The Bourbon County Commission on Monday enacted a two-week countywide burn ban, cleared the last of a disputed set of meeting minutes, and heard a revised budget that would shift roughly four mills off road and bridge using one-time FEMA reimbursement money — a move the county treasurer questioned from the floor.
Chairman Gregg Motley presided over the roughly two-hour, 20-minute meeting, which opened with a prayer by Allen and an amended agenda: public comment was added above department updates, a review of a resolution setting meeting rules was struck at Motley’s request because he had the wrong resolution in hand, and the appraiser item was separated out for executive session. Four commissioners took part: Motley (District 4), David Beerbower (District 2), Joe Allen (District 3) and Mika Milburn-Kee (District 5). Deputy County Clerk Michael Hoyt staffed the meeting.
Aug. 17 minutes approved, a week after being sent back
The commission approved the minutes of its Aug. 17 meeting without further change (video, 8:00). Those minutes had been tabled at the Aug. 24 meeting, when Milburn-Kee handed Hoyt a marked-up draft and said they needed “extensive revision.” Asked Monday whether she still had objections, she said simply: “Yes, the 17th is good.”
The Aug. 24 minutes were approved pending two corrections (video, 8:20). Milburn-Kee asked that her surname be spelled “Milburn-Kee” rather than “Milburn-Key,” and asked that a sentence be struck from the second page stating that a majority of draft meeting-minute corrections had been addressed — a line she said had been added and was not something the commission had said.
Public comment: resident challenges transfer-station wage and rate plan
Kevin “Skitch” Allen used public comment to criticize an extensive draft plan on transfer-station wages and dump rates, which he attributed to Beerbower (video, 9:55). He said past commissions had worked to bring accounts such as ADM’s beans to the transfer station to raise revenue and that the county is now “chasing off” those accounts.
Allen said the plan would take a CDL driver trash hauler from $17 an hour to $30 and argued that decisions like that would “shut the doors on a normal business.” He said out-of-town customers should pay at least 25% more rather than 12.5%, because they pay no property tax in the county — “raise theirs by $10 on each account and leave the locals alone” (video, 11:26).
Allen pointed out that a raise in transfer station rates will be passed on to everyone in Bourbon County by the businesses that use the station.
He closed by asking Beerbower directly whether he had gone on vacation with the employee in line for the raise (video, 13:44). Beerbower declined to answer the question at the meeting.
“I wouldn’t answer if I was you either,” responded Allen.
Treasurer: tax sale expected in November or December
Treasurer Jennifer Hawkins said the tax-sale attorneys have completed their first publication in the Tribune and must publish again in October, putting the sale in November or December, with no definitive date set (video, 14:34). Property owners can redeem up until the day of the sale; redemption requires paying all years of taxes plus a $575 fee covering attorney, title, publication and district court costs.
Publishing the delinquent-tax list cost the county $29,973 this year, $2,001 more than last year, Hawkins said — and state statute requires the same list run three times, so a name cannot be removed once the first list has printed. Residents can ask to be added to a call list at 620-223-3800, ext. 803, and be phoned before publication.
To cut costs, Hawkins said her office is moving to a different company to print tax statements. The statements will carry all the same information in a different layout, a change she said “will save quite a bit of money.” If the tax roll reaches her office by Nov. 1, statements should go out in mid-November (video, 17:38).
On the same theme, the commission approved her request to use the appraiser’s vehicle for a conference in Dodge City rather than claim $486.40 in mileage.
Hawkins addressed the twin vacancies in the appraiser’s and clerk’s offices directly, saying the appraiser’s office can still have its work done by Oct. 1 and that she is willing to help the clerk’s office however she can: “I’ve walked into the same situation of going into an office where everybody’s resigned, and it’s quite a daunting task.” She noted that County Clerk Susan Walker’s last day was Monday, that Walker’s bank-account authorizations would be cancelled, and that the Republican Party was set to nominate a successor Tuesday night — refunds in her office require both the clerk’s and treasurer’s stamps.
