2019 Minutes
December 17, 2019 Tuesday 9:00 am
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with Commissioners Ruhl and Fischer, the County Counselor and the County Clerk present. Lynne attended a different meeting for a portion of the morning Commission meeting.
Tammy Helm with the Fort Scott Tribune was also present for a portion of the meeting.
Jeff made a motion to approve a utility application for AT&T to bury a cable 4,800’ long and 36” deep on 255th going East on Locust Road, Nick seconded and all approved and signed the application.
Jim Harris discussed the treatment they did to the roads due to the inclement weather received Sunday and Monday; Jim said they put brine on the roads ahead of the storm on Thursday and Friday, on Monday they went to the furthest points in the County and pushed snow off of the roads working towards the city of Fort Scott on what Jim referred to as the “orange route”. After that, they worked on the roads around Fort Scott on the “yellow route”. Jim complimented the professional work that his employees did during the snow removal.
Jeff made a motion that the Commissioners be allowed to attend a safety lunch at the Road & Bridge department on December 18th, Nick seconded and the motion passed.
Jim Harris reported that a portion of Poplar off of 55th is a public road.
Jim and the Commissioners briefly discussed renewing the Road & Bridge Sales Tax; Jim said they have done work for the City of Uniontown, in Bronson, Fulton, Redfield and Mapleton and have provided materials for the City of Fort Scott.
Jim reported they put gravel on the parking lot at the Law Enforcement building as was requested.
Jim reported for safety reasons, they had closed a bridge 1 ½ miles east of Highway 3 on Grand Road.
Jim said in 2020, he planned to visit with the Shead’s regarding their property for work that needs to be done to a right of way at 250th & Deer Road.
Lynne Oharah arrived at the meeting.
Lynne made a motion that he is allowed to meet with Terry Sercer this morning to discuss the budget, Justin questioned if any of that meeting should be in executive session, the Commissioners felt that it could be, since some of the discussion would involve personnel, Jeff seconded and all approved the motion.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks, Jim Harris and Terry Sercer), Nick seconded and all approved. No action was taken.
Lynne said when doing the 2018 budget they had allocated $50,000 for raises to be split between the Correctional Center and Sheriff’s budget; however, it was all placed in the Sheriff’s budget, Lynne told Terry that they want to amend the 2019 budget and remove $25,000 from the Sherriff’s department wages and add that $25,000 to the Correctional Center wages.
Nancy Van Etten met with the Commissioners regarding the Lake Sewer District #1; she emailed the Commissioners a list of questions regarding the Sewer District. She said she was concerned about the upcoming sewer rate increase of 44%, which makes their rates the same that the City residents pay. She said the rates could have been increased annually for the sewer district, but they haven’t gone up since 2011. She said the City notified the County of the upcoming rate increase, but did not notify the lake residents of the rate increase. She presented the Commissioners a copy of the 2010 Sewer District agreement signed by both the City and County. The Commissioners told her that the City gives the County the money to cover the bond and interest payments for the bond for the Sewer District. She was concerned over the rate increase, but wanted to make sure that the needed maintenance and processes were being followed regarding the Sewer District. She said she hoped they would table the rate increase until they know if it’s an open process and that they make sure the maintenance (with the equipment) and everything needed is being done before the rate increase is approved. She said she had filed a complaint with the Attorney General’s office and had provided that complaint to the Lake residents. Lynne made a motion instruction Justin Meeks to review the list of Nancy’s questions and provide the answers to the Chairman, Nick seconded and all approved.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 45 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Nick made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for confidential data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Jody Hoener). No action was taken.
Nick made a motion to break for lunch and reconvene at 1:30, Lynne seconded and all approved.
Dave Bruner with the City of Fort Scott met with the Commissioners and Justin Meeks; Justin gave the Commissioners a copy of the medical director contract. Justin said the contract had been reviewed by the City of Fort Scott’s attorney.
Justin Meeks gave the Commissioners a draft copy of the Emergency Medical Services for them to review.
Lynne made a motion to approve signing both the 2020 on and off premises cereal malt beverage licenses for Sugar Valley Lakes Home Association, Jeff seconded and all approved. Lynne and Kendell signed both the on and off premises licenses.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for matters relating to the security of a public body or agency, public building or facility or the information system of a public body or agency, if the discussion of such matters at an open meeting would jeopardize the security of such public body, agency, building, facility or information system, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Judge Mark Ward, Kevin Russell, Bill Martin, Bobby Reed and Ben Cole). No action was taken.
Lynne made a motion that he sign the EMS joint contract between the County and City of Fort Scott, Nick seconded and all approved and Lynne signed the contract.
Lynne made a motion to approve Resolution 26-19; a resolution to provide the ambulance service within Bourbon County, Nick seconded and all approved and signed the Resolution.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for matters relating to the security of a public body or agency, public building or facility or the information system of a public body or agency, if the discussion of such matters at an open meeting would jeopardize the security of such public body, agency, building, facility or information system, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for matters relating to the security of a public body or agency, public building or facility or the information system of a public body or agency, if the discussion of such matters at an open meeting would jeopardize the security of such public body, agency, building, facility or information system, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Terry Sercer met with the Commissioners to discuss amending the 2019 budget. Terry said there are 6 funds to amend; Road & Bridge, Noxious Weed, Public Safety, Road & Bridge Sales Tax, Emergency Management Grant and the Ambulance fund. Terry said that the ending cash balance for Road & Bridge and the Road & Bridge Sales Tax will be close to zero (unless the Road & Bridge Sales Tax comes in higher than budgeted) at the end of 2019. Nick made a motion to have a hearing to amend the 2019 budget at 10:00 am on 12/31/2019, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Jeff made a motion to give Lynne permission to talk with Judge Ward, Nick seconded and all approved and Lynne went to visit with Judge Ward.
Lynne made a motion to approve Resolution 27-19; the salary resolution for elected officials effective 12/15/2019 (changing the Clerk and Treasurer salary to $47,248.24, the Register of Deeds to 44,821.66 and the Sheriff salary to $60,000.20), Jeff seconded and all approved.
Lynne made a motion approving Resolution 28-19; a wage resolution for Bourbon County employees changing the following, changing the salary for the Correctional Center Captain, the Emergency Preparedness Director and the Deputy County Appraiser to $35,568.00 annually to comply with the U.S.D.O.L. standards for salaried employees, adding a Maintenance 5 position at a rate of $17.47/hour. Nick seconded and all were in favor of those changes. The Economic Development Director’s salary was changed to $70,000.06/year on the same Resolution; Lynne made a motion to approve changing her salary to $70,000.06 and said that if Bourbon County gets an administrative fee from phase 2 of the Healthy Bourbon County Grant then part of the $70,000.06 salary would be subsidized from the grant, Jeff seconded this motion and Nick voted against this motion, motion passed.
The Commissioners discussed the overtime to be paid on 12/20/2019; the Attorney’s office had 55.50 hours of overtime, the Sheriff’s office had 94.00 hours of overtime, the Correctional Center had 86.75 hours of overtime and Road & Bridge had 23.00 hour of overtime.
Lynne reported that Pearson Towing had pulled a vehicle out of a ditch north on 235th; while doing this they gouged the County pavement with the vehicle.
At 4:28, Nick made a motion to adjourn, Jeff seconded and all approved.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
(ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
December 31, 2019, Approved Date
December 10, 2019 Tuesday 9:00 am
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all three Commissioners, the County Counselor and the County Clerk present.
Tammy Helm with the Fort Scott Tribune and Michael Hoyt were also present for a portion of the meeting.
Nick made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel to protect their privacy, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Jim Harris and Jerad Heckman). No action was taken.
Jeff questioned equipment on the East side of the Transfer Station; Jim said they are using the equipment to get dirt for a culvert project on Maple Road.
Lynne reported that a field is rough where the County replaced a culvert on Maple Road.
Jim Harris reported they will be moving the excavator to the Thomas Quarry to do a blast the 2nd week of January.
Jim reported they hauled 75 ton of gravel to Gunn Park.
The Sheriff’s department previously requested gravel for their parking lot for the storage of the impounded vehicles; Jeff Fischer felt that the Road & Bridge department should fill the request as soon as possible. Jim Harris said his instructions were to wait to place the gravel until he felt they had enough of a stockpile of rock; Jim felt they would have extra rock after they blast at the Thomas Quarry. Jeff made a motion to fill the Sheriff’s order for rock for the parking lot, Nick seconded and all approved. Jim Harris asked that in the future if they request patrol to help slow down the traffic when they are working that the Sheriff provides the patrol.
Lynne reported that Brad Blythe and Chad Judy of Uniontown questioned what the plans for Grand Road were; Jim said they are getting a hydraulic study regarding the water flow in the area to see what size of pipe is needed.
Jeff received a question regarding a private sign on what it is believed to be a public road near Rock Creek Lake; Jim said Rock Creek Lake is a city lake.
Jeff asked Jerad Heckman to attend a windmill tour meeting (the meeting is not open to the public) at Neosho County on December 12th; Jeff made a motion that more than one Commissioner as well as Jerad Heckman will attend the meeting on December 12th and Nick seconded. Michael Hoyt said he felt the public should be allowed to attend the meeting, all approved the motion.
Lynne made a motion to give Jeff permission to attend a meeting a meeting at the Hospital on December 13th, Nick seconded and all approved.
Vivian Moore and Enid Large met with the Commissioners regarding a 35% increase in taxes on their property on Justice Lane; Mrs. Moore said they protested the 2018 taxes and the taxes were then lowered, she said the 2019 taxes are now up 35% and they haven’t made any improvements to the property. Appraiser Clint Anderson said when they did the hearing to protest the taxes for the 2018 value the time was past where Clint had jurisdiction on the 2019 values, Clint said they could file a payment under protest with the first ½ of the taxes and then Clint could adjust the value to correct the problem. Clint said the 2019 value had already been set when they had the hearing, he said taxpayers have 30 days after the valuation notices are sent out to protest the value and they did not protest the value within 30 days. Mrs. Moore questioned why she had to pay more in taxes only to protest the taxes. Clint said there are two options; the taxpayers can disagree with the value by filing an appeal within 30 days of when the valuation notices are sent or a payment under protest. Clint said they value property as of January 1, 2019 and the first half of taxes are due in December of 2019, so taxes are paid in arrears. Clint said they are doing the 2020 values now. Mrs. Moore said once the re-value was completed for the 2018 taxes, it should have been corrected for future years, Clint said they were not legally allowed to adjust the value due to timing. Mrs. Moore said when the taxes were adjusted for 2018 the overpayment amount was applied to the 2nd half of the taxes instead of issuing her a refund check. Jeff said that all tax rules and regulations are set by the State.
Michael Hoyt briefly discussed the business incubator space that the County has; he said he wasn’t an attorney in the State of Kansas but said he does non-profit work mostly for veterans or elderly people. He asked that the Commissioners consider the incubator space for that use.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 30 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Robert Uhler with the City of Fort Scott met with the Commissioners; he asked permission to work with Justin, Jody and Clint to get the value of property located in the different areas of Fort Scott; the Commissioners agreed to this.
Robert Uhler asked the County for help with the 2020 Census; the Commissioners agreed to this.
Josh Jones met with the Commissioners; he wanted the data regarding the City of Fort Scott having city court. The Commissioners gave Justin Meeks permission to obtain the data for Josh Jones.
At 11:35, Lynne made a motion to break for lunch and reconvene at 1:30, Nick seconded and all approved.
Jeff made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for confidential data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks and Shane Walker). No action was taken.
The Commissioners reviewed the November 2019 month end reports; Jeff made a motion to allow Lynne to work with Terry Sercer regarding the budget, Nick seconded and all approved.
The Commissioners received a report of trees with limbs over the road on at 190th & Hackberry as well as a dead tree in the area of Fort Scott Lake. It was also reported that the grader operator is leaving large rocks in the middle of the road near the Bourbon Allen Lake as well as a culvert that is washing near the Bourbon Allen Lake; the Commissioners will report this to Jim Harris.
Nick made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel to protect their privacy, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
At 3:06, Lynne made a motion to adjourn, Jeff seconded and all approved.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
(ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
December 17, 2019, Approved Date
December 3, 2019 Tuesday 9:00 am
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all three Commissioners, the County Counselor and the County Clerk present.
Tammy Helm with the Fort Scott Tribune and Michael Hoyt were also present for a portion of the meeting.
Jim Harris and Jerad Heckman with Road & Bridge met with the Commissioners; Jim said they finished doing culverts and ditching on Limestone. They have been working on a soft spot in the road at 240th & Hackberry. They have been patching a bridge deck at 255th & Unique. They finished patching a hole at 205th & 39 Highway. They have been hauling gravel to 235th & Native Road and have been moving debris off of the low water crossings. They placed a barricade on a bridge on Grand Road west of 3 Highway.
Jim reported the cylinders are leaking on the new planer; this and the flow on the skid loader is being checked.
Jim reported they are making the last payment on a motor grader; he said they have another motor grader that has high hours on it; Jim said it is a 2-3 month process to replace a motor grader. Jeff suggested looking at the entire equipment fleet for a 5-10 year replacement list and then possibly meeting with the City of Fort Scott regarding shared equipment. A lot of Road & Bridge equipment has been paid off as well as some equipment has been purchased with cash versus financing.
Lynne reported that Terry Sercer plans to review the November month end reports for budget amendments.
Jeff discussed the holiday meal at the Courthouse on December 6th; Jim said his employees are aware of the dinner, but didn’t know if they were attending. Jim said they are having a holiday meal and a safety meeting on December 18th; Jim invited the Commissioners to the meeting, Jeff may do a safety presentation at the meeting.
Lynne reported a request for a culvert on 205th. Jim said he had a request for a culvert on 195th.
Jim reported they have traffic counters by Fort Scott Lake near the airport regarding the proposed road closure for the airport expansion. Lynne said they will have to have another road opened before that road is closed. Jeff said when a road is closed it is open for claims for 12 months. Jeff said he had seen drawings from the City of Fort Scott regarding the proposed replacement road; he said it is a new stretch of road between Hackberry and Indian Road. The proposed expanded airport runway will go south.
Jody Hoener met with the Commissioners to discuss the Blue Cross grant; she said there is a phase 2 grant – Health way to Bourbon County grant – available which is a 4 year grant for $200,000 ($50,000/year), she asked permission for the County to be a fiscal agent and apply for the grant. Jody Hoener reviewed the various projects that the current grant has helped pay for; trails, sidewalks, school projects, healthier menus, healthier worksites, etc. Jeff made a motion to give Jody the authority to apply for phase 2 of the grant, Nick seconded and all approved. Mr. Hoyt said he would like to offer Jody assistance in grant writing.
Bill and Casey Bolden met with the Commissioners to discuss the City of Fort Scott’s proposed property tax relief program (qualifying businesses could be exempt from property taxes for 10 years). The Bolden’s are a small business owner; they said the public does not want this program, and said the tax burden would be moved from those exempt business owners to other tax payers. Lynne said the Commissioners are waiting on additional information regarding the property tax relief program. The Bolden’s discussed their property taxes going up over the years; Justin said they could protest their taxes with the Appraiser. Lynne said Jody Hoener is working on a plan to reduce the tax levy over a 10 year period. Jeff said he would text the Bolden’s when the property tax relief was scheduled to be discussed again on the agenda. Justin said they might need to have additional public meetings to discuss how property taxes are calculated and assessed.
Ben Cole, Bobby Reed, Leslie Herrin and Alvin Metcalf met with the Commissioners to discuss medical expenses for inmates at the jail; Bobby said when a person is in custody they are entitled to medical care. He said the County pays ACH for medical services, which includes a Doctor on call, a nurse and reduced medical costs based on the Medicaid rate. Bobby said between 2017 – 2019 the company saved the County $469,524 in inmate medical care expenses by re-pricing the bills. The reduced rates are then sent to the County Attorney so they can ask for the medical expenses to be reimbursed through restitution through the court system. Bobby said a few weeks ago an inmate was in custody on a probation violation, post sentencing and had medical care; the County Attorney requested restitution regarding the outstanding medical expenses, the Judge denied this since it was post sentencing. If this had been a new case, it would have likely been ordered that the medical expenses be paid back. But, because it was post sentence, it was not ordered. Jeff Fischer said he had been at a conference where it was discussed how places have closed their detention centers to end the “revolving door” situations and have opened a crisis center (which could be funded by the State and a sales tax). Jeff felt mentally unstable inmates could be better helped by a crisis center; he said sometimes institutionalizing isn’t always the best answer. Jeff said there may be a time where there may be an interest to have a crisis center in Southeast Kansas.
Bobby Reed presented bills from Gold Mechanical for repairs done to the rooftop and thermostats at the new jail; Lynne said he would call regarding the bills. Lynne said they were supposed to get bids for cleaning the valves out; Bobby said that Gold Mechanical did this, but said the thermostats still do not work properly.
Ben Cole requested gravel on the north side of the jail; Lynne said they had been short on gravel, but said he would talk to Jim Harris about this.
Nick made a motion to not have a Commission meeting on December 24th or December 31 and to have an evening meeting on January 14th beginning at 1:30, Windmills will be discussed at 6:00 pm, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Michael Hoyt met with the Commissioners; he said he had met with the Johnson County Emergency Manager; he said in Johnson County the Emergency Manager could be summoned as a resource coordinator with all disasters, not just a natural disaster. Mr. Hoyt wanted Bourbon County to broaden their view of Emergency Management to include not just natural disasters, but other disasters or emergencies as well. Mr. Hoyt said we needed a central point of contact for disasters. Lynne said it would be a team concept if we had a disaster, he said everyone has assigned roles. Mr. Hoyt said he felt that we needed to all have a central focus; he said it is fortunate that we have never had an event, but said it is possible. Lynne made a motion to give Justin Meeks permission to contact Charles Gentry regarding USD 234, Nick seconded and all approved. Justin gave Michael Hoyt the letter he requested at the November 19th meeting.
Nick made a motion to go into a 30 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Nick made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Lora Holdridge met with the Commissioners regarding the Chamber Directory; the Commissioners plan to use the same ad as was previously used, but list the office locations and add Jody Hoener to the list.
Lynne made a motion to suspend the meeting until 1:30, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Justin Meeks and Shane Walker met with the Commissioners; Justin said they had been reviewing the land title survey done by Ag Engineering regarding land by the new jail; Justin said that a survey was done with the assumption of closing Sidney, Aldi and 19th; but when the closing of the streets was done, the only streets that were closed were 19th & Aldi Streets. Shane and Justin said that there are trailers and other equipment on the County property that belongs to Gary Culllor; Shane said he would show the data to Mr. Cullor.
Jeff made a motion to go into a 3 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks and Kendell Mason). No action was taken.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks and Kendell Mason). No action was taken.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners. No action was taken.
The Commissioners discussed the overtime hours being paid on December 6th, 2019; the Sheriff’s department had 53.00 hours, the Correctional Center had 24.75 hours and the County Attorney had 40.50 hours.
Robert Uhler with the City of Fort Scott met with the Commissioners; the Commissioners said they plan to have a special election in April of 2020 to ask for renewal of the Countywide one percent sales tax, the Commissioners would like to have the ballot language changed to the purpose of maintenance and construction of hard surface roads for both the County and all of the cities in Bourbon County that receive the revenue. Mr. Uhler said he would present this at the City staff meeting.
At 3:54, Lynne made a motion to adjourn, Nick seconded and all approved.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
(ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
December 10, 2019, Approved Date
November 26, 2019 Tuesday 1:30 pm
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all three Commissioners, the County Counselor and the County Clerk present.
Josh Jones met with the Commissioners and Jim Harris; he requested 45-65 ton of ice control aggregate for a swing set area at Gunn Park, he said the City would spread the gravel. Jim Harris said the County has the chips and recommended donating the aggregate for use in Gunn Park. Nick made a motion that the County donate 50 ton of ice control aggregate to the Citizens for Gunn Park, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Jim Harris said that Jeff Fischer had asked him to investigate the low water crossing at 255th & Deer Road; Jim said that Ag Engineering said it would take six 8’ pipes to handle the water there. Jim said he didn’t know if they have enough footage there to install the recommended pipes.
Jeff Fischer gave a KAC presentation on the procedure to close roads. At the conclusion, Jeff said closing a road carries risks.
Jeff made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Jim Harris and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks and Jim Harris). After the session, Lynne made a motion to give Jim permission to make a bridge a one lane bridge at 3 Highway and Grand Road going west, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Lynne reported a request for gravel at 35th & Unity going east; Jim said he would view the road.
Jim reported they hauled 9 loads of gravel to Range Road off of 125th for a mud hole caused by farm equipment coming down the road.
Nick said he planned to view a culvert in the northern part of the County.
Lynne asked Jim to view culverts on Grand and Hackberry Road.
Kendell questioned the Commissioners where the utilities for the law enforcement center will be paid out of in 2020; the Commissioners said the utilities will be paid out of the sheriff/jail budget. The Commissioners budgeted money for the utility expenses in the 2020 sheriff/jail budget.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 35 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Robert Uhler with the City of Fort Scott met with the Commissioners; he said Fort Scott had been approved for a grant to host a Smart Growth America workshop on economic and fiscally sustainable growth. Mr. Uhler invited the Commissioners, Kendell Mason, Jody Hoener and Justin Meeks to attend the workshop on January 28th & 29th.
Nick made a motion that the County gives county employees each a $25 gift card (from either Wal-Mart, G&W Foods or Butcher Block) for the holidays in December of 2019, Jeff seconded and all approved.
The Commissioners signed the handwritten 2019 General Election abstract.
The Commissioners discussed a possible survey concerning County zoning; no formal action was taken.
At 4:31, Lynne made a motion to break for lunch and reconvene at 6:00 pm, Jeff seconded and all approved.
At 6:00 pm, the Commissioners met to discuss Economic Development Incentive Guidelines. Also present for the meeting were Lindsey Madison, Roy Hoener, Stacy Racy, Kim Simons, Anne Dare, Robert Uhler, Steve Mason, Josh Jones, Nancy Van Etten, Michael Hoyt and Jason Silvers.
Jody Hoener discussed a policy concerning guidelines for incentives for Bourbon County economic development and discussed the 5 & 10 year goals for Bourbon County. Jody discussed the high property taxes in Bourbon County; currently Bourbon County is the 11th highest in the State of Kansas. She said Bourbon County’s goal is to become more regionally competitive and said the goal is to lower the mill levy a total of 13% over a 10 year period. Jeff discussed how to calculate the effective tax rate and how to calculate residential, commercial and utility taxes. Jeff reviewed the 17 Counties in the Southeast Kansas region and their mill rates, population, effective tax rate and valuation. Jody discussed the formula to lower the County mill; she said added value + a static budget = lower mill. The audience was asked and provided different ideas on what they felt could help improve our community and add value; some of the ideas were retain and recruit population, education/workforce, utilities, housing and light rail. Both Jeff and Jody discussed the NRP program; the NRP program is a program in which a home or business owner adds value by improving or building, they receive a rebate on a portion of the taxes paid (due to the increased value) for 5 years (residential) to 10 years (business). Jody discussed a $266,000 PILOT (Payment in Lieu of Taxes) program for 10 years for a proposed project in Bourbon County, after the 10 years the project would then go on the tax role.
Jeff made a motion to adopt Resolution 25-19, Nick seconded, and after discussion all approved and signed the Resolution. The Resolution is as follows:
“Guidelines for Incentives Bourbon County Economic Development
(Not including Neighborhood Revitalization Program, Business Incubator Space or Small Business Technical Assistance Support)
The following set of guidelines shall govern economic development incentives in Bourbon County. This set of guidelines shall be subject to periodic review and revision.
BASIC PHILOSOPHY
Our vision at Bourbon County is a safe, healthy, vibrant community. Our focus is on creating an environment where people can enjoy and come to expect a higher standard in quality of life. This means building capacity and infrastructure to incentivize tourism, encourage rural revitalization, build healthy communities and create business friendly environments.
The County Commissioner and Economic Development Department are partners in working to ensure that both new and existing businesses can be, where allowable under law and these guidelines, supported in their efforts to expand or create quality, sustainable business in the County.
Economic Development’s role is to grow commercial and business development in order to stimulate above average wage job creation, build commercial tax base, and create new value. These guidelines will be used to help assess business opportunities and make recommendations to the County Commission. The resultant commercial tax base will be used to fund critical public services in order to improve the quality of life for County residents.
A critical component necessary for forward progress is an incentive program which is clearly understood by all. It is intended to provide specific guidance, while retaining a degree of flexibility in the interest of encouraging unique approaches to business development in the best interests of the community at large.
The premise of an incentive program is that it can offer a new or expanding company financial or other assistance associated with a start-up operation or expansion project, thereby freeing up business capital at a time when it is most urgently needed for the many expenses associated with expansion, relocation or start-up. In return, if a company makes an investment in a new or expanded operation, the locality stands to benefit from an increased tax base, and expanded jobs and payroll in the community. Consequently, the annual payroll impact will be considered as part of any potential incentive proposal.
Some, although not necessarily all, of the types of incentive offerings that may be applied under this program are as follows:
- Payment in Lieu of Taxes
- Assistance with utility fees and charges
- Delivery of infrastructure to a site or building (water, sewer, roads, fiber optic cable, etc.)
- Write-down of the cost of buildings or sites (reduced price)
- Lease rates that may be below market value or graduated over a period of time
- Assistance with feasibility studies, site plans, engineering costs, or grading
- Performance grants in anticipation of and/or based on actual net new revenues
GUIDELINES
- The program shall be equally available to new or existing business
- The eligible business will pay at minimum above county average wages for the specific sector.
- Consideration shall be given to matching State grants and policy alignment
- The amount of any incentive shall be calculated on the basis of a five-year projected return on investment. That is, the following criteria shall apply:
- The projected new tax revenue shall be estimated based upon the company’s investment in facility, equipment, vehicles, and other locally taxable items.
- New jobs provided by the project shall be reviewed according to the number and quality of the positions and the annual payroll. Quality of the positions shall be evaluated based on full-time versus part-time and wages to be paid compared to regional averages for similar positions.
- Recognizing that companies may invest at much greater capital investment levels than the minimum requirement as set forth in these guidelines, yet may need to hire a lower number of employees in the initial phase, the Economic Development Director shall have the flexibility to consider the nature of any incentive as it relates to investment, jobs and growth of the business on an case-by-case basis irrespective of the terms listed above.
ELIGIBILITY
This program may be made available to any trading sector provided that the criteria stated above meets the appropriate levels for investment and job provision. Each project shall be treated on a case-by case basis. Particular emphasis shall be placed on business and industry types that align with State and regional plans and policy for economic development.
MECHANISM FOR FUNDING
The funding, provision of infrastructure, or other assistance may be made in full within the first year or disbursed over a period of several years. Financial grants will be performance based.
PERFORMANCE AGREEMENT/ANNUAL REPORTING
There shall be a requirement for a performance agreement signed by both the company and the County Commissioners and said agreement shall provide for a means of recovery in the case of default. There shall also be an annual reporting requirement so that any significant deviation from the original proposal can be addressed promptly and any funds not yet advanced withheld.
Failure to meet the benchmarks stated in the agreement shall constitute default unless otherwise modified by the Economic Development Director and approved by the County Commissioners.
FUNDING FOR INCENTIVE PROGRAM
The funding for this program shall be made available from either economic development funds, capital funds set aside for such purposes, or supplemental appropriations. It is understood that all grants and all payments associated with such grants, shall be subject to the availability of funds at any given time.”
There was a brief discussion over the proposed wind farms in Bourbon County; the Commissioners plan to set up a different meeting to discuss the wind farms.
At 7:30, Nick made a motion to adjourn, Jeff seconded and all approved.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
(ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
November 26, 2019, Approved Date
November 19, 2019 Tuesday 9:00 am
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all three Commissioners, the County Counselor and the County Clerk present. Jody Hoener was present for a portion of the meeting.
Tammy Helm with the Fort Scott Tribune and Michael Hoyt were present for a portion of the meeting.
Jim Harris reported they are finishing up the north road at KOA Campground this week. Justin Meeks said they viewed a potential legal matter regarding the right-of-way in the area; Justin estimated the fence that is there has been there 15+ years, Justin said the stakes are further over than the fence.
Jim Harris said he was notified that the City of Fort Scott had completed their asphalt program for the year; he said the County did a blast for chips for them that they are now not going to use. Jim suggested that next year there is a clearer agreement between the City and County. Lynne said he felt it was good that the County provided asphalt, but said when we do; it is taking product out of the County stockpile. Jeff said this was a learning experience, but felt this was a good cooperation between the City and County.
Jeff said since we now have extra chips are they patching with those chips; Jim said they are doing limited patching to save the chips, he said he didn’t want to buy oil until 2020.
Jim reported that in 2019 the County paved 16 miles of road and did one mile with a double layer.
Jim said there was a road on the County line that they would work on this week.
Jim said they covered the bean residue at the Landfill with 6” of dirt.
Nick complimented the work that the mower employees in his district have done.
The Commissioners and Jim Harris discussed the bridge grant fund program; Jeff said that only one County in our district was awarded bridge grant funds. Jim Harris said that the County needs to start budgeting a percentage of the cost for bridge replacements/repairs should the County be awarded funds in the future. Jim said that according to Schwab Eaton there are 37 bridges in Bourbon County that may need to be replaced (10 of those may be rehabbed). Lynne said the mill levy cap makes this difficult to budget for. Jeff said we need to prioritize the bridges.
Robert Uhler with the City of Fort Scott arrived.
Jeff Fischer asked Jim Harris to do a study of traffic regarding what changing the airport road could do.
The Commissioners discussed the overtime being paid on Friday for the last two week period; the Attorney’s office had 42.50 hours of overtime, the Jail had 46.75 hours of overtime and the Sheriff’s department had 198.00 hours of overtime. Jeff said when the County Attorney presented her 2020 budget the Commissioners asked what an impact a municipal court would have on their work time; the County Attorney said it would reduce their workload by 30% and eliminate the overtime. Jeff said it’s estimated that if the City of Fort Scott had a municipal court there could be possible net revenue of $200,000 for the City that could stay in the community. Jeff suggested to Robert Uhler that the City start exploring the municipal court concept. Lynne said a municipal court could reduce the jail population, Jeff said that some inmates might be better served with mental health help verses jail time. There was a discussion over mental health as well as economics playing a role in arrests. Jody Hoener said she thought the best option regarding mental illness might be to brainstorm and address mental health and violence and look at the root cause and what could we do to make a larger impact on our community. Jeff said that someone arrested for a drug possession gets labeled and kept out of a lot of arenas.
Michael Hoyt said that the secret service program is profiling school shooters to follow dangerous people in communities to get ahead of the game; he said this might be a component to fit in with what the Commissioners were just talking about. Mr. Hoyt said the last intruder at a school was a false alarm caused by a contractor at the school. Mr. Hoyt said if a picture was put on the wall of mass shooters, many came from well funded families.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks, Patty Love and Kendell Mason). After the session, Nick made a motion to allow Patty the authority to replace a full time employee, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Rachel Pruitt with the City of Fort Scott and Nancy Van Etten arrived at the meeting.
Economic Development Director Jody Hoener did presented the guidelines for incentives Bourbon County Economic Development, presentation as follows:
“Guidelines for Incentives Bourbon County Economic Development
(Not including Neighborhood Revitalization Program, Business Incubator Space or Small Business Technical Assistance Support)
The following set of guidelines shall govern economic development incentives in Bourbon County. This set of guidelines shall be subject to periodic review and revision.
BASIC PHILOSOPHY
Our vision at Bourbon County is a safe, healthy, vibrant community. Our focus is on creating an environment where people can enjoy and come to expect a higher standard in quality of life. This means building capacity and infrastructure to incentivize tourism, encourage rural revitalization, build healthy communities and create business friendly environments.
The County Commissioner and Economic Development Department are partners in working to ensure that both new and existing businesses can be, where allowable under law and these guidelines, supported in their efforts to expand or create quality, sustainable business in the County.
Economic Development’s role is to grow commercial and business development in order to stimulate above average wage job creation, build commercial tax base, and create new value. These guidelines will be used to help assess business opportunities and make recommendations to the County Commission. The resultant commercial tax base will be used to fund critical public services in order to improve the quality of life for County residents.
A critical component necessary for forward progress is an incentive program which is clearly understood by all. It is intended to provide specific guidance, while retaining a degree of flexibility in the interest of encouraging unique approaches to business development in the best interests of the community at large.
The premise of an incentive program is that it can offer a new or expanding company financial or other assistance associated with a start-up operation or expansion project, thereby freeing up business capital at a time when it is most urgently needed for the many expenses associated with expansion, relocation or start-up. In return, if a company makes an investment in a new or expanded operation, the locality stands to benefit from an increased tax base, and expanded jobs and payroll in the community. Consequently, the annual payroll impact will be considered as part of any potential incentive proposal.
Some, although not necessarily all, of the types of incentive offerings that may be applied under this program are as follows:
- Payment in Lieu of Taxes
- Assistance with utility fees and charges
- Delivery of infrastructure to a site or building (water, sewer, roads, fiber optic cable, etc.)
- Write-down of the cost of buildings or sites (reduced price)
- Lease rates that may be below market value or graduated over a period of time
- Assistance with feasibility studies, site plans, engineering costs, or grading
- Performance grants in anticipation of and/or based on actual net new revenues
GUIDELINES - The program shall be equally available to new or existing business
- The eligible business will pay at minimum above county average wages for the specific sector.
- Consideration shall be given to matching State grants and policy alignment
- The amount of any incentive shall be calculated on the basis of a five-year projected return on investment. That is, the following criteria shall apply:
- The projected new tax revenue shall be estimated based upon the company’s investment in facility, equipment, vehicles, and other locally taxable items.
