There may be a majority of City Commissioners present at the Bourbon County R.E.D.I. Visioning Session to be held in the River Room, on Tuesday, August 23rd, 2022, at 5:30 p.m. at 3 West Oak Street, Fort Scott, Kansas. Even though a majority may be present, no City business will be conducted.
The City Commission will meet on Tuesday, August 23rd, 2022 at 5:00 p.m. for a special meeting at City Hall in the City Commission meeting room at 123 South Main Street, Fort Scott, Kansas. This meeting will be held to hold a Revenue Neutral Rate hearing and consider the adoption of a Resolution for this also. The Commission may also discuss the 2023 Budget and give authorization to publish the public hearing. A Certificate of Appropriateness will also be considered for signage at 17 S. Main Street.
This meeting is open to the public and will be broadcast on the City’s you tube channel.
On Tuesday, August 23rd Bourbon County Regional Economic Development, Inc will bring Bourbon County Commissioners, city commissioners from Fort Scott, Uniontown, Bronson, Mapleton, Fulton, and Redfield, as well as Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce board members, the Good Neighbor Action Team (GNAT), Healthy Bourbon County Action Team (HBCAT) board members, USD 234 and USD 235 board members, and the Fort Scott Community College board together to discuss a unified vision and how to grow Bourbon County together.
The Visioning Meeting will be held at The River Room above Luther’s BBQ at 5:45 PM.
The meeting will be facilitated by Rob O’ Brien of O’Brien & Associates, an economic and community development consulting firm from Joplin, MO.
Bourbon County Regional Economic Development, Inc Director Robert Harrington said, “We want to bring the community together in a unified effort; get everyone to pull on the same end of the rope so we can achieve our agreed-upon goals in a more expedient manner. To my knowledge this type of gathering with so many stakeholders has not been done in Bourbon County.”
This will be the first of three meetings in which stakeholders will meet to create a unified vision for Bourbon County. The goal will be to take these recommendations and work with other members of our communities to make them a reality.
Bourbon County Regional Economic Development, Inc is a 501c3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to attracting and creating investment, wealth, and economic opportunity in Bourbon County, Kansas.
Rob Harrington. Submitted photo.
For more information contact Rob Harrington, (620) 215-0144.
The City of Fort Scott Water Utilitywill beinitializinga free chlorine burnoutofthe water distribution system startingMondayAugust22nd,and ending as soon as a free chlorineresidual is established throughout the entire system,approximately 2 (two)weeks.
This burnout is necessary maintenance of thewaterdistribution system which will helpmaintainState standards for disinfection residual levels and ultimatelymaintain thehighquality ofwater that you have come to expect.
Occasionally during this process customers may temporarily experience low pressures, taste or odors, discolored water, or even some sediment in their water. We do apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Any questions, concerns, or comments are welcome. Please contact the Water Treatment Plant at 223–5160 between 8:00A.M. and4:30P.M.Monday through Friday.
HONESTY IS ALWAYS THE BEST POLICY” George Washington
I want to encourage each and every one of you to get involved and not become complacent in what is happening among the City Commissioners. If you cannot attend the meetings they can be viewed live or at a later date on youtube.com. Simply type Fort Scott City Commission Meeting into the search bar. Become involved!
City Policies, Procedures and Ordinances. Why do we even have them? Because it gives guidelines for everyone to follow when presented with different situations. It provides consistency. It provides fairness. It provides cohesiveness and takes the guessing game out of what should be done.
We have been provided guidelines of all sorts since the beginning of time. Ten Commandments, Parliamentary guidelines, Constitutions, Bill of Rights, State guidelines, Kansas League of Municipalities guidelines, Professional guidelines, Workplace guidelines, Organizational guidelines, Meeting guidelines etc.
Where in the Rules of Professional Conduct does it say that we can manipulate the Rule of Law to fit our needs? It doesn’t. It states as a professional, the Rule of Law should be followed and respected.
Why are we wasting so much time on trying to get around or making exceptions as to what is written as an Ordinance or a State Statute? Why don’t we do what is right? We certainly have bigger things to be concerned about.
Put aside your personal agendas and start working for the citizens who voted you in and who are concerned about where our city is going.
Where are the written strategic plans for 5 years and 10 years? Why have we spent thousands of dollars on surveys and have not yet been given the results of these surveys nor have we seen any productive implementation of these studies.
We could have spent a lot of that money on infrastructure.
The fact is, without a good foundation, we don’t have a solid ground to build upon.
Without strategic plans we have no vision.
We need more action and less rhetoric over what should and should not be.
Why don’t you just follow the Rule of Law!
They are not in place for you to manipulate, they are there for you to follow.
