Per request, Correctional Center Major Bobby Reed gave information to the Bourbon County Commission Tuesday morning concerning the wages of the different positions at the Sheriff’s Office as compared to surrounding counties.

In recent weeks, new Commission Chairperson Lynne Oharah had asked Reed for the report, after hearing that the local Sheriff’s Office had lost deputies and staff to other counties and departments because of the low wages.

Reed reached out to six counties for the information, including Linn, Crawford, Neosho, Allen, Anderson and Cherokee counties. When compared to these counties with similar demographics, Bourbon County frequently ranked below average.

“In my opinion, we are low,” Reed said of the wages, while Sheriff Bill Martin pointed out most of the staff are 25-30 percent underpaid compared to other similar positions, while some are as much as 80 percent behind.

Since 2011, Reed said the correctional office, which has 19 staff at any given point, has lost about 44 people because of the non-competitive wages. Undersheriff Ben Cole said the Sheriff’s Office has lost a total of at least 33 employees in that same time, with many of them citing pay as the reason.

Reed and Cole both said retention is a problem at the Sheriff’s Office, as deputies come for training and experience, only to move on to a county or position with higher pay.

“We are basically a training ground that we’re paying for,” Cole said, with training often costing at least $3,500 per officer.

Director of Security Alvin Metcalf said there are also intangible, negative aspects to that attrition and turnover as well, including low morale, lack of experience and the question of safety as deputies have to regularly get accustomed to new fellow deputies.

Oharah said some of the Sheriff’s Office positions no longer compete even with Walmart and other businesses in Bourbon County, with benefits not adding much incentive. The commissioners said they will continue to consider ways they can support the Sheriff’s and Correctional departments to help attract quality deputies.

“This is not an easy process,” county attorney Justin Meeks said. “It can’t happen overnight.”

See below for comparisons of the actual hourly rate of certain positions according to a state-wide study done in 2015.

Undersheriff: Bourbon $16.57, Neosho $23.40, Allen $21.35, Anderson $18.58, Cherokee $18.77

Deputy Sheriff: Bourbon $13.15, Neosho $19.03, Allen $15.30, Anderson $15.92, Cherokee County $10.25

Correctional Center Supervisors: Bourbon $12.21, Allen $18.83, Cherokee $10.50, Crawford $17.86

Corrections/Detention Officers: Bourbon $10.39, Neosho $12.02, Allen $10.50, Anderson $14.78, Cherokee $10.50

Recently elected Bourbon County officials were sworn into office by District Judge Mark Ward Monday, as some return for new terms and others begin to serve for the first time.

“This is one of two rare occasions for a district judge that is a joyful occasion,” Ward said, saying that situation and adoptions can be the only occasions people exit the courtroom feeling like winners.

Officials sworn in included Sheriff Bill Martin, register of deeds Lora Holdridge, treasurer Rhonda Dunn, attorney Justin Meeks, clerk Kendell Mason and commissioners Nick Ruhl and Jeff Fischer.

“Do you solemnly swear that you will support the constitution of the United States of America and the constitution of the state of Kansas?” Ward asked each official, going on to ask if they would faithfully discharge the duties of their specific office.

Thursday morning, Third District Commissioner Harold Coleman was recognized by the Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office for his 35 years of service to the county, both in the sheriff’s office and on the county commission.

“I present this plaque to you, Harold Coleman, in appreciation for your many years of dedicated service to the community of Bourbon County,” Sheriff Bill Martin said during a brief, surprise ceremony during the final county commission meeting before the new commissioners are sworn in.

For three years, Coleman held the position of undersheriff before becoming the sheriff in 1984. After 24 years as sheriff, he then served as a county commissioner for eight years.

“That’s a lot of years of service,” outgoing commission chairperson Barbara Albright said, while Coleman said it could be considered a lifetime.

“It’s been an experience that I think any man would probably cherish forever,” Coleman said, adding that, while the responsibilities as a commission are not always enjoyable or easy as they face decisions that impact the entire county, he will miss the people.

Albright also reflected on her terms as commissioner, as both Coleman and Albright visited the different departments of the county to say farewell to other county employees.

“It’s been great,” Albright said. “I feel like I’ve learned a lot in four years and I feel like I’ve contributed to our community and county.”

Coleman described the position as a rollercoaster ride, but both he and Albright said they were glad to do the best they could.

“That’s all we can do, is come in where things are and leave things as good as they are or better,” Albright said. “That’s our mission.”

Nick Ruhl and Jeff Fischer will be sworn in Monday at noon as they begin their terms as first and second district commissioners respectively.