- New jobs provided by the project shall be reviewed according to the number and quality of the positions and the annual payroll. Quality of the positions shall be evaluated based on full-time versus part-time and wages to be paid compared to regional averages for similar positions.
- Recognizing that companies may invest at much greater capital investment levels than the minimum requirement as set forth in these guidelines, yet may need to hire a lower number of employees in the initial phase, the Economic Development Director shall have the flexibility to consider the nature of any incentive as it relates to investment, jobs and growth of the business on an case-by-case basis irrespective of the terms listed above.
ELIGIBILITY
This program may be made available to any trading sector provided that the criteria stated above meets the appropriate levels for investment and job provision. Each project shall be treated on a case-by case basis. Particular emphasis shall be placed on business and industry types that align with State and regional plans and policy for economic development.
MECHANISM FOR FUNDING
The funding, provision of infrastructure, or other assistance may be made in full within the first year or disbursed over a period of several years. Financial grants will be performance based.
PERFORMANCE AGREEMENT/ANNUAL REPORTING
There shall be a requirement for a performance agreement signed by both the company and the County Commissioners and said agreement shall provide for a means of recovery in the case of default. There shall also be an annual reporting requirement so that any significant deviation from the original proposal can be addressed promptly and any funds not yet advanced withheld.
Failure to meet the benchmarks stated in the agreement shall constitute default unless otherwise modified by the Economic Development Director and approved by the County Commissioners.
FUNDING FOR INCENTIVE PROGRAM
The funding for this program shall be made available from either economic development funds, capital funds set aside for such purposes, or supplemental appropriations. It is understood that all grants and all payments associated with such grants, shall be subject to the availability of funds at any given time.”
Jody Hoener also discussed property taxes and the County-wide NRP program (the NRP program has been submitted to the AG’s office). Once properties come off of the NRP program they will have a positive impact on the tax funds. She said the goal for the mill levy in 10 years is to get the levy to the average for our region. Jeff said the goal is to become competitive with neighboring counties in our region. Jody said in order to lower the mill levy, we need to have added value. Jody briefly discussed the proposed wind farm coming to Bourbon County; she said a PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) program for the proposed development could give the taxing entities a substantial amount for 10 years, she suggested using this money to invest in economic development programs. Lynne said since there is no Bourbon County zoning, he didn’t think it was appropriate to tell landowners what they could do with their property. The Commissioners will consider adopting Guidelines for Incentives Bourbon County Economic Development on November 26th.
Lynne made a motion that on November 26th the Commissioners begin their meeting at 1:30 and adjourn at 7:30, Nick seconded and all approved.
David Neville previously met with the Commissioners to discuss the elevator repairs at the Courthouse; he was asked to get a second bid and a second opinion. David got a second opinion which agreed with the first opinion (stating the elevator needed the power unit and the soft start replaced). David said the two quotes both include the replacement of the power unit and soft start; David said this will take care of the problems for now, but said there could be other issues later on with the elevator. KONE (who currently services the elevator) bid $29,920, Minnesota Elevator bid $29,606. Jeff made a motion to accept the bid from KONE, Nick seconded and all approved. The elevator will be out of service for five days once the install starts. David will coordinate with District Court regarding the elevator outage.
Nick said he planned to attend the Fort Scott City Commission meeting on November 19th.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 15 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks and Kendell Mason). No action was taken.
Justin Meeks said that Michael Hoyt wanted to address the Commissioners regarding an elected individual and voting rights; Michael Hoyt said he had corresponded with that body (referring to Kendell Mason) four times (two in writing and two in person) and had not gotten a response. His letter referred to his right to vote, he said he wanted an answer regarding being pulled or revoked. After discussion, Justin said he would have a formal response within 10 days. Mr. Hoyt said he had filed an affidavit of candidacy to run as a write in for USD 234 school board; he wasn’t happy that he hadn’t seen a list of write-ins. Kendell informed him he did get write-ins for the position, but did not win. Mr. Hoyt said since he didn’t win we would get to put up with him over here. Mr. Hoyt said he would be here every Tuesday at the Commission meetings; he said he has his sights set on all of us, he said if we go anywhere he would be right here waiting for us. Justin said the Commissioners have no authority regarding elected officials.
Mr. Hoyt discussed recent school district events; Justin Meeks said the Commissioners do not have the statutory authority over any elected body in the County, (referring to taxing entities). Lynne said that the County Emergency Manager deals with County emergencies; Mr. Hoyt said that was a waste of funds. Lynne said the Emergency Manager Will Wallis reviewed the school district’s policy regarding intruders, but said Will couldn’t tell the school what to do. Lynne said the schools do their own plans and said that Will can review and suggest changes, but the school doesn’t have to make changes that Will suggests. Mr. Hoyt said he felt that they needed to form an inter-County agency for emergency preparedness. He said the school wasn’t doing things right by not including the citizens in the thought process. Lynne asked him what he wanted the Commissioners to do; Mr. Hoyt said he would do the research in Kansas by comparison, Justin said they would take his free research. Mr. Hoyt asked if the Commissioners were familiar with the Donald Trump Safe School Act. The Commissioners told Mr. Hoyt to schedule an appointment on the agenda if he wanted to meet with them.
Jeff made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for confidential data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks and Kendell Mason). No action was taken.
Jeff gave the other Commissioners a task list and asked that they review it.
At 11:50, Lynne made a motion to adjourn, Nick seconded and all approved.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
(ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
November 26, 2019, Approved Date
November 14, 2019 1:30 pm
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with Commissioners Oharah and Fischer present, Commissioner Ruhl was present for a portion of the meeting. The County Counselor and the County Clerk were also present.
Tammy Helm with the Fort Scott Tribune and Nancy Van Etten were also present.
The Commissioners discussed the property tax relief proposed by the City of Fort Scott to give business owners tax incentives. Jeff recently attended the KAC conference which discussed tax incentives. Jeff said there are currently plenty of property tax incentives in place and if this was approved it could risk the collapsing of the whole system. Jeff said trying to invent additional tax incentives isn’t in the County’s best interest and that we needed a level playing field. Jeff felt the property tax incentive could impact 20% of the properties. Jeff said if the property tax relief was approved it would shift the tax burden onto someone else. Justin Meeks said he would contact the City of Fort Scott to view the documents regarding property tax relief.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 15 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). After the session Lynne made a motion to give Jeff the authority to talk to the City of Fort Scott regarding the correct procedure for road closures, Jeff seconded and the motion passed.
Raymond “Skeet” George met with the Commissioners; Lynne made a motion to give Justin permission to speak with Mark Warren regarding a non-profit group, Jeff seconded and the motion passed.
Robert Leisure met with the Commissioners to give an EMS update; he said in October there were 194 calls for service, 126 transports and 68 dry runs. In October they responded to 13 medical alarms, 10 event standbys, 2 fire structure standbys and 1 mutual aid call. He said since March 1, 2019 there have been 1,638 calls for service, 1,213 transports, 618 transfers and 425 dry runs. Mr. Leisure said they received and have been using the 3 new Life Packs as well as the Macgraths. He said the new furnace in the ambulance bay is working. He said the front and back entry doors at the station needed weather stripping and said the back door is allowing water to come in. Mr. Leisure said it was previously discussed to install blown in insulation in the attic, he asked when this would happen; Lynne said they would look at the budget before doing this. Mr. Leisure asked for the gravel to be leveled at the ambulance parking lot; Jeff made a motion to have Jim Harris level the gravel at the ambulance barn, Lynne seconded and all approved.
Kent Boyd asked for gravel on the road near 1282 Osage Road.
David Neville met with the Commissioners regarding the elevator at the Courthouse; he said they had an elevator inspection, but it has a pump going out, he said it would be a special made pump and is estimated to cost $37,000. It will take 8-10 weeks to get the parts. Jeff asked David to get a 2nd opinion and a 2nd estimate; David will meet with the Commissioners again next week.
Jeff made a motion to approve Resolution 24-19; a Resolution with the official results of the 2019 General Election results, Nick seconded and all approved and signed the official results.
The Commissioners will only meet until noon on November 19th, 2019.
Lynne said he would have Justin Meeks contact Curtis Shankel regarding the property at Mercy.
The Commissioners received a notice from The City of Fort Scott regarding increasing the minimum City rate effective January 1, 2020 to $22.79, the Lake Sewer District rate will also increase to that amount effective January 1, 2020. There will be a public hearing November 19th, 2019 at 6:00 in the City Commission meeting room.
At 3:49, Lynne made a motion to adjourn and Jeff seconded.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
Lynne Oharah, Chairman
Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
11/19/2019, Approved Date
October 29, 2019 Tuesday 9:00 am
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all three Commissioners, the County Counselor and the County Clerk present.
Tammy Helm with the Fort Scott Tribune was also present.
Nick made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for matters relating to the security of a public body or agency, public building or facility or the information system of a public body or agency, if the discussion of such matters at an open meeting would jeopardize the security of such public body, agency, building, facility or information system, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and the County Clerk). After the session, Jeff made a motion that all of the Commissioners could be present on November 5th during the evening to view the election results, Nick seconded and all approved.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Jim Harris). No action was taken.
Jim Harris and Jerad Heckman met with the Commissioners; Lynne asked that they view 85th north of 65, Lynne said he had reports that the hill had slipped. Jerad said there were road closed signs in the area, they will view the road.
The Commissioners will not have a Commission meeting on November 5th or November 12th, they will meet on November 14th to do the election canvass.
Nick reported that FSCC asked for potholes to be filled on the road near the ballpark and football field. Justin was asked to review this and an inter local agreement for services. Nick made a motion to give Jim the authority to patch the holes at FSCC if they get an inter local agreement, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Jeff received a notice that the elevation for the driveway for Clarksburg Church on 245th had changed due to work the County did; Jim was asked to view the driveways/approaches on 245th.
Jeff discussed the online reporting for road issues; he questioned if the security tool was necessary on the site, he felt this tool might be preventing people from filing road condition issues. Lynne felt that I/T should review this tool.
Jeff reported washouts in the road on 195th (the east side of Fort Scott Lake).
Lynne reported there was mud covering the road on 95th both on the north and south side of 54 Highway; Jim said he would have a blade operator remove the mud off of the road.
Tammy Helm had provided Jeff with a report discussing the KDOT bridge grant program; 27 counties in Kansas will receive grant funds. The Commissioners discussed the cost of repairing or replacing bridges. The Commissioners all agreed that the County needed to plan and save for bridge repairs and replacements, if not there may be a time that bridges will be closed. Jeff said that Jim Harris has continued to ask for funds for bridges, but instead of budgeting for a bridge fund, the money has been budgeted elsewhere to fund other needed funds.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 20 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
The Commissioners discussed the overtime paid on 10/25/2019; Road & Bridge had 0 hours, the Jail had 42.75 hours, the Attorney had 29.25 and the Sheriff had 167.00 hours for a grand total of 239.00 hours, this is lower than the 482.00 hours paid on October 11th.
Lynne received a request from KOMB that the County helps financially sponsor the presentation of election results on election night; the Commissioners denied the request.
Jeff Fischer did a video presentation on renewable energy; Shane Walker and Jody Hoener were also present for the discussion. Ford County was discussed in the presentation and the positive economic impact on their County. The wind energy farms have brought jobs, business for hotels, restaurants, etc. In Allen County, $4,000-$5,000 per wind mill is distributed to taxing entities per year for 10 years. Currently there are 26 Counties in Kansas that have wind farms. The average wage for a wind farm technician is $70,000/year. There is a possibility that a 198 megawatt wind farm will be built in Bourbon and Crawford County. There will be public meetings regarding wind energy on October 30th; one meeting will be at FSCC and one will be at Hepler, Kansas (Jeff plans to attend the meetings).
Jeff will be attending a KDOT local consult meeting in Pittsburg today.
Emergency Manager William Wallis met with the Commissioners to discuss the contract and bids for the waterway debris removal due to flooding that occurred in Bourbon County during the summer of 2019. Pro Building (Greg Schick) and Ken Clary bid $11,800, Mix Clearing bid $16,200, RII Concrete bid $13,600, Rogers and Sons Concrete bid $20,000 and Gayman Construction Inc. bid $59,400. This expense will be funded 85% (FEMA)/15% (County). The Commissioners felt that RII Concrete addressed the criteria necessary for the project. Lynne made a motion to accept the bid from RII Concrete for $13,600, Nick seconded and all approved. Nick made a motion to give Lynne the authority to sign the contract, Jeff seconded and all approved.
At 12:05, Lynne made a motion to adjourn, Nick seconded and all approved.
Nick called a special meeting at 3:00 regarding the heater at the EMS building not working. Nick said that Jeff Allen is working on the heater, but wasn’t sure if it would get fixed. Lynne made a motion to purchase a new heater for $2,300 from Norris if needed, Jeff seconded and the motion passed.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
Lynne Oharah, Chairman
Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
11/14/2019 Approved Date
October 21, 2019 Monday 9:00 am
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with Commissioners Oharah and Fischer, the County Counselor and the County Clerk present.
Tammy Helm with the Fort Scott Tribune was also present.
Jim Harris & Jerad Heckman with Road & Bridge met with the Commissioners; they have been making ice chips, making asphalt for the City of Fort Scott and hauling gravel to the Garland area. They have been working on Xavier between 85-95th, as well as working near the Phillips property at 205th & Justice Lane. Jerad reported they had bladed Zinc between Highway 39 & 115th. They plan to start reclaiming the road North of KOA Campground this week. They will finish Yale Road this week.
Jim Harris said they will be installing an electronic crossing for USD 235 on October 25th.
Justin Meeks said he would prepare a resolution regarding budgeting for ambulance service.
Emergency Manager Will Wallis met with the Commissioners to discuss the debris removal from the damage after the summer flooding; Will said he had received four bids for debris removal, but is expecting two more bids. Will asked the Commissioners to decide who should win the bid once he receives all bids. Justin Meeks will draw up a contract for the debris removal. Will said they have a burn permit at the Landfill for the debris. The County will do the burning and burying of the debris.
Jeff discussed a letter from the Kansas Renewable Energy Conference from Governor Laura Kelly; the letter discussed the growth in the renewable energy sector in Kansas.
Gregory Vahrenberg with Raymond James Public Finance met with the Commissioners, also present were Ben Cole, Bobby Reed, Bill Martin, Leslie Herrin (videotaping) and Patty Love. Bill Martin said a comment was made during budgeting about a decline in the jail sales tax so he asked Mr. Vahrenberg (Mr. Vahrenberg previously worked for Piper Jaffray and did the financial aid feasibility study when the jail was voted on) to do an analysis of the jail sales tax. Mr. Vahrenberg said in 2015 the voters approved .40% sales tax to be used for the construction of the jail; $6,850,000 was paid for the construction and $1,770,000 for the jail pods. The additional money collected from the sales tax was to be used to pay additional money on the bonds, refurbish or remodel the old jail space and operations. The Commissioners asked Mr. Vahrenberg for clarification on the ballot language that was voted on. Mr. Vahrenberg estimated in 2018 that there would be $8,654 in the annual excess sales and use tax revenue (this amount is expected to increase each year) after the jail series 2015 debt service, the pods 2016 debt service payments and the $200,000 in operating expenses were paid; he estimated the annual excess sales and use tax to grow each year and said that this excess could be a cushion used in years when the sales tax revenue is down. Mr. Vahrenberg said the sales tax would have to drop dramatically for the County to not be able to make the payments, he said sales tax is tricky to predict and can be deceiving. He said he didn’t see something that stands out as a concern and said he didn’t see a reason to be alarmed. Bill questioned when the County should be alarmed; Mr. Vahrenberg said a 25% decrease in tax collection would be a concern. Currently the County is down approximately 9% in sales tax revenue. He said $200,000 has been budgeted in operating expense that could be used as a cushion if needed. Mr. Vahrenberg said there will be years when there will be a growth in sales tax and years where there is a decrease in sales tax.
At 12:05, Lynne made a motion to break for lunch and reconvene at 1:00, Jeff seconded the motion.
Nick Ruhl arrived at the Commission meeting.
The Noxious Weed department sprayed chemicals at the Law Enforcement building and billed them for the chemicals; Bill Martin didn’t feel they should have to pay for the chemicals. Lynne made a motion to keep the billing the same as it is and bill them for the chemicals, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Jeff made a motion that the Commissioners sign a real estate contract and warranty deed to give the former Noxious Weed building in Uniontown to the City of Uniontown for $0, Nick seconded and all approved and signed the contract and warranty deed.
On 10/30/2019, Jeff plans to attend a moderated conversation meeting regarding wind energy in Hepler and in Fort Scott.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
At 3:40, Lynne made a motion to adjourn, Jeff seconded and all approved.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
Lynne Oharah, Chairman
Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
10/29/2019, Approved Date
October 15, 2019 Tuesday 9:00
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with Commissioners Oharah and Fischer present. The County Counselor and the County Clerk were also present.
Jason Silvers with the Fort Scott Tribune, Nancy & Kerry Van Etten and Julie Saker each attended a portion of the Commission meeting.
Michael Hoyt met with the Commissioners to clarify his request from the last time he met with the Commissioners; he said he would like for the County to engage Emergency Manager Will Wallis to test or evaluate all EOP plans in place to see if there is room for improvement. Mr. Hoyt said the USD 234 plan fell apart in two areas on September 3, 2019 when there was an intruder; the 911 system and notifying the parents of students of the incident. Lynne Oharah said he had a conversation with Will Wallis and asked what the County’s responsibility was for those plans; Will said he was asked to critique USD 234’s plan, he said he did and felt it was a good plan. Mr. Hoyt said they had an event or incident and said there was no reason why the County leadership couldn’t take control and evaluate the plans. Lynne said he would discuss this with Will Wallis again.
Jim Harris and Jerad Heckman met with the Commissioners; Jim said they are mowing and crushing. He said they are making chips at the Beth Quarry. The County is making 1,400 tons of asphalt for the City of Fort Scott. He said they did a 23,000 ton blast. Jim Harris said they will be doing a snow drill this week.
Lynne said there are potholes at the north end of Devon that need filled and said a culvert may be needed; Jim said they would send the pothole patcher to the area.
Jeff made a motion that Kendell send all department heads a memo asking that they watch and control their overtime since we are over budget in employee benefits (taxes and KPERS are based on compensation, and are elevated due to the extra overtime), Lynne seconded the motion. Jeff said we need to be good stewards of the taxpayer’s money and said if we don’t reduce expenses it will require a reduction in force.
Jeff discussed the work done on Ironwood and the collapsed culvert there; he said the County did an amazing job there; he complimented the work that Jared Lord did.
Jeff discussed Mr. Phillips property on Justin Lane; he said there is water running from a spring or from a runoff, Mr. Phillips asked that ditching be done there. Jim Harris said he would view the area.
Lynne reported that 125th & Osage going east and west needs gravel.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for confidential data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners Justin Meeks and Jody Hoener). No action was taken.
Bill Martin, Ben Cole, Bobby Reed and Leslie Herrin (who was videotaping the meeting) met with the Commissioners to discuss a bill the Sheriff’s department received from Noxious Weed. Bill said he had requested gravel (which they have not received) for an area on the north side of the Sheriff’s building. Bill said they received a $566 bill from Noxious Weed for chemical spraying done by the Sheriff’s building. Bill suggested that the bill be written off since the property belongs to the County. Jim Harris said Noxious Weed has to purchase the chemicals and said if Noxious Weed sprays at the Landfill then the Landfill pays for the chemicals. Jeff questioned how the bill for spraying is different than the bill for fuel delivered to the Law Enforcement Center for the generator; Bill said the fuel for the generator should be paid out of operations. Jim Harris said they mow the area, but do not send a bill for mowing. Lynne said they would discuss the bill for spraying with Nick Ruhl when he returns. Jim Harris said there is a $506 delinquent bill owed from the Law Enforcement Center to Road & Bridge for fuel that was delivered for the generator; however, it was later stated that the $506 bill had been paid.
Julie Saker briefly met with the Commissioners; she announced that she was planning to run for Sheriff in 2020.
Jody Hoener met with the Commissioners; she discussed the event center, she said she and Rod Markin had attended a work group meeting and did site visits. She said the next step is to do business (to see if there is a need for the facility) & resident surveys. Jody said she needed to put out a press release to businesses and residents to identify long term property tax goals. Jody said the average mill levy for Bourbon County is 180.77 (which is the 11th highest in the state of Kansas). Jody suggested adding value to help reduce the mill levy and to obtain a long term goal (by 2030) of an average mill levy of 158.61. Lynne made a motion to accept this goal, Jeff seconded and the motion passed. Jody said that Jim Keller and Steve Buerge had both made contributions towards having the market demand study done.
Jeff Fischer discussed the St. Martins Academy on Indian Road; he said he had met with Daniel Kerr, Mr. Kerr said they did not want regulations or restrictions, but asked that the County place school zone signs (without restricting or reducing the speed limit at this time). Jim Harris recommended 45 mph since this was the current speed limit in the area. Jeff said that St. Martins had constructed a bridge and pathway for the students to use to keep them from walking on Indian Road. Jeff made a motion to direct Jim Harris to install school zone & warning signs with a 45 mph speed limit, Lynne seconded and the motion passed.
William Laporte from Hidden Valley met with the Commissioners; he said they have received good service from the Sheriff’s department. He said recently the club house alarm had gone off, but it was a false alarm; he said he wanted to contact the Sheriff’s department to notify them of the false alarm so they didn’t make the trip to Hidden Valley, but said he had to call 911 to cancel the call, but said his 911 call went to Linn County. He questioned if it was true that only 2 deputies were on duty at one time and asked if it was too expensive to add more deputies; Lynne said the tax payers do not want their taxes to go up. Mr. Laporte asked about Yale Road; Lynne said it would eventually be paved.
Sparky Schroeder met with the Commissioners and Jim Harris; he said the base on 230th is coming apart, Jim Harris said the asphalt came apart but said the base did not. Jim said they did a good job on the base of the road and said if it fails they will fix it. Mr. Schroeder said if it’s a blacktop issue, what are they doing to fix; Jim said it is unpredictable in what asphalt will do.
Mike & Judy Wilson met with the Commissioners regarding Unity & 75th Terrace; Mr. Wilson said the gravel had washed off of the road and said the road needs a crown or peak so that the water can run off. Jim Harris said they would view the road.
Justin Meeks reported that the City of Uniontown had accepted the real estate contract for the Noxious Weed building in Uniontown; he said he would discuss this at the next Commission meeting when Nick was present.
Lynne gave Justin Meeks permission to attend the KAC conference in November, Jeff seconded and the motion passed.
Justin Meeks discussed the tax sale and said that the tax sale is progressing; he said the publication for the tax sale cost $10,000.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Jeff seconded the motion, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
At 11:23, Lynne made a motion to adjourn and Jeff seconded.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
Lynne Oharah, Chairman
Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
10/21/2019, Approved Date
October 8, 2019 Tuesday 9:00 am
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all three Commissioners, the County Counselor and the County Clerk present.
Tammy Helm with the Fort Scott Tribune was also present.
Rod Markin with Markin Consultants met with the Commissioners and Jody Hoener regarding a multi sport indoor arena in Bourbon County. Nancy and Kerry Van Etten were also present for this meeting. Markin Consultants specialize in multi sport indoor arenas. The first phase for Markin Consultants is to do a market demand analysis, look at possible sites, demographic trends, look at competitive factors, determine who would use the facility, talk to producers and promoters of events then develop a program or plan for the facility. Once phase one is complete, they would share this with the Commissioners to see if a complex is viable. Phase two is to do a market and financial feasibility study and look at the related economic impact. Phase one will cost $15,000 (this will take approximately 10-12 weeks) and phase two is $6,000. Mr. Markin said we need support from the local community. Jody Hoener felt the arena could help retain our population, businesses and help with sales tax. Mr. Markin discussed the fairground and the FSCC rodeo arena, he asked how those would be impacted if a multi sport arena was built; it was stated that they wouldn’t be affected since they are smaller and there’s no room for them to grow. Lynne suggested since Bourbon County was located at the crossroads of two highways and close to major cities this could possibly be a good option for our area.
Jim Harris met with the Commissioners; Jim discussed tires and the Landfill, he said he was going to reach out to other Landfills for options on disposing tires.
Jim said they were going to blast at the Beth Quarry this week and will then make asphalt chips. He said they are patching and hauling gravel around the County. Jim said he recommended to not lay anymore asphalt this year, he said the Sales Tax fund is done; Jim said they completed close to 18 lane miles of asphalt in 2019.
Nick made a motion to give Jim Harris permission to hire a replacement mower employee, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Jim said he met with Will Wallis; Will asked Jim for a burning station at the Landfill, Jim said he is getting the location ready.
Nick reported a plugged culvert on 145th North of 54 Highway.
Lynne asked Jim to look at an area between 85th & 95th and Xavier Road.
The Commissioners approved reclaiming the road to get some ditches, install culverts and cut tress (out of the County’s right of way) on the North side of KOA Campgrounds.
Jeff Fischer attended a renewable energy conference; he said wind and solar energy were discussed. Jeff suggested that Counties obtaining windmills should pay attention to roads; he said Allen County has approximately 60 windmills and are now doing the road restoration after the installation of the windmills. Transportation innovation was also discussed. Jeff will attend an APEX wind energy meeting on October 10th.
Jeff did a presentation about the Forward Kansas Visioning Transportation Futures meeting he attended; he said the meeting discussed many items and needs involving planning for future transportation. After his presentation, he questioned what the Commissioners should do differently to plan for future transportation.
The Commissioners briefly discussed the overtime to be paid on October 11th; for a two week period the Sheriff’s department had 199.00 hours, the Attorney’s department had 67.75 hours, the Correctional Center had 116.75 hours and Road and Bridge had 99.00 hours.
Lynne made a motion that the Commissioners approve Gold Mechanical to fix the HVAC system at the jail for $65,500, but want a contract to do the work and the contract needs a timeframe for completion and needs to have a guarantee that it will fix the problem, Nick seconded and all approved.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Kendell Mason). After the session, Nick made a motion to authorize Kendell to replace a full time employee, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Jeff made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks, Deb Schoenberger and Kendell Mason). No action was taken.
Jeff made a motion to give Lynne the authority to sign the Savvik Buying Group contract, Nick seconded and all approved.
At noon, Nick made a motion to adjourn for the day, Jeff seconded and all approved.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
Lynne Oharah, Chairman
Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
ATTEST: Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
10/21/2019, Approved Date
October 1, 2019 Tuesday 9:00 am
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all three Commissioners, the County Counselor and the County Clerk present.
Tammy Helm with the Fort Scott Tribune was also present.
Michael Hoyt met with the Commissioners to discuss USD 234; there was recently an intruder at the High School who was later arrested for hurting a man in Fort Scott. He said the parents of the students were not contacted about the intruder and that when the 911 call was made regarding the individual the 911 call did not go to a 911 operator in Fort Scott. Mr. Hoyt said he tried to work with Mr. Hessong at the board office about their emergency response plan. Mr. Hoyt said the school district had not published their Emergency Response plan. Mr. Hoyt asked if Will Wallis could evaluate the boards system regarding unwanted visitors and active shooters and critique the current plan; Lynne said they could have a discussion with Will Wallis to see what his responsibility is in helping develop their plan.
Larry and Carol Goucher met with the Commissioners, Jim Harris and Jerad Heckman to discuss an area in the road near 2245 Unique Road; he said the County gravel trucks had caused the gravel to mound 10 ½” high in the road and his wife high centered their 2003 Monte Carlo on the gravel destroying the radiator. Kendell told them she would do a claims report with the insurance carrier. Mr. Goucher said the truck drivers should monitor the roads and report to their supervisor when a problem develops in the road. Mr. Goucher said they now have a new grader operator in the area and the road is better than it has been in years.
Jim Harris said that they have finished two miles on 245th and that the two approaches are finished there.
Jim said they are drilling at the Beth Quarry and will be doing a blast there next week. Jim said they are gaining ¼” chips. He said the salt building is full and they will have four trucks with plows for snow removal.
Jim said they are working on Range east of 235th and will be putting in culverts around Uniontown this week.
Jim said they have a 1998 tractor that is broke down, but they will fix it.
Jim Harris is going to a two day solid waste meeting; he said attending those meetings can help them learn so they can avoid violations at the Landfill. Jim said they have two dedicated employees at the Landfill.
Jeff said he is attending a webinar today regarding KDOT funds; he said some of the funds have been allocated for bridge repairs.
The Commissioners received a request from Larry Shead to install drainage culverts near 250th & Deere Road; Jim Harris said he would order a study of the area through Ag Engineering.
Jeff asked that they consider wedging on Indian road (near the Reprologic business) for approximately ¼ mile; he said the road is rutting and that the patches there are raveling. Jeff said if the problem area fills with water and freezes that portion of the road surface will fall off. Lynne suggested plaining the top off of the road, Nick said they needed to view the road before making a decision. Lynne made a motion to suspend the meeting to view Indian Road, Jeff seconded and all approved and all of the Commissioners went with Jim Harris and Jerad Heckman to view the road.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Jim Harris and Jerad Heckman). No action was taken.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Jim Harris and Jerad Heckman). No action was taken.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Jim Harris and Jerad Heckman). After the session, Jeff made a motion to give Nick permission to represent Bourbon County at the City Commission meeting on October 1, 2019, Lynne seconded and all approved.
Lynne asked Treasurer Patty Love to provide up-to-date figures for the Road & Bridge Sales Tax fund.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 15 minute executive session for Consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Lynne made a motion to give Nick and Justin permission to talk with Susan Brown with the City of Fort Scott regarding EMS, Jeff seconded and all approved.
At 11:44, Lynne made a motion to break for lunch and reconvene at 1:30, Nick seconded and all approved.
Carla Nemecek met with the Commissioners to give a Southwind Extension District update; she discussed sheep and goat management, the Bressner range research project (native grass that is utilized as an experimental project to study the preservation and the use of native grasses), adult development and aging – the aging with attitude regional expo as well as livestock and meat judging.
Jeff made a motion to authorize Lynne to sign a letter to Gary Walker concerning the final completion of the jail project, Nick seconded and all approved. Lynne signed the letter and Kendell mailed the letters to Gary Walker, Stephen Smith, Larry Goldberg and Kevin Rost.
EMS director Robert Leisure met with the Commissioners; he said in September they had 236 calls for service. Justin Meeks discussed the contract with SAVVIK (a company that will bid out future EMS purchases for the County; Justin questioned if the County signed the contract would the County have to only use them exclusively, (Robert said he would verify this). Justin said he reviewed the Stryker contract which is a contract for the purchase of 3 LIFEPAK’s and supplies for $74,510.37 (3 year, no interest financing). Nick made a motion that Lynne sign the contract with Stryker, Jeff seconded and all approved and Lynne signed the contract.
Kendell presented the 2020 KCAMP listing to the Commissioners for review.
The Commissioners discussed the East front steps of the Courthouse with Shane Walker; Shane said they have two bids, but had not received the third bid yet. Shane said they had not published for bids, but asked for bids from the local businesses. The Commissioners asked that Shane provide Kendell the data to publish for bids.
Nick made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks and Shane Walker). No action was taken.
The Commissioners discussed the utilities at the old health department; IT and Emergency Preparedness are using the building as office space now. The Commissioners, Shane Walker and Will Wallis agreed that the utility bills should be paid by IT and Emergency Preparedness.
Will Wallis met with the Commissioners; he said that the Garland Fire Department sold him a digital sign for $1,200, (Will will pay for the sign and installation with grant money). Nick made a motion to allow the sign to be installed on the exterior outside East wall of the Commission room, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Lynne discussed the incident of the intruder at the USD 234 with Will Wallis; Lynne asked Will what role he had in identifying or working through that issue, Will said he had no role in that issue. Will said USD 234 had contacted him and presented their active shooter plan to him to critique, which Will did.
Will said he is waiting on bids for the debris removal from the summertime flood.
Jeff made a motion that the Commissioners sign the letter of support for the CTD#10, Nick seconded and all approved and signed the letter.
At 3:09, Lynne made a motion to adjourn, Nick seconded and approved.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
Lynne Oharah, Chairman
Jeff Fischer,Commissioner
Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
10/08/2019, Approved Date
September 24, 2019 Tuesday 9:00 am
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all three Commissioners, the County Counselor and the County Clerk present.
Tammy Helm with the Fort Scott Tribune was also present. Kerry and Nancy Van Etten were present for a portion of the meeting.
Dale Bolinger met with the Commissioners, Jim Harris and Jerad Heckman regarding Indian Road and St. Martens Academy; Charles Gentry previously met with the Commissioners asking that a school zone be established and that the County install school zone signs on Indian Road. Jeff previously suggested that the County consider separating the vehicle and pedestrian traffic and possibly widen the road. Jeff plans to talk to the school owner to see what the needs are. Jeff met with the head master at the school and discussed the possibility of having a path for pedestrian traffic; the school is putting this path in on private property, which would eliminate the need to widen the road. Currently the speed limit there is 45 mph. Dale Bolinger said he felt the location of the school drive is a safety issue and said this was a poor location for a driveway entrance, he suggested keeping the students off of Indian Road for their safety. Dale said he was opposed to dropping the speed limit to 20 mph in the school area. Jim Harris said he and Justin Meeks would review the State laws regarding school zones.
Kevin Allen met with the Commissioners; he discussed an area on the north side of Indian Road that has depression areas in the road on a hill near the Veterinary office; Jeff suggested possibly wedging up the road there. Jim said they would need to look at the budget and staffing before considering doing the work. Jeff said that Indian Road was never on the plan to be overlaid beyond what has been done, but said this area might be an area that needs work. Jeff felt this problem area in the road was due to the large amount of rainfall Bourbon County has experienced and said Will Wallis might be able to find FEMA funds to be used to help stabilize the road. Jeff discussed Indian Road with Will Wallis.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 3 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Jim Harris presented the Five Year Solid Waste Plan to the Commissioners; Agricultural Engineering Associates prepared the plan and the Commissioners reviewed the plan. Nick made a motion to approve the Five Year Solid Waste Plan, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Lynne said he received a phone call offering to supply workforce to start doing the recycling program in Bourbon County again; Jim Harris suggested placing the recycling trailers at the Landfill for use on Saturday mornings.
