The following letter was presented at the Jan. 17 Bourbon County Commission meeting, detailing changes in some county positions.
Category Archives: Government
Caution on Eating Local Caught Kansas Fish
Kansas Issues Fish Consumption Advisories for 2023
TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) and the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) are issuing fish consumption advisories for 2023. The advisories identify types of fish or other aquatic animals that should be eaten in limited quantities or, in some cases, avoided altogether because of contamination. General advice and internet resources are provided to aid the public in making informed decisions regarding the benefits and the risks associated with eating locally caught fish from Kansas waters.
Definitions:
Bottom-feeding fish: buffaloes, carps, catfishes, sturgeons and suckers.
Shellfish: mussels, clams and crayfish.
Serving size (skinless fish fillets before cooking):
- Adults and children age 13 and older = 8 ounces
- Children age 6 to 12 = 4 ounces
- Children younger than 6 = 2 ounces
Statewide Mercury Advisories for Fish:
Getting outside to catch fish and eating fish has many health benefits, but all fish contain some amount of mercury. Anyone who routinely eats fish or serves fish to their children should carefully consider the types and amounts they eat, including store-bought fish. Too much dietary mercury can harm the development of fetuses, nursing babies and growing children. Therefore, mercury-sensitive individuals (women who are pregnant, nursing, or may become pregnant, and children younger than 17 years old) should follow the guidelines presented below for eating fish caught in Kansas.
Fishing and Eating Guidelines:
- Eat smaller portions – a fillet about the size of your palm.
- Eat types of fish with less mercury (Preferred Choice Fish in the chart below).
- If you don’t know the type or size of fish you are eating, wait at least a week before eating fish again.
- When fishing, keep fish shorter than your forearm (fingertips to elbow) or less than 20 inches as regulations allow.
| Preferred Choice Fish | Servings |
| Blue and Channel Catfish
Common Carp Crappies White Bass, White Perch, Wiper, Striped Bass Walleye, Sauger, Saugeye Bullhead Catfish Drum Sunfish (Bluegill, Green, Redear, etc.) |
1 or 2
per week |
| Second Choice Fish | Servings |
| Buffaloes (Black, Bigmouth, Smallmouth)
Flathead Catfish Bass (Largemouth, Smallmouth, and Spotted) |
1 or 2
per month |
Reduce the recommendations above if you tend to keep fish larger than about 20 inches to:
- Preferred Choice Fish – not more than 1 serving per week
- Second Choice Fish – not more than 1 serving per month
For specific questions or concerns about mercury in Kansas fish, please contact KDHE. For information about mercury in fish caught in other states, in store bought fish, and in other types seafood please visit the U.S. EPA and U.S. FDA websites.
Waterbody specific advisories for all consumers:
Kansas recommends restricting consumption of bottom-feeding fish and catfishes to 1 serving per week from the following locations because of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs):
- Cow Creek in Hutchinson and downstream to the confluence with the Arkansas River (Reno County).
- Kansas River from Lawrence (below Bowersock Dam) downstream to Eudora at the confluence of the Wakarusa River (Douglas and Leavenworth counties).
- Little Arkansas River from the Main Street Bridge immediately west of Valley Center to the confluence with the Arkansas River in Wichita (Sedgwick County).
Kansas recommends restricting consumption of bottom-feeding fish and catfishes to 1 serving per month from the following location because of PCBs:
- K-96 Lake in Wichita (Sedgwick County).
Kansas recommends not eating specified fish or aquatic life from the following locations:
- Arkansas River from the Lincoln Street dam in Wichita downstream to the confluence with Cowskin Creek near Belle Plaine (Sedgwick and Sumner counties); bottom-feeding fish and catfishes due to PCBs.
- Shoal Creek from the Missouri/Kansas border to Empire Lake (Cherokee County); shellfish due to lead and cadmium.
- Spring River from the confluence of Center Creek to the Kansas/Oklahoma border (Cherokee County); shellfish due to lead and cadmium.
- Antioch Park Lake South in Antioch Park, Overland Park (Johnson County); all fish due to pesticides dieldrin, heptachlor epoxide, chlordane and dichlorophenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs).
