire downtown last Friday. Commissioners declared a local disaster emergency Friday night. Resolution 11-05 was signed and faxed to the Kansas Division of Emergency Management. Both commissioners and County Appraiser, Judy Orton, discussed whether the County should enter the Neighborhood Revitalization plan, as a result of the fire. The program would give businesses an incentive to build downtown and would improve blighted areas. One downside to the Neighborhood Revitalization is that the boundaries will inevitably leave someone out and that doesn’t seem fair. It’s the nature of the program to focus on blighted areas. The County could join in as little or as big of area as it likes. Ms. Orton advised commissioners that valuation notices will be mailed on or before April 1. She also mentioned that Ag use values are down slightly. Richard Nienstedt, Mayor Gary Billionis, Don Russell, Laura Hyer, Ed French and Bob Berry from FSCC gave the commissioners an update on the fire situation. A structural engineer will inspect all the buildings in the affected block for integrity today. The scene is being protected as the investigation into the cause of the fire continues. All streets and businesses than can be opened will be as soon as possible. Officials are researching all possible avenues for grants and financial assistance. Those residents who lost their homes are being put up at local hotels. Mr. Nienstedt thanked the commissioners for the declaration of emergency. That will allow aid to come to the City and those affected by the fire. He said we will rebuild and called it our Phoenix Project. There are discussions will several businesses about possibly locating in the downtown area. The City Manager also asked commissioners to consider joining the Neighborhood Revitalization program. They told the commissioners to call them if any questions arise. Mr. Russell also inquired as to whether the County could waive dumping fees at the landfill for the cleanup. Commissioners assured the City officials that the County would do whatever it could to help. The City officials thanked the Commissioners and Laura Hyer for their presence over the weekend. After discussion, Bill Brittain made a motion to enter into the Neighborhood Revitalization program for the area from 3rd Street to Skubitz Plaza and from Judson to the bypass. Terry Graham seconded the motion and all voted in favor. After further discussion, Mr. Brittain moved to rescind his earlier motion. Terry Graham seconded and all voted in favor. Bill Brittain then moved to enter into the Neighborhood Revitalization program for the area from 3rd Street to the railroad tracks north of the fort and from Judson to the bypass. Terry Graham seconded and all voted in favor. Commissioners learned that the communications meeting scheduled for this afternoon has been cancelled. Kent Roberts spoke to commissioners about heavy trucks on 240th Street, which has a weight limit. Mr. Roberts and his neighbors paid for the chip and seal on the road and have contacted the sheriff, but can’t seem to get the trucks to stop. Mr. Roberts said that if the trucks are not stopped and the road is ruined, he and his neighbors want a refund of their special assessment. Commissioners will speak with the sheriff. Karen Paddock informed the commissioners that she will not be sending her records to the salt mines for storage. She doesn’t want to make the records inaccessible to genealogists and researchers who rely on the records. She has learned of some records that she can destroy which will open up some space for her future needs. After routine business, the meeting adjourned at 11:30 am.
ATTEST: (ss) Joanne Long, County Clerk |
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The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all commissioners and the county clerk present. Minutes of the previous meeting were read and approved. Clyde Killion gave a road report. He also spoke with commissioners about the possibility of getting a third belly dump and tractor to help get road rock to outlying county roads. The commissioners asked the clerk to check online with State Surplus to see if there are any for sale. John Skubal, KAW Valley Engineering, met with commissioners and reminded them to think of KAW Valley for any upcoming projects. Sheriff Harold Coleman spoke with commissioners about the Correctional Center’s shock belt. It needs repairs which will cost over $400. A new belt with a discount for turning in our belt will be the better investment, Harold thinks. Commissioners approved the purchase. Harold also asked if he could send two or three employees to be trained on the shock belt. After the recent courthouse violence, it is best to be as safe as possible. Commissioners approved that request also. Jason Silvers, reporter with the Fort Scott Tribune, was present. David Neville asked commissioners if they want to ask for sealed quotes for replacing the roofs. They do. They asked the clerk to assist him with the publication requirements. Bill Brittain said that he spoke with Richard Nienstedt about the cost of a wage study and learned that the City is in need of another study. Perhaps the City and County can go in together and share the cost. No action. Joanne Long presented Resolution 12-05 for consideration. It is the standard Elm Creek Hay Bid resolution. Gary Houston made the motion to adopt the resolution. Terry Graham seconded and all voted in favor. Laura Hyer, Harold Coleman, Delwin Mumbower, Ed French, Doylene Kennedy, Lois Coyan and Cecelia Kramer met with commissioners to discuss emergency procedures. Laura Hyer asked for an executive session. Bill Brittain made the motion to go into executive session, for a period of fifteen minutes, under the security exception of the Kansas Open Meetings Act. Terry Graham seconded and all voted in favor. Those present for the session were the commissioners, Joanne Long, Laura Hyer, Harold Coleman, Doylene Kennedy, Lois Coyan, Cecelia Kramer, Ed French and Delwin Mumbower. The session began at 10:00 am and ended at 10:15 am with no action. Laura