Emergency Manager Will Wallis met with the Commissioners to discuss the disaster debris removal due to flooding the County experienced earlier this summer. Will presented a map of the County quarries and a list of the 22 debris sites. Will said if the County does the work it would be paid for by FEMA. He said the debris could be taken to the Landfill and/or the Quarry sites. Jim Harris said his crew does not have the time to do the work; he suggested contracting the work out. Will said if the County wasn’t going to do the work then he would wait for the Public Assistance to bid the work out; he said if it was bid out they would need to get 3 bids, Justin would have to create a contract and Will would have to be the debris monitor. Will said the County would have to pay the contractor initially before the County would be reimbursed from the State. All of the Commissioners agreed that the debris removed need to be placed in the Landfill, not in the quarries.
Jeff said he had started the process of getting pricing for the two fracture critical bridges in Bourbon County to help in applying for KDOT grant funds. He said he and Jody Hoener would work on the grant application process.
Dale Arnold met with the Commissioner to discuss the jail needing another $60,000 worth of work; the Commissioners said that there is work that needs to be done, but the County still owes money to the contractor for the jail construction.
Jeff made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for confidential data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks and Jody Hoener). No action was taken.
Nick made a motion to allow Jody Hoener to attend a Kansas Economic Development Conference in Topeka, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Lynne made a motion to give Jeff permission to attend a wind generated energy conference in October, Nick seconded and all approved, (the conference expense will be paid for out of the Commissioners budget).
Jody Hoener discussed a workforce development luncheon at FSCC today, she asked if one of the Commissioners would like to give a closing remark; Lynne offered to speak.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 7 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Nick made a motion to approve a real property relief application (due to a house fire) for Angela Lisa Mumbower for 1818 159th, Fort Scott, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Nick made a motion that Lynne be the voting delegate for KWORCC, Jeff seconded and all approved. Nick made a motion that Jeff be the alternate voting delegate for KWORCC, Lynne seconded and all approved.
Nick made a motion to nominate Rob Roberts from the Southeast Kansas district to serve on the KWORCC board of trustees, Lynne seconded and all approved.
Jeff made a motion to approve Resolution 23-19, (a resolution stating that effective October 1, 2019, if an employee leaves employment with Bourbon County on the 1st day of the month, their insurance will terminate on that day. If an employee leaves employment anytime with Bourbon County from the 2nd – the last day of the month, their Health, Dental and Vision Insurance benefits will terminate on the last day of that same month), Nick seconded and all approved.
There will be a holiday lunch for County employees on December 6, 2019; the Commissioners agreed not to close the Courthouse during the luncheon.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for confidential data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
At 11:15, Lynne made a motion to suspend the meeting until 1:30, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Robert Leisure and Dave Bruner with EMS met with the Commissioners, they previously met with the Commissioners asking to purchase 3 new Life Pack 15’s for a total of $67,629.60 and 2 McGrath Video Laryngoscopes for a total of $5,548 (with trade ins); the Commissioners asked that they get bids for the products. Robert said that Savvik Group is a not for profit group that will do the bidding for equipment for them; they will not charge the County a fee. They presented a contract for Justin Meeks to review.
Bill Martin, Bobby Reed, Alvin Metcalf and Leslie Herrin met with the Commissioners; Bobby discussed the plumbing at the jail. There was a discussion over who would be responsible for the cost of flushing the plumbing system; Lynne said this will be the responsibility of the County and will have to be paid for out of the jail funds. Bill said he would bid this work out.
Bobby discussed finances at the jail; he said there is an inmate that will be delivering a baby. Bobby said that the jail population at the jail is increasing daily and they have reached out to other counties regarding housing inmates out for $40/day.
Bill Martin discussed the District Court bailiff being absent due to a medical issue; Bill said there will be even more overtime to cover the bailiff being absent as well as covering employees on vacation and covering when employees are in training. Bill said his wage/ salaries budget is currently 5% over. Bill said he didn’t feel he would have enough money in 2020 to cover the expenses either.
Jeff made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Kendell Mason). No action was taken.
The Commissioners signed and discussed the payroll register that will be paid on September 27, 2019; Lynne said they have been tracking the overtime for the past year and said it is consistently high for some departments. He said this payroll had 200 hours of overtime for the Sheriff’s department (15 total employees), 68.25 hours of overtime for the Correctional Center (19 total employees), 133.75 hours of overtime for Road & Bridge (38 total employees), 43.75 hours of overtime for the Attorney’s office (6 total employees) and 20.00 hours of overtime for the EMS department (4 total employees). The Sheriff previously stated his concern over meeting his budget due to the overtime. Jeff Fischer discussed the amount of overtime for the Sheriff & the Correctional Center, he said the increased overtime hours started about the time they moved to the new jail and the Commissioners had anticipated that it would fall back to the previous level, but said that hasn’t happened. Jeff said an article in the Iola newspaper said Allen County jail operates on 17 employees and they cook their inmates’ food as well as prepare food for Meals on Wheels.
At 2:50, Jeff made a motion to adjourn, Nick seconded and all approved.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
(ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
10/01/2019, Approved Date
September 17, 2019 Tuesday 9:00 am
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with Commissioner Fischer and Ruhl, the County Counselor and the County Clerk present.
Jim Harris and Jerad Heckman with Road & Bridge met with the Commissioners; Jim said they are wedging on 245th. He said that two of the Freightliner trucks broke down last week. They made 240 tons of asphalt for the City of Fort Scott. He said they took the patcher to do work on 240th & Jayhawk. He said they are mowing around the County. They are crushing and making chips at the Beth Quarry. They have been using the excavator at the Shepherd Quarry clearing out the floor.
Charles Gentry (the secretary of St. Martens Academy) met with the Commissioners to discuss the St. Martens Academy located east of the Fort Scott Lake on Indian Road. St. Martens is a boy’s boarding school for freshman to seniors that offers a classical education and farm work experience. There are currently 29 students at the school, 12 paid staff as well as volunteers at the school. Mr. Gentry said that five families have moved to Bourbon County due to the school. Currently the speed limit is 45 mph in the area; Mr. Gentry asked that a school speed zone be established with signage (warning school zones ahead, school speed limit signs & end school zone sign) going both directions on either side of the school property. Jeff made a motion to direct Jim Harris to review the area and report back to the Commissioners and consider widening the road between the school and the Lake entrance in the future, Nick seconded and the motion passed.
Jeff reported a citizen contacted him regarding the patching done in Rocher addition; there are still potholes that need filled there. Jim said he would view the road.
There was a brief discussion over the one percent countywide retailer’s sales tax that is distributed to the County and Cities in Bourbon County. This will expire on June 30, 2021. The Commissioners discussed renewing this tax. Jeff suggested reviewing and calculating the amount of current sales tax that is collected for the swimming pool, the jail and the one percent road tax.
The Commissioners did a fence viewing between property owners Brian Comstock and Union Pacific Railroad; Nick made a motion that the fence does need to be repaired or replaced since it does not meet the Bourbon County fence guidelines, Union Pacific will be responsible for the east ½ of the fence and the Comstock’s will be responsible for the west ½ of the fence, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Jeff made a motion to approve a Property Tax Relief Application (due to fire) for David Klein and a Property Tax Relief Application for the Joe Pete Erie property; Nick seconded and the motion passed.
Dave Bruner and Robert Leisure with the Bourbon County EMS met with the Commissioners; in August of 2019 there were 194 calls for service, of those calls there were 69 transfers, 49 dry runs and 145 total transports. They requested 3 new Life Pack 15’s for a total of $67,629.60 and 2 McGrath Video Laryngoscopes for a total of $5,548 (with trade ins). If purchased 3 annual payments could be made on the equipment. Jeff asked that they get another bid for a price comparison. They plan to get another bid and meet back with the Commissioners. There is an ambulance getting repaired for approximately $3,000.
Jeff made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for confidential data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Dave Bruner and Robert Leisure). No action was taken.
Justin Meeks met with the Commissioners to discuss Elm Creek Lake; he asked permission from the Commissioners to start the process to get the shelters there on the Kansas Historical list. He said that HPA and the ABC Trails may have money available to help with the cost of repairs to the buildings. Jeff made a motion to allow Justin to start the process of getting Elm Creek on the Kansas Historical List, Nick seconded and the motion passed.
Jeff made a motion to break for lunch and reconvene at 1:30, Nick seconded and the motion passed.
Terry Sercer met with the Commissioners to present the 2018 audit; he said there were no violations of the Kansas Statutes. However, there were 3 deficiencies; reconciliation of cash in the bank to the County’s accounting records, Reconciliation of the annual tax roll and preparation of the financial statements (Terry assists in both the County audit and the County budget).
Emergency Manager Will Wallis met with the Commissioners to discuss the disaster debris removal; Bourbon County experienced some flooding in the County in the spring of 2019. Will said there were 22 different areas in Bourbon County that has debris in Bourbon County waterways. He said that the State reported that the County could use a quarry site or the Landfill to store the debris. KDHE said the debris could be burnt and provided Will with an application for approval of open burning operation. There will be funds from FEMA to help pay for the cost of the debris removal. The debris needs to be removed by December 15, 2019. Will questioned if the Commissioners wanted Road & Bridge to remove the debris (to save money) or hire the work to be done. Will said that Road & Bridge would need two dump trucks and a backhoe to move the debris and estimated that the County could do the work in approximately 6 days. After discussion, Nick said he would talk to Jim Harris about the debris removal, the Commissioners plan to discuss this again on September 24th.
Jeff Fischer may attend a news interview at the jail regarding the HVAC unit.
Lora Holdridge met with the Commissioners to discuss the County holiday meal; it was decided the meal would be on December 6th. Lora said there will also be an ornament exchange for the employees that want to participate. Lora said that Woodson County wants to opt out of doing two SEK meetings a year; Lora suggested continuing to do the meetings twice a year.
Register of Deeds Lora Holdridge says she talked to Nick about departments rehiring; she said they previously weren’t able to do the information officer since the person they planned to put in the position backed out at the last minute. Lora said in her 2020 budget she requested an additional $15,000 to be given to herself and her one employee; she said she had waited two years to hire a floater or an information officer. Lora said she never gets to take a vacation since she only has one employee and that other department heads are allowed to take 1-2 weeks at a time. Lora said she offers comp time to her one employee. Lora asked Kendell if she was rehiring for a vacant part time position; Kendell said she was. The Commissioners said that Kendell asked and was given permission to rehire for the position. Lora discussed mistakes that past employees in her office had made, as well as other mistakes that had been made. Lora said that her office is the only office where everything dealing with real estate starts. Lora said hiring a part time employee in her office wouldn’t do any good. Lora presented two pay vouchers to the Commissioners; she presented a voucher to pay herself $10,000 and presented a $5,000 voucher to pay her one employee. Jeff Fischer said he didn’t feel comfortable with this, he said he wasn’t saying they didn’t deserve this, but said if this was allowed other departments would present requests too. After much discussion, Lora said she wouldn’t turn in the vouchers, but asked that they discuss this with Lynne Oharah. Jeff said they did budget a raise in 2020 for several elected officials to correct the wage problem. Jeff said it was the responsibility of the County Commissioners to look out for the whole organization. Jeff has previously said that Allen County Register of Deeds operates on two employees, and stated that Bates County Missouri operates their Register of Deeds office on 1 ½ employee.
Nick Ruhl will be attending a healthcare task force meeting on 9/19/2019 at 9:00 am.
Jeff made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks and Kendell Mason). No action was taken.
At 3:48, Nick made a motion to adjourn and Jeff seconded.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
_____________ , Chairman
(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
(ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
09/24/2019, Approved Date
September 10, 2019 Tuesday 9:00 am
The Bourbon County Commissioners met in open session with Commissioner Ruhl in person and Commissioner Oharah by telephone and the County Counselor and the County Clerk present.
Nick made a motion to suspend the meeting until 1:30, when all of the Commissioners could be present in person, and Lynne seconded the motion.
Tammy Helm with the Fort Scott Tribune, Jody Hoener and Hazel Swartz were also present.
Lynne made a motion to accept the 2018 tax sale report from Treasurer Patty Love, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Bobby Reed met with the Commissioners to discuss the HVAC unit at the new law enforcement center. Lynne said he had worked with Shane Walker and the engineers to fix the problems with the HVAC unit. Lynne said it was initially expected to cost $55,000, but now it is expected to cost $65,500. Lynne said he didn’t feel the County had a choice, but to do the work to make the units work properly. The Commissioners said they still owe a pay application of $69,000 towards the construction of the law enforcement center. Jeff made a motion to give Lynne the authority to move forward with the outstanding jail projects, including, but not limited to HVAC, plumbing and exhaust, Nick seconded and all approved.
Jim Harris and Jerad Heckman met with the Commissioners; Jim Harris presented truck quotes for replacement trucks. Summit Truck quoted $142,582 (less $41,500 for the trade in of a 2013 Freightliner) = total $101,082 for a 2020 International HV507 with a 16 dump package, with a 5 year or 250,000 mile warranty. Tri State Truck Center quoted $153,951 (less $34,000 for the trade in of a 2013 Freightliner) = total of $119,951 for a 2020 Mack Granite GR64F9. These trucks would replace two trucks that have needed repairs; one truck to date in 2019 has had $16,480.24 in repairs and the other truck to date in 2019 has had $8,919.55 in repairs with a possible $11,500 more needed. Jerad and Jim both recommended the Mack Granite trucks. After discussion, Nick made a motion to give Jim Harris the authority to buy 2 Mack trucks from Tri State Truck Center for $119,951 each after trading in 2 Freightliners and financing them for 5 years, Lynne seconded the motion; Jeff was not in favor of purchasing 2 trucks.
Jim Harris told the Commissioners that they may have to consider replacing a motor grader in the spring of 2020.
Jim Harris reported they are asphalting on 245th.
There was discussion over promoting the 7 mile loop as a bike path. The 7 mile loop starts at Wall & National and goes north to Condensory Road and ends back at Wall & National.
Brian Powell met with the Commissioners to discuss the condition of the roads; he discussed 80th & 54 Highway, he said the grader is scraping all of the rock off of the road and the rock is going into the ditches and the rain is washing the road. Jim said he would view the road.
Jeff reported that Rebecca Stufflebeam reported the ditches need mowed in an area of 205th north of Poplar Road.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 15 minute executive session for confidential data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Jim Harris, Jerad Heckman, Jody Hoener and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Jeff made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Lynne seconded and all approved; the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
All three of the Commissioners will be attending a SEK officials meeting in Fredonia on October 4th; no County business decisions will be made.
Lynne made a motion to cancel the November 5, 2019 Commission meeting, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Lynne made a motion to have a Commission meeting on November 14th beginning at 1:30, Jeff seconded and all approved.
At 3:39, Nick made a motion to adjourn, Jeff seconded and all approved.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
(ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
09/24/2019, Approved Date
September 3, 2019 Tuesday 9:00 am
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all three Commissioners, the County Counselor and the County Clerk present.
Tammy Helm with the Fort Scott Tribune and Nancy Van Etten were present for a portion of the meeting.
Jerad Heckman with Road & Bridge met with the Commissioners; Jeff discussed possibly making the 7 mile loop a shared road with bikes and adding signs.
Jerad said they are making chips at the Beth Quarry. He said they plan to start overlaying on 245th next week. They are mowing around the County.
Jerad said they are patching on 125th going south. Lynne asked that they do some patching west of Uniontown.
Lynne asked that it get cleaned up where the County did ditch work on 115th going north off of 54 Hwy. Lynne reported that Osage west of 125th needs gravel. Lynne reported that the blacktop is sinking at 125th & Range on 125th.
Nick reported that 260th & Limestone to Locust needs rock.
Jeff said that Mr. Rourk reported a plugged concrete culvert on Fern Road.
Lynne discussed a grader that the County purchased 4 years ago to use for ditching; this grader had to instead be used for grading. The County is behind on ditching. Lynne said that Road & Bridge and the Road & Bridge Sales Tax fund has lost over $551,000 in funding since 2013.
Jerad reported that they will be installing culverts at Poplar and 235th. Nick asked Jerad to view a culvert & ditch going north on Condensory.
There was a brief discussion over the Landfill; the Landfill does not make any money. The Landfill will be discussed again next week.
Richard & Retha Clark met with the Commissioners; they reported that the gravel on Indian is rutting in areas. They also reported potholes from 215th to the Fort Scott Lake.
Nancy Van Etten, Richard & Retha Clark and Tom Graham discussed the Fort Scott Lake; last week Nancy gave the Commissioners older documents regarding consideration of a lot split made by Mel Cummings. There is a person that has been considering trying to split their lake lot into several lots to add condos. She said some of the City ordinances for the Lake have been repealed. Nancy said it appears that it is the City of Fort Scott’s responsibility to monitor if the lots are conforming to rules and ordinances. Lynne said there are no codes in the County (only septic tank regulations) and said the County can’t spot code. Nancy said there needs to be an understanding between the County and City regarding Fort Scott Lake. Justin Meeks said that a Home Owners Association is the best way to handle Fort Scott Lake issues. The Commissioners said if the County is zoned it would affect everyone in the County, not just the Fort Scott Lake. Tom Graham questioned if the sewer lines there could handle the additional sewage from the additional homes. Justin Meeks said the Commissioners are taking this area seriously. Nancy said they want to protect the Lake.
The Commissioners held the 2020 budget hearing; present for the hearing were Terry Sercer, Bill Martin, Ben Cole, Bobby Reed and Jody Hoener. Justin Meeks questioned if carryover money could be moved from a fund without publishing; Terry said if they had the budget authority they could, but the Commissioners would have to approve the transfers. The 2020 proposed budget has an estimated mill levy of 66.602, which is the actual tax rate from the 2019 budget. At 10:30, Jeff made a motion to approve the 2020 budget, Nick seconded and all approved and signed the budget.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Matt Quick). No action was taken.
Rachel Pruitt and Robert Uhler with the City of Fort Scott met with the Commissioners, Jody Hoener and Matt Quick regarding the proposed Property Tax Relief program. Lynne said that Appraiser Clint Anderson was not available for the meeting, but should have figures that they need regarding this program. Jeff Fischer said that they needed to identify properties that could benefit the program; he said he thought there could be a lot of people that could benefit from the program. Jeff said they needed to get an estimated cost impact of the program. Rachel said the IRB program has restrictions which creates the need for the Property Tax Relief Program. The Commissioners plan to discuss the program with Clint Anderson.
Justin Meeks presented the annual contract for Computer Information Concepts, with an annual rate of $54,635. Jeff made a motion to sign the contract, Nick seconded and all approved and Lynne signed the contract.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks and Kendell Mason). No action was taken.
Jeff made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Jeff made a motion to give Lynne permission to sign a letter to the Fort Scott City Commissioners concerning an employee matter, Nick seconded and all approved, Lynne signed the letter and Kendell mailed it to each of the City Commissioners.
Lynne made a motion to allow Nick Ruhl to represent Bourbon County during the Fort Scott Community College centennial celebration, Jeff seconded and all approved.
At noon, Lynne made a motion to break for lunch and reconvene at 1:30, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Matt Crystal met with the Commissioners to discuss the County-wide NRP program; the Commissioners told him to meet with the Appraisers office.
Bourbon County Economic Development Jody Hoener met with the Commissioners; she discussed a possible local indoor sporting arena. The arena could possibly be economic development for Bourbon County. If the arena was built it would be privately owned arena. Jody said the next step for the arena would be a feasibility study of the proposed arena; the study would show the market demand as well as the economic impact; Markin Consulting LLC, has agreed to do a feasibility study. Jody said this project could strengthen the local tax base. Jody said that two property owners have agreed to help fund the study, but asked if the Commissioners would vote to support up to $23,000 for the financing of the feasibility study. Jody said the arena could be a Starbond project. The groups surveyed for the study will be equestrian and livestock groups, consumer and trade show promoters, agriculture groups and organizations, rodeo, concert circus, motorsports, and other sports and spectator and entertainment promoters, local businesses and service organizations, educational schools and organizations and others identified by the client and Markin consulting. Jeff questioned if there were any grant funds available for the study. Jody said she thought the County could get a huge return for their investment. Jody said this is an investment into the future of Bourbon County. Jeff made a motion that Bourbon County Economic Development underwrites a feasibility study up to $23,000 for a Bourbon County event center, Nick seconded and all approved.
Jody Hoener discussed a tobacco free workplace policy for Bourbon County; she said the departments helped develop the policy and that it was a Workwell Kansas approved policy. She said if the Commissioners adopt and implement it then it would be part of the employee handbook. Jeff made a motion to adopt Resolution 21-19, a Tobacco Free Workplace Policy, Nick seconded and all approved.
Jeff made a motion to give Lynne permission to sign the Pathways grant application to receive $12,500 for worksite wellness, Nick seconded and all approved.
Jerad Heckman met with the Commissioners; he said that the 2nd Freightliner needs approximately $10,000-$12,000 in repairs. He said Jim Harris asked that the Commissioners re-visit the truck quotes. The Commissioners told Jerad to review the quotes they have to make sure they are still applicable, with financing for five years, with an extended warranty.
Kate Emmett-Sweetser met with the Commissioners to discuss Zebulon Pike, (Pikes Peak is named after Zebulon Pike). He was an Army officer on a military expedition who kept a journal of his trips, maintained a hand drawn map and he crossed into Bourbon County, Kansas on September 3, 1806. He spent the night in Bourbon County on September 3 and spent September 4th in Bourbon County before leaving to go to Nebraska. He was best known for this trip because of Pikes Peak. Kate felt that it was important for Bourbon County to recognize Zebulon Pike’s trip through Bourbon County. Jeff made a motion for Lynne to sign a proclamation declaring September 4th as “Zebulon Pike Day”, Nick seconded and all approved and Lynne signed the Proclamation. Kate Emmett-Sweetser also discussed the history of the Jefferson Highway. She discussed Laura Ingalls Wilder; in 1894, Laura spent the night between Mound City and Prescott and then came to Fort Scott and picked up mail here.
At 3:58, Lynne made a motion to adjourn, Nick seconded and all approved.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
(ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
09/10/2019, Approved Date
August 27, 2019 Tuesday 9:00 am
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all three Commissioners, the County Counselor and the County Clerk present.
Tammy Helm with the Fort Scott Tribune and Nancy Van Etten were also present.
Jeremiah Hill met with Jim Harris, Jerad Heckman and the Commissioners; he said the motor grader had cut a diagonal ditch across the road on Poplar between 205-215th; Jerad said he felt the water was coming from the driveways cutting the ditch in the road. Jeremiah said when a ditch gets cleaned the dirt is getting pushed into the fence; Jim said they have been instructed not to do this if there is a fence there. Jeremiah discussed an area where this was done, Jim said they have to clean up the shoulders to build the road that he has requested, Jim said when it is dry enough they will go back and smooth out the area; Jeremiah said when this is done, it changes the flow of water. Jeremiah discussed the drive entrances now being higher than the road. Jeremiah discussed the roads and the intersections getting narrower. Jeremiah presented pictures of piles of dirt and debris that the graders are leaving on the roads.
Jeff discussed KDOT’s grant for bridges, he said there is $5 million available; Jeff said he felt they needed to prioritize the bridges and apply for some of the grant money.
Jim said they are out of chips and are planning to start making chips today; Jim said they will probably have to buy ice control this year.
Lynne discussed the revenue from the Road & Bridge Sales tax; he said it was down $6,500 for August and $10,000 for July. Jim suggested that the revenue from Road & Bridge Sales tax be monitored weekly.
Jim said the older New Holland tractor has a cracked block.
Jeff discussed the road north of Redbud Nursery; he said a few years ago the County reclaimed the road and said the root of the problem there was that a contractor had filled in a ditch forcing the drainage under the road. Jeff said he has witnessed the same issue around the County in other areas.
Lynne discussed gravel in the ditch at Range and 105th; Lynne said the gravel was washed off of the road due to concrete placed in front of a culvert in the area.
Jeff said he received a report from Jim’s neighbor about the ditch north of his property; Jim said they are building a ditch in the area.
Cheryl & Frank Adamson met with the Commissioners regarding a hearing that was held between the City of Fort Scott Commissioners and Kevin “Skitch” Allen. Kevin won a place on the General ballot for a Fort Scott City Commissioner. The City Commissioners claimed that Kevin was not a city resident; after the hearing and based on the information that the City presented at the hearing, it was determined that Kevin met the criteria to be a resident. Cheryl questioned the ordinance that stated the candidates needed to be residents; Kendell said it is a City of Fort Scott ordinance.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for confidential data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Jody Hoener, Kendell Mason and Richard Goldstein). No action was taken.
Bill Martin, Bobby Reed, Ben Cole and Alvin Metcalf met with the Commissioners to discuss the 2020 budget. Also present for this meeting were Frank and Cheryl Adamson, Nancy Van Etten, Rachel Pruitt, Dave martin, Robert Uhler and Tracy Reed. Bill Martin said he was reviewing the 2020 budget and asked for an explanation of the proposed budget. He said he noticed a $39,674 increase in the Sheriff departments wage budget, he questioned if this was to cover the wages of the Sheriff Deputy that has been being paid by a grant, Lynne said no this wasn’t the reason for the increase. Bill said the position is still there, but isn’t being paid for by the grant any longer; Bill said he will be over in wages in 2020. Bill said he noticed that each one of the elected officials was getting a pay raise in the budget; Bill said he only requested a 3% increase for his wages, Bill said he wanted no more than a 3% increase. Bill discussed two of his exempt employees that there was not a raise budgeted for (Bill said the two employees hadn’t received a raise since 2012 or 2013), but other exempt employees getting a raise. Bill said when the hourly employees received raises last year, his exempt employees did not receive a raise; Bill suggested finding money to get them a pay raise as well, he said they are good employees that do above what is expected. Bill said he wasn’t attacking a person, but questioned the budget for Economic Development; he said in 2019 $60,000 was budgeted, but in 2020 $100,000 has been proposed for the Economic Development budget. Lynne said Economic Development is the only way to turn the ship around by addressing what is causing the population decline. Jeff Fischer told Bill he admired how Bill had tried to address wages and retention; Jeff said they had previously adjusted his deputies’ wages to help address retention and said at that time they had planned to address salaried individuals in the future. Jeff previously compared the wages of Bourbon County to other like counties and said they realized there was a gap in some areas. Jeff said other like counties pay their Sheriff $67,000, Bourbon County pays $45,900. Bill said every year he presents a budget with raises, but said this lacked action. Lynne discussed the Sheriff budgeting $4.00/gallon for fuel, he said they have offered the Sheriff a fuel tank to save money on the fuel, but Bill did not accept the tank. Bobby Reed said they have been kicked to the curb for 7 years; Lynne said each Commissioner was ok with the way the budget was done. Lynne said they were told that the new jail wasn’t going to cost anymore, Bobby said he didn’t say that, Lynne said when the new jail was presented it was promised it could operate on the same amount of money; Bobby asked who said this, Lynne said he (Bobby) did, Nick said this was always told to taxpayers that it wasn’t going to cost anymore; Bill said it was presented that there wouldn’t be any more cost for the employees to run the building. Bill said the operation of the jail is covered by the sales tax; he said the ballot stated that the sales tax could be used to refurbish the old jail, pay the bond for the jail and the operations. Lynne said the County is getting less revenue from sales tax and that we have to be able to make the payments. Bill said he did not want a raise. The Commissioners said they would like to address the exempt employees next year; Bobby said it could be addressed if they are still here. There was a brief discussion over Allen County receiving reimbursement from inmates for medical care while in jail, Jeff said he hasn’t seen any reimbursements for Bourbon County inmates; Bobby said this is submitted to the County Attorney and it is then up to the court to collect the money. Alvin Metcalf said when he goes to work every day, his family doesn’t know if he is coming home or not. He said other people don’t have the same worry. Alvin said when they come to the Commissioners nothing gets accomplished. Lynne said other departments budgets have been reduced significantly. The Commissioners said it is budgeted in 2020 and planned to give a longevity bonus based on years of service. Jeff said in January of 2020 they will assign a value to each position. There was a discussion over the declining population and the healthcare costs that the County has incurred. Bill said he didn’t feel comfortable taking a raise with the unknown. Bill said he didn’t do his job for the pay, but was doing it for the civic duty. Jeff said a large portion of the previous raises given were given to his department. Lynne said they realize that in a few years they will have to address wages for the hourly employees. Jeff said that previously the Sheriff’s department was losing employees to the City of Fort Scott and the County Commissioners addressed their wages then, he said they are making progress and it is getting better. Jeff said they need to be working together to move the community forward.
City of Fort Scott representatives Rachel Pruitt, Cheryl Adamson, Randy Nichols and Dave Martin, as well as Jim Fewins, Jody Hoener and Barbara Ritter met with the Commissioners. Rachel Pruitt presented a draft document of a Property Tax Relief for the City of Fort Scott. This program is to help local businesses prosper and grow. This is a program they are trying to create to help move current businesses from building lease to business building owners. Rachel discussed property taxes being a barrier to owning property for the businesses. If the program is created there will be different qualifications. If approved, the program will offer the approved applicant different percentages of the taxes that they have to pay over a ten year period. Barbara Ritter said the tax burden keeps them from purchasing, so they continue to lease. Rachel said this program would be to help with business retention and is an expansion tool to keep current businesses. Jeff questioned the impact for the other counties that are doing this.
Lynne said Joe Bisone presented him with a picture of a development they are working on; they hope to build 107 units near Hammond on Condensory Road made out of Hempcrete. The plan for the first phase will consist of 7 units.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 30 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 3 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
At 12:02, Lynne made a motion to break for lunch and reconvene at 1:30, Nick seconded and all approved.
Emergency Manger Will Wallis met with the Commissioners, Jeff made a motion that Lynne sign the EMPG Funds document, Nick seconded and all approved and Lynne signed the document. Will discussed disaster KDEM #4449; 70 Kansas counties (including Bourbon County) are a part of this disaster and there are nearly 500 applicants in the program. Will said he would question if there was a 6 month debris removal deadline.
Deb McCoy presented a letter to Jeff and Kendell; the letter from Deb thanked Kendell for the work she does.
Economic Development Director Jody Hoener met with the Commissioners; they discussed the strategic plan and the vision for Bourbon County.
Nancy Van Etten met with the Commissioners regarding research she had done; previously Fort Scott Lake property owners met with the Commissioners regarding a possible building of condos on a lake lot. In September 2004, Mel Cummins petitioned Bourbon County to subdivide a lake lot for multiple single dwellings. At that time, the Cummings property was outside the 3 mile zone, so the County had jurisdiction over the Cummins property. The County Commissioners held a hearing in October 2004 and the Commissioners denied the petition to subdivide the property.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
At 3:56, Lynne made a motion to adjourn, Nick seconded and all approved.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
(ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
Approved Date 09/03/2019
August 20, 2019 Tuesday 9:00 am
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all three Commissioners, the County Counselor and the County Clerk present.
Tammy Helm with the Fort Scott Tribune and Nancy Van Etten were also present.
Lynne asked Jim Harris to review a trench in the road at 1721 185th.
Lynne asked Jeff to call Clay Campbell.
Lynne reported that the County line near 10th & 15th needs graded.
Jim Harris reported they are overlaying at the Industrial Park.
Jim said they will be moving the crusher to the Beth Quarry to make chips.
Lynne presented a picture of Cedar Creek; the dock needs maintenance and it needs mowing. The County no longer maintains Cedar Creek.
Lynne asked if the County was still feeding fish at Elm Creek; Jim reported that we are.
Nick asked Jim to do 1 1/8th mile on Noble Road if there was any money left after he finished the other paving projects; Jim said he felt that the sales tax revenue was down; Lynne said he would review this and said he was ok with this if there was enough money to do this project.
Nick reported water running down the road at Poplar and 235th and culverts plugged on Range Road. Nick asked Jim to view the Overbrook Road between Highway 7 and 195th.
Jeff Fischer asked Jim to view the curve at Jayhawk & 240th; a citizen reported that the curve needed to be widened.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for confidential data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Jody Hoener, Justin Meeks and Jim Harris). No action was taken.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for confidential data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Jody Hoener, Justin Meeks and Jim Harris). No action was taken.
Terry Sercer met with the Commissioners to present the final draft of the 2020 budget; also present for this were Bill Martin, Bobby Reed, Josh Jones, Darrell and Jeanie Parker, Jody Hoener and Jim Harris. Terry said he initially entered the amounts that the department heads requested and then the Commissioners made changes to the budget. The 2020 budget has an estimated mill levy of 66.602, which is the same levy amount as the 2019 budget. Terry said that delinquent taxes were down for previous years, but were up for 2019. Terry encouraged the Commissioners to be consistent in keeping the collections up. Lynne asked Terry to increase the Sheriff/Correctional Center budget $85,000 to cover the cost of utilities for the facility. Terry said that some of the 2019 budgets are going to be tight and asked that the budget be closely watched. Lynne reported that a lot of departments have worked hard to control their budget. The Commissioners said the 2020 budget has a total of $46,099 budgeted for raises for elected officials (excluding Commissioners) and has $51,000 budgeted for a one time longevity pay (based on years of service) for hourly employees that have been employed here at least one year, the budget does not include a raise for hourly employees. The Commissioners will hold the 2020 budget hearing on September 3, 2019 at 10:00 am.