When Dave and I were first married, I found a couple of end tables at a garage sale and brought them home to restore them, stopping first at a lumber yard where an elderly man helped me buy the correct supplies. Dave was away on a baseball road trip, so it was the perfect time for me to set up shop in our one-car garage and turn ugly into beautiful.
It was a painstaking process, and to this day it has given me an appreciation for people like Jim Sackett who find it rewarding to refurbish furniture for a living. After sanding, I applied the stain. Two coats of polyurethane later (I had to protect my treasures), they turned into a masterpiece. Today, I would call them ugly and take them to the dump, but not then.
The night Dave returned—and not anticipating anything to be in his path in our garage—he drove in and ran right over them. I heard the noise and thought we were being ransacked which, actually, would have made more sense, but no! Dave simply did not pay attention and reduced my tables to splinters. His excuse didn’t fly (even though his car obviously did): “Why should I expect anything to be in the middle of the garage in the middle of the night?” “Well, lucky for me I wasn’t standing there to greet you. Would you have just plowed over me too?”
I don’t remember Dave’s response, but I’m pretty sure it was NOT an apology.
Since then, only a few other times have I attempted to restore something. This past week, I tried to restore the bottoms of my pots and pans. After soaking them in Google’s suggested homemade paste for several hours, not one stain came out. For some reason, what looks so simple…well, isn’t.
Of course, furniture is not the only thing needing restoration. Laptops, old photographs, leather boots, broken bones, friendships and marriages, to name a few, sometimes need repair. Then, there are Christians. Yes, Christians. Even they occasionally need a little help, and lucky for us, God’s the best in the business at making the old look new.
The word “restore” appears 136 times throughout the books of the Bible. King David simplified things in Psalm 23:3: He (God) restores my soul.
Do you ever need your soul restored? I sure do. Like now. A Christian couple is upset with me, and I fight the need to act ugly right back. I mean, where is their love, the one thing that’s supposed to set us apart from non-believers? What about walking the talk?
So, I take it to God—albeit reluctantly—who reminds me that I need to ask those two questions of myself. Where is my love? Am I walking the talk? If so, I would not be fighting the desire to tell this couple how they aren’t acting very Christ-like and demand an apology. Surely there’s a scripture entitling me to do so…somewhere.
But of course, there isn’t. Instead, I find Romans 12:21: Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. In other words, I need to turn my ugly into beautiful. I need to allow God to restore what He knows needs a little help.
George Washington I want to encourage each and every one of you to get involved and not become complacent in what is happening among the City Commissioners. If you cannot attend the meetings they can be viewed live or at a later date on youtube.com. Simply type Fort Scott City Commission Meeting into the search bar. Become involved! City Policies, Procedures and Ordinances. Why do we even have them? Because it gives guidelines for everyone to follow when presented with different situations. It provides consistency. It provides fairness. It provides cohesiveness and takes the guessing game out of what should be done. We have been provided guidelines of all sorts since the beginning of time. Ten Commandments, Parliamentary guidelines, Constitutions, Bill of Rights, State guidelines, Kansas League of Municipalities guidelines, Professional guidelines, Workplace guidelines, Organizational guidelines, Meeting guidelines etc. Where in the Rules of Professional Conduct does it say that we can manipulate the Rule of Law to fit our needs? It doesn’t. It states as a professional, the Rule of Law should be followed and respected. Why are we wasting so much time on trying to get around or making exceptions as to what is written as an Ordinance or a State Statute? Why don’t we do what is right? We certainly have bigger things to be concerned about. Put aside your personal agendas and start working for the citizens who voted you in and who are concerned about where our city is going. Where are the written strategic plans for 5 years and 10 years? Why have we spent thousands of dollars on surveys and have not yet been given the results of these surveys nor have we seen any productive implementation of these studies. We could have spent a lot of that money on infrastructure. The fact is, without a good foundation, we don’t have a solid ground to build upon. Without strategic plans we have no vision. We need more action and less rhetoric over what should and should not be.Why don’t you just follow the Rule of Law! They are not in place for you to manipulate, they are there for you to follow.
Duane Ketron, age 67, passed away on August 16, 2022 at Medicalodge of Fort Scott after suffering from a long illness. He was born February 19, 1955 in Fort Scott, Kansas, the son of Arthur Hursh Ketron and Mary Louise Clark Ketron.
Duane graduated from Fort Scott High School and worked at Peerless in Fort Scott for many years. He still owned his first car, a 1959 Ford Fairlane 2-door sedan named “Old Betsy”, that he dreamed of restoring. He had a wonderful sense of humor and a winning smile with those he encountered. In addition, he was an avid Royals fan and loved dogs and cats.
