Bourbon County Commission chooses 108 W. Second for court during elevator outage, sets budget hearing notice at 56.669 mills

The Bourbon County Commission on Monday formally committed to moving district court operations to 108 W. Second St. while the courthouse elevator is replaced, authorized publication of a Sept. 14 budget hearing notice at a not-to-exceed rate of 56.669 mills, and voted to list the county’s old landfill parcel for sale pending groundwater testing.

All five commissioners attended the roughly 74-minute meeting, with Chairman Gregg Motley presiding.

Aug. 17 minutes tabled over attribution errors

The commission approved the Aug. 10 minutes after the full dialogue from County Clerk Susan Walker’s resignation announcement was added at Commissioner Samuel Tran’s request. The Aug. 17 minutes were tabled: Commissioner Mika Milburn-Kee handed a marked-up draft to interim clerk Michael Hoyt, saying it “needs extensive revision,” including corrections to who said what and to the vice-chairman vote (video, 5:00). Accounts payable of $304,072.99 was approved.

Court relocation: Beerbower named point person, floors to close Oct. 21

Much of the meeting dealt with the courthouse elevator project and the district court’s temporary quarters. On Motley’s motion, the commission named Commissioner David Beerbower the project’s point person (video, 15:55); Beerbower said he is preparing an RFP for local contractors on wall removal, and walked through a checklist covering courtroom technology, security cameras, signage, cleaning and furniture, with costs expected to come from jail sales tax funds. He will also bring a proposed budget for the move to the next meeting.

The commission then formally voted to use 108 W. Second to house the district court while the elevator is out of service (video, 19:18), to close the courthouse’s second and third floors to the public, staff access only, from Oct. 21 through Nov. 20 (video, 19:57), and to authorize a maintenance access card for the elevator repair crew (video, 20:37). Tran pressed on whether the court pays rent or holds an occupancy agreement for the space; the only agreement confirmed was an occupancy agreement with the sixth judicial district office.

Elections: $4,200 for ballot creation, early voting shortened

Interim clerk Michael Hoyt told the commission the county’s ballot must reach the Secretary of State by a Sept. 14 deadline (video, 21:29). He asked for authorization to spend about $4,200 with Clear Ballot for ballot creation; after budget consultant Matt Lawn confirmed the money is already in the election training line, Hoyt proceeded without a new appropriation (video, 24:32).

Hoyt also said early voting will be abbreviated to the Saturday through Monday before the November election, saying the county spent about $1,200 keeping a full week open last cycle for light use (video, 25:53). “I think if we condense it, have two Saturdays available, I think it’s a better use of our money,” he explained.

Public works: four miles of asphalt down, Yale Road next at $150,000 for one mile

Public Works Director Kenny Allen reported about four miles of asphalt completed this year on Maple Road, 215th/Osage and Hackberry, with crews prepping Yale Road to start Monday (video, 29:35). He estimated Yale at $150,000 or more for a mile of five-inch build: a three-inch base plus two-inch overlay (video, 40:07).

The commission authorized the chairman to sign a federal fund exchange request worth roughly $120,000 for hard-surface road work, with the state matching 90 cents and the federal program a dollar on the dollar (video, 35:23). Milburn-Kee pressed Allen for an asphalt pavement figure for this season, and asked that documents be emailed to commissioners in advance. His $231,265.62 hard-surface spending figure included all hard surface roads maintenance, mowing, and plowing. (video, 36:15).

Allen said mowing is limited to bus routes with only three bush hogs and one sidearm mower running. During public comment, Kyle Parks asked about unmowed Johnson grass along Highway 7 near Devon and on Range Road (video, 6:55).

Budget: hearing notice at 56.669 mills; FEMA offset floated

The commission authorized Matt Lawn with Baker Tilly to have the clerk’s office publish notice of the revenue neutral rate public hearing in the Saturday, Aug. 29 paper, for a hearing on Sept. 14 at a not-to-exceed 56.669 mills (video, 44:26). At Milburn-Kee’s request, Lawn walked through a scenario holding funds other than employee benefits to revenue neutral and shifting the difference to employee benefits or general fund reserves.

Milburn explained the reason for asking Lawn to do that exercise: “And a larger picture of that would be to keep everybody [county departments] exactly where they’re at, revenue neutral, but us take the assessed valuation increase of that two mill and put it in the reserves in the general fund is the overall picture that I had in my mind….I don’t have a problem increasing their budgets if they increase their own revenue outside of the mill, but I don’t want to give them the mill.”

Beerbower proposed using $605,000 in FEMA money held by Public Works to offset that department’s levy, which he said would allow the county to use that roughly 4.13 mills to increase the county’s cash reserves, improving the interest rates offered for big project bonds like the new radio system discussed in last week’s meeting (video, 56:51). Lawn will bring updated scenarios next Monday, as well as address about $36,000 in comprehensive plan startup costs and about $50,000 for tax foreclosure publishing.

Other business

The commission approved a cereal malt beverage application for a location at Soldier Road and 69 Highway. Hoyt noted that the deadline for cereal malt beverage applications is Sept. 15.

The commission voted to withdraw from the walk-in hunting contract on the old landfill parcel, noting the City of Fort Scott has opted out (video, 65:54), and then voted to list that parcel for sale contingent on groundwater testing and a restrictive covenant filed with the Register of Deeds (video, 68:30). A Verizon contract extension was pulled from the agenda after typos were found in the document.

Commissioner Comments

Commission Chairman Gregg Motley suggested that Bourbon County follow the pattern of other counties and cities and include all supporting documents as part of the meeting agenda in the future. He mentioned bids, contracts, resolutions, and the like. According to Stronghold, Bourbon County has more KORA requests than any other government entities they work for, partly because those items aren’t available with the meeting agendas prior to meetings and must be requested for viewing after being submitted in the meetings.

Beerbower pointed out that it had been commission policy at one point to require supporting documentation for agenda items.

“It’s also fair to the public,” Motley said.

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