There was a tie in the 2019 Primary City Commission race for Fort Scott between Josh Jones and Cheryl Adamson; the County Board of Canvassers (the County Commissioners) held a session to break the tie. Present for the session were Bill Martin, Bobby Reed, Josh Jones, Darrell and Jeanie Parker, Larry Gazaway, Cheryl Adamson, Deb McCoy, Pete Allen and Bobbi Kemna. The tie breaker is done based on KSA 25-3108. Bobbi Kemna didn’t feel this was a fair way to break the tie and felt that there should be a better way to break the tie. Josh Jones felt the Commissioners should flip a coin, Cheryl Adamson suggested putting both of their names in multiple times and draw only one name, which is what the Commissioners did. Josh Jones name was drawn by Nick Ruhl.
Jesse Walker met with the Commissioners; he said the road is washed out again at Unique and 95th. He said they needed to either clean the ditch out or place a culvert in. He asked the Commissioners to review the laws regarding opening and closing the roads. Jesse said he felt that windmills could be a good thing for economic development.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken. After the session; the Commissioners discussed the EMS. OMNI does the billing and coding for the ambulance service, the City of Fort Scott is administering the EMS functions, Via Christi is operating the emergency room, but there is an administrative issue with collections and customer service.
Appraiser Clint Anderson met with the Commissioners; Clint received an email from a City employee regarding economic development issues. Lynne made a motion instructing Clint to write back the city employee stating that he and Jody will work on a solution regarding a moratorium on an existing tax structure, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Jody Hoener reported that she is working on the next phase of the strategic plan.
Justin Meeks reported they had received two bids for the repairs of the front Courthouse steps, he said they are still waiting on one more bid.
At 11:45; Nick made a motion to break for lunch and reconvene at 1:30, Lynne seconded and all approved.
Frank Adamson briefly met with the Commissioners; he discussed a recent article regarding Mercy Hospital closing that is on NBC’s website. He also discussed the Work Keys program – the program tests students on their abilities for future careers.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners). No action was taken.
Lynne made a motion to adopt Resolution 20-19; the 2019 Primary Election tie breaker results, (there was a tie for City Commission Fort Scott between Josh Jones and Cheryl Adamson, the Commissioners held a tie breaker), both candidates were present and Josh Jones name was drawn as the winner of the tie, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 3 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks and Kendell Mason). No action was taken.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 3 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks and Kendell Mason). No action was taken.
At 3:45, Nick made a motion to adjourn, Lynne seconded and all approved.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
(ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
08/27/2019, Approved Date
August 13, 2019 Tuesday 9:00 am
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all three Commissioners, the County Counselor and the Clerk present.
Tammy Helm with the Fort Scott Tribune and Nancy Van Etten were also present.
Jim Harris was previously asked to get bids on a new dump truck with a trade in of a 2013 Freightliner; Summit quoted $101,082 for a 2020 International, Westfalls & O’dell Truck Sales quoted $126,631 for a 2020 Mack Granite GR64F9, Tri State Truck Center quoted $119,951 for a 2020 Mack Granite GR64F9. No decision was made on purchasing a truck.
Jeff Fischer suggested doing a 4” overlay at the intersections versus doing the concrete (the overlay will be less expensive than concrete) at the Industrial Park. All of the Commissioners decided the overlay would be the best option.
Jim Harris said they would be working on Indian Road today.
Lynne asked Jim to view the road at 125th west of 95th on Range Road.
Nancy Van Etten gave Jim Harris a road report regarding the road on the East side of Fort Scott Lake; she discussed the safety and condition of the road. She said the road conditions deteriorate the further south you go on the road. She discussed the lack of the speed limit signs and the culvert conditions on the Lake road. Jeff Fischer said he felt a lot of the issues on the Lake road are due to drainage issues. Nancy asked that Jim view Indian Road and give his recommendations on the issues there.
Harold Martin suggested that the fire department could blow out the blocked culverts with high pressure water. Mr. Martin and the Commissioners discussed road maintenance and getting the most for the money, both in the City and the County. He discussed the high tax rates in Bourbon County and the people leaving the area.
Lynne discussed a KDOT grant program to rebuild bridges; Jim said he would review the program.
Jim said due to the wet weather we have had, they are not able to make asphalt chips and are running out of chips. They plan to do a blast at the Blake Quarry.
Jeff discussed using the Paser Road Condition manual when deciding what roads to pave. Jeff said they are trying to get ahead of the deferred maintenance on the roadways. Lynne said the paving program might not exist in the future without the 1 cent sales tax, which will be voted on in 2020.
Larry Howard and Jeremiah Hill met with the Commissioners and Jim Harris; Larry questioned when the 1 ½ mile portion of 245th would get done, Jeff Fischer said this was still in the plans, Jim said they plan to do this after the road at the Industrial Park is completed.
Justin Meeks discussed the cost to maintain paved roads verses gravel roads, he discussed the safety of a deteriorated hard surface road verses a gravel road that could be in a better condition; he suggested that in the future the Commissioners may have to decide what roads to keep as a paved road verses gravel.
Robert Childers met with the Commissioners. He questioned if Ironwood off of 240th is on the schedule for asphalt; Jim said this is not on the schedule. Mr. Childers requested a grader and gravel on this portion of the road. Jim said this is a County road and said he would take care of the road. Mr. Childers reported a crushed culvert in the area; Jim said he would review the culvert. Mr. Childers questioned the 30mph speed limit signs on 240th; the Commissioners said they recommended this speed to slow the traffic down in this area.
Brian Comstock had planned on meeting with the Commissioners (but was unable to meet with them) regarding a fence viewing on Condensory Road between him and the Railroad. Justin said he would review the fence laws regarding railroads.
Robert Uhler with the City of Fort Scott met with the Commissioners; he presented a signed contract between the City and the County for asphalt. Robert discussed the Lake Association meeting that was recently held; he said that public safety on the Lake was a concern. The City plans to enforce water rules, ordered new buoys and signs, Lake patrol will spend more time patrolling the water. He said he would ask Bill Martin to patrol the area more. There is a Lake advisory group forming, Robert asked that one Commissioner set on the board; Lynne made a motion that Jeff Fischer be on this board, Nick seconded and all were in favor. Robert said that some of the Lake residents would like spot zoning at the Lake and asked for shared services for spot zoning and coding; Lynne said there are no codes in the County and said the County couldn’t afford to enforce zoning. Harold Martin suggested that the Lake residents are looking for assistance in protecting the Lake. It was said that initially Lake was to be for single family dwellings. Robert reported that the County had sprayed chemicals in the Lake waterway; he said this can’t happen.
Nick made a motion to go into a 30 minute executive session for confidential data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks and Randy Cason with Ascension Via Christi). No action was taken.
Nick made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for confidential data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks and Randy Cason with Ascension Via Christi). No action was taken.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Kendell Mason). After the session, Nick made a motion to give Kendell permission to hire a part time employee to fill a vacancy, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Lora Holdridge asked if the Commissioners planned to have a budget meeting including the department heads; the Commissioners said they are still working on the 2020 budget, but are getting closer to finalizing the budget.
At 12:00, Lynne made a motion to break for lunch and reconvene at 1:30, Nick seconded and all approved.
Jason Silvers with the Fort Scott Tribune was present at the meeting.
Nancy Van Etten, Geoffrey Clark, Dean and Diane Striler, Tom Graham, Harold Martin, Gary Palmer, Byron and Nancy Maze, Robert Uhler, Billy Webster, Pete Allen, Deb McCoy, Dian Morriss, Jason Gorman and Kevin Allen – Lake Fort Scott residents met with the Commissioners; Nancy Van Etten discussed a recent Lake meeting. She said at that meeting the following issues were discussed; the safety and the condition of the road at 195th Street from Indian Road to the end of where the City of Fort Scott maintains, the speed limit signs, safety and condition of the roads and drainage issues at 195th from the beginning of the County maintenance to the boat ramp at the south end of 195th, they also felt the need for additional sheriff’s presence on the Lake Roads. There was discussion over the lack of building codes and the enforcement of covenants and deed restrictions at the Lake. They requested cooperation between the County and City to study the history of the Lake covenants and what could be done to provide structure and guidance for future Lake growth. A majority of the people attending the Lake meeting were opposed to the proposed condo development at 706 195th Street and Nancy read letters from landowners that were against the condo development. Gary Palmer asked where the jurisdiction lies in regards to the City and County at the Lake; Jeff said the City owns some lots and owns the water and the waterfront and the County owns certain sections of the road there. Some of the Lake residents wanted spot zoning at the Lake; Jeff said the cost of enforcing zoning could be overwhelming expense to the County. Geoffrey Clark said currently someone could build what they wanted at the Lake, but the local residents want to keep the Lake as it is which is single residences and asked that the County think about zoning there. Tom Graham presented a document from 1962 showing that the City’s intention was to have private cabins. Byron Maze said in 2008 Mel Cummins was told by the County that he couldn’t subdivide his property into lots to build 4/5 homes. Nancy Maze said she understood that the County has to consider tax money, but said the County needed to consider the tax money that is already collected from the single family landowners there. Nancy Van Etten said they wanted guidance from the County. It was said that there are deed restrictions on the deeds for the Lake properties. Tom Graham thanked the County for the paving that had been done in the area.
Sunflower Development Group representative Chris Vukas met with the Commissioners and Jody Hoener to discuss the NMTC (New Market Tax Credit) program. He said it is a partnership working to bring the Federal tax credit program locally. The goal of the program is to create jobs, provide business expansion and to add equity to projects. This is an underutilized tax credit program in Kansas. He went over various projects that have used the NMTC program. He discussed projects that could utilize the program and discussed funding for projects. They are looking for projects to put in applications to prove that Kansas is in need of the program. Lynne made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for confidential data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Chris Vukas, Jody Hoener and Justin Meeks). No action was taken. Lynne made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for confidential data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Chris Vukas, Jody Hoener and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 7 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
At 4:05, Nick made a motion to adjourn, Jeff seconded and all were in favor.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
(ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
08/20/2019, Approved Date
August 7, 2019 Tuesday 9:00 am
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session to hold a 2020 budget work session. All of the Commissioners were present for the meeting.
The meeting adjourned at 4:00 pm.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
(ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
08/31/2019, Approved Date
July 30, 2019 Tuesday 1:00 pm
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all three Commissioners, the County Counselor and the County Clerk present.
Mark Ward met with the Commissioners; he questioned if Lynne (the Commissioner Chairman) had received written notice of the City of Fort Scott changing the rates for the Lake Sewer District. The Commissioners received an email notifying them of the meeting date and the proposed change. Mr. Ward said that the original sewer district contract said that the rates could only be changed when the rates were changed for the city rates too. The City of Fort Scott plans to discuss raising the rates for the Fort Scott Lake Sewer District on August 6th, 2019.
Terry Sercer met with the Commissioners to present the first rough draft of the 2020 budget. Terry was told to use the requested budgets for the 2020 budget for the initial budget; the current actual mill levy for Bourbon County is 66.602, with the initial 2020 budget the estimate tax rate is 67.909. Terry said the 1.3 mill increase is still under the tax lid. The Commissioners reviewed the initial budget after Terry left.
Nick made a motion to go into a 20 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Nick made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Jeff made a motion that Lynne sign a TRICARE document, Nick seconded and all approved and Lynne signed the document.
Lynne signed a document extending the Blue Cross & Blue Shield grant.
Jeff made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for confidential data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks and Jody Hoener). No action was taken.
The Commissioners will have a budget work session on August 7th, 2019 beginning at 9:00 am.
There will not be a Commission meeting on August 6th, 2019 due to the Election.
At 4:15, the Commissioners took a break for dinner and reconvened at 5:30.
Jody Hoener met with the Commissioners to discuss Bourbon County Economic Development and to get the communities input for a strategic plan; she presented data and discussed Bourbon County Economic Development and community wide assessment and setting priorities. Some of the people present for the meeting were: Deb Mccoy, Cheryl Deloney, Diana Morriss, Cheryl Adamson, Jean Reeves, Rachel Pruitt, Katie Casper, Steve Anthony, Michael Hoyt, Randy Neeley, Tammy Helm, Patty Love, Pete Allen, John George, Bobby Duncan, Kevin Allen, Bobbi Kemna and Josh Jones. Jody questioned what the goals for the next 5-10 years and the tasks should be to move towards growth. Michael Hoyt suggested addressing the strengths and weaknesses; he said we need to become a friendly tax environment by lowering sales tax and becoming competitive with the surrounding areas as well as increase jobs and the population. Lynne Oharah said that the services the County provides are directly related to property and sales tax. Bobby Duncan said if we want the economy to grow we need to be competitive with the areas around us, he suggested paying off debts and cutting expenses somewhere. Deb Mccoy discussed the Industrial Park and questioned if there were areas for expansion there for additional businesses to add to add to the economy. Katie Casper suggested helping the businesses that are already here. Jody questioned what could move our community forward; Diana Morriss suggested that we need to pay attention to trends and look at what Fort Scott can be, she said it needs to be a place that offers quality of life. Matt Sanders suggested healthcare, he also discussed Kansas Rocks and the people using that as well as the bike trails. Matt Sanders did say that there isn’t enough workforce here now to fill the jobs that are available. Jessica Allison discussed the slow rate of internet in the County and suggested faster internet could help. Bill Michaud said we needed to take the assets we already have and gain growth there. Bill Michaud discussed wind farms and pipelines; he suggested being aggressive in developing this here. Bobby Duncan said that we needed to let the business owners do the improvements they can afford to do. Katie Casper said we needed to engage the people in the age group that is declining. Pete Allen said the community needed to work together and change the attitude of the people that are going out of town to eat and shop. Bobbi Kemna said she had traveled a lot and said that people appreciate art; she discussed an arts festival she had and the success of it, she plans to do the art festival again. Kevin Allen suggested having more rodeo events (since rodeos bring money and people to the area) and focusing on the Fort Scott Lake and possibly adding a second tier lake. Donna Wilson discussed the Airport Days that the Fort Scott Airport used to have; she discussed other airports having “fly in days” and said this brings in a lot of tourism. John George felt that agriculture is a strong point for this area; he said he had seen a decline in agriculture partially due to State regulations. Jody Hoener asked for the top points; Lindsay Madison suggested that if another sales tax falls off that possibly an economic development sales tax be started for funding economic development, she also suggested developing shared services to reduce property tax. Deb Mccoy suggested communication; she discussed how a codes inspection is done in Nevada. Diversified recreation was a priority. Michael Hoyt suggested that education and training should be a priority.
Road & Bridge supervisor Jim Harris met with the Commissioners; he said they have been covering the C&D at the Landfill. He said they are finished patching at the Industrial Park and said they are waiting on pricing for the concrete at the intersections. Jim said they are starting Ironwood on August 1st. Jim said they are making chips and discussed a crusher machine that could make enough chips for everyone. The Commissioners discussed a municipalities cooperation contract between the City of Fort Scott and Bourbon County; the contract stated “The parties agree that the value of the EMS services provided by the City can be exchanged for the service and products that the County will provide to the City for that value, the County will provide 1,400 tons of delivered asphalt to the City at $68.00 dollars per ton.” Jeff made a motion to give Lynne the authority to sign the contract, Nick seconded and all approved and Lynne signed the contract.
Matt Sanders met with the Commissioners regarding placing signs (either speed limit or slow children playing) at an area near 250th & Fern Road; this was discussed and Jim said he could get Matt Sanders information on where slow children playing signs could be purchased.
Lynne asked Jim to get the intersections mowed since school would be starting soon.
Lynne made a motion to give all of the Commissioners permission to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony for State Farm and the Meeks Law Firm on August 8th, Jeff seconded and all approved.
At 7:22, Nick made a motion to adjourn, Jeff seconded and all approved.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
(ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
08/13/2019, Approved Date
July 23, 2019 Tuesday 9:00 am
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all three Commissioners, the County Clerk and the County Counselor present.
Tammy Helm with the Fort Scott Tribune was also present for the morning meeting.
Jerad Heckman with the Road & Bridge department reported they are working in the Industrial Park; he said they are getting bids for concrete in an area where trucks are turning there.
Lynne asked Jerad that they do patching South of Range on 125th; he also reported there was a wash out that need filled west of 125th. Lynne reported a culvert plugged between 65 Highway and Yale Road. Lynne reported washed out areas near Bourbon Allen Lake on Indian going east off of 10th. Lynne asked that ditching be done south of Maple and 115th. Lynne asked that mowing be done on Maple and 125th as well as going into Redfield; Jerad said they are mowing in this area now. Lynne reported standing water in the ditch on Unity due to plugged culverts. Lynne reported the gravel being washed off of a new culvert entrance on 95th going south. Jeff suggested that some of the areas discussed needed to be reported to Will Wallis with the Emergency Disaster Declaration.
Lynne asked that the intersections be mowed since school would be starting soon.
Nick asked Jerad to view an area near 265th and Native to make sure it had been fixed.
Justin Meeks reported that the County had received a letter from the City of Fort Scott requesting an inter-local agreement for asphalt between the City of Fort Scott and Bourbon County.
KDOT representatives Wayne Goodmanson, Darren Piotrowski and Kristi Kelly met with the Commissioners. They said they were on their 2019 listening tour for concerns. Justin Meeks reported potholes at Indian Road and 69 Highway. Justin said they were grateful for the 69 Highway expansion. KDOT plans to do contract letting for the Arma connection from (an area near) K47-the four lane south of Arma in the fall of 2019 and do the contract letting from Arma to the Bourbon County line. The funding has been in place for these projects. Justin questioned if KDOT had any plans to change or close the local KDOT office; they said there were no plans at this time. Bobby Duncan questioned if there were any discussions of a possible 54 intersection bypass; Wayne said he hadn’t heard any discussions over this. KDOT will have a Task Force meeting on August 21st (from 9am- noon) in Independence and invited the Commissioners to attend the meeting. The Cost Share Program will be discussed at this meeting; this is a newer program that is a 25% County 75% KDOT match program.
Bourbon County Soil Conservation District representatives Kathy Valentine-Chairperson, Wayne Thorpe-Treasurer, Mandy Shoemaker-District Manager, Joe Ludlum-Supervisor, Ronnie Brown-Vice Chairperson, Deb Lust-Supervisor and Marvin Lewis-NRCS District Conservationist, met with the Commissioners to request their 2020 budget. A few of the items discussed that the do is support landowners by helping with fencing around ponds and help with installation of freeze proof tanks. They administer the Water Restoration and Protection Strategy and offer education for youth as well as train soil technicians. They requested $40,000 for their 2020 budget. Lynne said that this organization represents agriculture in Bourbon County.
Wayne Thorpe questioned the possible airport expansion; Lynne said they had a meeting regarding re-routing the roads around the Lake, after the meeting they were to figure the cost and see if they will move forward with the project.
Emergency Manager Will Wallis met with the Commissioners regarding the Emergency Disaster Declaration; Mark McCoy was also present for the meeting. Will presented a list of general locations of the culverts he found in the County with a certain amount of damage. He also presented a list of areas that had debris in waterways in Bourbon County. The Disaster Declaration will help cover the cost to correct the items on the lists. Will presented a fact sheet with debris removal tips. Will said the County has 180 days from June 20th to remove the debris from the waterways. Will questioned if they planned to haul the debris removed to the Landfill or haul to a site to be burnt; Lynne suggested negotiating with the landowners to burn on site, Jeff suggested it might be possible to use the quarries as a site. Jeff asked Will to question the best way to clean out the culverts that are full of gravel.
Lynne made a motion to approve an amendment to the Blue Cross/Blue Shield grant, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 30 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
There will be a Bourbon County department head meeting on July 24th; Lynne may attend the meeting.
At 11:45, Nick made a motion to break for lunch and reconvene at 1:30, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Shane Walker presented his I/T 2020 budget to the Commissioners; he requested a grand total of $182,842 which included a 10% increase in wages. Shane reported he had installed a KIOSK in District Court for the Law Library; he said he is also working on getting another KIOSK ready.
The Commissioners continued to work on the 2020 budgets.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Jason Silvers with the Fort Scott Tribune arrived at the meeting.
Bill Martin, Bobby Reed and Ben Cole met with the Commissioners to present the 2020 budget for the Correctional Center and the Sheriff’s department. Bill requested a grand total of $893,702 for 2020 for the Sheriff’s department which included a 3% increase. Bill said that the COPS grant has been reopened so he will once again apply for the grant, but if he doesn’t receive the grant then the County will have to pay for the cost of the employee that falls under the grant. Bill included an additional employee in the Sheriff’s budget due to the increase in calls for service. Bill presented a report from 1/1/2019-06/30/2019 showing arrests by City with a grand total of 681 and a document from 1/1/2019-07/22/2019 showing reports generated and what township the reports were from with a grand total of 888 (in 2018 there was a total of 1206 calls). Bill said he is losing a deputy and said he is in the process of hiring a replacement; he said none of the applicants are State certified so the overtime will be high while they are at the academy. Bobby requested a grand total of $1,149,939 which included a 3% increase in wages. Bill and Bobby both asked that they be included in any discussion involving their department’s budget.
There will not be a Commission meeting on August 6, 2019 due to the Election being that day.
At 4:08 Jeff made a motion to adjourn, Nick seconded and all approved.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
(ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
07/30/2019, Approved Date
July 16, 2019 Tuesday 9:00 am
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with Commissioners Oharah and Ruhl, the County Counselor and the County Clerk present.
Tammy Helm with the Fort Scott Tribune was also present.
Jim Harris reported that they need to rent a dozer to do work at the Shephard Quarry for a blast in August or September; he said it is $20,000/month but said they could use the dozer at the Beth & Thomas Quarry to clear for future blasts. Lynne and Nick were both ok with renting a dozer.
Jim discussed the asphalt being done in the Industrial Park; he suggested getting a quote for concrete from VMC to the intersection East of Mid-Continental. Jim didn’t feel the asphalt would hold up with the large trucks turning in the area. Jim said he was going to meet with someone to get their opinion regarding if the asphalt would hold up, but if it won’t Jim asked permission to get quotes for concrete. Both of the Commissioners felt that concrete would be a better option and asked Jim to get quotes; this will be discussed on July 23rd.
Jim discussed the asphalt that was placed on 125th; he said he was happy with the West bound lane, but was not happy with the East bound lane. Jim said they would discuss this road again after the other asphalt projects were completed.
Jim reported that one of the side arm mowing machines was in the shop and the other is doing work by Elm Creek; Nick asked that when a mower is available they do work on Condensory Road.
Lynne gave Jim Harris the authority to replace a mower employee that was resigning, Nick seconded and all approved.
Jim Harris reported that the dump truck that had been in the shop is running again; Jim said he was emailing to request quotes for a replacement truck.
David Neville met with the Commissioners; he reported that the Courthouse had a gas leak in the boiler room so the gas is off, there is no hot water and the generator isn’t working until the gas leak is fixed.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 30 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Bourbon County Treasurer presented Lynne with her 2020 budget; she requested a grand total of $107,645 plus $5,560 for raises.
Economic Development Director Jody Hoener met with the Commissioners to discuss an ACT Work Ready Community Boot Camp. Jody discussed the ACT workkeys test that high school juniors take to measure their skills. An “ACT work Ready Community empowers states, regions and counties with data, processes and tools that drive economic growth. Participants are leveraging the ACT Workkeys National Career Readiness Certificate to measure and close the skills gap-and building common frameworks that link, align and match their workforce development efforts”. The cost to participate in the boot camp is $5,000 for the entire County (County, City & USD’s, etc.), not per attendee to participate. Jody asked that the Commissioners see the need of work force development and put money towards the boot camp. Other entities are also contributing money towards the $5,000 boot camp. Jody asked that the Commissioners agree to spend up to the needed amount to make sure this boot camp is available to the community. This boot camp could help with business and employee retention for the community, help with economic development and keep students in the area. Lynne made a motion to authorize Jody to participate in the work ready boot camp and that the County would spend up to the needed amount to make sure this boot camp is available to the community, Nick seconded and the motion passed.
Bobby Duncan met with the Commissioners; he discussed what Jeff Fischer had discussed in the newspaper after an executive session regarding economic development that occurred with Bourbon County and the City of Fort Scott. He said if the session had anything to do with local businesses then the public should have had an understanding of what the session was about. He said things could be done to enhance the City stature with the State. He discussed a lack of cooperation. He felt it was time to sit down and honestly discuss what the division is about. He said the mindset in the community is not making the area attractive to big investors to come here. Justin Meeks said the executive session that was held was to discuss a non elected employee. He felt it was time to take a look at what is going on and make decisions to change it. Mr. Duncan discussed the City of Fort Scott’s ladder truck issue; he felt it was handled the wrong way. Lynne discussed the group that is pushing towards City/County shared services.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 15 minute executive session regarding personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks and Jody Hoener). No action was taken.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 3 minute executive session regarding personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks and Jody Hoener). No action was taken.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 3 minute executive session regarding matters relating to employer-employee negotiations whether or not in consultation with the representative of the body or agency, Nick seconded and the motion passed, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks and Jody Hoener). No action was taken.
At 11:41, Lynne made a motion to break for lunch and reconvene at 1:30, Nick seconded and all approved.
Robert Leisure with EMS and Dave Bruner with the City of Fort Scott met with the Commissioners to discuss the ambulance service; Robert reported that in June of 2019 there were 183 calls for service, 133 transports, 76 transfers (53 to Pittsburg) and 55 dry runs. To date in July there have been 104 calls for service. From May 2018 – June 2019 Briggs has billed $9,363 for ambulance maintenance. Currently EMS vehicle 1 is out of service and at Briggs for maintenance (it is estimated to cost $1,100 to fix). EMS 4 had a rock go through the windshield and it is estimated to cost $699 to repair, this will be turned into the County insurance company. EMS 2 is leaking fluid. Dave Bruner said the County had previously approved purchasing a vehicle for the ambulance director; he said he had reached out to the Sheriff’s department regarding the vehicles they were replacing, but the Sheriff vehicles were being used elsewhere. Dave recommended purchasing a 2015 Ford Explorer for $13,950 with 62,000 miles (this vehicle previously belonged to the Overland Park Police Department). Nick made a motion to purchase the 2015 Ford Explorer and pay for this out of the ambulance fund, Lynne seconded and all approved. Dave Bruner read a thank you letter from an EMS patient and their spouse; the patient had a cardiac arrest and was saved by the Rural Fire Department and the EMS department.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 20 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Lynne said they had been discussing installing a whole building water filter system at the jail to eliminate getting foreign materials in the water system; Lynne made a motion to approve the purchase of the Watts water filter system with replaceable filters for $8,400 from Gold Mechanical (and pay for out of the jail 370 account, Nick seconded and all approved.
Emergency Manager Will Wallis met with the Commissioners to discuss the disaster plan; he said Road & Bridge needs to be an applicant on this. The Commissioners agreed that Jerad Heckman should be the contact.
Nick made a motion that Lynne attends the department head meeting on July 24th, Lynne seconded and the motion passed.
At 4:08, Nick made a motion to adjourn and Lynne seconded.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
___________________, Commissioner
(ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
07/23/2019, Approved Date
July 9, 2019 Tuesday 9:00 am
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all three Commissioners, the County Counselor and the County Clerk present.
Jim Harris reported they are patching and wedging on 125th today and will begin overlaying on July 10th. They plan to start working in the Industrial Park next week; he plans to grind out the road and then overlay the road. There was a discussion over doing some of the work at the Industrial Park at night and closing a portion of the road as they work; no decision was made on working at night.
Jim Harris reported that an employee of his (which is a supervisor) had turned in their notice; Jim asked permission to fill the position. Nick made a motion to allow Jim to fill the position, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Jim Harris reported that the Freightliner truck is back in the shop again, he said to date in 2019 they have spent approximately $16,000 in repairs on this truck. Lynne questioned what a new Mack truck would cost; Jim estimated it to cost $130,000. The Commissioners asked that Jim get two quotes for a Mack truck.
Lynne said that approximately five years ago and again this past weekend an area at the end of a bridge at 115th & 65 Highway was washed out by the water causing a hole in the road approximately 6’ by 2’.
Lynne asked Jim to clean up the road approximately ¼ mile south on 95th & 65 Highway.
Nick made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Jim Harris and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
John Hill with City State Bank met with the Commissioners for the lease purchase agreement between City State Bank and Bourbon County for the purchase of three 2019 Chevy Tahoe’s for a total of $140,535, payments will be $2,652/month for 5 years. Jeff made a motion to approve Resolution 16-19 for the purchase of the three vehicles, Lynne seconded and all approved. Lynne signed the equipment lease purchase agreement.
Lynne and Jeff plan to attend KAC in Wichita on November 12th & 13th. Lynne will be the voting delegate for KAC and Jeff will be the alternate.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 7 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Lynne made a motion to approve Resolution 17-19; a Resolution authorizing participation in rural opportunity zone student loan repayment program, Bourbon County allocated $0 for this purpose, Nick seconded and all approved and signed the Resolution.
Justin Meeks said that the auditor had made them aware that additional training was needed for an elected official to do their job better, so there is a need for additional money for the training; Lynne made a motion to hire a consultant to give additional training to the Treasurer’s office, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Nick made a motion to go into a 20 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
At 11:23, Lynne made a motion to break for lunch and reconvene at 1:30, Nick seconded and all approved.
Lora Holdridge the Register of Deeds met with the Commissioners; she asked that the Commissioners increase the fee for survey reviews from $48 to $50 in January of 2020, (she said the increase will help cover the increased cost for stamps, envelopes and paper). She said the customers turn the reviews in to her; she copies them and sends them to Jim Schmidt (a retired surveyor) who reviews them and sends them back to her to be filed. Jeff questioned the reason for the reviews; Lora said to make sure they are correct and make sure the property closes correctly. Currently the County collects the $48 from the customer and then Jim Schmidt bills the County $40. Jeff asked Shane Walker if the GIS maps and the surveys mesh; Shane said they do not match property lines and that GIS isn’t legal boundaries. The Commissioners will adopt this change on a Resolution in January of 2020.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks and Shane Walker). No action was taken.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks and Shane Walker). No action was taken.
The Commissioners discussed the wages for the elected officials; they compared the wages in other Counties to Bourbon County. Compared to other Counties, many of the elected officials are paid less than other Counties.
Bourbon County Fair Board Member Tony Hanks met with the Commissioners; he said they are having a rodeo on July 12th & 13th and asked if the County could donate the ambulance to be on-hand at the rodeo each night. He estimated that they would need an ambulance on-hand 2 ½ hours on Friday and 3 ½ on Saturday evening. The cost to have the ambulance on-hand is approximately $75/hour. Jeff Fischer said that the County doesn’t know the true cost to provide the service and didn’t know if it could be provided for $75/hour. Jeff said if the County provided this service for free it could be setting a precedent that could come back to haunt the County. Lynne suggested that the Fair Board ask for additional money in their budget in 2020 to help cover the cost of the ambulance. Mr. Hanks said the Fair Board will pay the cost to have the ambulance on-hand.
Emergency Manager Will Wallis met with the Commissioners regarding the 4 – 4 1/2” of rain that fell on July 4th & July 5th and the damage that was caused from the rainfall. Lynne made a motion to adopt Resolution 18-19; a proclamation of a State of Local Disaster Emergency Plan for Bourbon County, Kansas, Jeff seconded and all approved and signed the resolution.
At 4:09, Lynne made a motion to adjourn, Nick seconded and all approved.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
____________________, Commissioner
(ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
07/16/2019, Approved Date
July 2, 2019 Tuesday 9:00 am
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all three Commissioners, the County Counselor and the County Clerk present.
Tammy Helm with the Fort Scott Tribune was also present.
Jim Harris reported that they have been paving on Condensory (235th), he said the new paver is doing a great job. He said they are saving money by using the new paver verses the old. He estimated that by the end of the next paving season the material savings will pay for the cost of the new paver. He said they should be done working in this area tomorrow and will be moving the equipment to Mapleton once completed. After the work at Mapleton is completed, they plan to start working in the Industrial Park. Jeff complimented the professionalism of the work done on Condensory Road.
Dale Arnold met with the Commissioners and Jim Harris; he reported a washed out area on 2nd Street.
Jim Harris discussed an Asphalt/Rock John Deere Cold Plainer that will be needed when work is done in the Industrial Park, on the bridge on Condensory Road and on 215th; he said it is $3,500/month to rent and $20,200 to purchase the machine. After discussion, Jeff made a motion to purchase the new Asphalt/Rock John Deere Cold Plainer with a 30” cut for $20,200, Nick seconded and all approved.
Nick made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Lynne seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Jim Harris and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Lynne reported that Tom Davis reported a hole in the road at 157th & Range Road; Jim Harris said he would view the road.
Jeff reported a request for work to be done on 215th with the pothole patching machine from Dale Bollinger; Jim will view the road.
Lynne and Jim plan to meet Ed Guss with the City of Redfield on July 3rd to discuss the city boundaries.
Jeff made a motion to approve Resolution 14-19, changing the mileage reimbursement rate to .58 cents/mile effective July 1, 2019, Nick seconded and all approved and signed the Resolution.
Jeff made a motion to go into a 15 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Robert Uhler with the City of Fort Scott arrived at the meeting.
The Commissioners considered the Kansas Statewide Housing Assistance Program; Justin Meeks said he had reviewed the documents, he said it appeared to be no cost to the County and could benefit low to moderate income families. Jeff said it is based on issuers of bonds that provide funding assistance and they want the County to agree to cooperate with the program; Jeff said he felt that if the program could help people get into homes then it was a good thing. Jeff made a motion to approve Resolution 15-19 agreeing to cooperate in the Kansas Statewide Housing Assistance Program, Nick seconded and all approved.
Appraiser Clint Anderson and Matt Quick met with the Commissioners to present their 2020 budget; Clint requested a grand total of $274,371 for 2020. This total included a budgeted 3% increase for wages for his office. Lynne suggested that Clint revise his budget to include budgeted money in the equipment reserve fund for the future purchase of replacement vehicles. Clint revised his budget and requested a grand total of $284,371, (this included a budgeted amount of $13,213 in the equipment reserve fund).