During the Bourbon County Commission meeting Thursday morning, Public Works Director Jim Harris summed up his road and bridge department’s past year as one where they learned to streamline their work in order to save finances.

“My goal for 2017 is to continue streamlining it,” Harris said of their department, pointing out that in 2016 they had to learn to complete their work despite losing employees to retirement.

With a current hiring freeze and facing two more retirements in March, Harris said they will have to continue to “do more with less,” with both finances and manpower. As a result, Harris said they will have to restructure their labor force in early 2017. Commission Chairperson Barbara Albright said some of those changes can be beneficial to the county.

“We’re operating smarter and utilizing our people better,” Harris said, praising his team for their hard work.

Because of their limited workers, Harris said they sometimes have to be a little more selective when choosing what work they complete first, but said they continue to keep up with the many tasks needing attention in the county.

While the road and bridge fund is meeting their budget carryover for the new year, county funds are still tight for all departments moving forward.

In 2017, Harris said he also hopes to see progress made in finding a fourth quarry in the county in the northern region in order to save the cost of transporting gravel to that area. He also pointed out decisions will have to be made concerning asphalt roads.

“It’s going to be a big year,” Harris said. “It will be a good one.”

The Bourbon County appraiser’s office will be able to complete more work in the field in 2017 after receiving the commission’s approval to invest in a new field software program that will reduce their time entering data in the office.

The software made available by Tyler Technologies is used via tablets and allows county employees to enter data while in the field instead of having to return to the office to upload that data, saving the office time.

County Appraiser Clint Anderson presented the information to the commissioners Tuesday morning, saying he had been in the process of researching the program for some time.

“I think it’s a forward thinking opportunity for us to reduce some costs of our office,” Anderson said.

The initial cost of the program is $14,000 for the program itself, its installation and training in it. Part of that cost will be taken from the remaining funds in the appraisal office budget, while the remainder will be taken from the Neighborhood Revitalization Program account. Starting in 2018, there will then be an annual, set fee of $3,625, which Anderson said is feasible from his annual budget with the time and money they save by using the program.

Commission Chairperson Barbara Albright expressed concern over using a program that is still in just its experimental stages, but Anderson said a number of counties in Kansas are already using it, some of them for at least a couple years.

“They’re very happy with it,” Anderson said, saying other counties expressed pleasure with the return on it.

Anderson said they already have much of the needed equipment, such as tablets and a laptop the program would be used on. The program is to be installed and the employees trained in it in late March or early April of 2017.

The commission approved the program and signed the agreement, with the stipulation that no more than $8,500 be used from the NRP account.

• County Attorney Justin Meeks also informed the commission that in the near future they will need to consider updating the policy handbook, since it has had few updates since the 1990s. On Tuesday, the commission decided to go ahead and make the change of allowing residents outside of Bourbon County to be hired for county positions that require specific licensing, such as attorneys and nurses. The application of such a policy will be put in place after the commissioners approve the handbook as a whole. Other issues to be addressed could involve employee training and orientation, nepotism, compensation and the relationship between the county policies and those held by the sheriff’s office.

The Bourbon County Commission received an update on the Law Enforcement Center Thursday morning, learning that the project continues to move forward despite winter weather and rough terrain.

“There’s a lot of underground going on right now,” Gary Walker of Universal Construction Company said, saying they are currently working on the deep underground features such as water, sewer, fiber and electricity.

Because of the rock underground, Walker said they had to raise the pad about a foot to try to avoid jack-hammering through as much rock, while in other places they had to dig further to find the rock since the goal is to have the concrete foundation resting on it.

Walker said they have been pushing the project in order to get the concrete laid before it got too cold to do so. While the construction team can work on the metal building in cold weather, the concrete has to have the correct temperatures to set.

“Winter came early,” Walker said, but added they still plan to pour concrete Wednesday, though that schedule also depends on how difficult it is to drive through the remaining underground rock.

“You have no control,” commission chairperson Barbara Albright said of the weather and terrain.

The metal building of the jail is supposed to be delivered by the end of this week while the cell pods are to be fabricated by the end of the month and delivered by the end of January. After that, the stairs that are also being constructed off-site will be delivered and installed.

Walker said they will meet with the architects soon to make sure they have met their expectations so far, saying that is part of their quality control to make sure they get it done right the first time.

Walker also addressed the finances so far, saying the buyout of the project is nearly complete and the construction contingency is still completely intact.

“It’s been a fun adventure so far,” Walker said of the project.

Commissioner Lynne Oharah, who frequently attends project meetings and visits the site, said they are currently close to their target goal and it is still on schedule to be completed by the end of 2017.