During Public Comments, Michael Hoyt addressed the commission about the Southeast Kansas Area Agency on Aging headquartered in Pittsburg. They are responsible for Meals on Wheels to the aged. They are hurting for funds and are not accepting new applicants for meals right now.
Hoyt said they have been defunded by the federal government. He asked that the commission keep that in mind when they discuss the county budget. He also said that 65% of the constituents in Bourbon County are over 65.
AAA provides a lot of other services for the elderly in addition to Meals on Wheels.
Resolution 22-26 – Beerbower
Commissioner David Beerbower moved to adopt the resolution “as discussed and consensus reached in the work session” that the commission held just prior to their regular meeting. Commissioner Gregg Motley seconded.
Motion carried with Commissioners Mika Milburn-Kee and Samuel Tran voting against.
Tran acknowledged Beerbower’s good work on the resolution.
Payroll & Accounts Payable – Motley
James Krux, County Attorney, addressed the board regarding issues with accounts payable.
Lack of communication between the board and other offices in the county has created financial issues. “We have to be able, as a county, to continue operating and to continue growing,” he said, “And at least work together enough to make sure that’s happening.”
Tran refused to sign the checks as they had been done previously which directly affects Crux’s office. His employees have been paid late two pay periods in a row.
Motley asked what it will take to get those checks signed. He said the county is incurring late fees because of the failure of the commission to sign the checks. He and Commissioner Joe Allen are not on the signature card and cannot sign the checks.
Tran said he has spoken to four lawyers and claims to understand the statutes. The statutes don’t require commissioner’s oversight to sign checks, according to Tran. The treasurer signs them when she cuts them and the clerk attests to them by signing, which gives the two requisite signatures.
“I understand the angst here, I do,” said Tran. “What do you propose?” he asked the commissioners.
Allen said he doesn’t know where this problem came from, as it’s been standard practice for years for the county commission chairman to sign the checks. He said he offered to sign them so that people can get paid, “but I don’t believe it’s my position to sign the checks.”
He confirmed that the whole commission reviews and approves the checks. “I just don’t understand why the chairman can’t sign them to get them moving along,” said Allen.
Tran said that because the statue doesn’t require him to sign the checks, he has chosen not to.
He proposed that he relinquish his ability to sign the checks and make Laura Krom, the commission’s executive assistant, the official signer.
Milburn-Kee said that the chairman should have a signature stamp so he doesn’t have to sign 200 checks. Tran said he had asked for one but has not received it.
Allen said he preferred a commissioner sign the checks.
Tran immediately moved to make Allen the check signer. Motley said that the statutes allow the chairman to appoint someone to sign for him, and he approved of that person being Allen.
Allen said that “if it gets people paid,” he’s willing to do it to keep the county moving forward.
Motley next made a motion to restore read-only access to Payentry for County Clerk Susan Walker so that she can process the accounting entries that she needs to every two weeks after payroll.
Milburn-Kee said that read-only access gives the clerk access to too many reports she doesn’t need.
Tran said he hasn’t told the executive assistant or Payentry what to do, but has advised Krom to talk to HR and Payentry to figure out what to do. He said to let Krom know what’s needed so she can handle it.
“That’s not my motion,” said Motley. He asked why there needs to be an intermediary between Payentry and the clerk, noting that Krom does not understand what’s required for the payroll accounting the clerk has to do. The reports that she sent weren’t adequate.
Allen asked Walker what she needs to do the accounting. She said she sends an email every time there’s an issue, but does not receive responses.
“I am ultimately responsible for getting your financial information into the general ledger,” she said. “The problem with the report I’m receiving is that it’s not broken down by cost center,” which requires her to spend hours digging through to get the information she needs to enter into the county’s ledger.
Walker also pointed out that she is not required to do all the accounting work of creating the general ledger, journal entries, and benefit payments that she does.
Tran said it’s a work in progress and more change will be coming due to resolution 22-26.
“Why was it necessary?” Motley asked. “We’ve got a part-time person who’s the intermediary for the clerk, who’s an elected official. It makes zero sense.”
“I’m very frustrated by that lack of communication,” said Beerbower.
Motley said that his conversation with Steve Cohen (HR) showed that Cohen was unaware of the accounting duties of the clerk that require her to have the information in the reports she is currently being denied.
Having Krom send reports to Walker is “grossly inefficient,” said Motley. “Give her [Walker] access to the reports she needs…It’s just common sense.”
Motion failed to pass. Beerbower, Tran, and Milburn-Kee voted against.
Allen asked if there’s a way to control the view only access. Milburn-Kee said she didn’t think so.
Tran said that Payentry told him they have to create the data bases the clerk needs.
Beerbower pointed out that he was led to believe the clerk had access to too much employee information.
“What it boils down to is I advocated for the employees,… because I could see what their hiring dates were,” said Walker.
“Isn’t the county clerk the custodian of the records?” asked Hoyt. Motley agreed that she is and that it is counterintuitive to give access to those records to a part-time employee while denying it to the clerk.
Beerbower said he doesn’t see the issue as clearly as he thought he was.
Tran asked to table it.
Beerbower suggested they have Cohen come to the meeting next week to iron it out. “That’s communication.”
Commission Comments
Allen offered congratulations to all 2026 grads.