Hyer also spoke to commissioners about more effective communication for the commissioners, in case of an emergency like the fire. She sited problems with cellular phones and being able to contact the commissioners during the fire. She suggested one-way radios that commissioners can have and a pager. Ms. Hyer then introduced the commissioners to Pat Corrao, who lives in Uniontown. He is retired from the National Security Agency and has been assisting Laura with emergency preparedness. His expertise will be invaluable to us and he is helping write the communications plan. The commissioners thanked Mr. Corrao for his services. Laura Hyer also suggested the commissioners use part of the additional carryover to help pay for both the courthouse security and a dispatch center. No action. Delwin Mumbower asked commissioners about a septic situation in Hiattville with the newly constructed fire building. Roger Lee has indicated that there needs to be two-1,000 gallon tanks that can be run off one set of lateral lines. Mr. Mumbower stressed that there is only one bathroom between the two buildings and asked if two tanks were really necessary. The commissioners asked Mr. Mumbower to speak with Roger Lee again. Lu Warren, Sixth Judicial District Community Corrections, met with commissioners to ask them to sign the multi-county inter-local agreement. During discussions, Ms. Warren advised the commissioners how to make the most of their appointments to the advisory board. The commissioners have already appointed Valorie Leblanc to the board and Ms. Warren would like the commissioners to also appoint Kathy Hayes from SRS to the advisory board. Bill Brittain made the motion to appoint Kathy Hayes of SRS to the Community Corrections advisory board. Terry Graham seconded and all voted in favor. Terry Graham made the motion to enter into the inter-local agreement with Sixth Judicial District Community Corrections. Bill Brittain seconded the motion and all voted in favor. Commissioners signed the agreement. Ms. Warren will be visiting with Linn and Miami Counties next week for their approvals. After all counties have signed, the agreements will be forwarded to Attorney General Phill Kline’s office for his signature. Then a signed copy will be sent to each county. Joanne Long penned a letter of the appointments for Ms. Warren to take back to her office. Ms. Warren looks forward to reporting to the commissioners bi-monthly. After routine business, the meeting adjourned at noon.
ATTEST: (ss) Joanne Long, County Clerk |
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The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with Terry Graham and Bill Brittain present. The county clerk was also present. Gary Houston arrived at 9:35 am. Minutes of the previous meeting were read and approved. Clyde Killion gave a road report. Much of the meeting was spent discussing which roads will be on the summer schedule for asphalt, base work and chip and seal. Though there was discussion of several roads and some cities that have asked for chip and seal, no final plans were made. Mr. Killion also asked commissioners if they wanted to replace any road graders this year. There are several that have over 11,000 hours on them. Commissioners asked for a report of hours on graders. Marty Pearson called and gave the hours on four graders. They were:
Commissioners discussed the possibility of using KDOT revolving loan (low interest) funds for help with low-water bridges. Joanne Long reported that there were no belly trucks or tractors on the State Surplus Property website, but she has bookmarked it for future reference. Commissioners discussed the feasibility of purchasing the supplies needed for asphalting so that the County could continue crushing road rock with its equipment. Sharon Elder and Susan Quick spoke with commissioners about raises again. They want to know where it stands. Bill Brittain updated the officials of the possibility of going in with the City of Fort Scott for a joint assessment by the League of Kansas Municipalities and splitting the costs. The assessments would compare public and private workforce as well as economic standings. Any recommendations could then be justified. Mr. Brittain will know more from the City after things get back to normal from the fire. Laura Hyer spoke with commissioners about emergency preparedness. She stated that all plans are under revision and must be designed under the Incident Command System. She asked about putting Emergency Preparedness on the notification list at dispatch for hazardous incidents or fires with hazardous potential. Commissioners will discuss the matter with City officials at the next City/County luncheon. Commissioners will hope to schedule the next City/County luncheon for this Friday, March 25, 2005. Terry Graham will be the commissioners’ representative at this afternoon’s communications meeting. If more than one commissioner is present, it becomes an open meeting, and since this is sensitive information, it should remain closed until plans are final. Ms. Hyer also asked if the commissioners would like to go ahead with planning for city/county officials Incident Command training in conjunction with the Department of Homeland Security. They would. She will move forward with that. Ms. Hyer told the commissioners that her assessment of radios in need of replacement over the next five years is Mobile: 147 and Portable: 72. This includes city, county, corrections, public works, and basically everything except Mercy, which buys its own. The commissioners, at an earlier meeting, indicated they would like Ms. Hyer to attend grant-writing sessions. There are three sessions coming up at a cost of approximately $500. She would like to attend sessions but would like to wait until next year when her load will be lightened. Commissioners agreed. Doylene Kennedy updated commissioners on her health situation. She has some upcoming appointments but still plans to get all her work done. Bill Brittain left the meeting at 11:10 am. After routine business, the meeting adjourned at noon.