Hoyt reported he had been in contact with the Secretary of State’s office to obtain credentialing for the election system and that the clerk’s office had asset-tagged its equipment with written attestations (video, 21:12). The commission took the appraiser position up in executive session later in the meeting.
Two-week burn ban takes effect immediately
Allen brought the burn ban at the request of Chief Sean Wyatt of Fire District 3, telling the commission conditions are “very, very dry,” that crews are taking a high volume of calls, that 80 acres had burned near Moran that afternoon and that Allen County had already imposed a ban (video, 126:00). He said the city and the other fire chiefs were on board.
Allen initially moved a one-week ban; during discussion Motley suggested extending it — “Let’s do two weeks in case” — and the commission adopted a two-week ban effective immediately, subject to being lifted early if the weather changes (video, 129:20).
The ban covers open burning, burn barrels and fire pits; Milburn-Kee said the fire department’s rules still allow cooking on a barbecue grill. Allen said enforcement would not run through the sheriff’s office: a fire department responding to a violation would write a report and forward it to the county attorney.
Budget: four mills off road and bridge, and a treasurer’s objection
Financial consultant Matt Lawn of Baker Tilly presented a revised mill-levy split reflecting the county’s 2025 audited actuals (video, 22:30). The plan uses one-time FEMA reimbursement money to lower the road-and-bridge levy by roughly four mills and move that capacity into the general fund and employee benefits, closing a projected general-fund deficit and beginning to rebuild cash reserves. Lawn said he was deliberately budgeting conservatively and was not spending the FEMA money down in a single year.
Treasurer Jennifer Hawkins pushed back (video, 40:23). “The FEMA money that we’ve received is actually a reimbursement from what we’ve already spent,” she said, describing it as paying back what road and bridge laid out two years ago rather than new revenue. She noted that Fund 224, the Road and Bridge Special Improvement Fund, absorbed most of those disaster costs and also holds money committed to bridge grants, which require matching funds from the county. She agreed to pull ledger reports for the commission to see.
Beerbower said his intent for the FEMA money had been misread the week before: he wanted it “partially offset on public works” and to see the department itself benefit, pairing it with a salary study and equipment reserves the way he is proposing at the transfer station (video, 34:59). He put rough figures on it — about $200,000 to bring salaries to industry standard and another $200,000 for equipment reserves — and said the restructuring work covers “everybody” in public works, not just the transfer station.
Milburn-Kee warned that raises funded on the expectation of FEMA money would have to be carried by the mill levy in later years (video, 37:10). No budget vote was taken. Beerbower agreed with her and said that this is an opportunity to begin raising wages to industry standards.
Lawn told commissioners the budget hearing is “two weeks from tonight” — Sept. 14 — and that he expects the budget can be adopted that night (video, 28:21). He noted the county has until Oct. 1 to adopt, leaving little room after the hearing, and said a separate hearing may be needed for township and other budgets, which would have to be published this week.
S&P: rating held, and a plan to rebuild reserves
Motley reported on the county’s recent S&P review, saying he was “pleasantly surprised that we weren’t downgraded further because the initial discussions were rather ominous” (video, 46:48). He said the agency lowered the county’s bond rate but left its A rating in place: “We could have gone to A minus, B plus, negative, but they left our A rating where it is.”
“We’re an A negative now, and we were an A stable. That’s on the bond side. On the, essentially the leasing side, we went from A negative to A negative, negative,” explained Motley.
Pressed repeatedly by Milburn-Kee on what S&P actually wants, Motley said the agency has moved away from judging reserves as a percentage of expenses toward a fixed dollar target, noting the county’s general-fund reserves had fallen from about 63% of expenses in 2019 into the 20s (video, 54:24). He put his own view of a minimum at about $800,000.
Motley also pointed out that improving the county’s rating will not be a quick fix, and all the commission can do is make the changes they deem necessary, understanding that future commissions do not have to follow the plan.
Milburn-Kee pressed for the commission to put its own direction on paper: “I know that you say they understand our vision, but it would make me feel a little more comfortable if we wrote our vision down” (video, 50:18). Allen agreed a written four- or five-year goal would be worthwhile, and Beerbower moved to modify the motion so commissioners’ goals are written out and sent to the advisers.