Nathan Fawson, Joe Springer and Marty Dewitt with the Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center met with the Commissioners to present their 2020 requested budget. Bill Martin and Bobby Reed were also present for the meeting. They requested $97,850 for 2020. “Services provided by SEKMHC include 24/7 crisis intervention, outpatient psychiatry, therapy, chemical abuse counseling and education, case management, parent support, psychosocial skill development groups, and supported employment and housing. In August of 2019, they will provide USD 234 with a school-based therapist and case mangers to better meet the mental health needs of our community’s students and families”. Mr. Fawson discussed the State of Kansas and the moratorium that Oswatomie has in place; he said Oswatomie has to restrict the level and type of clients that can be there, SEMHC steps in and helps the others that need care. SEKMHC supports Medicaid expansion. Nick questioned since the Hospital had closed, how they help patients with mental needs; Mr. Fawson said if law enforcement felt that a person needed psychiatric help they would go to the Emergency Room and if inpatient is necessary they begin coordinating care, if a person is uninsured or does not have Medicaid or is a threat and refusing care then Oswatomie could be their only option and if there are no beds available there then law enforcement and SEKMHC put forth attentive care. Mr. Dewitt helps rehabilitate inmates. He said he started his work in mental health in schools; he said over the years schools have become more accommodating to their presence in schools. SEKMHC is comprised of 6 counties; Mr. Fawson said he felt that they were under-serving our communities needs.
Emergency Manager Will Wallis met with the Commissioners to present his 2020 budget request; he requested a grand total of $57,039.
Emergency Manager Will Wallis gave a disaster update regarding the recent flooding; he said once the applicant briefings were underway they would have 18 months to complete all programs. Will said he didn’t initially view the debris removal from the bridges; he questioned what the County policy is on repairs for low water crossings and river crossings. Will said that two grader operators still haven’t provided him their grader maps which could help him assess damages. Will said the County could easily hit the $366,000 target.
Justin Meeks discussed the tax sale; he said that Gill Gregory will be reviewing the tax sale list and then Justin will do the publication.
Jeff made a motion to go into a 15 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Nick made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
At 11:56, Jeff made a motion to adjourn, Nick seconded and all approved.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
(ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
0709/2019, Approved Date
June 25, 2019 Tuesday 1:00 pm
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all three Commissioners, the County Counselor and the County Clerk present.
Jason Silvers with the Fort Scott Tribune was also present. Steve Hill was present for a portion of the meeting.
Kelly Stone – an intern with the City of Fort Scott was present for a portion of the meeting.
Nick made a motion to approve a budgeted transfer of $200,000 total for the 1st two quarters of 2019 from Road & Bridge Sales Tax to Road & Bridge, Lynne seconded and the motion passed.
Jim Harris reported that they are overlaying with the recently purchased paver on Condensory, 235th (Frank Young suggested not overlaying the bridge on 235th, but to patch the bridge) and Franklin. He said the paver machine is doing a great job. Nick thanked Jim’s employees for the good work they are doing.
Lynne reported to Jim Harris a request from Joe George for a field entrance ½ mile west of a little south of Paint Creek.
Jim reported that one of the Freightliner trucks has been in the shop approximately 10 days of the last 3 weeks; he said so far in 2019 the County has spent $10,000-$12,000 on repairs for this truck. The truck is used to haul asphalt and gravel and has a snow plow. Jim said that the City of Fort Scott has loaned him a truck and a driver to help since this truck is down; Jim said he had loaned the City the excavator.
Jeff discussed Justice Lane; he said that years ago the County dumped some fill in the area; a resident in the area wants the right-of-way maintained. Jeff discussed a possible drainage issue near a driveway entrance on Justice Lane. Jeff questioned if cost sharing regarding trimming and treating could be done with the utility companies using the right-of-ways.
Jeff Fischer discussed the areas that he wants overlaid this year; he said he based his decision on traffic count and the condition of the road. He suggested a surface thick enough to restore the surface for chip sealed condition.
- Industrial Park – patch and overlay on Liberty Bell Road past Value Merchandiser and then up to 69 Highway.
- The Horton Extension – overlaying south on 215th from the City limits to Indian Road.
- Ironwood Road
- Two miles on Jefferson Highway from Indian Road going south to the tracks.
Jody Hoener, Economic Development Director met with the Commissioners; she said that Peerless Products had bought a building for expansion in Nevada, Missouri. Jody said that she didn’t feel that Peerless had any intention of moving outside of Fort Scott.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks and Jody Hoener). No action was taken.
Jody reported that she had sent invitations to the cities in Bourbon County to inform them of the strategic plan and the 5 & 10 year goals. She said she had met with Bronson; their top three issues were businesses, housing and the roads. Jody said a representative from Fulton questioned how to get spraying done for mosquitos; Lynne suggested asking Uniontown who they use to spray them.
Nick made a motion to go into a 15 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Nick made a motion to go into a 15 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Jeff made a motion to have only a morning Commission meeting from 9-12 on July 2nd, Nick seconded and all approved.
Justin Meeks reviewed the Kansas Association of Counties legislative update and discussed KORA and KOMA guidelines with the Commissioners.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 20 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks and Dave Bruner). No action was taken.
Dave Bruner gave an EMS update; he said as of 6/24/2019 for June they have had 143 calls for service, 104 of those were transports, 61 were transfers (40 of those transfers were to Via Christi) and 39 dry runs. Dave said so far the maintenance the maintenance costs for the EMS vehicles was $9,363.79.
Lynne made a motion to approve the fireworks permit for Cathy Ramirez for 840 N. Main, Mapleton, KS, Nick seconded and all approved.
At 3:45, Jeff made a motion to adjourn, Nick seconded and all approved.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
(ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
07/02/2019, Approved Date
June 18, 2019 Tuesday 9:00 am
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with Commissioners Oharah and Ruhl present and Jeff Fischer by telephone. The County Counselor and the County Clerk were also present.
Tammy Helm with the Fort Scott Tribune and Nancy Van Etten were also present.
Jim Harris and Jerad Heckman with the Road & Bridge department met with the Commissioners.
John Eastwood & Jennifer Durkin met with the Commissioners; Jennifer said her daughter recently had a car wreck on Limestone Road between 255th-260th. She said she had gone off of a low water crossing that didn’t have guardrails. Jim Harris said this isn’t a low water crossing, but rather a low area with a large culvert. Jim said he would view the area and follow State guidelines regarding the area.
Jim Harris discussed the two Freightliner trucks; he said in 2018 they spent $23,000 on one and $10,300 on the other in repairs and in 2019 they have spent $8,000 on one and $12,700 on the other. No decision was made on the trucks.
Jim Harris presented his 2020 budget requests; for Bridge and Culvert he requested $197,284, Special Road Machinery he requested $0 and said it wasn’t a budgeted item, Road & Bridge Sales Tax he requested $1,160,522, for Noxious Weed he requested $149,945, for Landfill he requested $242,753 (Jim said that the Landfill isn’t funded by tax dollars other than employee benefits for the employees there), for Road & Bridge he requested $2,068,944 (with 2 new employees for a ditching crew), for Special Bridge he requested $242,402 (with 3 new employees to work on bridges. Jim said they will have to close bridges if work isn’t done to the bridges.
Jeff Fischer reported that he had heard praises for the work done with patching in Garland as well as work done in Hiattville. Jeff said he tends to hear more praises than complaints for the Road & Bridge work.
Jeff said he had heard concerns about the road closure on 260th that is scheduled for today; he said the person had concerns about investing a lot of money in building up a road that could possibly be abandoned later on.
The Commissioners said there is work being done on mapping to develop a map that has all County owned roads on it. Nancy Van Etten Suggested setting a date for the map and the work to be done.
Lynne reported brush that was dumped in the little Osage crossing on 95th; Jim said he would view the area.
Jim said they plan to start overlaying on Condensory Road on June 19th. He said they will move the equipment to Mapleton after Condensory Road.
Jeff said he had heard a concern over the right of way on Justice Lane; he said a utility line is located north and south possibly in a County easement. Jim said he would view a right of way map.
Lynne said the Redfield Mayor recently met with the Commissioners regarding the location of the city limits; Jim said they met and the city limits is approximately 100’ on the South edge of Redfield.
Lynne made a motion to approve the Jubilee Fireworks LLC permit for a fireworks stand at 2420 S. Main, Fort Scott, Nick seconded and all approved the permit.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 15 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks and Kendell Mason). No action was taken.
The Commissioners held a road closure hearing for 2,640’ on 260th Street between Deer and Cavalry Road in the Northwest quarter of Section 12, Township 27, and Range 25. The Commissioners, Jim Harris, Jerad Heckman and T&C representative Tim Speer were present for this hearing. Mr. Speer said he would like the road closed so they can put a locked gate on the property (he said they could provide keys to the locked gate), he said T&C owns both sides of the road on the East & West and if closed they would maintain the road. Mr. Speer said there wasn’t much traffic on the road due to the quality of the road. Jim Harris said the maps show this as an open County road. Lynne asked Jim if anyone had requested to maintain the road and keep it open; Jim said yes he had a request to keep the south ½ open. Jeff Fischer said he had concerns about closing any County road, he said he is not in favor of closing any roads. Jeff said he was in favor of maintaining the road and establishing what kind of road it will be (gravel or dirt). Jeff said the restricted access could impact the value of the property for the landowners. Jeff felt that the Coal Company should be obligated to restore the road. The County has had surveying done on this road to determine the right-of-ways. Mr. Speer said the road needs to be maintained, he said it is a dirt road with no gravel and grass growing in the road. Jeff made a motion that the County retain the right of way and reject the road closure and develop a maintenance plan suitable to property owners on both sides of the road, Nick seconded and all were in favor. Mr. Speer asked when they could expect a plan; the Commissioners said they were waiting on survey results and when it’s dry enough they will work on cutting ditches.
There was discussion over donating the previous Noxious Weed building in Uniontown to the City of Uniontown; Justin said he was working on the contract to donate the property.
Bill Martin and Ben Cole met with the Commissioners to discuss the contract with SEK Regional Juvenile Detention Center; Justin said the County had not received a contract with guaranteed bed space. The law has changed, making it harder to house a juvenile, but there is no guarantee that the law will stay the same and if the County gets out of the juvenile contract they will not be able to get back in the contract. The Commissioners have worked to bring down the SEK Regional Juvenile Detention Center rates. Nick said that the SEK Regional Juvenile Detention Center will offer a daily rate of $400+ a day, but without a guarantee that there will be bed space available. Bill Martin recommended that the County get out of the contract since the laws are changing and making it harder to place a juvenile in the facility. Bill said the cost the County is currently paying for the contract to house a few juveniles doesn’t make sense. The Commissioners were all concerned that if the laws change and they have to house more juveniles where they would house them. Nick made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Lynne seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). After the session; Nick said that he appreciated Bill Martin’s comments, but made a motion to stay in the contract with the SEK Regional Juvenile Detention Center, Jeff seconded and all approved. Nick said he would notify the SEK Regional Juvenile Detention Center that the County was going to stay in the contract. Lynne said that the Commissioners had discussed this issue a lot, but couldn’t get a facility that would offer a contract with a guaranteed bed space and said the daily rate was based on availability.
Nick made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Pete Allen met with the Commissioners; he has a house located at 1022 232nd (Marco Estates), he said the County installed a culvert there a few years ago, but it is too high. The Commissioners said they would have Jim Harris view the area.
At 11:30 Nick made a motion to break for lunch and reconvene at 1:30, Lynne seconded and all approved.
Judge Ward and Rhonda Cole met with the Commissioners to present the District Court’s requested 2020 budget. Judge Ward said it’s estimated that $35,000 from fees and other revenues will be accrued in the County general fund. Judge Ward requested $268,468 for 2020; in 2019 they received $252,468. Judge Ward said the additional $15,000 is to cover indigent services, interpreter fees, Statewide mandated computer changes and printing and supplies. Judge Ward discussed the 2018 & 2019 (as of 06/18/2019) case loads; 2018 criminal 752 – 2019 criminal 363 cases, 2018 child in need of care 2018 108 cases – 2019 72 cases, civil cases 2018 97 cases – 2019 102 cases.
Jeff Fischer asked Judge Ward if their case load would change if the City of Fort Scott had a municipal court; Judge Ward said it could reduce some of the misdemeanors they receive.
Lynne made a motion that all of the Commissioners attend a Highway 69 Association ribbon cutting on June 24, 2019 at 10:30 at the Cherry Grove Church located at 69 Highway and Birch Road, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Lynne said he was going to forward an email from Kevin Ross with Goldberg Group to the other Commissioners.
Emergency Preparedness Director Will Wallis met with the Commissioners regarding disaster information and flood damage; Will said the State had came here for a meeting, he said representatives from Uniontown, Bronson, Fort Scott and the Marmaton Watershed were present for the meeting. The State went over information regarding the public assistance disaster. The State viewed flood damages to do preliminary damage assessments at Gunn Park, the overlook point at the Riverfront Authority, the overflow at the Fort Scott Lake, 160th south of Fern Road as well as various roads and bridges with damage. Will estimates that there were a minimum of 150 small locations with damage that could receive compensation for the grader operators labor, the grader and lost gravel. Will estimated there were a minimum of 50 sites with medium damages and 5 sites with heavy damages. Will said they did not look at the backed up debris in the waterway. The State took the small, medium and heavy damages and estimated that Bourbon County alone had $366,592.47 worth of damage from the floods. Of the available mitigation money that the County could receive reimbursement for FEMA reimburses for 75% and the State reimburses for 10%. Will said they will look at man hours, bridge reports, road maintenance records and gravel costs to help calculate the cost of damages. Will said that after the initial damage assessment a second State team will come here to calculate damages.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Nick made a motion to go into a 7 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Lynne seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks and Jody Hoener). No action was taken.
Nick made a motion to have an afternoon/evening meeting on July 30th from 1-4 pm and from 5:30 – 7:30, Lynne seconded and the motion passed.
Nick made a motion to meet from 1-4 pm on June 25th, Lynne seconded and the motion passed.
The Commissioners asked David Neville if he knew of any budgeted items that the Commissioners needed to budget for in 2020; David said he felt that the County would need to do repair work to the handicap ramp as well as work to the sidewalk at both the Courthouse and the Driver’s License building.
At 3:53, Lynne made a motion to adjourn and Nick seconded.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
(ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
06/25/2019, Approved Date
June 14, 2019 Friday 9:00 am
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with Commissioners Oharah and Fischer present. The County Clerk was also present.
Jody Hoener met with the Commissioners to discuss a letter of recommendation regarding Hemp production. Jeff made a motion to authorize Lynne to sign the letter; Lynne seconded and signed the letter. Lynne said that Kansas regulations allow a two month window to produce hemp; he felt that the County needed to work with the State to expand the two month window.
The letter stated the following:
“The Bourbon County Economic Development has been working with Joe Bisogno of KMC Brands Incorporated, and its subsidiary America’s Hemp Academy, to increase the opportunity for the growing, producing and distribution of industrial hemp in Bourbon County.
It is the Bourbon County Commission’s understanding that KMC Brands Incorporated and America’s Hemp Academy will be seeking a new venture in commercial home building made of industrial hempcrete. The Bourbon County area would serve as a perfect location for such work with its history of agricultural excellence. Additionally, there are no current zoning restrictions that would interfere with such an endeavor.
We appreciate the opportunity to explore this additional revenue stream with a new commodity to further encourage commerce in the region.”
At 11:42, Jeff made a motion to adjourn, Lynne seconded and the meeting was adjourned.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
(ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
06/25/2019, Approved Date
June 13, 2019 Thursday 10:00 am
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with Lynne Oharah present and Jeff Fischer by telephone. The County Counselor and the County Clerk were also present.
Lynne made a motion that he sign the donation agreement from Mercy Hospital, Jeff seconded and the motion passed. Lynne signed these documents and then they were emailed to Mercy Hospital. Jeff said that the County appreciated the donation.
The meeting adjourned at 10:10 am.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
(ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
06/25/2019, Approved Date
June 11, 2019 Tuesday 1:00 pm
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all three Commissioners, the County Counselor and the County Clerk present.
Emergency Manager Will Wallis met with the Commissioners regarding the County disaster declaration; he said he had been taking pictures of flood damage. Will said that Redfield, Bronson & Uniontown all had water damage. Will said that one of the watersheds in Bourbon County had over $50,000 worth of damage. Will said Bourbon County needs a minimum of $57,000 worth of damage to qualify for assistance. Will said he had been in contact with some of the Road & Bridge grader operators regarding damage on the roads. Lynne & Jeff told Will of a few areas in the County that they felt needed looked at for damage. He said they will have a meeting today at 2:00 pm in the EOC office to discuss the water damage and educate the public regarding the declaration.
Fort Scott City Commissioner Cheryl Adamson arrived at the Commission meeting to listen.
Jeff made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Kendell presented the Bourbon County 2020 budget information to be used for the 2020 budget; the Bourbon County total estimated assessed valuation estimate for the 2020 budget is 107,706,498, in 2019 the estimate was 104,040,342.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks and Shane Walker). Justin Meeks said he would be moving his office to an area in the old health department.
Shane discussed the bike trails at Gunn Park; he said he may ask the Road & Bridge department to do some work to the bridge on the trail.
Nancy Van Etten arrived at the meeting.
Jerad Heckman with the Road & Bridge department met with the Commissioners; he said they have been mowing, patching (they are patching in Garland now), working on low water crossings and hauling rock around the County. Lynne discussed a phone call he had from Mark Stewart regarding 15th & Tomahawk; Jerad said they made the road passable, but didn’t put any rock on the road, Jerad said they need to determine if this is a Bourbon County or Allen County road. Jerad said they will start asphalting on Maple & 235th on June 17th.
Bourbon County Attorney, Jacqie Spradling met with the Commissioners to present the Attorney’s 2020 budget, Ben Cole, Bill Martin, Angel Wilson and Lora Holdridge were also present for this meeting. In 2019 the Attorney was approved for $344,324, Jacqie requested $359,324 for 2020. Jacqie estimated that if the City of Fort Scott had a municipal court (which could handle some of the cases that the County does for them) it could reduce the County Attorney’s case load approximately 30%. Bill Martin said a municipal court could also reduce the amount of inmates arrested.
Register of Deeds, Lora Holdridge met with the Commissioners to present the Register of Deed’s 2020 budget. In 2019 the Register of Deeds was approved for $82,447, Lora requested $82,747 for 2020. Lora said she took out the part time employee out of her budget, but left the $15,000 in her budget, in 2020 she requested that $10,000 go towards an increase in her wages and $5,000 go towards an increase in her deputies wages, she asked that the Commissioners consider making this change for 2019 as well since the money is already budgeted.
County Clerk, Kendell Mason presented the 2020 budget for the Election & Clerk department. She requested $101,917 for the Clerk and $86,900 for the Election 2020 budget, which is the same that was allocated in 2019.
Lynne made a motion to give $500 to the Elks for the 2019 fireworks display, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 15 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 15 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Mark McCoy briefly met with the Commissioners.
Nick made a motion to go into a 35 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks).
Lynne made a motion to break for lunch at 4:45 and reconvene at 5:30, Nick seconded and all approved.
After lunch, The Commissioners, the County Counselor, the County Clerk, Jason Silvers with the Fort Scott Tribune, Nancy Van Etten and Josh Jones were at the meeting. Kevin Allen, Jason Gorman and Lora Holdridge were present for a portion of the evening meeting.
Robert Uhler with the City of Fort Scott met with the Commissioners; he gave the Commissioners a copy of the 2018 City of Fort Scott Comprehensive plan.
Nancy Van Etten said she had company coming to visit, she said one of the visitors would need access to the internet during the visit to do work, she asked for possible locations with Wi-Fi. Nancy questioned where the County is regarding the business incubator; Justin said that there is one business there now.
There was a discussion over the future plan for the County; the Commissioners said that Jody Hoener was working on developing a comprehensive plan. Lynne said that the County has limited funding and that they were cautions of their spending. Jeff encouraged people to view the roads and ditches to see the improvements that have been done in recent years.
Kevin Allen discussed potholes at the Fort Scott Lake, Nick said that road was City property; Kevin said the City said that it wasn’t City property. Kevin suggested that the City & County discuss the Lake roads to see who should be fixing those roads. There was a discussion over a milling machine and the milled product. Kevin asked if there was a plan to mill the east side of the Lake; Lynne said that there was no plan at this time to mill that road. Kevin discussed the County and the City working together regarding road work. He said the County and City needs to work towards the same goal.
Lora Holdridge asked when the City and the County would have a public meeting where people could meet to discuss inter-local options; Kevin suggested quarterly round table meetings between the County, Cities, School’s & FSCC, Lynne said that BEDCO has representatives from all of those different entities. Lynne said that the County tried to do a cooperation with the 69 highway project; he said the County receives the access roads off of the highway and that the County asked that the State didn’t pave the road next to the old At&t building on 69 highway and use the pavement on Eagle road instead, but the State paved the road next to the At&t building instead of making it a gravel road.
There was discussion over the City enforcing zoning in the three mile radius to improve the appearances of the main access roads in our County.
There was a discussion over the inter-local cooperation between the City and the County regarding the ambulance service for Bourbon County.
Lora questioned the bridge that was going to be moved to the walking trail; the Commissioners said that bridge was too big and was going to cost too much to move.
At 7:25, Jeff made a motion to adjourn, Nick seconded and all approved.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
(ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
06/25/2019, Approved Date
June 7, 2019 Friday 9:30
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session for a special meeting to discuss the recent emergency declaration. Present for the meeting were Lynne Oharah and Jeff Fischer (by telephone) as well as the County Clerk.
Tammy Helm with the Fort Scott Tribune was also present.
Emergency Manager Will Wallis met with the Commissioners; Lynne made a motion to appoint Will Wallis as the coordinator for the disaster relief effort, Jeff seconded and the motion passed.
The meeting adjourned at 9:34 am.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
(ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
06/11/2019, Approved Date
June 4, 2019 Tuesday 9:00 am
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with Commissioners Oharah and Fischer present, the County Counselor and the County Clerk present.
Tammy Helm with the Fort Scott Tribune and Jody Hoener were also present for a portion of the meeting.
Arnold Schofield met with the Commissioners, Jim Harris and Jerad Heckman; Arnold thanked Jody Hoener for working with Union Pacific to obtain the right-of-way for the trail. He also reported potholes on Jayhawk going east; Jim Harris said they will be back working on Jayhawk soon.
Jeremiah Hill met with the Commissioners (Steve Hill was also present for this meeting), Jim Harris and Jerad Heckman; he questioned if the Commissioners had made a decision regarding work to be done to Rocher, Marco and Justice Lane. Jeff discussed the hard surface road maintenance program information they had received, he suggested prioritizing roads to be overlaid based on traffic count and pavement rating. Jeff said he didn’t think it was all of the taxpayer’s responsibility to pave roads in the subdivision, but perhaps divide the costs among the neighbors in the subdivision. Lynne said they have to be careful regarding decisions on what to do with the roads, he said they have been warned that the County has paved too much in the past, the County has approximately 140 miles of paved roads. Jeremiah questioned 125th south of Mapleton, he presented pictures that suggested there wasn’t a base under this road, he said this road looks like Eagle did, he questioned if the work that has been done to 125th will last if there isn’t a base. Jeremiah asked when the potholes would be filled going east through Garland to the Stateline; Jim said this is on the list and said he receives direction from the Commissioners on where to work. Jim said the same staff does the overlaying that does the patching so the patching will stop once the overlaying starts. The wet weather that the County has had has delayed road maintenance. Jeremiah presented a picture of fence at the intersection east of the Diamond Church that had been burnt; Jim said his employees have been directed not to burn and said he would address this issue.
Ed & Beth Guss from the City of Redfield met with the Commissioners; Bourbon County had previously agreed to donate up to $2,000 worth of culvert to the City of Redfield, Ed presented a list of culverts needed for Redfield. Ed discussed sewer manholes on the south edge of Redfield; he said they are underwater and said the water doesn’t have anywhere to drain. Jim agreed to meet with them on June 6th to determine if the roads are city or county roads. Ed requested top soil for the ball field; Jim said the County did not have any top soil and suggested they contact someone else for this. Ed requested that the County cut the shoulders of the roads inside the Redfield city limits; the Commissioners said they would have to discuss this, but suggested they contact a contractor for this.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 15 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Jeff seconded, motion passed, (the session included the Commissioners, Jim Harris, Jerad Heckman and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Nancy Van Etten and Mark McCoy arrived at the meeting.
Lynne asked that Jim contact Mark Stewart regarding Quail and 55th.
Jeff made a motion to approved the 2019 fireworks permits for Jake’s Fireworks at Wall & Goodlander, Jake’s Fireworks at 2322 S. Main, Crazy Debbie’s at 2500 S. Main & Hales Fireworks at 2409 S. Main, Lynne seconded, motion passed.
The Commissioners reviewed the received 2018 annual summaries from the townships, cemeteries, fire districts and watersheds; Jeff made a motion to approve the received 2018 annual summaries, Lynne seconded and the motion passed.
Lynne discussed the Noxious Weed building in Uniontown; he said the Commissioners previously discussed donating this building to the City of Uniontown to be used for their maintenance building, Lynne said he felt the Commissioners want to move forward with the donation; Justin said he would do a contract for this donation. The Commissioners plan to approve the contract for the donation on June 18th.
Mark McCoy met with the Commissioners, Jim Harris and Jerad Heckman; he questioned why Bourbon County had not participated in a disaster declaration due to the recent 15” or more of rain and storms that the County had received. Mark said he understood there was damage in the City of Fort Scott as well; the calculated cost (in the County and the Cities in Bourbon County) to return the existing roads to the condition prior to the damage from the heavy rains could possibly be eligible for assistance from the disaster recovery, he estimated the threshold to be $56,500. Mark said the money can be recoverable if a disaster relief is declared and accepted. Lynne said he had spoken to the City of Fort Scott and said they didn’t plan to declare a disaster; the City of Bronson had no damage to declare. Lynne made a motion to adopt Resolution 13-19; an emergency disaster declaration for Bourbon County, Jeff seconded the motion. Jim Harris said he would pull records of work done due to the storms. Jeff made a motion to give Lynne permission to contact the City of Fort Scott regarding the storm damage in Fort Scott, Lynne seconded the motion.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 20 minute executive session for confidential data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks and Jody Hoener). No action was taken.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 7 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
At 12:16, Jeff made a motion to adjourn, Lynne seconded, motion passed.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
(ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
06/11/2019, Approved Date
May 28, 2019 Tuesday 9:00 am
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all three Commissioners and the County Clerk present.
Bobby Duncan met with the Commissioners, Jim Harris and Jerad Heckman; he said the road department is working hard on the roads, he suggested that when the graders are working on the roads (Poplar Road) that they quit windrowing each side of the road, because when they do this it doesn’t allow the water to run off and creates potholes. Mr. Duncan discussed his building (the Beaux Fine Arts building); he said Fort Scott City Manager Dave Martin, admitted that the fire marshal didn’t provide the code footprints for his building but said it all came from the City offices. Mr. Duncan said the people that passed the recent petition to stop the purchase of the fire truck weren’t trying to say they didn’t want the fire department to have the equipment but rather wanted citizen involvement in the decisions of the long term debt. He also discussed the possible airport expansion; he suggested that there be signatures on where the money will come from for funding.
Lynne asked Jim to view Wagon Road one mile west of Highway 7; Lynne suggested that it needed gravel.
Jeff made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for preliminary discussions relating to the acquisition of real property, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Jim Harris and Jerad Heckman). No action was taken.
Lynne told Jim Harris that there are two hills that need the washouts fixed on Range Road west of 125th.
Lynne made a motion to reclaim Yale Road from Hidden Valley going west two miles due to safety concerns as well as to re-base 100 yards east of 95th on Yale Road, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Jim Harris reported that the chemical sales at the Road & Bridge barn are going well.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Jody Hoener). No action was taken.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Jody Hoener). No action was taken.
City of Fort Scott Commissioners Randy Nichols, Cheryl Adamson, Jeanie Parker, JoLynne Mitchell and Cindy Bartelsmeyer as well as Dave Martin, Diane Clay and Robert Uhler from the City offices met with the County Commissioners, residents Linda and Ed Fox and Bobby Duncan were also present. Jeff made a motion to go into a 15 minute executive session for Personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Nick seconded and all approved; the session included the County and the City Commissioners. After the session, Jeff made a motion to go into a 15 minute executive session for Personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Nick seconded and all approved; the session included the County and the City Commissioners. After the session, Jeff made a motion to go into a 12 1/2 minute executive session for Personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Nick seconded and all approved; the session included the County and the City Commissioners. After the session, Jeff made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the City & County Commissioners as well as Robert Uhler). No action was taken.
Linda Fox reported a drainage issue near her residence at 111 Crescent Drive; Lynne said he would report this to Jim Harris and Jim can talk to Chad with the City of Fort Scott about this issue.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners). No action was taken.
The SEK-Multi County is moving to a new location at 6th & Horton Street, they need a generator at the new location and are leaving their current generator at the current location which the County will use. The board asked what the County would pay towards the cost of the generator. Lynne said he had told Becky at the Health Department to ask the board what is a reasonable price for the County to purchase the used generator from them.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Jody Hoener). No action was taken.
Lynne made a motion to break for lunch and reconvene at 1:30, Nick seconded and all approved.
The Commissioners discussed the possibility of closing a portion of Indian Road for the airport expansion; all of the Commissioners were in agreement that if they opted to close a portion of Indian Road for the airport expansion the County would require the owner to develop an alternative route prior to the closure, the alternative road would need to have the same road surface as Indian Road and would need to be complete prior to closure. Nick made a motion that all three Commissioners will be attending an airport meeting on June 19th at 1:00 at the City of Fort Scott Commission room, the Commissioners will appoint a Commissioner to this board after the initial meeting, Jeff seconded and all approved. No County business decisions will be made at this airport meeting.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners). No action was taken.
Lynne reported that he and Jim Harris will be meeting with John Stokes regarding roads in Bronson.
At 2:50, Jeff made a motion to adjourn, Nick seconded and all were in favor.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
(ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
06/11/2019, Approved Date
May 21, 2019 Tuesday 3:00 pm
The Bourbon County Commission met for a special meeting, present for the meeting were Nick, Lynne and Jeff by telephone, as well as the County Counselor the County Clerk.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 30 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Jody Hoener and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks and Shane Walker). No action was taken.
At 4:11 pm, Lynne made a motion to adjourn, Nick seconded and all approved.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
(ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason,
Bourbon County Clerk
05/28/2019, Approved Date
May 14, 2019 Tuesday 9:00
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all three Commissioners, the County Counselor and the County Clerk present.
Tammy Helm with the Fort Scott Tribune and Nancy Van Etten were also present for a portion of the meeting.
Steve Plaster met with the Commissioners, Jerad Heckman and Jim Harris regarding deep potholes on 127th Terrace; Jim Harris said they are currently patching on 125th going north and will patch on 127th as soon as they can.
Jim Harris reported they will be starting culvert installation on Condensory Road. He said they are crushing at the Thomas Quarry and Blasting at the Blake Quarry.
On May 17th & 18th the Landfill will be offering free dump days for Bourbon County residents.
Jim Harris reported that testing provided an estimate of 35’ of good rock at the Blake Quarry.
The Commissioners received a hay bid for the mow able hay on Native Road at the old Landfill site; Pat Murphy provided the only bid of $150. Lynne made a motion to approve the bid from Pat Murphy for $150, Nick seconded and all approved.
The Commissioners received hay bids for the mow able hay at Elm Creek Lake; Dakota Wiley bid $1,200, Larry Kramer bid $2,600, Kenneth Mason bid $1,900 and Pat Murphy bid $1,852. Jeff made a motion to accept the $2,600 bid from Larry Kramer, Nick seconded and all approved.
The Commissioners received a fish food bid for the fish food at Elm Creek Lake; Big Sugar provided the only bid of $18.29/bag, $731.60/ton and 36.58 cents/pound for Purina Catfish floating 32%. Lynne made a motion to approve the bid from Big Sugar, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks, Jim Harris, Jerad Heckman and Kendell Mason). No action was taken.
Nick asked Jim Harris to view a low water bridge at 205th & Wagon Road. He also reported washboards in the road near 205th between Wagon and Soldier Road.
Lynne reported trees on the low water bridge at Osage & 85th and a tree in the road at 95th & Unique.
Jeff Fischer reported that there is seeping in the road at 240th & Cat School Road.
Mark McCoy met with the Commissioners; he said he read where the County was working with the City. Lynne said there would be ongoing discussions of possible shared services to save taxpayers money. Jeff said the County had done benchmarking with other counties and said that Bourbon County Road & Bridge budget was among the best with the lowest cost per person and per mile. Mark offered his assistance with the shared services. There was a brief discussion over the joint efforts between the City of Fort Scott and Bourbon County regarding the ambulance service.
Mr. McCoy discussed the rescuing of a person from a vehicle that went into the water on a low water crossing; Nick said that this incident happened where there were signs warning of the crossing. Lynne said the County makes sure that signs are up notifying of low water crossings.
SEK Multi County Health Department employee Becky Johnson met with the Commissioners to request their 2020 budget; she requested the same amount as was requested in 2019 – $80,750. She said the Health Department offers vaccinations, vaccine clinics, disease investigations, child care licensing, Emergency Preparedness for local areas, child health and WIC. She said their main concern is keeping the local area healthy.
Jeff Fischer discussed a recent department head meeting; at the meeting Jody Hoener did a presentation of her efforts in Bourbon County and Jeff did a presentation with data discussing compensation. The Commissioners agreed that for the 2020 budget the department head should do a budget with current wages as well as a budget with a proposed increase in wages.