Survivors include two sisters – Kathee Light of Hoxie, AR and Carolyn Strauch of Neosho, MO; four nieces – Kamela Light of Hoxie, AR; Shawnta (spouse Randal) Whited of Walnut Ridge, AR; Caroline Green (spouse Steve) of Topeka, KS; and Julia (spouse Gabriel) Carroll of Springfield, MO; eight great-nieces/nephews – Harley Light, Chance Phillips, Memory Light, Hannah (spouse Brandon) Dawson, Weston Whited, Ethan Whited, Zackary Green, and Bradley Green; one great-great-niece – Londyn Light.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Arthur Hursh and Mary Louise Ketron, his younger brother, David Arthur Ketron, brother-in-law Ronnie “Frog” Light, and niece Kristy Light.
Visitation with the family and friends will be Saturday, August 27, 2022, at 10:30 am in the Cheney Witt Chapel
Memorial Service will follow at 11:00 am with interment at Memory Gardens after the Memorial Service.
Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.
The family would like to thank everyone for their prayers, love, and acts of caring for our brother and uncle Duane. We also want to thank the Cheney Witt staff for all their assistance and caring service. Please join us in celebrating and remembering his life.
Margaret Lucille Leatherman, age 91, a former resident of Ft. Scott, Kansas, and more recently of Joplin, Missouri, passed away Wednesday, August 17, 2022, at the Communities of
Wildwood in Joplin. She was born October 25, 1930, in Deerfield, Missouri, the daughter of Norman Louis Pettibon and Lucille Pilcher Pettibon. Margaret graduated from the Nevada High
School and the Ft. Scott Junior College. She went on to receive a teaching certificate from Pittsburg State Teachers College. Prior to her marriage, Margaret taught at both the Mapleton,
Kansas grade school and the Lath Branch School east of Ft. Scott. Margaret married Donald Leatherman on May 11, 1952, in rural Deerfield, Missouri. Together, they owned and operated
their own farm for many years. After her children were grown, she worked for a time at Master Printers and for Sears in Ft. Scott. Margaret was a devoted wife and mother. She enjoyed
fishing, gardening and tending her flowers. She was a longtime member of the First Southern Baptist Church where she taught Sunday School and was active with the Awana program.
Survivors include three sons, Tom Leatherman (Connie) of Deerfield, Missouri, Steve Leatherman (Debbie) of Joplin, Missouri and Mark Leatherman (Leanne) of Ft. Scott, Kansas, ten grandchildren, eighteen great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.
Also surviving is a son-in-law, David Cannon of Louisburg, Kansas and a sister, Norma Yoos, also of Joplin.
Margaret was preceded in death by her husband, Don, on January 7, 2009. She was also preceded in death by her daughter, Beth Cannon and her sister, Beverly Davis.
Pastor Clarence Newman will conduct funeral services at 10:00 A.M. Monday, August 22 nd at the Cheney Witt Chapel.
Burial will follow in the Clarksburg Cemetery
The family will receive friends from 1 to 3 P.M. Sunday at the Cheney Witt Chapel.
Memorials are suggested to the First Southern Baptist Church or to Care to Share and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt
Chapel, 201 S. Main, P.O. Box 347, Ft Scott, KS 66701.
KCC approves settlement and financing order for Kansas Gas
Service to recover winter storm costs using low interest bonds
TOPEKA – The Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) has approved a settlement agreement and financing order giving Kansas Gas Service (KGS) authorization to issue securitized bonds to recover $328 million in deferred costs and associated carrying costs resulting from the 2021 winter storm. The use of low interest securitized bonds is expected to save ratepayers $35 to $46 million compared to recovery through traditional rates.
The exact amount of the winter weather recovery charge KGS customers will see on their monthly bills won’t be determined until the bonds are issued. Variables include the length of term and interest rate based on current market conditions. It is estimated the monthly charge, to be labelled “Winter Event Securitized Cost” on customer bills, will range from $4.87 to $6.42 over seven to ten years. Without securitized bonds, ratepayers would see charges of $9.04 per month over five years or $13.90 per month over three years using traditional ratemaking.
During the winter weather event, the KCC ordered regulated utilities to do everything possible to continue providing natural gas service to its customers, defer the charges, and then develop a plan to allow customers to pay the unusually high costs over time to minimize the financial impact. The Commission emphasized it was in the public interest for KGS to incur the extraordinary costs to ensure the integrity of the gas system and ensure continuous service to its customers.
The 2021 Kansas Legislature later passed the Utility Financing and Securitization Act, which allows utilities to use securitized bonds to pay for extraordinary costs at more favorable terms than traditional financing.
Wholesale natural gas prices are not regulated by the KCC or any other government entity. The U.S. Congress deregulated natural gas prices back in the mid-1980s. Prices are market driven by supply and demand. The Commission has stated that any proceeds recovered by KGS resulting from state or federal investigations into possible market manipulation, price gouging, etc., will be passed on to customers.