- Arkalon Park Lakes in Liberal (Seward County) – Kansas recommends not eating any aquatic life because the lakes are sustained solely by treated municipal wastewater.
Waterbodies affected by Harmful Algae Blooms
To date, measured algal toxin levels in fish samples collected from waters affected by harmful algal blooms (HABs) suggest the fish are safe to eat. However, please take the following precautions:
- Avoid skin contact with water.
- Wear gloves when handling wet fish and equipment.
- Rinse fish with clean water.
- Remove skin from fillets and rinse with clean water prior to cooking or freezing.
- Eat only skinless fillets.
- Do not eat shellfish.
General advice for reducing exposure to chemicals in fish
- Keep smaller fish to eat and let the big ones go.
- Avoid eating fish parts other than fillets.
- Trim fat from fillets and/or use cooking methods that allows fat to drip away.
- Avoid subsistence fishing (relying on wild-caught fish for daily nutritional needs) in rivers within or immediately downstream of large urban/industrial areas.
- Do not eat fish or aquatic life from wastewater outfalls, waste treatment lagoons or stormwater retention ponds.
Other information from KDHE, KDWPT, EPA, and the American Heart Association
To view the advisories online and for information about KDHE’s Fish Tissue Contaminant Monitoring Program please visit the website at http://www.kdhe.ks.gov/1268.
For information about fishing in Kansas including licensing, regulations, fishing reports and fishing forecasts please visit the KDWPT fishing website http://ksoutdoors.com/
For information about the health benefits vs. the risks of including fish in your diet please visit this American Heart Association website https://www.heart.org/en/news/
For technical information regarding the U.S. EPA risk assessment methods used to determine advisory consumption limits please visit http://www2.epa.gov/fish-tech.
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Bourbon County Commission Minutes of Jan. 17
To view the minutes:
Kansas Family Advisory Network SE Receives Grant
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2023 Kansas State of the State Address
~~Governor Kelly Calls on Kansas Legislators to “Meet Her In the Middle” to Continue State’s Success~~
TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly tonight delivered her 2023 State of the State Address during a joint session of the Kansas Senate and House of Representatives.
The video stream, provided by Smokey Hills PBS, is available at https://www.youtube.com/
Amended Agenda for FS City Commission This Evening
NOTICE OF AND AGENDA FOR MEETING
OF FORT SCOTT CITY COMMISSION
CITY HALL COMMISSION MEETING ROOM
123 SOUTH MAIN STREET
JANUARY 24, 2023
6:00 P.M.
I. Roll Call:
J. Jones T. Van Hoecke E. Woellhof K. Harrington M. Wells
II. Flag Salute:
III. Invocation: Led by: T. VanHoecke
IV. Approve Amended Agenda:
1) Consideration of CMB License on Premises for Aunt Toadies / Consent Agenda – 1411 E. Wall;
2) Bid Total Included for Consideration – Memorial Hall Steps Restoration / New Business;
3) Removal of Grant Consideration for ERS Systems / New Business – Dave Bruner.
V. Consent Agenda:
A. Approval of minutes of the regular meeting of January 10, 2023.
B. Approval of Appropriation Ordinance 1328-A totaling $1,010,092.41
C. Request to Pay – HDR – $13,328.46
D. Request to Pay – Baker Tilly – $7,898.91 – Fees for December 2022 –
Interim Management Services – City Manager and Lodging Fees.
E. AMS – $516,498.33 – first ½ of sludge removal at Wastewater Plant
F. Marbery Concrete – $33,720.00 – Lake Fort Scott Dam work
G. AG Engineering – $2,000.00 – Lake Fort Scott Dam engineering
H. Tyler Technologies – $53,925.19 – Yearly software service
I. Nuss and Farmer – $8,000 (December and January fees)
J. BBCO Redi – $5,100 (December and January fees)
K. Hawkins Inc. – $11,431.78 Water Treatment chemicals
L. Kansas 911 Council – $36,600 (call handling phone package for dispatch)
M. KMIT – $82,535 (Workman’s Comp Insurance, yearly)
N. Consideration for CMB License on Premises – Aunt Toadies – 1411 Wall St
VI. Public Comment:
(Sign up required. Comments on any topic not on agenda and limited to five
(5) minutes per person, at Commission discretion)
VII. Old Business:
A. Update on Costs to Move Existing Docks at Lake Fort Scott – Doug
B. Dave’s Demolition retracted bid awarded for 523 S. Heylman (BID #48-
2022). Consideration to go out for bids again.