John O’Dell a resident of 240th & Rocher met with the Commissioners; he said he had heard that the County wasn’t going to maintain their road. The Commissioners said they had been maintaining this road. Jeff said the Commissioners are trying to come up with a rational process to prioritize road maintenance. The discussion over roads to maintain began when reviewing subdivisions and whether or not the County had accepted the subdivision roads and if they didn’t were they the County’s responsibility to maintain them.
Bourbon County EMS representatives Robert Leisure and Dave Bruner met with the Commissioners to give a report for calls for service in April 2019. Mr. Leisure said in April there were 184 calls for service, 147 of those calls required a transport, 37 were dry runs, 82 were transferred to another facility and 56% of the 82 were transferred to Via Christi Pittsburg. Mr. Leisure thanked the County Commissioners for their teamwork with the City regarding the ambulance service transition; Lynne said this was successful due to the volunteers that helped with this transition. Mr. Leisure said previously Mercy had been supplying approximately $50/month of oxygen to first responders; the Commissioners were ok with this continuing. Mr. Leisure said previously FSCC and Mercy had an agreement to allow EMT students to ride in the ambulance during calls, the Commissioners were ok with allowing this to continue; FSCC will draft a new agreement to allow this to continue.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 15 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken
Justin Meeks said the tax sale should occur during the last part of June 2019 or the first part of July 2019.
Lynne gave Justin Meeks the authority to make phone calls to the legislative body to investigate outstanding issues, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for matters relating to the security of a public body or agency, public building or facility or the information system of a public body or agency, if the discussion of such matters at an open meeting would jeopardize the security of such public body, agency, building, facility or information system, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks and Shane Walker). After the session, Lynne made a motion to give Shane the authority to get a cost analysis to turn the current GIS office into a micro museum, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Lynne made a motion to give Justin and Shane permission to view the Bicknell Center in Pittsburg, Nick seconded and all approved.
At 11:57, Lynne made a motion to break for lunch and reconvene at 1:30, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Emergency Manager Will Wallis met with the Commissioners; Will presented Resolution 12-19, a Resolution adopting the Kansas Homeland Security Region H Hazard Mitigation Plan. Jeff made a motion to adopt Resolution 12-19, a Resolution adopting the Kansas Homeland Security Region H Hazard Mitigation Plan, Nick seconded and all approved and Lynne signed the Resolution. Will said that this Resolution could help get funding should a Presidential declared disaster occur.
Will Wallis reported that he had been recertified as a Kansas Emergency Manager.
Nick made a motion for Lynne to sign a notice from KCAMP regarding shelter #1 at Elm Creek Lake, 682 135th, Fort Scott being located in a Special Flood Hazard Area as defined by FEMA, Jeff seconded and all approved and Lynne signed the document.
Lynne made a motion for Justin to attend the County Counselors Association of Kansas – continuing legal education seminar on June 21, 2019, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Nick made a motion that the Commissioners attend a meeting with a rock production company for ideas and proposals on rock production on May 22nd, Jeff seconded and all approved.
All of the Commissioners will be attending a SEK Districts Meeting on May 21st in Erie. There will not be a Commission meeting on May 21st, 2019.
On June 11th, the Commissioners will hold a Commission meeting from 1 pm to 4:30 pm and from 5:30 – 7:30 pm. This will allow the public to attend an evening Commission meeting.
David Neville met with the Commissioners; he said they had removed 3 old metal toilets from the old jail cells, the Commissioners said to take them to the Landfill for recycling.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Nick gave Lynne permission to meet with Jim Harris and Hubert Thomas and Lynne seconded.
At 3:44, Nick made a motion to adjourn, Lynne seconded and all were in favor.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
(ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
05/28/2019, Approved Date
May 7, 2019 Tuesday 9:00 am
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all three Commissioners, the County Counselor and the County Clerk present.
Tammy Helm with the Fort Scott Tribune and Nancy Van Etten were also present.
Jim Harris said they had postponed the blast at the Blake Quarry until next week due to the rain. Jim said his goal is to begin the asphalt season on May 20th. He said they are installing culverts and patching; Jim said once the overlaying season starts they will be done patching for a while due to staffing.
Jeff questioned using the milled portion of the roads as chips; Jim said it would cost $300,000 to adjust the asphalt plant to do this and said it wasn’t economical to do this.
Jim said KDOT has been using haul roads south of Fort Scott; KDOT will be doing repair work to the haul roads in the next few weeks.
Nick made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Lynne seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Jim Harris, Jerad Heckman, Justin Meeks and Kendell Mason). No action was taken.
Nick made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks, Jim Harris and Jerad Heckman). No action was taken.
Jody Hoener and Robert Uhler met with the Commissioners to discuss wellness; Jody said State Farm has a $25,000 grant available for safety, education or community development. Jody said she planned to apply for the grant to be used for the ABC Trail plan. She said June 5th is the deadline to apply and only 1,000 grant applications will be accepted. Those 1,000 will be narrowed down to 200 and then the community votes on the winning applicant. Jody asked if the County is awarded the grant if the County could be the fiscal agent for the grant money; Jeff made a motion to allow Bourbon County to be the fiscal agent if awarded the State Farm grant, Lynne seconded and all approved.
Jody said there will be a County department head meeting on May 9th; Nick and Lynne agreed to give Jeff permission to share data at the meeting regarding wages, and the benchmarking that has been done with other counties.
Jeff Fischer said the work at the Health Department is nearing completion; he said the sheetrock is finished, he said they are painting now.
Justin Meeks discussed the OMNI EMS billing; in April OMNI collected $70,905.13. The Commissioners originally hoped the ambulance would pay for itself, but the current amount collected does not support this. The Commissioners plan to budget money for future ambulance equipment expenses.
Bill Martin and Ben Cole met with the Commissioners, Jim Harris and Jerad Heckman regarding a stop sign that was recently placed at 218th & north National by Max’s Weigh Station. Bill said his request was not for a stop sign at this area, he said he was contracted by a citizen regarding a 30 mph speed limit sign going north and no sign going south (he said since it isn’t posted going south the speed limit would be 55mph since it is a County road). Bill said he discussed posting a speed limit sign there with Jim Harris, he said he later approached Jim Harris and Nick Ruhl regarding posting a 30 mph speed limit sign going south, (he said he did not request a stop sign). Lynne said that Jim’s request was for a speed limit sign; Lynne said a motion was originally made for a speed limit sign, but was cancelled and then a motion was made for a stop sign to slow traffic.
Lynne questioned the posted speed limit off of 54 Hwy going north on 125th verses the posted speed limit going south on 125th.
Larry Sharp with KCAMP met with the Commissioners and discussed services they offer and the usage report of these services for Bourbon County. KCAMP offers Attorney assist, Kansas legal based jail guidelines, KCAMP online University, on-site training and seminars, risk avoidance grants, roads scholar tuition reimbursement program and ThinkHR.
Jeff made a motion to adopt (and gave Lynne permission to sign) a proclamation declaring May 6th – May 12th, 2019 as National Nurses Week in Bourbon County, Nick seconded and all approved.
Justin Meeks met with the Commissioners, Jody Hoener, Jim Harris and Jerad Heckman to discuss an interlocal agreement between the City and the County regarding road work; Justin said the law allows this and said it would be a contract between the entities and would be an agreement to exchange services or equipment. Justin said they would like to have the ability to meet with city officials regarding this.
Lynne made a motion that all three Commissioners attend lunch with a Cat representative today, Nick seconded and all approved.
Jeff made a motion to go into a 17 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Jeff made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks and Kendell Mason). No action was taken.
At 12:02, Lynne made a motion to adjourn so the Commissioners can attend lunch as well as travel to Forsythe Missouri to view a crusher, Nick seconded and all approved.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
(ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
05/14/2019, Approved Date
April 30, 2019 Tuesday 9:00 am
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all three Commissioners and the County Counselor present.
Nancy Van Etten was also present.
Mary Newport, Robert Lefever and Ryan Linn met with the Commissioners; Mary was presented with a road closure petition and had concerns with the potential road closing at 260th between Deer and Cavalry Road. Her concerns were with fire safety and limiting access to farmed areas. She said it is a low frequency road with minimal maintenance, she said there currently is an electronic gate and a cable stretched across the road there. Ryan farms land in the area and was concerned about the access to the field. The Commissioners directed Jim Harris to survey the area and devise a plan to reopen the road.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 3 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Shane Walker, Lora Holdridge and Justin Meeks met with the Commissioners and Jim Harris to discuss roads in Bourbon County; Justin said that Lora had found roads that were County roads. Justin said that the County needs to adopt roads to maintain, he suggested looking at valuations and population. There was discussion over legal issues, developing a Matrix as well as the 1cent sales tax for hard surface roads. Lora discussed subdivisions; she said if it is not platted it is not an addition. Shane discussed the reappraisal process in 1986 and said in 1998 due to the 911 addressing, the County adopted or named roads (the County named Marco Estates and Rocher Addition). Shane suggested if the County named it then the County should maintain it. Shane discussed issues with mapping; he explained how three other counties classify their roads. Jim Harris said he was concerned that we will have a plan, but not follow it. Lora said when a road gets closed the book should be updated; she reviewed the minutes from 1993 to 1977 for road closings and openings.
Don George with KDWP met with the Commissioners to discuss a 10 or 15 year contract with KDWP for Elm Creek. Lynne made a motion to accept and sign the contract for 10 years, (beginning in 2019), Jeff seconded and all approved.
Cathy Cooper with the Sixth Judicial District met with the Commissioners; she presented a grant for $464,356.96 to be used for KDOC juveniles. Nick made a motion to give Lynne permission to sign the document, Jeff seconded and all approved. Cathy presented a grant document for $305,409.41 to be used for the KDOC adult division; Nick made a motion for Lynne to sign the document, Jeff seconded and all approved. Cathy presented a grant for $147,484.61 to be used for adult behavioral health, (for care coordinator and substance abuse), Nick made a motion for Lynne to sign this, Jeff seconded and all approved and Lynne signed all of the grant documents.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for preliminary discussions relating to the acquisition of real property, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Jim Harris presented a culvert application from Jerry Daylong for a culvert near 35th north of Bronson; Lynne made a motion to accept the application, Nick seconded and all approved.
Jim Harris presented a utility permit from Craw-Kan for two areas; one at 240th between Arrowhead & Birch and one on 250th on Arrowhead going north. Jeff made a motion to approve the permit, Nick seconded and all approved.
Jim Harris discussed an invitation by Murphy Tractor to Forsythe, Missouri for the Commissioners to attend an operator tour and demonstration of a crusher on May 7th; Lynne made a motion that the Commissioners attend this, Nick seconded and all approved.
Kevin Allen and Josh Jones met with the Commissioners; Kevin suggested having evening Commission meetings in Fort Scott.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). After the session, Lynne made a motion to appoint Gil Gregory as the Guardian Ad Litem for the Tax Sale, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). After the session, Jeff made a motion for Justin to meet with the Hidden Valley Lake Director, Nick seconded and all approved.
At 11:58, Nick made a motion to break for lunch and reconvene at 1:30, Lynne seconded and all approved.
Carla Nemecek with the Southwind Extension District met with the Commissioners; she discussed and upcoming livestock judging trip to Scotland & Ireland. She said they are raising funds by selling stock in the livestock judging team, the stockholders will be invited to a shareholders meeting where students will present shareholders a presentation on the return on their investment.
Jeff made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session to discuss personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Lynne seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
County Appraiser Clint Anderson met with the Commissioners; he said the 1st quarter sales seemed strong and said that may indicate that there is a potential for valuations to appreciate. Clint said he has an environmental meeting with Sugar Valley/Hidden Valley Lakes.
At 4:05, Jeff made a motion to adjourn and Lynne seconded.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
(ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
05/14/2019, Approved Date
April 22, 2019 Monday 9:00 am
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all three Commissioners, the County Counselor and the County Clerk present.
Jim Harris and Jerad Heckman met with the Commissioners; Jim reported they are ditching at the Industrial Park, drilling at the Beth Quarry and blasting there next week. Jim said they will not have much rock surplus from the Thomas Quarry since they are hauling rock out as fast as they are producing it.
Jeff Fischer reported a call from the USD 234 school district bus superintendent with a safety concern on 195th near Rock Creek, Jeff said the base to the road is gone and there are potholes and drainage issues there. Jeff made a motion due to a safety concern and due to the base failure to reclaim from the bridge on 195th south to approximately Jayhawk Road for approximately ¼ mile, Jeff said they are not committing to repave this road this year, but may consider at a later date, Lynne seconded and all approved.
There was a discussion over who is responsible for maintaining Justice Lane, Marco Estates & Rocher Addition (on 225th). The Commissioners met with Register of Deeds Lora Holdridge and asked her to review if and when the County had accepted a road dedication and the maintenance responsibility of the following roads… Justice Lane, Marco Estates, Rocher Addition, Williams Street (near the Fort Scott Middle School), Ironwood and Golf view.
Lynne discussed a portion of Unique Road between 85th & 95th; he said the prior minutes did not reflect this as a closed road. Lynne said he felt they should close the road since it is not a through road. Jim Harris said according to the 1929 & 1933 maps this is not a road to close. Lynne made a motion to go into a10 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Shane Walker, Justin Meeks, Jerad Heckman, Jim Harris and Kendell Mason). No action was taken. Jim Harris said he goes by Shane Walker’s maps when reviewing roads. Shane Walker suggesting using a road classification system by population when maintaining gravel roads.
Matt Crystal met with the Commissioners to discuss the proposed County-wide NRP program; Justin Meeks told him the program is still pending. Matt asked if he started construction today would he be grandfathered in the program, Justin said yes; Justin said once it is setup he hoped all of the entities would be participating in the County-wide NRP program, but said it could be setup with just the County participating.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 30 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
At 11:48, Lynne made a motion to break for lunch and reconvene at 1:30, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Nick made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for confidential data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks and Kendell Mason). No action was taken.
Justin Meeks discussed the tax sale; he said he has had several people contact him wanting to donate their property to the Land Bank.
At 3:37, Lynne made a motion to adjourn, Nick seconded and all approved.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
___________________, Commissioner
(ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
04/30/2019, Approved Date
April 16, 2019 Tuesday 9:00 am
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all three Commissioners, the County Counselor and the County Clerk present.
Tammy Helm with the Fort Scott Tribune and Nancy Van Etten were also present.
Jim Harris presented 1 application for 2 permits for Pioneer LLC to install pipes under the road to water cattle from a pond across the road; one location is at 40th south of Cavalry (2” water line) the second is at 50th south of Eagle (3” water line). Jeff made a motion to approve the permit, Nick seconded and all approved.
Jim Harris presented the Paser Asphalt Road Manual to the Commissioners; he said this could be used to rate the condition of the roads.
Jim Harris said he had found two used tractors for sale; a 2011 New Holland with 1754 hours with no warranty for $39,900 and a 2017 John Deere for $53,950 this is a demo model with 30 hours and a 1 ½ year warranty. Jim Harris suggested that Road & Bridge, Landfill and the Sales Tax fund could pay for the tractor. After discussion; Jeff made a motion to approve purchasing the 2017 John Deere for $53,950, Nick seconded and all approved.
Jesse Walker met with the Commissioners; he asked that the County maintain a portion of 95th & Unique. He said he had found a 1977 survey that shows this is a County road. Lynne said he discussed this road with Lora Holdridge, she said this road is still on the map; Jim said that Shane Walker said this road did not appear on the maps. Jim Harris said if it is a County road then he felt the County should build a road all the way through to 85th. Lynne said he would continue to research this road.
Jim Harris reported that the Noxious Weed department will be moved from Uniontown to the Road & Bridge barn in Fort Scott at the end of this week. Jim said it will be open for chemical sales on Monday mornings, Wednesday afternoons & Friday mornings as well as by appointment. The Commissioners discussed the soon to be vacant Noxious Weed building in Uniontown; Lynne made a motion to give Jim Harris the authority to list the building for sale, there was not a 2nd on the motion. Jeff suggested that the County find out the value of the property and to explore alternative uses for the building.
Jim Harris said they will be patching on 215th, will be covering the Landfill, finishing up a Timberhill culvert, moving the excavator to install a culvert, doing ditching northwest of Fort Scott, using the excavator on Soldier, will be drilling next week at the Blake Quarry to prepare for a blast and said they have 20 driveway culverts to replace on Condensory Road before overlaying the road.
Jeff questioned who maintained the roads around Rock Creek; Jim Harris said this was the City of Fort Scott’s property.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks and Jim Harris). No action was taken.
Nick made a motion to have free dump days at the Landfill on May 17th & May 18th for Bourbon County residents including tires, no commercial businesses, Jeff seconded and all approved the motion.
The Commissioners held a 2019 budget amendment hearing for the Ambulance fund; the budget amendment allows for a total of $1,020,000 of expenditures, $316,020 had already been budgeted, this amendment allows for an additional $703,980 of expenditures. Lynne made a motion to approve the 2019 budget amendment for the ambulance fund, Nick seconded and all approved and signed the budget amendment. The Commissioners are responsible for the ambulance budget.
Nancy Van Etten questioned housing conditions and regulations in the County; the Commissioners said the only codes the County has are septic tank regulations and that there are no codes in the County.
Jeff made a motion to move the April 23rd Commission meeting to April 22nd, Nick seconded and all approved.
Dale Arnold met with the Commissioners; he discussed trees that were trimmed near the Sale Barn, he said the tree trunks are still there and said you can’t see around the corner when the trees have leaves on them. Jeff reported this to Jim Harris.
Jeff made a motion to go into a 20 minute executive session for Consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Jeff made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for Consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
At 11:44, Lynne made a motion to adjourn, Jeff seconded and all approved.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
(ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
04/22/2019, Approved Date
April 9, 2019 Tuesday 9:00 am
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all three Commissioners, the County Counselor and the County Clerk present.
Jim Harris and Jerad Heckman met with the Commissioners; Jim asked that the Commissioners consider approving an addendum to the Blake quarry lease; the addendum changes the ownership name. Lynne made a motion to approve signing the addendum, Jeff seconded and all approved and Lynne signed the addendum.
Jim reported they had finished putting in a French drain on 240th (approximately 100 yards south of Jayhawk). He said they have put in a ditch and culverts at 205th & Overbrook.
Jim reported they would be putting in two pipes for drainage at Maple Road & 165th.
Jim said the abutments have collapsed on the Timberhill Bridge; he said they will put in a 36’ long pipe & remove the bridge.
Lynne made a motion that the Commissioners be able to attend a KCAMP P.P.E. safety meeting at 10:00 am April 10th at the barn, Nick seconded and all approved.
Jim Harris said that Bill Martin had asked the County to consider placing speed limit signs near North National & 218th, which is near the new FSCC dorms; Jim said he would like the Commissioners to consider a 4 way stop there verses the 3 way that is currently there. Lynne made a motion to install a 4 way stop at the intersection and a 45 mph speed limit signs, Nick seconded, Jeff said he would like to consider possibly eliminating one of the 3 stop signs there. Lynne made a motion to rescind the motion to put in a 4 way stop and installing speed limit signs, Jeff seconded and all approved. Jeff made a motion to install a 4 way stop at the Junction of 218th & North National, Nick seconded and all approved. The Commissioners felt that installing the stop sign will help control the speed. Lynne said he would like to see the City of Fort Scott install a city limit sign there.
Jeff made a motion to go into a 15 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Jim Harris, Justin Meeks and Jerad Heckman). No action was taken.
Jeff made a motion to go into a 15 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Jim Harris, Justin Meeks and Jerad Heckman). No action was taken.
Jeff said he had received the hard surface road database and traffic counts as well as the surface conditions reports.
There was a brief discussion over Senate bill 22; Lynne said if it passes it may generate more sales tax money.
Nick made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Lynne seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Jim Harris and Justin Meeks). After the session, Nick made a motion to give Jim Harris an annual $10,000 pay raise (equal to $384.61 a pay period) to bring his salary in range comparable to other counties effective April 29th, Lynne seconded the motion. The Commissioners felt that Jim has a lot of areas he is responsible for and felt that his wages should be comparable to other counties with the same position. All of the Commissioners approved the motion.
The Commissioners said they are comparing elected officials wages; Lynne stated that in 2020 they will be looking at ways to include raises for elected officials (minus the Commissioners) to get the elected officials wages comparable to other counties. Jeff stated that he felt they had made progress with the non-elected personnel’s wages in the past years when they benchmarked the other counties.
Jim said the investigation has been opened back up for review regarding the two New Holland tractor fires.
Jim said they have been using the patching machine around the County.
Nick reported the March 2019 Omni bill was $3,584.26, he said in March Omni collected $79,747.83. Omni is the ambulance billing company.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 30 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). After the session, Lynne made a motion to give Justin Meeks permission to do work for the Landbank, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Jeff made a motion to go into a 15 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Kendell Mason). No action was taken.
At 11:30, Lynne made a motion to break for lunch and reconvene at 1:00 at the ambulance barn and then at the Commission room when finished, Jeff seconded and all approved. Jeff made a motion to give all of the Commissioners permission to meet at the ambulance barn, Nick seconded and all approved.
There was a discussion over loose handrails as well as peeling paint on the handrails in the pods at the new jail; Lynne told Shane Walker to tell the jail administrators to use a wrench to tighten the handrails. Shane said he had found ladders with cages for the jail roof; one is $1,000 and one is $600.
Lynne made a motion to adopt wage Resolution 11-19, Nick seconded and all approved.
Lynne made a motion to sign the change to payroll to change the Road & Bridge directors wages, Nick seconded and all approved.
Lynne discussed the county-wide NRP program; he wants to get the program in place for people to take advantage of the program.
The Commissioners received a request to have some Commission meetings at night verses daytime meetings to allow the public to attend the meetings, the Commissioners discussed this; Lynne will talk to the citizens who have requested this.
Jody Hoener met with the Commissioners; she said that they had held a worksite wellness meeting. Jody said they plan to have monthly County department head meetings beginning on May 1st; Jeff Fischer plans to attend and bring lunch. Jody said they would like one Commissioner to attend the meetings once a quarter, Jody said that Lora Holdridge will be doing an agenda for the meetings.
Jody Hoener said she is forming a committee with some local business members to develop a strategic plan for economic development; she asked that one Commissioner serve on the committee, Jeff volunteered to attend the meetings.
At 3:42, Jeff made a motion to adjourn and Lynne seconded.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
(ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
04/16/2019, Approved Date
April 2, 2019 Tuesday 9:00 am
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all three Commissioners, the County Counselor and the County Clerk present.
Nancy Van Etten was present for a portion of the meeting.
Jody Hoener met with the Commissioners to give a wellness update; she said that Bobby Reed (jail employee) is a new Wellness committee member. She said she will be asking the Commissioners to pass a policy to work towards implementing a tobacco free worksite (including chewing, vaping and smoking) for Bourbon County employees beginning 01/01/2020. She said it is important to make sure employees have the resources if they want to quit; Bourbon County health insurance requires a prescription for nicotine replacement therapies, Jody said she will work with C.H.C. to make the replacement therapies available.
Jody reported that there are almost 50 business retention surveys completed.
Jeff made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Jim Harris). No action was taken.
Jim Harris reported they are trimming trees for the City of Fort Scott this morning, he said they did this without the County Commissioners approval. Jim said he will want the City of Fort Scott’s asphalt trucks in return when the County needs them. Jeff suggested formalizing a mutual aid agreement.
Lynne reported that Loretta George had reported potholes on Maple Road towards the tower as well as potholes on Hackberry Road west of the Airport.
Jim Harris reported they had patched in the Industrial Park.
Nick asked that Jim place rock larger than road rock on Unique east of the quarry; he said semis are getting stuck in the road there.
Jim Harris discussed Hickory Road; the City of Fort Scott received a grant to build turning lanes into the LaRoche ballpark complex. The City has never asked the County to accept the road; Lynne said it is a City road unless it is turned over to the County.
Jim Harris said they could use a milling machine to use around the County.
Tammy Helm with the Fort Scott Tribune arrived at the meeting.
The Commissioners will take bids in 2019 for the mow able hay at the old landfill as well as Elm Creek.
Nick asked Jim to check with Big Sugar regarding the price for fish food.
The Commissioners and Shane Walker discussed a list of incomplete items at the new jail; the Commissioners had compiled a list of items, Lynne received a list of incomplete items from Bill Martin and said he would compile the lists together. Jeff gave Lynne permission to send to the Commissioners a final list, the Commissioners to respond to his list as well as permission to draft a letter to Universal Construction and Goldberg Group with a 90 day deadline to complete the projects, Nick seconded and all approved. Lynne said he would call Universal to schedule doing the balancing at the jail as well as getting filter work completed. There was a discussion over needing a permanent ladder installed at the jail to use for maintenance on the roof top units; Shane said he will check into the cost of a ladder. Jeff made a motion to purchase and install a whole building water filter at the jail, Nick seconded and all approved.
Tom Headley reported potholes in Devon; Lynne said he would discuss this with Jim Harris.
Shane Walker reported they will need computers, printers and scanners at the new ambulance barn, he estimated this to cost $4,000; the Commissioners said this expense will come out the Ambulance fund.
Terry Sercer met with the Commissioners; he planned a 2019 budget amendment in order to allow for the ambulance revenue and expenses. Lynne moved to approve publishing the amendment, Nick seconded and all approved. The budget amendment for the ambulance fund will be on April 16th at 10:00 am. Terry will publish the notice of the amendment. Terry estimated that the ambulance receipts will cover 70% of the ambulance expenses. The amended ambulance budget will allow for $1,020,000 in expenses and planned revenue of $1,036,020. Terry said he was pleased to tell the Commissioners that the budgeted 2018 carryover was $280,000 but Terry estimated the carryover to be approximately $500,000; Terry suggested (and the Commissioners agreed) that this excess be left in the General fund to be used for Ambulance expenses in 2019. Terry said if the money was used for ambulance expenses, the ambulance could replenish the fund with ambulance reimbursements. The Commissioners said the ambulance fund will likely always have to be subsidized. Terry said that some funds have a 2018 cash carryover; Terry will transfer the excess into reserve accounts for the following departments, Election equipment fund will have approximately $28,000 transferred and the Appraiser fund will have approximately $6,000 transferred into the Appraiser reserve fund. Any excess in the Road & Bridge Sales Tax will stay in that fund.
City of Fort Scott employees Larry Gazaway, Rachel Pruitt, Rhonda Dunn, Dave Martin as well as City Commissioner Cheryl Adamson met with the Commissioners, Jim Harris, Jerad Heckman and Jody Hoener. Justin Meeks said this was not on the agenda, but said they came to discuss the cooperation between the County and the City of Fort Scott. Larry Gazaway gave a tourism update; he said approximately $24 million is spent annually by visitors; he said they receive an average of 1,000 people a month at the tourism center. Larry described Geofence, an advertising option being used. Larry discussed past and future conferences to be held in Fort Scott. Larry asked for funding from Bourbon County (approximately $15,000 annually) to help pay for advertising and marketing expenses. Lynne said the County will begin working on the 2020 budget in June and could consider this request to help with economic development. Larry said his current budget is funded by Transient Guest Tax; he said the City charges 6% for Transient Guest Tax for overnight (not extended stay rentals) rentals and hotels. Justin suggested that there is lodging in the northwest part of the County that could be a part of the Transient Guest Tax. There was a brief discussion over the 1 cent sales tax; this sales tax was voted on and is used for road maintenance. The County and the Cities in the County share this money; this will be voted on again in the future, Dave Martin suggested that the County and City partner to get the word out so that the public sees the importance of the sales tax. Lynne said he will meet with Robert Uhler regarding this tax. Justin suggested that at some point all of the Cities and the County need to get together regarding this tax.
Rhonda Dunn said the City wanted to withdraw their request for the County to waive the Landfill fees for the debris from the demolishing of the Stout building; she said it was not their intention to create turmoil. Lynne made a motion to rescind the decision for Bourbon County to waive the Landfill fees for the debris from the demolishing of the Stout building, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 15 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Justin Meeks reported that he recently received a request to take over dockets; he said he had did this.
Nick made a motion that Justin constructs a HIPPA release concerning Dave Bruner, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Nick made a motion to give Lynne, Justin Meeks, Jim Harris and Shane Walker permission to attend a meeting with Senator Watkins regarding a confidential proposal, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Jeff made a motion to break for lunch and reconvene at 1:30, Lynne seconded and all approved.
Christy Keating, Dave Bruner and Robert Uhler met with the Commissioners to discuss the ambulance service; Amanda Gilmore was also present for this meeting. Christy said that in March there were 218 requests for service; 164 transports, 94 to facilities, 67 to Via Christi Fort Scott, 3 medical transports and 54 dry runs. Christy said they are now at full staff for the ambulance. Christy said they had received calls from citizens who were concerned about the delay in transfers (on a busy day); she said they had to prioritize the patient’s needs on the order of the transfers. Dave Bruner said they will get one new ambulance in service now, he said they need minimal supplies for the 2nd ambulance to get it in service. Dave said they get fuel for the ambulances at the City unless they are out of town and need fuel. The Commissioners commended everyone for the work regarding the ambulance service. The ambulance barn is nearly complete; Lynne suggested spending the money to get the ambulance building thoroughly insulated.
The Commissioners met with Jim Harris; Lynne reported that Robert Uhler with the City of Fort Scott asked for the price for 14,000 ton of asphalt without chips. Jim estimated it to cost $45-$60/ton at the plant based on 2018 expenses. Justin said he would review the Attorney General’s opinion on this.
Nick made a motion to go into a 15 minute executive session regarding consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks and Jim Harris). No action was taken.
The Commissioners agreed that if any department wants to plant flowers/plants in the flower beds at the Courthouse they could spend up to $100 for the cost of the flowers/plants.
Lynne made a motion that he signs a KWORCC loss prevention report, Nick seconded and all approved.
At 3:38, Lynne made a motion to adjourn, Nick seconded and all approved.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
(ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
04/09/2019, Approved Date
March 28, 2019 Tuesday 9:00 am
The Bourbon County Commission met for a special meeting, the Commissioners, the County Counselor and the County Clerk were present.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 30 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks and Shane Walker). After the session, Nick made a motion that Lynne Oharah be the contact person regarding the list of incomplete items at the new jail facility, Jeff seconded and all approved.
The Commissioners plan to discuss the jail facility and the list of incomplete items on April 2nd at 10:00 am.
At 10:19, Nick made a motion to adjourn, Jeff seconded and all approved.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
(ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
04/02/2019, Approved Date
March 26, 2019 Tuesday 9:00 am
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all three Commissioners and the County Clerk present.
Jody Hoener, Economic Development Director, met with the Commissioners; she asked permission to attend the Kansas Rural Opportunity Conference in Dodge City, she estimated this to cost up to $300 for the conference registration fee and hotel. Nick made a motion for her to attend, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Nick made a motion to go into a 15 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Jim Harris). No action was taken.
Nick asked Jim Harris to move the Patcher machine to the Industrial Park to do patching there.
Darrin Petrowsky with KDOT met with the Commissioners to give an update and proposed schedule for the 69 Highway project. He said in March they plan to finish the pavement removal, grade for Lime and CTB, prepare and place intersections at Calvary, Deer and Fern, begin Lime and possibly CTB, do signing and Polymer overlay. In April they plan to finish CTB, begin paving the mainline and begin shoulder work. In May they plan to finish paving the mainline, finish shoulder rock, do guardrail work, switch traffic to unrestricted the last week of May and do striping and rumble strips. In June they plan to remove the temporary crossovers, do clean up and do seeding. He said they should be opening Deer and Fern Road soon.
Mr. Petrowsky said Bourbon County will have several 1R maintenance projects, one of the 1R projects will be from the 59 Junction to the K7 Junction. He said they will be working on a bridge in Bourbon County. Jeff questioned how KDOT assigns the priority hard surface road projects; Darren said they have a pavement health system. He said they have a van that will drive every mile of the 10,000+ miles in Kansas; this van measures the roughness and cracking in the roads as well as other items, KDOT uses the report that is produced from the van measurements. When KDOT gets funding the wish list areas submitted for repairs by the local KDOT offices are driven by officials and the officials then recommend and approve some of the wish list projects.
Lynne made a motion that the Commissioners meet with Jim Harris and Norm Bowers to view the Industrial Park on March 27th and possible solutions to the road there, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Jeff discussed a culvert for Becky Howard; Jim Harris said the culvert is on the list.
Lynne discussed a pothole at 95th & 54 Highway; Jim Harris said this would be a KDOT issue.
Jim Harris reported that KCAMP gave Bourbon County $2,000 for the risk avoidance grant, this money helped purchase the grill guard and safety lights for the new R&B department pickup truck and the road temperature sensor.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners). No action was taken.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Jim Harris). No action was taken.
Alice Maffet with the SEK Multi Health Department presented a memorandum of Understanding for the SEK Multi County Health Department regarding ambulance service to the Commissioners for approval; Jeff made a motion that Lynne sign the document, Nick seconded and Lynne signed the document.
Nancy Van Etten briefly met with the Commissioners. She questioned how the Ambulance building was progressing; Nick said they are hanging the sheetrock this week and the building will likely be finished by April 15th. Nancy questioned the progress at the SEK Multi County Health Department; Jeff said they will probably move into the building May 1st.
Kevin Gleason met with the Commissioners; he said the road crew was doing a great job.
Jody Hoener met with the Commissioners; she asked permission to spend up to $150 for supplies for the Chamber of Commerce Coffee on March 28th; Lynne made a motion to spend up to $150 out of the Commission budget for supplies, Nick seconded and all approved.
Jody Hoener said she is on the board for the Sunflower Trail, she said the dues are $100 and asked for the Commissioners to vote to spend the $100; Lynne said he didn’t feel they needed to vote on this expense since it will be paid out of Economic Development.