ATTEST: (ss) Joanne Long, County Clerk |
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The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with Terry Graham and Bill Brittain present. Joanne Long was also present. Gary Houston arrived at 9:20 am. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and approved. Clyde Killion gave a road report. The commissioners and Clyde also discussed the letter from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) regarding disposal of the fire debris. Clyde said he is working with Eric Bailey of Fort Scott Public Works on the matter. Bill Brittain spoke with commissioners about the agreement between Phoenix Coal Company and Bourbon County regarding maintenance of Deer Road, the designated haul road for the company. It is in seriously poor condition and has not been properly and timely maintained. There was a time this week that an emergency vehicle would not have been able to make it down the road because of the mud. Bill suggests talking with the Phoenix Coal Company officials about renegotiating the deal to have Phoenix pay Bourbon County a monthly maintenance fee and then the County would maintain the road. Commissioners think that is a good idea and gave Mr. Brittain the contact information for Mr. Farley and Mr. Hartley of Phoenix Coal Company. Joanne Long informed commissioners that, due to several requests, she has created an email account for commissioners. This way, constituents can get in touch with commissioners via the internet. It is commish@bourboncountyks.org. Jason Silvers, reporter with the Fort Scott Tribune, was present. Commissioners received a telephone request from Richard Nienstedt of the City of Fort Scott for written confirmation of the waiving of fees for fire debris taken to the Bourbon County Transfer Station. Joanne Long wrote a letter to that effect. David Neville spoke to commissioners about air conditioning. Summer is fast approaching and something needs to be done about the unit in the Register of Deeds Office. For Mr. Brittain’s benefit, David explained that a 10-ton water-cooled unit was replaced with a 5-ton split unit which cannot handle the job. It has burned up once already and doesn’t have the capacity to cool the Deeds office, Public Works office and the Driver’s License station. Options are to get a second 5-ton split unit to put in the Public Works office to compensate or to remove the Deeds Office split unit and install a 10-ton water-cooled unit in its place. Ducting issues and no exposure to the elements make this the optimum choice. Also, the money saved by a water-cooled unit will help pay for the difference in cost. The 5-ton unit could then be saved to be placed in another office in the future, as it is new enough to last. Commissioners authorized Mr. Neville to get prices and report back. David also spoke to commissioners about electrical issues on the roof. Commissioners asked Mr. Neville to get prices for this issue also. Laura Hyer met with commissioners and asked for an executive session to discuss security issues. Bill Brittain made a motion to go into executive session, for a period of fifteen minutes, under the Security Exception to the Kansas Open Meetings Act, to discuss communications. Gary Houston seconded and all voted in favor. Those present for the session were the commissioners, Laura Hyer and Joanne Long. The session began at 10:11 am and ended at 10:26 am with no action. Ronnie Brown met with commissioners to check the progress of amending Bourbon County’s septic regulations around Cedar Creek to prevent over-population in the area. The amended regulations have been sent to KDHE for approval but we haven’t heard back yet. Doylene Kennedy will contact Beth Rowlands at KDHE to see where we are. Mr. Brown also spoke with commissioners about the possibility of county zoning. Commissioners said they have thought about it before but no action has ever been taken. Perhaps we can check with area counties who have zoning to see what it entails. No action at this time. Mr. Brown also talked about a brochure that Butler County uses to inform them what to expect by living in the country. He feels it would be an excellent tool to provide to lending institutions to hand out to people from urban areas who are considering a move to the rural community. Commissioners thought it was an excellent idea and also suggested giving them out when people apply for a septic permit. Commissioners debated whether to renew our membership with Southeast Kansas, Inc. After a call to Don Russell, the commissioners decided not to renew our membership. Bill Brittain proposed creating a hotline for people to report problems with county roads. He said the hotline created at the city was a great success and helped get road problems addressed quickly. Commissioners Graham and Houston said they felt speaking with constituents about their problems was part of the job. No action. Laura Hyer met again with commissioners about communication. She clarified that the FCC will require narrow-band reception by 2013. She also said that the 75 radios in the county are only wide-band and would have to be replaced for narrow-band. Commissioners asked Mrs. Hyer to get prices on the cost of replacing the radios. David Neville asked commissioners about a bid bond or performance bond for companies wanting to submit quotes for replacing the courthouse and correctional center roofs. Commissioners suggested Mr. Neville ask Don Russell to help with the wording. Doylene Kennedy updated commissioners on the Cedar Creek septic tank revisions. She spoke with Beth Rowlands of KDHE who said she is working on it. She has to speak with Roger about some issues she has. At noon, the County and City commissioners met for their regular lunch meeting at Shawnee Trails restaurant. Those present were Terry Graham, Bill Brittain, Gary Houston, Gary Billionis, Barbara Wood, Kevin Allen, John Keating, Richard Nienstedt, Joanne Long and Jason Silvers of the Fort Scott Tribune. The City officials thanked the County officials for the letter waiving fees at the transfer station. Discussion centered on the fire debris removal progress and on communication issues for 911. After routine business, the meeting adjourned at 12:55 pm.
