Bourbon County Commission Meeting Agenda Summary for June 29, 2026

Bourbon County Commission Meeting Agenda Outline

Agenda 06.29.26

• Meeting Date & Time: June 29, 2026, at 5:30 PM (Page 1)

• Location: 210 S National Avenue, Fort Scott, KS 66701 (Page 1)

Agenda Items

1. Call Meeting to Order (Page 1)

2. Pledge of Allegiance (Page 1)

3. Prayer – Commissioner Motley (Page 1)

4. Introductions (Page 1)

5. Approval of Agenda (Page 1)

6. Approval of Minutes (Page 1)

   • a. June 15, 2026 (Page 1)

   • b. May 11, 2026 (Revised) (Page 1)

   • c. April 13, 2026 (Revised) (Page 1)

7. Approval of Accounts Payable (06/18/26): $83,374.82 (Page 1)

8. Approval of Accounts Payable (06/26/26): $453,809.91 (Page 1)

9. Approval of May 2026 Financials (Page 1)

10. Special Appearances (Page 1)

11. Public Comments (Page 1)

12. Department Updates (Page 1)

13. Old Business (Page 1)

    • a. Jarred Gilmore Phillips 2026 Audit Engagement (Page 1)

    • b. SEK Juvenile Detention Center Discussion (Page 1)

    • c. American Flag Purchase (Page 1)

    • d. Procedures for Adopting Resolutions (Page 1)

14. New Business (Page 1)

    • a. Statement/Discussion – Commissioner Allen (Page 1)

    • b. Fund Resolution – Commissioner Milburn (Page 1)

    • c. Resolution 25-26: Cancellation of Warrant Checks – Walker (Page 1)

    • d. Heartland Business Licenses Annual Billing (Page 1)

15. Future Agenda Topics (Page 1)

16. Commission Comments (Page 1)

17. Adjournment (Page 1)

Note: A public works budget work session will take place immediately following the commission meeting. (Page 1)

Detailed Summary of Information Packet

1. Past Meeting Minutes Summaries

June 15, 2026 Meeting Minutes

• Attendance & Logistics: Chaired by Samuel Tran. Commissioners David Beerbower, Joe Allen, Gregg Motley, and Mike Milburn-Kee were present alongside County Clerk Susan Walker. (Page 1)

• Agenda Modifications: The agenda was rearranged to address time-sensitive items, adding KDWP to Special Appearances, a Hidden Valley Road item, and removing an MOU Grant discussion. (Page 1-2)

• Accounts Payable & Payroll: Approved batches for June 5 ($184,461.59, withholding two disputed vendor checks) and June 12 ($833,269.76). Supplemental payrolls were also approved to correct a supervisor hours-entry error. (Page 2, 4)

• Hidden Valley Road Resolution: Public Works Director Kenny Allen and County Counsel verified that the Hidden Valley subdivision roadways are private infrastructure, do not meet county safety or engineering standards, and have never been formally accepted by the county. Resolution 23-26 was passed to formally decline taking over road network maintenance, capping substantial liability concerns. (Page 2-3)

• Public Comments: INA Alert presented a security and facial-recognition camera system breakdown with free site evaluations. Local resident Mark Warren raised localized standing water and missing side ditch drainage issues near Uniontown and Redfield. (Page 3-4)

• Minutes Formatting Debate: Chair Tran critiqued current AI-generated minutes for subjective language (e.g., “push back gently”). Clerk Walker defended that she runs raw long-form formats to meet detail requests without adding editorial slant. (Page 4)

• Elm Creek Lake Grant: The commission passed a motion to formally terminate a stagnant five-year-old Elm Creek Lake renovation grant. Biologist Don George (KDWP) noted the original $121,000 cost estimate to repair the dam hole inflated massively, requiring an engineer re-evaluation before a target May 2027 grant cycle. (Page 4-5)