Jody Hoener discussed the Farmers Market sign located at the Wall Street and the Old Fort entrance, she said the sign is faded and needed replaced. She said two bids have been provided to replace the sign; one for $200 (which is re-doing the sign that is there) and a bid for $400 (which would be a new metal sign); she asked if the Commissioners wanted to help fund a portion of the $400 sign to help promote shopping local. Jeff made a motion to support up to $200 for the sign for Economic Development, Nick seconded and all approved.
At 11:35, Lynne made a motion to break for lunch and reconvene at 1:30, Nick seconded and all approved.
Nick made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Jim Harris, Krista Goltra, Jody Hoener and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Nick made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Jim Harris, Krista Goltra, Jody Hoener and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Nick Ruhl said he had heard that Kansas Rock’s had poured a large slab of concrete to place a sign in the County right-of-way.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 30 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Greg Schick met with the Commissioners; he said he had read in the newspaper where the County had waived the dump fees for the debris from the demolition of the Stout building, he asked if the County would consider waiving fees for a project he is doing on Wall Street (the old lumber yard buildings), the Commissioners said they waived the fees when the City of Fort Scott approached them. He questioned if they would be taking bids to tear down the building, the Commissioners did not know if they had taken bids. Mr. Schick said he had received zero help from the City of Fort Scott for his projects. Mr. Schick said he would like to use the road easement in an area on Musket Road; Justin Meeks said he would review this road and discuss this again next week.
Lynne made a motion to approve Resolution 10-19, a wage resolution adding the wages for an EMT 1, EMT 2 and a Paramedic for the Ambulance, Nick seconded and all approved.
Nick made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Nick made a motion that all of the Commissioners attend the Chamber Coffee at the Courthouse on March 28th, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Nick left the meeting to continue working on the ambulance barn.
Jeff and Lynne reviewed a list of incomplete items at the Law Enforcement Center; Lynne planned to provide the list of items to Justin Meeks, Jeff Fischer and Nick Ruhl for input once compiled.
At 4:39, Lynne made a motion to adjourn and Jeff seconded, meeting adjourned.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
(ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
04/02/2019, Approved Date
March 19, 2019 Tuesday 9:00 am
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all three Commissioners, the County Counselor and the County Clerk present.
Tammy Helm with the Fort Scott Tribune was also present.
Rhonda Dunn and Robert Uhler with the City of Fort Scott met with the Commissioners, Jim Harris and Jerad Heckman; they asked the County to waive the landfill fees for the debris from the Stout building at 10 E. 1st, Fort Scott. The owner, Flint Hills Holdings, is having the building torn down and asked that the fees be waived. The bricks and the metal from the building will be salvaged. Lynne made a motion to waive the fees at the Landfill for this project, Jeff seconded and all approved. Rhonda said the owner will use the empty lot to store equipment while they do construction on a building, she said the City will eventually get the lot.
Jim Harris reported that the 2019 KDOT Federal Funds Exchange program has made $121,032.55 available to Bourbon County, less 10% = $108,929. The 2019 exchange rate is 90 %(State portion)/10 %(County portion).
Jim reported they are hauling gravel, working on guard rail projects, getting the asphalt equipment ready and using the patching machine around the County.
Lynne asked Jim to view an area where water running off of the road near 902 Overbrook and flooding a yard.
Lynne asked Jim to report to the State a pothole at 54 Hwy and 95th.
Lynne reported that the concrete testing that was done for the new jail which was required by codes and was done by a 3rd party is the County’s responsibility to pay.
Nick reported that the February bill for OMNI for ambulance billing is $2,534.69.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 7 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Jeremiah Hill, Larry Howard and Steve Hill met with the Commissioners to discuss hard surface roads. Previously Jeff Fischer presented the cost of hard surface roads; Jeremiah questioned the $118,000 for salaries, Jim said this was for four employees. Jim said the $397,000 that is budgeted to be transferred from Road & Bridge to Road & Bridge Sales Tax is for material and labor expenses. Oil is expected to cost $35,000/mile. Nick previously said he plans to use his portion of the 2019 Road & Bridge Sales Tax money by doing 1” overlay from the City limits North of Condensory Road. The Commissioners said the County is saving $1,000/load of oil by hauling the oil themselves. Mr. Howard asked Jeff where he planned to spend his portion of the R&B Sales Tax money; Jeff said he needed to classify the condition of the roads, the safety and the traffic count on the roads. Mr. Howard felt that from the County line to the Buck Run Bridge needed a 1” overlay and that chip and seal was also needed. Jeff said he was willing to meet with Mr. Howard to view roads. Steve Hill said he felt that 55 mph (not posted) is a dangerous speed for an area on Jayhawk going south to the County line; he suggested a slower speed limit sign is posted in this area. Jeremiah asked that potholes be filled in Garland and reported a drainage problem in Garland. Jeremiah also asked the timeframe to get the French drain installed on 240th; Jim Harris estimated this to be completed in 3-4 weeks.
Jacqie Spradling, Bobby Reed, Bill Martin and Ben Cole met with the Commissioners regarding Juvenile placement, Mark McCoy was also present. There is going to be a change in the juvenile code and the way juveniles are placed in facilities. Currently the County uses SEK Regional Juvenile Detention Center for placement of juveniles, but the county pays a monthly fee whether or not the County houses any juveniles in their facility. Jeff said the County put them on notice last year that if a daily rate was not offered by them, then the County would not be using them in the future. SEK Regional Juvenile Detention Center has reorganized, but they still do not offer a daily rate. Jacqie was previously asked to find out if there was any interest with other facilities to offer a contract with a daily rate to house juveniles. Jacqie said that Franklin, Johnson & Douglas all have options. Franklin has a 14 bed unit, and can offer an annual contract and currently offers a daily rate of $130/day; she said they have offered a daily rate since 1996. Johnson County has a 69 bed unit, they haven’t offered a daily rate in the past, but may soon offer an annual contract with a daily rate of $150/day. Douglas County has an 18 bed unit (which is currently empty) and has offered daily rates since 1994 and the current rate is $150/day. Douglas County uses a GPS monitor (these costs the juvenile $10/day) & places their juvenile offenders on house arrest. Douglas County will either offer emergency placement or house juvenile offenders depending on if DCF contracts with Douglas County for emergency placement. Shawnee, Geary and Wyandotte are other facilities that offer daily rates. Lynne said that last year the County could not get anyone to sign a contract to house juveniles at a daily rate. Bobby Reed questioned if the laws are changing & there are facilities available, why do we need a contract; Justin said the contract guarantees a bed space if the need arises. Jacqie said that the County is in a good position since there are facilities that want our business & this could save our County money. There was a discussion over fees if the County does not place juveniles in the contracted facility; Jacqie said her understanding was that there is only a daily fee if the facility is used. Mark McCoy questioned using the GPS monitoring system for adult offenders instead of arresting them; Bill said some of the offenders couldn’t afford to pay the $10/day, Mark said this is cheaper than housing an inmate and the County doesn’t get reimbursed for housing. Bobby said an ankle monitor doesn’t keep them from committing crimes. Jacqie said when she gets the contracts from the facilities willing to offer a contract with a daily rate she will forward them to Kendell for the Commissioners.
Dave Bruner met with the Commissioners; he said the new ambulance barn should be completed in mid-April. Dave said that EMS Director Christy Keating’s last day with Mercy would be March 31st; he said they are looking for a replacement for her.
Jody Hoener said the County received approval to bill Blue Cross and Blue Shield for ambulance services.
Jody Hoener discussed the business retention survey & the face to face interviews she has had with business owners; she said they hope to get 50 surveys back and currently have 32. Jody discussed promoting quality of life and said that Bourbon County is now listed in the Kansas Daily magazine.
Terry Sercer called to discuss amending the 2019 budget due to the Ambulance; Terry said the money is available for ambulance expenses and that the County can pay operational expenses for the ambulance; Terry plans to amend the 2019 budget for additional ambulance expenses and ambulance revenue.
Lynne made a motion to give Nick permission to meet with business owners regarding a project, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 15 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Jody Hoener and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Bryan and Barbara Ritter met with the Commissioners, the purpose of their meeting was to bring to the Commissioners attention the following issues and to get a better understanding of the County’s vision; Mr. Ritter said in the past 2 weeks they have interacted with the County 3-4 times. He said they had called about a road issue, but didn’t get a call back, but said the road did get fixed; the Commissioners described the road reporting process, it was suggested that there be a schedule available so that citizens know the road grading schedule & would know when to expect the grader in their area. He said they called about the deed to their house, but got hung up on by the Register of Deeds office; Mrs. Ritter said they had paid off their farm loan, but said the wording on the closing document showing the chain of custody on who owns the loan was misleading, she said she was led to believe they would be helped with this issue between the Deeds office and the loan company, but said when she didn’t hear back from the Deeds office from December until now she called the Deeds about the misunderstanding, which is when she was hung up on. They met with the Appraisers office about their property assessment, but said they were laughed at when they asked if the valuations ever went down. Mr. Ritter said when things like this happen; you have to question why people are moving away, he said some are leaving due to taxes. Jeff Fischer discussed the County’s vision; he said they are developing a strategy, they know if people continue to move we all lose as a community; he said they are taking steps to stabilize the declining population and taking steps to attract people to our community and hope to get businesses to help relieve the tax burden.
Joyce Sinn met with the Commissioners; she questioned who had paid for the Timber Hills & Kansas Rocks signs on the roads; Lynne said the State had paid for the sign on 54 Highway and the County had paid for the others as part of economic development. Joyce stated that taxes are paying for their free advertising.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Lynne made a motion that all of the Commissioners attend the SEK Regional meeting in May, Nick seconded and all approved.
Lynne made a motion that Nick notify the other Commissioners of the results of his call with Franklin County, Jeff seconded the motion.
At 12:27 Lynne made a motion to adjourn for the day, Jeff seconded and all approved.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
(ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
03/26/2019, Approved Date
March 12, 2019 Tuesday 9:00 am
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all three Commissioners, the County Counselor and the County Clerk present.
Jason Silvers with the Fort Scott Tribune was also present.
Jim Harris and Jerad Heckman met with the Commissioners; Jim asked permission to advertise for a mower position since he is down one mowing person. Lynne said the County wants to make two mowing passes through the County every year. Jeff made a motion to hire a full time mowing employee, Nick seconded and all approved. Jim said they sold a tractor and asked permission to look for a used tractor; the Commissioners told him to look for a used tractor.
Lynne reported there are potholes in the road at 55th & Quail going west.
Nick reported that vehicles are getting stuck in the road at 1792 245th.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 20 minute executive session for preliminary discussions relating to the acquisition of real property, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks, Jim Harris and Jerad Heckman). No action was taken.
Jeff discussed classifying the current condition of some of the deteriorating roads in the County.
Jim Harris said a surveying company had done core samples in 3 areas in the road at 230th & Jayhawk; they put gravel in the cored spots, but the survey company will be putting patching material in the cored areas.
Alvin Metcalf, Bobby Reed, Ben Cole and Shane Walker met with the Commissioners to discuss the peer review of the HVAC system at the Law Enforcement Facility. Lynne said there were originally two main concerns; 1. The balance was off in the whole building, (Bobby said they moved into the building in June of 2018 and said that no one has re-balanced it since then, Shane said that Fields Mechanical should have done the balancing, 2. The sensors were in the wrong place. Other issues; Bobby said the plans show wall thermostats that were not installed on the wall. There are issues in the Sally Port as well. Bobby said he felt that the hot water system should be on the list of priorities as well; he discussed issues they are having with the hot water system. Bobby discussed missing weather stripping around a door. Lynne suggested that they take the list of items from the report and work with Goldberg Group Architects and get a timeline for the items to be completed or corrected on the HVAC system.
Nick said that Bill Martin had recently sent a bill from 2017 for concrete testing; Nick said they are going to send the bill to Goldberg Group.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 15 minute executive session for confidential data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks and Jody Hoener). No action was taken.
Don George with Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks met with the Commissioners; he said that Consolidated Water District #2 had sent the County a letter to take the maintenance for Cedar Creek from Bourbon County. Don said when it was built the County agreed to do the maintenance and the State agreed to pay in-kind to be used for the cost of maintenance. Don said the State contract is with Bourbon County. Don said that Consolidate Water District #2 felt that they could maintain in better than the County has. Don said he would either amend the current contract or write a new contract between KDWP and Bourbon County that only includes Elm Creek and not Cedar Creek. Don said he would work with the County on exploring grants that could be used for Elm Creek; Lynne said he would discuss this with Jody Hoener.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 15 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 20 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks and Patty Love). No action was taken.
Lynne made a motion to give Nick permission to sign the licensing agreement to work on the EMS building, Jeff seconded and all approved.
At 12:02, Lynne made a motion to break for lunch and reconvene at 1:30, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Reta Baker questioned Dave Bruner about the gas meter at the EMS building, the meter runs two buildings; the Commissioners decided to leave the meter as it is and not separate it.
Jeff Fischer called Harvey at KCAMP Insurance discussing the insurance for the EMS building; Jeff questioned increasing the liability limits to $1 million, Harvey said with a dual set of limits the County would have $1 million of coverage. Jeff explained that they are doing construction to the EMS building, but won’t have the title to the building until on or about April 1st, 2019; Harvey said once the County acquires they will have liability protection. Harvey said the County has builders risk insurance. Harvey said that our property would be covered.
Jeff made a motion to give Lynne permission to meet with Public Works Director Jim Harris to discuss operations, Nick seconded and all approved.
The Commissioners received a report regarding a bridge East of 69 Highway on Poplar Road having the south side guardrail broken and potholes on the bridge.
Jeff made a motion to give all of the Commissioners permission to attend the Chamber Coffee on March 28th at the Courthouse, Nick seconded and all approved.
At 3:06, Lynne made a motion to adjourn, Nick seconded and all approved.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
(ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
03/19/2019, Approved Date
March 5, 2019 Tuesday 9:00 am
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all three Commissioners, the County Counselor and the County Clerk present.
Tammy Helm with the Fort Scott Tribune was also present.
Jody Hoener met with the Commissioners regarding the wellness program; Jody said they held a worksite wellness meeting and discussed the tobacco cessation program and having tobacco free properties. Jody said there were concerns from both sides of tobacco cessation; both tobacco users and non users. She said when you take away something addictive you need to be supportive and offer resources. It was suggested that the employees have access to nicotine replacement therapies, (which is offered through the County health insurance) but a prescription is required for the therapy, Jody said she plans to have a meeting with CHC regarding nicotine replacement therapies. Jim Harris said his buildings are smoke free but not tobacco free. Jeff said he felt that the cessation program that Blue Cross is offering should correlate with the County health insurance so that the employees that participate earn points towards their health insurance discount.
Larry Howard met with the Commissioners; he questioned if the Commissioners had made a decision on how they were spending the money in 2019 on hard surface roads. Lynne said that Nick and he had made a decision on where they planned to spend their portion. Jeff said he appreciated Mr. Howards’ support in fixing Jefferson Highway, he said he needed to find out when the State would not be using Eagle Road as a quarry hauling route. Mr. Howard said 250th to the County line is in bad shape. There was discussion regarding funding; Jody Hoener said the ABC Trail group had a meeting and the next step is to prioritize the different trail plans, she said they will be applying for grants for funding and said there will be a match portion as well. The ABC Trails has plans to put a trail in Drywood Township.
Jim Harris asked permission to sell a 2006 Blawknox paver on Purple Wave; Nick made a motion to sell it and Lynne seconded, Jeff did not vote. The County purchased a replacement 2011 Roadtec paver and it is coming in a few weeks. Jim Harris presented a proposal from Van Keppel for financing the 2011 Roadtec RP175 asphalt paver with Eagle 8 screed; there will be two equal payments of $80,484.11 to purchase this machine, one now and one in January of 2020. This is a used machine with a new motor and will come with a 1 year or 500 hour warranty. Jeff made a motion to accept the proposal and to allow Lynne to sign the proposal, Nick seconded and all approved and Lynne signed the proposal. Lynne made a motion to approve Resolution 09-19 for financing the Roadtec, Jeff seconded and all approved and signed the Resolution.
Jeff discussed potholes in the road near Value Merchandisers; Jim said he will view the area. Jim said there are Engineers coming to view the road and asked if any of the Commissioners wanted to meet with the Engineers.
Jim Harris said he needed to get oil to be used for road patching.
Jacqie Spradling, Bill Martin, Bobby Reed, Ben Cole and Sixth Judicial District representatives Cathy Cooper and Angie Eads met with the Commissioners regarding juvenile placement. Bill Martin discussed the Southeast Kansas Regional Juvenile Detention Center contract due date and the yearly amount of the contract. The 2019 monthly base rates for Bourbon County is $9,417 whether or not the County uses it. The Commissioners wrote a letter last year notifying the SEK Regional Juvenile Detention Center that Bourbon County would be terminating their contract at the end of 2019 if the rates being paid are not changed to daily rates for when the facility is used, Bourbon County will have a letter of intent by April of 2019. When the letter was written, Lynne said they reached out trying to find a daily rate, but at the time, there wasn’t a daily rate available at that time. Lynne said if a new contract is signed it will be with SEK Regional Juvenile Center; Bill Martin said Franklin County (charges $130/day/child) and Johnson County (charges $125/day/child) are facilities that offer daily rates (when used) to house juveniles. Everyone was in agreement that having the option of only paying a daily rate to house juveniles when used. Bill said he was just trying to save tax payers money. Lynne suggested that Nick be contacted regarding the Juvenile Detention since he is on the board there. Both the Sheriff and Police Department transport the juveniles to facilities so they will need to know what facility Bourbon County is going to be used by Bourbon County. Cathy Cooper said that Judge Harth had issued an administrative order that Cathy makes the ultimate decision regarding juvenile placement. Lynne said they would review the information that Bill presented and follow up. Jacqie agreed to reach out to Franklin and Johnson County for rates and a contract; this will be discussed again on March 12th.
Jeff made a motion to go into a 20 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Jeff made a motion to go into a 15 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Nick made a motion for Lynne to sign the contract between Bourbon County and Blue Cross Blue Shield for a contracting provider agreement for reimbursements under the ambulance service, Jeff seconded and Lynne signed the agreement.
Lynne gave Nick permission to talk with Jeff Madison regarding KW Cattle Company, Jeff seconded and all approved.
At 12:05, Lynne made a motion to break for lunch and reconvene at 1:30, Nick seconded and all approved.
Christy Keating presented a check from Mercy Hospital Auxiliary to the Bourbon County EMS; the County will deposit the funds in the ambulance account and the County will write a check to the Mercy Foundation for the construction work to be done to the EMS headquarters.
Christy Keating, Dave Bruner and Robert Uhler met with the Commissioners to discuss the ambulance service. Nancy Van Etten was also present. Christy said in February there were 166 requests for service and 107 actual transports. She said the first 18 days of February that there was not an E.R. they staffed for the worst, but hit with the best. Christy said everything is going well. She said they are waiting on the titles for the two new ambulances. Dave Bruner said the State Board of EMS did inspections, he said that went well and said there were a few things to be corrected. Dave said the inmates have been helping with construction of the EMS headquarters. Christy discussed ambulance staffing; she said they have 5 full time medics and 5 full time EMT’s. Lynne thanked Christy and Dave for the work they had done during the ambulance transition.
The Commissioners will only have a morning Commission meeting on March 19th, 2019.
Jeff made a motion to give all of the Commissioners permission to attend the Fort Scott City Commission meeting on March 5th, Nick seconded and all approved.
At 2:31, Nick made a motion to adjourn, Jeff seconded and all approved.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
(ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
03/12/2019, Approved Date
February 26, 2019 Tuesday 9:00 am
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all three Commissioners, the County Counselor and the County Clerk present.
Tammy Helm with the Fort Scott Tribune and Jody Hoener were also present.
Lynne asked Jim Harris to return a call to Bill Gorman a resident at Fort Scott Lake regarding cedar trees and brush on a corner.
Jim Harris reported that he and Nick Ruhl met with the owner of T&C Wildlife; T&C wants Bourbon County to work with Crawford County to create a plan to work on a road off of 69 Highway to their business (the road is partially paved and partially gravel). Jeff said that when they work on the gravel road strategy they can address the roads that don’t meet the minimum requirements and suggested that some roads could be cost shared roads. There was a discussion over not having guidelines and criteria regarding road maintenance. Jim Harris said he felt that it is important to have criteria in place to share during the road planning session.
Jeff Fischer did a presentation regarding a possible way to prioritize the 2019 hard surface roads. He compared 2016 District 4’s different counties population, valuation, road budget, budget per person, budget per mile, miles of roads in the County, as well as the population density per linear mile. He discussed the bridges and the bridge inspection report that the Commissioners received and the estimated cost to repair some of the bridges; he discussed a bridge that the County repaired and saved money by doing the work verses contracting the work out on 250th between Birch and Calvary. He discussed KDOT traffic count maps, and a 2014 ten year hard surface road plan. Jeff said he felt the roads that could get attention are the high volume roads. Jeff compared the cost per mile depending on the type of road surface used and if the work is done in house or by a contractor. Jim Harris said he hopes that the road planning session also includes preventative maintenance to the roads. Jeff compared the Bourbon County townships, the valuation in the townships, population, the allowance by valuation and the allowance by population. Jeff said that it costs 8-9 times more to maintain a paved road verses a gravel road. Jeff said that it is suggested that when to consider a paved road verses a gravel road that a road with a minimum of 400 cars per day are the suggested roads to pave. Jeff said the County receives approximately $1,080,000 annually from the 1 Cent Sales Tax fund, the money generated from this fund helps pay the expenses for hard surface roads, (the 1 cent sales tax is a tax that was voted on that will end in 2021 unless it is approved again). Jeff said that currently the total of $454,350 is split between the 3 commission districts; however Jeff questioned what would happen if they prorate the values to the township that they originate from. There may be grant funds available to assist in the cost of maintenance on roads that are located in the path of the ABC Trails. Justin said the County can’t afford to continue to maintain all of the hard surface roads as a hard surface road. Jeff discussed “cost sharing”; he said some projects could be funded from tax dollars as well as grants, residents, etc.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks and Kendell Mason). No action was taken.
Jeff made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
At 11:36, Lynne made a motion to break for lunch and reconvene at 1:30, Nick seconded and all approved.
The Commissioners held a 2019 road planning session; present for the work session were Jim Harris, Jerad Heckman, Josh Newton, Trisha Newton, Jeremiah Hill, Larry Howard, Lester Waring, Dennis Krom, George Collinge, Annette Bohlken, Deb McCoy, Diana Morriss, Denise Duncan, Linda Klein, David Klein, John Mahnken, James Ramsey, Ron Palmer, Shirley Palmer and Gary Palmer. Lynne said since there were so many people at the meeting they would limit comments to 3 minutes per person. Lynne said that 4 years ago they cut $409,000 from the Road & Bridge budget and in 2017 he questioned how they could cover more roads with the same amount of budgeted money. Lynne discussed some of the road projects that have been completed since he has become a Commissioner. Lynne said he wants to continue to maintain with what money they have. Jeff gave the same presentation that he did earlier in the day regarding a possible way to prioritize the 2019 hard surface roads. Jeff questioned how many present wanted to pay more in tax dollars, no one wanted to pay more tax dollars. The participants filled out their suggestions on what they felt the top five hard surface road projects should be in 2019 and calculated the cost of re-doing the roads. Dennis Krom suggested that it would be better to build the roads strong enough to support the heavy truck traffic. Lester Waring said one of the first things that need to happen is to get the population here. Gary Palmer said that the Commissioners had stated that road maintenance had not been done for 30 years and that they are trying to do 30 years of maintenance in just few years since the maintenance hadn’t been done; Gary said that Eagle Road is a prime example of a road that the needed maintenance has not been done. The Commissioners plan to review the suggested roads. The citizens that attended the hard surface road planning session left the meeting.
Lynne stated for his district he planned to do 2 ½ – 3 miles from the Mapleton City limits going south, do chip and seal on Maple Road and do 1 mile at 125th & Maple.
Nick said in his district he planned to do a 1” overlay from the Fort Scott city limits going north to Soldier Road.
Lynne made a motion to give Nick permission to work with the contractors to start on the ambulance barn build out, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Lynne made a motion that all of the Commissioners may attend a ribbon cutting at Ascension Via Christi on 2/28 at noon, Jeff seconded and all approved.
At 4:30, Nick made a motion to adjourn, Jeff seconded and all approved.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
(ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
03/05/2019, Approved Date
February 21, 2019 Thursday 9:00 am
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all three Commissioners, the County Counselor and the County Clerk present.
Jeff made a motion to go into a 20 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks and Kendell Mason). After the session, Jeff made a motion to authorize Lynne to sign a letter to Mercy Health Foundation regarding EMS ambulance barn funding, Nick seconded and all approved and Lynne signed the letter.
At 4:31, Jeff made a motion to adjourn, Nick seconded and all approved.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
(ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
02/26/2019, Approved Date
February 20, 2019 Wednesday 1:30 pm
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session to discuss equipment; present were all three Commissioners, Jim Harris and J.T. Heckman.
Nick made a motion that Jim Harris and all three Commissioners to Van Keppel on February 22nd at 9:00 am to view a paver, Jeff seconded and all approved.
They plan to view a 2011 Road Tec RP175 paver for sale for $157,500, with a one year or 500 hour warranty; Lynne made a motion to purchase the paver if it meets their criteria, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Nick made a motion to go into a 20 minute executive session for confidential data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships, Lynne seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks and Mercy Hospital employee Reta Baker). No action was taken.
At 4:10, Jeff made a motion to adjourn, Nick seconded and all approved.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
(ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
02/21/2019, Approved Date
February 19, 2019 Tuesday 9:00 am
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all three Commissioners, the County Counselor and the County Clerk present.
Nancy Van Etten was also present for a portion of the meeting.
Jim Harris said they are putting down brine on the roads for the upcoming weather conditions. Jim said he is investigating possibly purchasing a plow and box for a pickup for treating the housing editions roads in bad weather.
There was a brief discussion over the “3 mile limit”; Jim Harris said the 3 mile limit is a radius of 3 miles from the Fort Scott city limits and said the City of Fort Scott can enforce zoning in the 3 mile radius.
Lynne reported to Jim that on Unity between 95th–105th will get impassible unless something is done with the road.
Nick made a motion to go into a 7 minute executive session for preliminary discussions relating to the acquisition of real property, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Jim Harris and Justin Meeks). After the session, Jeff made a motion to order Jim Harris to perform site preparation to support the expansion of the parking lots at the ambulance facility that Mercy Hospital is giving to the County, Lynne added that Nick Ruhl is the front person on this project, Nick seconded and all approved.
Fort Scott City Commissioner Cheryl Adamson arrived at the meeting to observe.
Jim Harris presented a breakdown of the 2019 Sales Tax budget; he said there is an estimated balance of $454,350 to be used towards hard surface roads in 2019. The Commissioners will have a 2019 planning session for hard surface roads on February 26th. Jeff said that some areas in the County have more of an economic impact than other areas. Lynne said he wants to continue to chip and seal 125th. Jeff suggested that the ABC Trails project may be able to provide additional funding to add width to the ABC Trail roads. Justin suggested that eventually the Commissioners may need to consider which hard surface roads stay as a hard surface verses being made into a gravel road.
Cheryl Adamson questioned if there were any windmills in Bourbon County; the Commissioners said that Neosho and Allen County are getting windmills. Jeff said he has learned that windmills are not without big problems. Lynne said that there are a lot of government subsidies for windmills and questioned what would happen to the windmills when the subsidy goes away.
Nick made a motion that the Commissioners attend a fence viewing between Harold & Jennifer Cox and Scott & Kelly Gander, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Brian Snyder met with the Commissioners; he said he needs a culvert installed located East of Fulton across the bridge going North and it is the 1st culvert on the left side; he said there is a culvert there, but said he needs a longer culvert. Nick said he would discuss this with Jim Harris.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 15 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 20 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
At noon, Nick made a motion to break for lunch and reconvene at 1:00, Lynne seconded and all approved.
Bill Martin and Ben Cole met with the Commissioners; Bill said he approached the Commissioners in July of 2018 about needing Sheriff vehicles replaced in 2019. Bill received quotes from Briggs as well as Don Hutton for Chevy Tahoe’s. Bill said that Briggs bid $38,435 per vehicle for 3 vehicles and Don Hutton bid $36,845 per vehicle for 3 vehicles. Bill said they had just paid off the loan for 6 vehicles and digital radios, he said this payment was $3,690/month; Bill said he had budgeted this amount in his 2019 budget and said the new payments for the new vehicles would be $2,652/month. They said they thought after purchasing these new vehicles they would be good with the vehicles they have for a few years. Bill and Ben said they felt that they needed to get on a cycle to replace vehicles on a regular basis. There was a discussion over which bid to accept; Bill stated he believed “live local, buy local”. Nick made a motion to let Bill buy three vehicles for $140,235 from Briggs and that City State Bank carry the note on the vehicles, Jeff seconded and all approved. Bill said he had reached out to all of the local banks, but City State Bank was the only bank to respond back.
Jeff made a motion that all of the Commissioners attend a meeting with Jerry Moran at the Old Fort on February 19th, 2019, Nick seconded and all approved.
Jeff made a motion that all of the Commissioners attend the Fort Scott City Commission on February 19th, 2019, Nick seconded and all approved.
Jody Hoener said the business retention survey will be available ton March 1st, 2019.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for confidential data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks, Jody Hoener and Kendell Mason). No action was taken.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for confidential data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks, Jody Hoener and Kendell Mason). No action was taken.
Nick made a motion to adopt Resolution 08-19; (A resolution regarding a fence viewing decision) For approximately 630 feet running East and West in the Northeast quarter of Section 12, Township 25, Range 24; in Scott Township in Bourbon County, Kansas, (the fence is located between property owners Harold A. & Jennifer L. Cox (CAMA #121-12-0-00-00-022.00-0-01) and Scott & Kelly J. Gander (CAMA #121-12-0-00-00-021.00-0-01). Both property owners were notified of the date and time of the fence viewing and of their right to be present during the viewing. The Board of County Commissioners did view the fence on the 19th day of February, 2019. The following decision was made by the Commissioners: Following the fence viewing on February 19, 2019, the fence does need to be repaired or replaced as it is insufficient as viewed and the Commissioners order and assign that if standing in the center of the fence in question and facing the fence standing on the Cox property Harold and Jennifer Cox are responsible for the ½ of the fence on the right side and if standing in the center of the fence in question and facing the fence standing on the Gander property Scott and Kelly Gander are responsible for the ½ fence on the right side. The fence needs to be repaired and or replaced by February 19, 2020. Jeff seconded and all approved.
Jeff made a motion to have a special meeting on February 20th, 2019 at 9:00 am to discuss the ambulance, Nick seconded and all approved.
At 4:31, Nick made a motion to adjourn and Jeff seconded.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
(ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
02/21/2019, Approved Date
February 12, 2019 Tuesday 9:00 am
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all three Commissioners, the County Counselor and the County Clerk present.
Tammy Helm with the Fort Scott Tribune was also present.
Jesse Walker met with the Commissioners regarding a location (2098 95th) on Unique Road; he said he was here to advocate that the County continue to maintain Unique Road. He said he was not impressed with the County farming out their responsibilities to Mr. Heckman; he said Mr. Heckman said the County would fix the road one last time and it would be up to the landowner after that to maintain the road. He said this road has always been there, the County maintained it for 60 years, he said someone recognized it as a County road when 911 was implemented and the signs were added. The County has recently removed the Unique road sign in the area. He said people that live on a dead end road shouldn’t suffer with County budget cuts. Lynne said he has been investigating the road and said the maps didn’t show it as a County road, but said if it was a County road it could possibly go clear next to his house. Lynne said the County will maintain the road if it is an open road. Jim Harris said that he did send Mr. Heckman to talk to him; he said the road had been researched back to 1929 and it has never been a road, he said he did believe that the County had maintained it in the past. He said they did say they would put gravel down one last time for his drive, he said removing the road signs may help with emergency services there due to the address of his house.
Scott Gander met with the Commissioners; he received a letter notifying him of an upcoming fence viewing regarding a fence between him and his neighbor. The Commissioners explained the process of a request for a fence viewing.
Doug Miller briefly met with the Commissioners; he complimented the work done on the County roads.
Jim Harris reported they are hauling rock around the County due to all of the wet weather conditions the County has had. The Commissioners complimented his crew on the work they did during the recent ice storm. Jim said the County could possibly run out of chips (due to the amount that has been used for ice control) when it is asphalt season.
Jim reported that they are picking up the John Deere Tractor today.
Jeff Fischer said he had done some research regarding County/City consolidation; he said Greeley Kansas with a population of 1,700 had consolidated. He said Wyandotte County Kansas had consolidated with some cities in their County, but not all cities had joined the consolidation. He said very few entities had consolidated. Jeff said the literature regarding consolidation suggests that the cost savings expected by consolidation is rarely realized.
Lynne made a motion that all of the Commissioners attend a walk through meeting at the new jail on February 14th at 10:00 am, Nick seconded and all approved.