C. Consideration to go out for demolition bids on 1107 W. 6 th St.
D. Update on Brick Street Policy – Tabled to 1/24/23 meeting, Bob Farmer to Review.
1. Update by Bob Farmer – requested by Commission
2. Traffic Counts – M. Wells
3. Brick Specifications – J. Dickman
E. Update on Splash Pad location before the Commission votes.
1. Photo of Location – J. Jones
VIII. Appearances: Justin Pergont to address the Commission regarding the Van Fossen Apartment Project.
IX. Public Hearing: None
X. New Business:
A. Consideration of Crosswalk and Signage to be painted on the alley road way exiting onto Wall St. from the Common Ground drive through. – Presented by Thomas Russell and Jennifer LaRoche
B. Consideration to Increase Airport Hangar Rates – Seth Simpson
C. Consideration of Cost for Lake Fort Scott Boat Ramp – $2,740.00 (Not to Exceed $3,500.00)
D. Consideration to go out for bid for Gunn Park RV Bathroom Renovation
E. Consideration to go out for bid on Fort Scott Pavilion
F. Consideration of advertising for Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for US-54 City Connecting Link Improvement Program (CCLIP) seeking qualified consulting firms for pre-construction engineering and project management.
G. Consideration of Memorial Hall Steps Restoration Bid – award winner One (1) complete bid received, opened 1/24/2023 at 2:00PM at City Hall with Earles Engineering present with the City Clerk – $147,426.49
XII. Reports and Comments:
A. Interim City Manager Comments:
B. Engineering Comments:
C. Commissioners Comments:
J. Jones –
T. VanHoecke –
E. Woellhof –
K. Harrington –
M. Wells –
D. City Attorney Comments:
XIII. Executive Session – If requested, (please follow script in all motions for
Executive Sessions)
XIV. Adjournment:
U.S. Senator Jerry Moran Newsletter
Hosting SpaceX in Kansas
It was great to host SpaceX President and COO Gwynne Shotwell in Kansas this week. During the visit, we toured local manufacturers including MAX Aerostructures, Accurus Aerospace and Spirit AeroSystems. The Greater Wichita Partnership also hosted a lunch reception at Wichita’s historic B-29 Hangar for local manufacturers, academia and community leaders to meet with SpaceX. Thank you to the more than 200 Kansans for attending and to Jeff Fluhr and his team at GWP for hosting the reception.
It was inspiring to hear SpaceX tell me that Kansans are outworking, outperforming and beating all their expectations.
You can watch a video recap of SpaceX’s visit to Kansas here.
My focus has been to bring space leaders, rocket manufacturers and NASA leaders to Kansas so they can witness firsthand the incredible work Kansans are doing each and every day to support the aviation and aerospace industry. We are the Air Capital of the World, and that involves commercial and general aviation, but there are many new opportunities to expand into space and defense manufacturing. If we want to maintain our status as a hub for flight, aviation and aerospace, we need to partner with businesses and industries who are leading the way in space and defense and diversify our manufacturing in Kansas. This will help provide better jobs and more opportunities for Kansans.
Thank you to Gwynne and her SpaceX team for visiting the Air Capital of the World and thank you to the many Kansans who helped make their visit a success.
You can read more about SpaceX President Shotwell’s visit from KAKE here.
Continue reading U.S. Senator Jerry Moran Newsletter
Resource Adequacy Workshops Coming
Kansas Corporation Commission announces workshop series on resource adequacy
TOPEKA – The Kansas Corporation Commission has scheduled a series of informational workshops to discuss the topic of resource adequacy.