• Comprehensive Plan: Following competitive interviews, the Planning Commission recommended hiring Confluence for a total of $152,000 ($105,500 for the Plan; $46,500 for Zoning Code regulations). The motion passed 4-0 (Motley abstained). (Page 5-6)

• Election Request Dispute: A motion by Commissioner Milburn-Kee to deny the Clerk’s use of the Commission Room for 2026 election cycles failed (3-2). A subsequent motion to approve the space use and transit support passed 3-2. (Page 6)

• Moratorium Resolution: The board passed Resolution 24-26 (3-0, Allen and Motley abstained) enacting a 365-day freeze on utility-scale power setups, crypto mining, data centers, and waste sites, grandfathering three previously exempted solar facilities. (Page 7-8)

May 11, 2026 Meeting Minutes

• Public Comments (Meals on Wheels): Michael Hoyt warned that federal defunding hit regional aging agencies hard, freezing new enrollments for standard mobile meal deliveries. He urged local budget steps to preserve safety checks for senior populations. (Page 10)

• Check-Signing Authority Clash: County Attorney James Crux publicly cited late employee pay cycles caused by a communication breakdown over unsigned checks. Seeking rules accuracy, Chair Tran shifted checking signatures to Commissioner Allen moving forward. (Page 10-11)

• Clerk Software Lockout: An internal dispute arose after Clerk Walker had her “SecureView” payroll report access revoked due to administrative over-exposure concerns. Intermediary data sharing was labeled inefficient by dissenters, and a motion to restore direct read-only access failed 3-2. (Page 11-12)

April 13, 2026 Meeting Minutes

• Economic Development: Fort Scott City Manager updated the board on manufacturing building sales projected to create hundreds of jobs starting in early 2027. (Page 13)

• Employee Rights Outcry: Nearly half the county workforce attended to protest retroactive adjustments to tenure dates and altered leave records after a December 2025 platform shift. Employees described losing up to 16 years of recognized service credit. In response, the commission ordered immediate employee system visibility features to restore transparency. (Page 14-15)

2. Financial Documents & Open Invoice Summaries

Accounts Payable Ledger – Due June 18, 2026

A grand total of $83,374.82 across 70 invoices was processed for this cycle. Significant breakdowns by department include:

• District Court (Dept. 10): $17,054.00, anchored by a 40% initial deposit ($15,324.00) to McClelland Inc. for a Courtroom A audio infrastructure upgrade. (Page 8)

• Courthouse General (Dept. 43): $13,379.74, including building utility bills from Evergy and a $7,503.36 regular elevator service fee to Kone Inc. (Page 12)

• Road & Bridge Sales Tax Fund (Fund 222): $12,455.80, heavily driven by an $11,257.15 charge from Kunshek Chat and Coal Co. for sand hauling. (Page 3)

• Juvenile Detention (Dept. 18): $11,347.00, matching fixed monthly detention system expenses paid out to the SEK Regional Center. (Page 10)

• Landfill (Fund 108): $10,652.41, paid entirely to Allen County Public Works for regional waste operations. (Page 2)

Accounts Payable Ledger – Due June 26, 2026

This batch notes a larger volume of operational entries, totaling $453,809.91, primarily tracking payroll runs, clearing accounts, and equipment support:

• Employee Benefits (Fund 064): $35,424.17 allocated across employee social security withholdings ($14,685.08) and comprehensive KPERS retirement pools ($19,375.17). (Page 4)

• County Sheriff & Correctional (Fund 120): $81,313.55, tracking department base wages alongside distinct items like building contract needs, Vertiv system components ($6,581.12), and regional inmate health expenses ($7,966.27). (Page 6-7)

• Mental Disability Support (Fund 116): A $13,750.00 regular quarterly funding appropriation assigned to the Tri-Valley Developmental Center. (Page 6)

• Road and Bridge Machinery (Fund 220): Detailed hardware invoices from Murphy Tractor & Equipment Co. covering heavy motor, hydraulic drives, and custom equipment maintenance. (Page 7-8)