Bill Martin and Bobby Reed met with the Commissioners regarding their budget; also present for the discussion was Terry Sercer. Bill said there needs to be some kind of understanding regarding paying the bills for the jail and which bills are to be paid out of the Jail Sales Tax fund. Lynne said the only items approved to be paid out of the Jail Sales Tax fund are the utilities; Nick said the water, electric bill and both of the gas bills are to be paid out of the Jail Sales Tax fund in 2019, but in 2020 the utility bills will come out of the Jail & Sheriff’s budget. Bobby suggested that there were some services that could be consolidated to one company that could possibly save the County some money (such as trash, fire extinguisher inspections). Lynne said the County is being cautious in spending with the impact of Mercy Hospital closing and said the County still has a $69,000 bill for Universal that will come out of the Jail Sales Tax fund. The Commissioners plan to discuss the past high utility bills for the jail during the jail meeting on February 14th. Bobby questioned his 2019 for wages; he said the $549,608 allocated on wages will not cover the base salaries for the jail employees. He said the new holiday that the County added to be off (Good Friday) will cost him $3,300 that he did not budget for. Terry Sercer said the payroll does look down, he said he made the recommended cuts in the budgets, but he may have cut from the salaries and perhaps it should have been cut from a different line item in their budget, he said the overall 2019 budget is 10% more than 2018. Terry said it may be allocated wrong, but the bottom line is they have $979,082 to spend in the Jail in 2019. Jeff discussed the overtime, he said they appreciated the fact that it has come under control in the Jail and in Road & Bridge. Bobby said being full staff has brought the overtime down. There was a brief discussion over the reimbursement of healthcare expenses from out of county inmates; Bobby said he would review this and will bill for outside services if needed. Bobby said our County inmate’s bills are forwarded to the County Attorney and that it was up to them to ask for reimbursement from the inmate for the bills. Bobby said if an inmate has insurance they should bill the insurance company first, but he said most do not have insurance.
Jeff made a motion to go into a 20 minute executive session for preliminary discussions relating to the acquisition of real property, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Jody Hoener and Justin Meeks). After the session, Lynne made a motion to give Jody Hoener the authority to negotiate for acquisition of real property, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Nick made a motion that he and Justin Meeks attend a ceremony at Timken 02/12/2019, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 20 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Lynne made a motion to break for lunch and reconvene at 1:00, Nick seconded and all approved.
The Commissioners attended an ABC Trails meeting in the Courthouse lobby. There were several present for the meeting including Commissioners from Crawford and Allen County. The ABC Trail when completed will be in Allen, Bourbon and Crawford County.
Nick Ruhl and Justin Meeks attended a ceremony at Timken; Timken donated money to purchase a new ambulance. Nick reported two new transport ambulances were donated during the ceremony.
Matt Godinez the executive director for SEK Regional Planning Commission met with the Commissioners. SEKRPC writes Community Development Block Grants. Their funds are focused on 12 counties in Kansas. They can help businesses looking for grant loan funds. He said typically the City Clerks have a list of grants available. Contact Matt Godinez at SEKRPC at (620)431-0080 with any questions regarding the services they offer.
David Neville, Shane Walker and the Commissioners met to discuss the generator at the Courthouse. Currently most of the 1st and 2nd floor offices at the Courthouse are not connected to the generator. The Commissioners said they wanted to find out what needs to be powered and heated (in a power outage) to figure out what size of generators would be needed to be added and then possibly get bids for the generators and installation. Shane discussed the battery backup system that powers the new Law Enforcement Center; the Commissioners agreed to pay the maintenance contract for the 1st year, but said the Law Enforcement will need to budget for this in the future. Jeff Fischer said that Tom Brink would be a good resource for this discussion.
Nick made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks and Jody Hoener). No action was taken.
Jody Hoener met with the Commissioners; she said the business retention survey will be open March 1st. Jody said she has been talking to Cities and businesses. There was a brief discussion regarding Hemp; Justin said there will be Hemp fields located in the County.
At 3:52, Lynne made a motion to adjourn, Nick seconded and all approved.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
(ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
02/20/2019, Approved Date
February 7th, 2019 Thursday 9:00 am
The Bourbon County Commission met for an emergency meeting to discuss the weather conditions in Bourbon County.
Present for the discussion was Lynne Oharah, Nick Ruhl, Kendell Mason, Lora Holdridge and Will Wallis.
Lora questioned why the meeting wasn’t held until 9:00 am. Lynne said the Courthouse isn’t closing and if someone doesn’t work then they can take vacation time or take time off unpaid. Lora stated that her office affects the public. In the past if the Courthouse closed the ones that had to work (Law Enforcement or Public Works) received additional pay for working. Lynne stated that they don’t close the Jail or Public Works and Lora stated that those employees chose that job.
Lynne made a motion not to close the Courthouse and that if someone doesn’t work they can take vacation time or take unpaid time off, Nick seconded and the motion passed.
Jeff Fischer arrived at the meeting; he agreed with the motion that was made.
At 9:31, Lynne made a motion to adjourn, Nick seconded and all approved.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
(ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
02/12/2019, Approved Date
February 5, 2019 Tuesday 9:00 am
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all three Commissioners, the
County Counselor and the County Clerk present.
Tammy Helm with the Fort Scott Tribune and Nancy Van Etten were also present for a
portion of the meeting.
Alice Maffet with the Health Department met with the Commissioners to give a wellness
update; also present were Shane Walker and Lora Holdridge. Alice discussed a smoking cessation training
class that is scheduled for March 2019. The training will train others to teach smoking cessation. Contact Alice
Maffet regarding the training class. Alice discussed Vaping and Jewels; she said this is prevalent in schools and is very addictive and can be very toxic. Jeff discussed the contents in Vaping not being controlled. She said Bourbon County is
the 4th highest county in the State for using Vaping products. Alice discussed 2nd and 3rdhand smoke. There was discussion over the County being tobacco free. Justin Meeks said that the jail did not gocompletely tobacco free; Jeff questioned the County’s liability exposure due to this. Lora said that some business in Bourbon County have implemented no smoking on their property, she also discussed people that are allergic to smoke. Jim Harris said in the past he has given employees $100 (out of his own pocket) if they quit smoking for 6 months.
Jim Harris said they are hauling gravel around the County and crushing at the Thomas Quarry. He said they will soon be
patching potholes with the pothole patching machine. Jim said he will look at a paver next
week. Lynne said the County produces160,000 tons/year of gravel and chips.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 30 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session
included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks and Kendell Mason). No action was taken.
All Commissioners will attend a jail meeting at the jail on February 7that 10:00 am to discuss items not completed at the jail.
Appraiser Clint Anderson met with the Commissioners; he asked permission to replace an employee that is quitting. The
Commissioners gave him the permission to replace the employee. Clint asked if he needed to advertise this position in the newspaper; the Commissioners said he would need to advertisethe position somewhere.
Nick gave Lynne permission to attend a meeting with Sugar Valley representatives onFebruary 8th regarding the upcoming tax sale.
Lynne made a motion to allow Nick permission to meet with Rita at Mercy Hospital, Jeff seconded and all approved.
At 11:08, Jeff made a motion to break for lunch and reconvene at 1:30, Nick seconded and all approved.
Christi Keating met with the Commissioners to give an ambulance update. Also present for this presentation was Amanda
Guilfoyle, Nancy Van Etten and Tammy Helm. She said in January there were 202 requests for ambulance service; 153
transports and 49 dry runs. In Februarythere have been 25 requests for service, 12 of which were transports. She said on February 1st they added a 3rd crew. She said they are working on getting EMS 4 in service. She discussed the changes in crew for the ambulance; she said they started with 2 full time medics and now have 4 full time medics, started with 2
full time EMT’s and now have 5 full time EMT’s, started with 7 PRN’s and now have 11 PRN’s, she said they also have nurses working on the ambulance for now. She said they are getting ready to get bids for the demolishing that needs to be done at the ambulance barn. She said the Auxiliary will be making a donation to assist in building the ambulance barn to the County. There is no date set for when the emergency room will be open; she said it could be February 11th, 18th or later.
Jeff said he planned to ask if the jail was billing other Counties for expenses when an inmate from their County was housed at the Bourbon County Law Enforcement Center.
Jeff made a motion to adjourn at 3:00 pm, Nick seconded and all approved.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
(ss)Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell
Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
02/12/2019, Approved Date
January 29, 2019 Tuesday 9:00 am
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all three Commissioners, the
County Counselor and the County Clerk present.
Tammy Helm with the Fort Scott Tribune was also present for a portion of the meeting.
Jeff Fischer discussed the road in near 195th & Jayhawk; Jim said the area may need some reclamation, Jeff suggested doing a test section on the road. The Commissioners plan to have a 2019 hard surface road planning session on February 26th from 2-4. Jeff suggested discussing with the City of Fort Scott a joint venture regarding road maintenance with tax dollars.
Jim Harris reported that they are placing rock at 175th & Poplar as well as 60th & Sycamore. They are crushing at the Thomas Quarry.
Jim said they are turning two existing stalls at the County Barn into the County Noxious Weed Building; Jim said eventually there will not be a Noxious Weed Building at Uniontown. Jim recommended selling the property in Uniontown.
Jim said they received the blanket for the oil storage tank to maintain the temperature of the oil.
Jeff made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Jeff made a motion to go into a 15 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, David Neville and Kendell Mason). No action was taken.
The Commissioners briefly discussed an employee satisfaction survey example; Jeff Fischer plans to rework he survey to fit Bourbon County employees. This will be discussed again on February 5th.
Justin Meeks asked permission to pay dues to Kansas Counselors Association; this will be paid out of his budget.
Jeff made a motion to go into a 15 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Jeff made a motion to go into a 15 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session
included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks and Kendell Mason). No action was taken.
Jeff made a motion to go into a 20 minute executive session for matters relating to the security of a public body or agency, public building or facility or the information system of a public body or agency, if the discussion of such matters at an open meeting would jeopardize the security of such public body, agency, building, facility or information system, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks and Robert Uhler). No action was taken.
Jeff made a motion to go into a 20 minute executive session for matters relating to the security of a public body or agency, public building or facility or the information system of a public body or agency, if the discussion of such matters at an open meeting would jeopardize the security of such public body, agency, building, facility or information system, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks and Robert Uhler). No action was taken.
Jeff made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for matters relating to the security of a public body or agency, public building or facility or the information system of a public body or agency, if the discussion of such matters at an open meeting would jeopardize the security of such public body, agency, building, facility or information system, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks and Robert Uhler). No action was taken.
At
11:56, Lynne made a motion to break for lunch and reconvene at 1:30, Nick seconded and all approved.
Clint Anderson met with the Commissioners asking permission to move an employee from a 35 hour week to a 40 hour week; Lynne said they are not filling the information officer position and that position will not be addressed again this
year and Clint is not going to backfill a position. Jeff made a motion to allow Clint to move an employee to a 40 hour week, Nick seconded and all approved.
The Commissioners met with Deb Schoenberger regarding the utility bills at the newjail; Lynne said the utility expenses for 2019 were removed from the Sheriff/Jail’s budget, Lynne said the 2019 utility bills (gas, Pro Energy, electricity & water) should be paid out of fund 370 which is the jail sales tax fund.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, David Neville and Kendell Mason). No action was taken.
The Commissioners discussed a bill from Universal Construction; there was discussion over asking for compensation from Universal Construction for the water, electric and gas bills from April – August of 2018. Nick recommended that the bill for Universal Construction not be paid until everything in the jail is working as it should and the County does an acceptance letter for the property.
Mark McCoy briefly met with the Commissioners.
Jeff made a motion to go into a 20 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Jeff made a motion to go into a 20 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Lynne seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Lynne made a motion to give Justin Meeks permission to hire a person to assist in the tax sale for $3,500, this will be paid out of and reimbursed from the tax sale fund, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Jeff made a motion to sign the agreement Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas, A Medical Director Services Memorandum of Understanding between CHC SEK and Bourbon County effective February 1, 2019 and automatically renewed annually unless terminated by either party, Nick seconded and all approved and Lynne signed the agreement.
Lynne made a motion to give all Commissioners permission to attend a meeting at the new jail on February 7th at 10:00 am, Nick seconded and all approved.
At 4:27, Lynne made a motion to adjourn, Jeff seconded and all approved.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
(ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
02/05/2019, Approved Date
January 25, 2019 Friday 3:00 pm
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all three Commissioners, the County Counselor, Jody Hoener and the County Clerk present.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 15 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Jody Hoener and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Jeff made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Jody Hoener and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Kendell Mason and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
At 4:05, Lynne made a motion to adjourn, Nick seconded and all approved.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
(ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
01/29/2018, Approved Date
January 22, 2019 Tuesday 9:00 am
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all three Commissioners, the County Counselor and the County Clerk present.
Mr. Howard previously met with the Commissioners regarding the condition of Eagle Road; Jim Harris reported that they will be placing rock today on Eagle Road.
Jim said they will also be placing rock on Soldier Road. He said they are removing the “Y” intersection at Soldier and 80th.
Schwab Eaton will be meeting with Jim Harris to view a bridge off of Eagle Road that the County has been working on; Jeff plans to attend the meeting.
Jim reported that the New Holland Tractor, the TS100 and two tire machines listed for sale on Purple Wave will end today. He asked that the money from the sale of the equipment be used towards the purchase of a different truck. He had bids quoted for a 2011-2019 Chevy 2500 Crew Cab ranging between $21,000 – 41,200. Nick made a motion to purchase the 2019 from Briggs for $39,132 with cash, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Nick reported to Jim that on Osage off of 7 Highway going west near Overbrook needs rock.
Lynne reported standing water on Unity between 95th & 105th.
Nick reported standing water on 195th north of Tomahawk Road.
Jim said he works with the school districts regarding bus routes that need repairs.
The County advertised for trash bids for service at the Courthouse, Public Works and Elm Creek requiring that the winning bidder use the Bourbon County Transfer Station for the disposal of the trash; there were no bids submitted; however, Jim reported that Linn’s Sanitation previously quoted a price for service; Lynne asked that Jim re-check with Linn’s for a quote.
Jeff reported that some areas of the Road on Justice Lane have deteriorated; he suggested it was from heavy trucks. Jeff said with the possibility of a wind farm being built in Bourbon County they consider the possibility of road damage from the building of the wind farms. Linn County has been providing Bourbon County with information regarding wind farms. The Commissioners received an email from a person alerting the County that there may be a wind farm built in Bourbon County; the Commissioners suggested looking at the roads in the area being considered for a wind farm. Jeff suggested that Bourbon County re-visit the road right-of-way usage.
Jim and the Commissioners discussed an asphalt paving machine for sale; Jim asked permission to put the machine on hold to view and for further discussion. Jeff suggested if this machine was purchased that they possibly use this machine by proposing an experimental cooperation with the City of Fort Scott regarding using this machine on both County and City projects.
Jeff made a motion to go into a 20 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Jeff made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks, Kendell Mason and Deb Schoenberger). No action was taken.
Jeff made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks, Kendell Mason and Deb Schoenberger). No action was taken.
The Commissioners met with custodian David Neville; they asked him to unlock the south entrance to the Courthouse when weather permits.
Currently there are 9 handicap parking spots on the north side of the Courthouse; the Commissioners said they plan to leave 3 of the parking spaces for handicap parking and change the other 6 parking spaces to 20 minute parking spaces. The Commissioners plan to discuss the signage with Jim Harris.
Lynne made a motion to sign the agreement for services between Bourbon County and Tri Valley Developmental Services, Nick seconded and all approved.
At 11:30, Lynne made a motion to break for lunch and reconvene at 1:30, Nick seconded and all approved.
Krista Postai, Jason Wescoat & Daniel Crist with Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas (CHCSEK), Nancy Van Etten, Jody Hoener, Bob Reason, Deb McCoy and Alice Maffet, met with the Commissioners regarding health care in Bourbon County. CHC will be operating medical services in Bourbon County. CHC offers various services including medical (including obstetrical), dental, behavioral health, substance abuse/ MAT (medication assistance treatment), vision, school/workplace health, pharmaceutical and enabling/support services. Krista Postai said that CHC started in 2003. She said that they were approached in August of 2018 by Mercy about running a clinic in Bourbon County. They already have 17 other clinics in Kansas and said their goal is to preserve the medical community. She said she was unsure on what would happen with an emergency room in Bourbon County. She said Mercy has been great to work with on this transition. They are committed to take care of everybody and want everyone to be healthy. They will be located in the Mercy Hospital building for two years. Jason Wescoat said that CHC is not a hospital system; they build a system around people and build a system of healthcare that takes care of everyone. They see all patients with or without insurance, and accept Medicaid and Medicare. CHC is already seeing Bourbon County residents in other clinics. He said they have an affordable pharmacy that will be for CHC patients only after April 1, 2019. Daniel Crist said they facilitate specialty services and that on February 1st they will assume ownership of the building on Horton Street with the intent that the VA stays there. CHC’s focus is primary care, but will have cardiology, neurology and other services. Krista said she understood that the Cancer Center in Fort Scott was leaving and that they were re-directing patients to Parsons and Chanute. She said that they are talking with anyone that that might be able to replace the Cancer Center. On February 1st CHC will take over Mercy Hospital and will be open February 4th. They hope in the future there is a surgery center here as well as an emergency room. Jody Hoener said that she has implemented a survey regarding business retention and after it is complete they will have a task force and said she would like CHC on the task force. Jody discussed a shared vision with a mutual interest.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 20 minute executive session for confidential data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, CHC members Krista Postai, Jason Wescoat and Daniel Crist, Justin Meeks, Jody Hoener and Kendell Mason). After the session, Lynne made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for confidential data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, CHC members Krista Postai, Jason Wescoat and Daniel Crist, Justin Meeks, Jody Hoener and Kendell Mason). After the session, Lynne stated that CHC has stepped up to the plate to fill the healthcare void and said they have the community interest at heart. Krista said that they will continue to pass any information on to Bourbon County as they learn it.
Bobby Duncan met with the Commissioners; he said he has lived in this area for 12 years. He and his wife own the Beau Fine Arts Center building and recently closed their business due to the code requirements. He said at the last City Commission meeting the declining population was discussed as well as the property valuations being up, the sales tax being up and the high taxes; he said the Mayor said if he didn’t like it to run against them. He said the town can’t get the needed growth when taxes are too high. Mr. Duncan said the unification that Mark McCoy recently presented to the City of Fort Scott should be considered; he said costs could be cut and said attrition would result in this and suggested a leader that could hire and fire city leaders. He said nepotism and corruption benefits a few at the expense of taxpayers. He said that Don Banwart expanded his business in Kansas City instead of locally as planned. He said businesses will move where their needs are supported and the costs are lower. Jeff Fischer told Mr. Duncan that he appreciated that he moved here and built his business here; he also said he felt we need good finance stewardship. Mr. Duncan said they could make things right and rescind their decision. Mr. Duncan discussed the code requirements.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks and Jody Hoener). After the session, Lynne made a motion to give Jody Hoener the authority to start a dialogue with CHC and set up meetings as needed, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Mark McCoy briefly met with the Commissioners.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 15 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, David Neville, Deb Schoenberger and Kendell Mason). After the session, Lynne made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, David Neville, Deb Schoenberger and Kendell Mason). No action was taken.
At 4:47, Nick made a motion to adjourn, Lynne seconded and all approved.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
(ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
01/29/2019, Approved Date
January 15, 2019 Tuesday 9:00 am
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all three Commissioners, the County Counselor and the County Clerk present.
Tammy Helm with the Fort Scott Tribune and Nancy Van Etten were also present.
The Commissioners discussed the utilities for the new jail; the Commissioners said they plan to use the jail surplus sales tax in 2019 to pay the utilities and then in 2020 the cost of the utilities will come out of the Jail/Sheriff’s budget. Later in the afternoon the Commissioners said the utilities at the new jail will be paid out of the jail/sheriff’s fund in 2019 and not out of the jail surplus sales tax account.
Jean Tucker arrived at the meeting.
Darrell Howard met with the Commissioners; he discussed the condition of Eagle Road west of 69 to Highway 7; he said it is worse than it has been in 50 years. He said the County did place some larger rock in the area, but it was thick and hard to drive through. Jim said he would look at the road. Mr. Howard said that the County ran a mower next to the fence, and then later set the brush on fire which burnt a portion of the pasture; he suggested staying with the fire when the County sets it. Mr. Howard said he had heard that the County told the State not to replace the blacktop torn out on Cavalry Road next to the Cherry Grove Church; the Commissioners said they did not tell them this. Mr. Howard said he appreciated what the Commissioners do.
Fort Scott City Commissioner Cheryl Adamson arrived at the meeting.
Jim Harris said they are working on the bridge off of Eagle Road; he said they should be done this week. He said they are placing large rock on the bank to avoid erosion to the bank. There was concern over lead paint on the bridge; Jeff suggested using a product to encapsulate the product to avoid any risk.
Jim Harris reported they are getting ready to crush at the Thomas Quarry after they blasted.
Jim said he planned to move a pickup to the Landfill to be used there.
Lynne said he looked at a road near 105th & Maple, a road in question to be closed; the Commissioners previously decided not to close the road; Lynne said it is not an open road, but the County owns the right of way which is used by the power companies. The Commissioners do not plan to open the road, and do not plan to maintain the right of way, but plan to keep the rights to the road. They do not plan to close the road. Lynne said they do not like to close roads, in hopes that future generations might build on the road.
Jeff Fischer thanked Jim Harris for his concise reports each week. He said he had been questioned why the belly dump trailers were standing still; Jim said the employees are working on other projects.
Jeff questioned what other projects Jim planned to use the Cat 320 on while it was rented for the bridge; Jim said he planned to return early to decrease the rental expense.
The Commissioners received a request that the County waive the dump fees at the Landfill for the wreaths from the National Cemetery to be disposed of; Nick made a motion to allow the wreaths to be dumped for free, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Jim Harris said the County paver machine is not working; he said the City of Fort Scott’s paver doesn’t have what the County needs to produce a good paved road. The Commissioners said a different paver will produce a better road at a lower long run cost.
The Commissioners received a request from Southeast Kansas Works for the Chairman to sign the Chief Elected Official Board Agreement; Justin said he had reviewed the documents and said it met the standards. Nick made a motion for Lynne to sign the Southeast Kansas Works Local Workforce Development Area V Chief Elected Official Board Agreement, Nick seconded and all approved. Jean Tucker said in the past that there has been a Kansas Works representative at the Fort Scott D.C.F office. Lynne signed the agreement.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 20 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). After the session; Lynne made a motion to allow up to $1,500 to be spent out of the ambulance fund to purchase a new radio for the newly donated ambulance, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Jody Hoener with Healthy Bourbon County Action Team and Shane Walker with Bourbon County, Bill Maness with Thrive Allen County, Randy Rasa a Kansas Cyclist and Brad Stroud with Live Well Crawford County met with the Commissioners to discuss the 2019 active transportation plan ABC miles of trails plan. Jody said that previously Bourbon County had a public forum to discuss connecting the three counties (Allen, Bourbon and Crawford County) trail systems. They presented a map showing the connection of the three counties trails; the map showed the plan for future trail development. Jody said they are working on funding for this from the Sunflower Regional Trail Grant. The map for the trails is on public paved roads. They said that people will travel a long way to use a long distant trail route that will be used by residents as well as people visiting the area. Part of the overall plan is to include Bourbon County in the U.S. Bike Route. They asked the Commissioners to sign a Resolution making this trail a priority and said that at this time they aren’t asking for any money; the Resolution allows them to move forward with this project as well as gives them the authority to seek out grant funds. Jody said on February 12th they want the three Counties to meet in Bourbon County to show they are working together as a region to improve wellness and at that time each county will appoint three members to a committee to keep the process going. Some of the possible items needed to make a trail could be signage and possibly painting on the roadways notifying the law that requires at least 3 feet for passing of the pedestrian or biker. Lynne made a motion to approve Resolution 07-19, a Resolution of Bourbon County approving the ABC trails active transportation plan recommended by the ABC trails partnership consisting of Thrive Allen County, the Healthy Bourbon County Action Team and Live Well Crawford County; Nick seconded and all approved and signed the Resolution.
Jean Tucker met with the Commissioners; she said she and her husband works with feeding families in Bourbon County, but said she also works with Next Steps. Next Steps is a program offered in Fort Scott by partners in change and CTS (connection to success). She said Next Steps is sponsored by a local board of directors. She said they help people find employment and all aspects that go along with finding employment, (transportation, child care, etc.) She said they help the people that use Next Steps learn that they are a person of value. The business card she presented stated “Are you unemployed or underemployed? Are you ready for something different? Call Jean Tucker 620.223.4617, Join us for free training and resources”.
At noon, Lynne made a motion to break for lunch and reconvene at 1:30, Jeff seconded and all approved.
There is a vacancy to the Osage Township Trustee position, (Marvin Creager held the position, but was appointed as the Osage Township Clerk and accepted that position so he vacated the Township Trustee position); Nick made a motion to appoint Ryan McDaniel to the Osage Township Trustee position, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Lynne left the Commission meeting.
Nick made a motion to go into a 7 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks, Jody Hoener and Kendell Mason). No action was taken.
At 2:49, Nick made a motion to adjourn, Jeff seconded and the motion passed.
THE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss)Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
(ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
01/22/2019, Approved Date
January 8, 2019 Tuesday 9:00 am
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all three Commissioners, the County Counselor and the County Clerk present.
Tammy Helm with the Fort Scott Tribune and Nancy Van Etten were also present.
Noah Fischer was present for a portion of the meeting.
Jim Harris met with the Commissioners; he reported they are moving the crusher to the Thomas Quarry. He said they will be renting an excavator for at least one month to place riff raft on the iron bridge on old 69 Highway (on 250th between Birch and Cavalry). He said they will be placing a rock on Deer Road. Jim said he had a request to view the low water crossing on Deer Road right off of 250th.
Jim said he is working on an equipment replacement list for the year and will be requesting a meeting with the Commissioners to discuss the 2019 asphalt program.
Jim reported that Rural Water District #2 had terminated an agreement with Bourbon County regarding maintenance at Cedar Creek. Bourbon County previously received funds to maintain Cedar Creek. Rural Water District #2 will now be responsible for the maintenance there, (mowing, gravel, trash, feeding fish, etc.). City of Fort Scott representatives Rhonda Dunn and Dave Martin met with the Commissioners regarding Cedar Creek; they said Cedar Creek is a back-up water supply for them.
Justin Meeks said that Kansas Rocks is requesting additional signage; Justin said he felt that the signage could be improved for them. Lynne asked Justin to call Kansas Rocks to discuss possible additional signs on 125th.
Nick made a motion that the County host the Chamber Coffee on March 28th and that all of the Commissioners attend, Jeff seconded and all approved. The Commissioners said that Jody will be getting the supplies for the Chamber.
Jeff suggested that there be links placed on the County website to news articles; such as news channel interviews.
Mark McCoy met with the Commissioners; he reported that there will be a meeting regarding the expansion of 69 Highway on January 23rd, 2019 at 1:30 at Names and Numbers in Pittsburg.
Lynne received a call requesting gravel and grading near Fulton going East on Xavier, he reported this to Jim Harris.
Jeff made a motion to go into a 20 minute executive session regarding personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Clint Anderson, Lora Holdridge and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Jeff made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks).
Lynne made a motion to go into a 15 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks and Clint Anderson). On January 2nd, the Commissioners approved creating a position that would share work responsibilities in both the Appraisers and the Register of Deeds office; after the session Lora Holdridge met with the Commissioners, she told the Commissioners that the position could start in his office (Clint’s), she said she was done and that she had been patient and didn’t want the switch board in her office, she said she would close her office when needed. She said she had fought for a position, but was tired of it.
Jeff made a motion to go into a 30 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
At 11:54, Lynne made a motion to break for lunch and reconvene at 1:30, Nick seconded and all approved.
Rhonda Cole and Shane Walker met with the Commissioners; Rhonda said she needed a place to put the Law Library, the Commissioners decided to place it in the hallway on the 2nd floor. Shane said he would limit the internet access to specific sites. Rhonda said the inmates have agreed to move her storage boxes from the old Attorney’s building to the Courthouse.
Lynne reported that Steve Smith and Larry Goldberg said they are willing to do a walk through at the new jail to address any concerns (with the exception of the HVAC unit), Lynne asked Nick to work with Bill Martin to decide a date for this.
Nick made a motion to approve the payment of up to $3,000 to Zingre for the blue prints of the Mercy ambulance barn, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Deb McCoy, Ken Collins, Denise Duncan, Mark McCoy, Matt Wells, Lindsay Madison, Caryn Tyson and Nancy Van Etten met with the Commissioners, Jody Hoener and Justin Meeks to discuss economic development in Bourbon County. Jody Hoener gave the Commissioners an example of a survey she is working on regarding economic development. She said the goal of the survey is business retention and expansion. She said she has partnered with the Chamber of Commerce and will be meeting and surveying local businesses as well as farmers and ranchers. Lynne said the goal of the survey is to make sure the community is meeting the needs of local businesses to grow our economy. Denise Duncan questioned if they would survey past businesses that have left; Jody said she felt that talking to businesses that have left is a good opportunity, but said this is not the focus right now. Lynne said that the projected diminishing population is the reason for getting Jody and Justin on board to try and change things as far as growth. Denise Duncan said she felt they needed to start surveying the businesses leaving or that have left instead of the businesses that are still here. Jody said she felt we needed to work towards a common vision for the community. Jody said we need to address the population decline and work as a region to turn this around; she discussed the health rankings, the low valuations and the high poverty rates. Mark McCoy discussed a volunteer group that meets in Fort Scott called the Fort Scott Community Visioning Committee; he said they try to get the community on the same page. This committee has produced the Good Neighbor Action Team, Inside Out Group, Riverfront Authority and the Bourbon County Action Team. Mark said at their meetings they discuss various topics such as healthcare, property taxes, etc. He said it is a group of individuals looking out for the betterment of our community. Mark McCoy discussed Wyandotte County, he said they have a County/City unified government, he said this has reduced the tax burden but has grown the community. Mark said this has eliminated the duplication of services. Mark said we need to take under consideration what could be adapted for our community; he said it was important to keep communication open and honest. Mark said it is important to look outside of how we have been operating. Jeff asked Mark if he could have 3 wishes, what they would be; Mark said 1. To lower taxes 2. Massive increase in population and businesses, he didn’t have a 3rd response. Jody said an annual survey is done regarding community perception. Lynne said that in 6-9 months Jody Hoener would come up with a comprehensive plan for economic development. Jody said we need to be goal oriented and have a strategic plan. Lynne said the County is diligently working to attract businesses. Nancy Van Etten questioned with all the change, how do we come together to accommodate the changes. Matt Wells said that as a community we don’t do enough to support the Fort; he said he felt the city and county needed to work together, improve the internet at roadways and lower the property taxes by making cuts or getting more people to come to this area. Lindsay Madison said there will be a legislative meeting at the Empress Event Center on February 2nd, 2019 at 10:00 am.
Ken Collins said that January 23rd, 2019 is local government day in Topeka.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 7 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
At 3:48, Nick made a motion to adjourn, Jeff seconded and all approved.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
ATTEST: (ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
01/15/2018, Approved Date
January 2, 2019 Wednesday 9:00 am
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with Lynne, Nick, Justin Meeks and Kendell Mason present.
Jim Harris reported they will be blasting Friday at the Thomas Quarry. Jim said they are looking for an excavator to rent to do work to start the 250th Street bridge project. Jim said they will be getting bids for motor grader tires.
Jim listed items on Purple Wave that are scheduled to be sold on January 8th.
The Commissioners decided to re-bid trash the service for the Courthouse, Public Works and Elm Creek; this will be put out for bid, with the stipulation that the winning bidder uses the Bourbon County Transfer Station for the disposal of the trash.
Jim Harris will be looking for a truck to purchase for Jerad Heckman to drive for County business.
Nick reported that he has had complaints regarding the gravel that has been used for patching on Condensory Road.
Jim said by the end of January he would like to review the 10 year equipment replacement program.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel and Nick seconded, (the session included the Commissioners, Lora Holdridge and Clint Anderson). No action was taken.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel and Nick seconded, (the session included the Commissioners, Lora Holdridge and Clint Anderson). After the session, Nick made a motion to create an informational officer position, Clint and Lora will write a job description by January 8th and will advertise for the position, Lynne seconded and the motion passed. The Commissioners will come up with a salary for this position.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 20 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship and Nick seconded, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Representatives from KSN TV met with the Commissioners asking for an update on Mercy Hospital; the Commissioners said that the County had completed the application process, and that Mercy is under contract until April 1st. The Commissioners said they are waiting on Mercy for a contract for the facilities.
At 11:35, Lynne made a motion to break for lunch and reconvene at 1:30 and Nick seconded.
Nick made a motion to add Good Friday to the list of Bourbon County holidays, he said since they were not giving pay raises, they could give an extra day off, Lynne seconded and the motion passed.
Lynne made a motion to adopt Resolution 01-19; declaring the 2019 holidays for Bourbon County, Nick seconded and the motion passed.
Lynne made a motion to adopt Resolution 02-19; the waiver of the GAAP, Nick seconded and the motion passed.
Lynne made a motion to adopt Resolution 03-19; reimbursement of travel expenses at .545 cents a mile, Nick seconded and the motion passed.
Lynne made a motion to adopt Resolution 04-19; designation of the newspaper and banks, Nick seconded and the motion passed.
Lynne made a motion to adopt Resolution 05-19; designating Dr. Gugnani as the Bourbon County health officer for 2019, Nick seconded and the motion passed.
Lynne made a motion to adopt Resolution 06-19; a resolution cancelling outstanding checks over two years old, Nick seconded and the motion passed.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 7 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Nick seconded and the motion passed.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for Matters relating to the security of a public body or agency, public building or facility or the information system of a public body or agency, if the discussion of such matters at an open meeting would jeopardize the security of such public body, agency, building, facility or information system, Nick seconded and the motion passed, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for Matters relating to the security of a public body or agency, public building or facility or the information system of a public body or agency, if the discussion of such matters at an open meeting would jeopardize the security of such public body, agency, building, facility or information system, Nick seconded and the motion passed, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks, Kendell Mason and Will Wallis). No action was taken.
Nick will attend a walk through with Goldberg Group Architects regarding the heat and air units as well as reviewing a list of items not yet completed.
At 3:34, Nick made a motion to adjourn and Lynne seconded.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
(ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
01/08/2019, Approved Date