As renewable energy resources continue to grow nationwide and aging gas, coal and nuclear facilities are being retired, careful planning is required to ensure adequate energy generation and reliability in the event of extreme weather events. As part of this inquiry, the Commission recognizes the physical attributes of various generation options must be taken into consideration. These considerations include the intermittency of renewable resources, fuel availability and cost for thermal generation, and outage rates for all generation types.
KCC Utilities Director, Jeff McClanahan addressed these considerations in speaking before the Kansas House Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications committee at the Capitol last week.
“How far can you go with renewable generation given the need for reliability? Given the variability within renewable generation, you can’t always count on it. For example, there is just not as much wind in the winter. You need dispatchable generation out there to balance it all out until we get to long term, longer duration battery storage or other technology that can provide that,” said McClanahan.
Each workshop will feature experts on resource adequacy sharing information and answering questions from KCC Commissioners and staff.
The current workshop schedule appears below with additional dates to be added:
January 25 9 – 11 a.m. Black and Veatch
February 8 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Midwest Reliability Organization
February 24 9 – 11 a.m. Southwest Power Pool
The workshops will be held via zoom and broadcast on the KCC’s You Tube channel.
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Legislative Update By State Senator Caryn Tyson
January 20, 2023
Property Tax Relief Just a reminder from my update last week about tax relief programs passed by the legislature last year that the applications are now available. The link for the application for property tax relief for low income seniors and disabled veterans is posted at https://www.ksrevenue.gov/pdf/k-40svr.pdf and the application for some property tax relief for businesses shut-down or negatively impacted by the Governor’s shutdown during COVID is at https://www.kdor.ks.gov/Apps/Misc/PropTaxAssistance/StoreFront You may also call KDOR at 785-368-8222 or e-mail [email protected] with questions about the programs and applications.
| Kansas Department of Revenue || COVID Property Tax Assistance
Official Website of the Kansas Department of Revenue |
Sales Tax Holiday on School Supplies The Senate Tax Committee held hearings to establish one weekend in the year that “school supply” purchases could be exempt from state sales tax. Years ago, myself and others worked on this legislation. As a result, Fort Scott created a local sales tax holiday and have been doing so for over 10 years. Many Kansans go to Missouri and Oklahoma to make these purchases. It would not only help families with students, all persons purchasing the supplies on the defined weekend would qualify for the exemption if the bill becomes law as written.
Income Tax Savings , We passed a law last year allowing a workaround from a federal tax law that capped State and Local Tax (SALT) itemized deductions at $10,000, and our law provided a path for Kansans to take these deductions on approximately $130 million dollars. Basically, it saved Kansans on their federal tax returns while not impacting the amount of state or local taxes collected. It was reported to the Senate Tax Committee that some members of the U.S. Congress are trying to remove the $10,000 cap, but until it is removed there is still a workaround in Kansas.
Government Picking Winners and Losers In Senate Commerce Committee and the Joint Post Audit Committee there were presentations on big business tax incentive programs. Twenty-eight companies were selected to respond to questions, such as “would you have proceeded with their project as planned, even without the incentive?” Of the respondents, 11 (37%) said they would have preceded with the project – the incentives did not affect their business decision. Instead of government picking ‘winners and losers’, we should try to level the playing field and lower taxes for all, making Kansas a competitive market for business and individuals to be successful. The full report can be found at:
The information will be presented to the Senate Tax Committee Tuesday, January 24.
It is an honor and a privilege to serve as your 12th District State Senator.