The commission voted to have Ben Hart, with Lawn, draw up a long-term plan to rebuild cash reserves and an equipment reserve fund. Motley characterized it as “a plan to make a plan.”
Asbestos: broad inspection fails, narrow testing passes
Motley said he had spent about 45 minutes with an asbestos expert and recommended testing only the identified pipe insulation in the courthouse basement, using Act Environmental — a testing-only firm — on the reasoning that a company that also does remediation has an incentive to find more work (video, 58:06).
Milburn-Kee argued for inspecting and testing the whole courthouse, saying “asbestos is a concern, it’s a concern no matter where it’s at.” Her motion to bring the firm in for a full walkthrough and test whatever it deemed necessary failed. After extended debate, Allen’s motion to test the known basement material and have the rest of the building inspected at no additional cost resulted in a split vote 2/2 (video, 65:44). CHECK FOR DETAILS
ER sales tax: $336,741 collected in six months
Charles Gentry, appearing with Dr. Randy Nichols for the Emergency Room Sales Tax Monitoring Committee, reported that the quarter-cent special-purpose sales tax collected $336,741.49 from Jan. 1 through June 30 (video, 87:06). Of that, $280,602.05 was disbursed to Freeman Hospital, leaving $56,139.44 at June 30 — money that arrived on the last day of the month and was disbursed in July.
Gentry said the committee verified the disbursements against county clerk records and confirmed through Freeman’s own reports that the money is being spent operating the emergency department. The tax was adopted in May 2024, took effect Oct. 1, 2024 and runs five years unless voters extend or end it.
Asked by Milburn-Kee what happens to the money if Freeman leaves before the tax expires, Gentry said the trigger in the ballot language is termination of the tax, not the operator’s departure: on termination, any remaining balance may be used for emergency medical services or to reduce property taxes; until then the money keeps accruing.
Other business
Accounts payable of $135,585 was approved after two “Murphy Tractor Training” invoices totaling $7,849 were pulled pending confirmation they were for grader tires rather than training (video, 5:44). Motley used the moment to urge residents to pay their taxes, noting the cost of publishing the delinquent list.
The commission set a work session for 5 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 9, on restructuring public works, the landfill and maintenance, and on transfer-station rates (video, 104:46). Landfill supervisor Diane Ballou cautioned against steep rate increases, saying the county is already priced well below competitors though she could see rates rising somewhat given fuel costs.
“I mean, we have to make money, but we don’t have to go crazy and run everybody off either,” Ballou said.
Motley asked her to bring rate recommendations to the work session, saying he favors charging out-of-county users more.
Because next Monday is Labor Day and it is a payroll week, commissioners said they will need a short meeting just before their Sept. 9 work session to approve accounts payable (video, 138:18).
Commissioners also approved an opioid grant program application with a separate tracking file, allocated $15,000 from the jail sales tax fund toward second- and third-floor renovations for court staff, authorized the chairman to sign a Verizon contract document, approved the treasurer’s use of the appraiser’s vehicle for a Dodge City conference, and went briefly into executive session on the appraiser position, taking no action afterward. Millie Lipscomb pitched herself as a local human-resources consultant; the commission opted to issue an RFP under Commissioner Allen’s direction.
Milburn-Kee updated the commission on preparing the old landfill parcel for sale, including water testing, a restrictive covenant tied to a KDHE consent order, and a legal description that may span three separate legals (video, 130:49). KDHE has up to 60 days to approve a sale.
Commissioner comments
Motley closed by warning the public about a rogue email address he said was used to hack the City of Fort Scott and shut down its IT systems for a period (video, 135:38). He said the county has blocked the address but it keeps reappearing, and that it was used to distribute a county employee’s payroll data, breaching that employee’s confidentiality.
The commission then adjourned.
Related coverage: History of the discussions on county commission minutes, Commission chooses 108 W. Second for court during elevator outage, Walk-in hunting at the old landfill is off; the sale now waits on environmental testing, Motley pushes to put contracts, bids and resolutions in the public agenda packet.