ATTEST: (ss) Joanne Long, County Clerk |
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The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all commissioners and the county clerk present. Minutes of the previous meeting were read and approved. Payroll and accounts payable for the period were approved for payment. Jason Silvers, reporter with the Fort Scott Tribune, was present. Justin Meeks, a local attorney, met with commissioners to discuss courthouse security. As an attorney, he has had dealings in over twenty courthouses in eastern Kansas. He is concerned with the current security measures in Bourbon County. He said that times have changed over the past few years and the level of violent offenders has increased. The increase of drug use has also attributed to the increase of violence. The possibility of trouble is greater than it ever has been. He knows that money is tight but feels that increased security is a good investment, for district court as well as the whole courthouse. Commissioners discussed the plans to harden the courthouse and spoke of the impact higher security has on a farm community. The commissioners thanked Mr. Meeks. Harold Coleman spoke with commissioners about training officers on a taser gun. It would be an excellent weapon of non-lethal force for the correctional center. Commissioners made arrangements with Rural Fire District 5 to wet the fire debris at the Transfer Station. Judy Orton, County Appraiser, reminded commissioners that valuation notices will be mailed April 1st. She also notified commissioners that Fort Scott Lake values are up because the market is up. She said that in-county as well as out of county sales at the lake are up over $20,000 from their previous sale or from what the lots are valued for. That affects all the lots in the area. She said that she would work with the Tribune to write a story about the valuations. Sharon Elder and Susan Quick asked commissioners if there had been any progress made on the salary assessment. Bill Brittain said he spoke with Richard Nienstedt and asked Mr. Nienstedt to check with the League of Kansas Municipalities this week to see if we can get a joint assessment. Laura Hyer, Emergency Preparedness Coordinator, spoke with commissioners about communications. She also reminded commissioners of the final communications meeting this afternoon at 1:30 pm. Ms. Hyer also asked commissioners if they discussed with City officials about notifying Emergency Preparedness during disasters. Bill Brittain said that he spoke with Police Chief Reyes and Fire Chief Davis Friday afternoon and thinks that sending a letter to dispatch will be sufficient. Commissioners asked the clerk to write a letter to that effect. Commissioners asked Ms. Hyer if there are any judicial grants available to help with courthouse security. Laura will look into it. She also said she would like to attend a grant workshop in July in Colorado. Carl Eyman and Phil Rippee of the Kansas Workers Risk Cooperative for Counties (KWORCC) met with commissioners to discuss loss analysis and safety awareness training. They went over several charts of number and types of injury claims for Bourbon County and how those affect our rates. Jim Harris, Berry Tractor, met with commissioners to ask if the county will be replacing any graders this year. He would like to give prices for leasing equipment. Commissioners would like to see several different lease options. Clyde Killion, Public Works Supervisor, gave a road report. He also talked with commissioners about paving the courthouse parking lots. They could be paved during the week as long as they are blocked off to traffic. Commissioners discussed fuel costs and the possibility of getting bids for fuel for the road department instead of going back and forth between companies. With the fluctuating cost of fuel, we could ask for a specific amount over cost. No action at this time. Commissioners and Mr. Killion discussed the hauling of fire debris to the Transfer Station. The main road is going to be closed soon for KDOT work but the commissioners would like to find out if they can extend the time so that the debris can be transported on the least populated route. Clyde will see if that can be arranged. After routine business, the meeting adjourned at noon.
ATTEST: (ss) Joanne Long, County Clerk |
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