Caryn
Bourbon County Commission Agenda for Jan. 24
Agenda
Bourbon County Commission Room
1st Floor, County Courthouse
210 S. National Avenue
Fort Scott, KS 66701
Date: January 24, 2023
1st District–Nelson Blythe Minutes: Approved: _______________
2nd District–Jim Harris Corrected: _______________________
3rd District–Clifton Beth Adjourned at: _______________
County Clerk–Ashley Shelton
MEETING HELD IN THE COMMISSION ROOM BEGINNING AT 9:00AM
Call to Order
• Flag Salute
• Approval of Minutes
• Approval for Accounts Payable
• Eric Bailey – Road & Bridge Report
• Susan Bancroft – Chief Financial Officer
• Shane Walker – Chief Operating Officer
• Justin Meeks – County Counselor
• Bill Martin – Discussion of Investigation by County Attorney
• Public Comment
• Commission Comment
Justifications for Executive Session:
KSA 75–4319(b)(1) To discuss personnel matters of individual nonelected personnel to protect their privacy
KSA 75–4319(b)(2) For consultation with an attorney for the public body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney–client relationship
KSA 75–4319(b)(3) To discuss matters relating to employer–employee negotiations whether or not in consultation with the representative(s) of the body or agency
KSA 75–4319(b)(4) To discuss data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trust, and individual proprietorships
KSA 75–4319(b)(6) For the preliminary discussion of the acquisition of real property
KSA 75–4319(b)(12) To discuss matters relating to security measures, if the discussion of such matters at an open meeting would jeopardize such security measures.
City of Fort Scott Meetings For Next Week
MEETINGS FOR THE UPCOMING WEEK:
LAND BANK BOARD MEETING: The Land Bank Board will meeting Monday, January 23rd at 4:00 PM at City Hall.
CITY COMMISSION MEETING: The City Commission will meet on Tuesday, January 24th at 6:00 PM at City Hall.
PARKS ADVISORY BOARD MEETING: The Parks Advisory Board will meet on Thursday, January 26th at 4:00 PM at City Hall.
LAKE ADVISORY BOARD MEETING: The Lake Advisory Board will meet on Saturday, January 28th at 9:00 AM at City Hall.
All the meetings listed are open to the public and can be viewed on The City of Fort Scott YouTube Channel.
FSCC Board of Trustees Minutes of Dec. 12
FORT SCOTT COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Minutes of the Board of Trustees Meeting
December 12, 2022
PRESENT: John Bartelsmeyer, Dave Elliott, Jim Fewins, Kirk Hart, Bryan Holt, and Robert Nelson
ALSO PRESENT: Alysia Johnston, President, Juley McDaniel, Board Clerk, faculty, staff
Chairman Bartelsmeyer called the meeting to order at 5:30 pm in Cleaver-Burris-Boileau Hall meeting rooms. The
meeting was opened with the Pledge of Allegiance.
COMMENTS FROM THE CHAIR: Chairman Bartelsmeyer shared wishes for a safe break, and thanked all employees. He said he is proud of them and what they do for the college.
COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC: None.
CONSENT AGENDA: A motion was made by Elliott, seconded by Fewins, and approved by unanimous vote to add two items for Action/Discussion:
1) Consideration of Sublease Agreement between SEK-CTEC and FSCC and
2) Consideration of Donation of Items to the Legacy Group.
A motion was made by Nelson, seconded by Hart, and carried by unanimous vote to approve the consent agenda.
ACTION/DISCUSSION ITEMS:
A. A motion was made by Hart, seconded by Fewins, and carried by unanimous vote to appoint Tom Havron as the Title IX Coordinator.
B. A motion was made by Elliott, seconded by Nelson, and carried by unanimous vote to approve the Sublease Agreement between SEK-CTEC and FSCC.
C. A motion was made by Fewins, seconded by Holt, and carried by unanimous vote to approve the donation to the Legacy Group of items that will be identified by John Bartelsmeyer and Luke Demko. Any other Board member who wishes to participate shall contact Bartelsmeyer. No more than 3 members can
participate in order to maintain compliance with KOMA statutes.
REPORTS:
ADMINISTRATIVE UPDATES: The Board reviewed and heard updates from Workforce Development, Instruction, Student Services, Finance and Operations, Student Affairs, Athletics, and the President.
Brian saw a graphic on facebook about FSCC’s economic impact on the community. The graphic came from last year’s annual report, and more info like that will continue to be shared.
Alysia addressed ERP challenges. FSCC is one of 12 schools in the nation that uses our current system.
ADJOURNMENT: There being no further business to come before the Trustees, a motion to adjourn was made at
6:28 p.m. by Fewins, seconded by Holt, and carried by unanimous vote.