Bourbon County Commission Minutes – July 13, 2026 Meeting

Bourbon County Commission Meeting Minutes – July 13, 2026, 5:30 PM

07.13.26 Commission Minutes (full document)

• I. Call to Order
• II. Pledge of Allegiance
• III. Prayer / Invocation – led by Commissioner Motley
• IV. Introductions / Roll Call
• V. Approval of Agenda – amended to add auction discussion, HSS appointment letter, Kansas Division of EMS document, and budget presentation reordering
• VI. Approval of Minutes
  • a. 06.29.26 Minutes
  • b. 07.06.26 Minutes – deferred, approved later in meeting
• VII. Approval of Accounts Payable 07.10.26 – $543,225.90
• VIII. Approve Tax Corrections
• IX. Budget Presentations – Baker Tilly general fund forecast & preliminary 2027 budget; Revenue Neutral Rate discussion
• X. Department Updates
  • Jennifer Hawkins, Treasurer – property tax deadline, unclaimed property
• XI. Public Comments – none submitted
• XII. Old Business
  • a. Jarred Gilmore Phillips 2026 Audit Engagement
  • b. Auction Discussion (GovDeals)
• XIII. New Business
  • a. Opioid Fund
  • b. HSS Appointment Letter
  • c. Kansas Division of EMS Document
• XIV. Future Agenda Topics
• XV. Commission Comments
• XVI. Adjournment – 6:38 p.m.

Detailed Meeting Minutes Summary

Call to Order & Attendance

The Bourbon County Commission Meeting was called to order on Monday, July 13, 2026, at 5:30 PM at 210 S. National Ave., Fort Scott, KS 66701.

• Present: Commissioner Samuel Tran, District 1 (Chair); Commissioner Mika Milburn, District 5; Commissioner Gregg Motley, District 4; Commissioner Joe Allen, District 3 (arrived late); Deputy Clerk Amber Page
• Absent: Commissioner David Beerbower, District 2
• Citizens in Attendance: Teri Hulsey, Lou Howard, Marlon Merida, Clint Walker, Rachel Walker, Jennifer Hawkins, Michael Hoyt, Jean Tucker, Kevin Davidson, Trey Sharp, Matt Lawn, Pete Owenby

Approval of Agenda

• Agenda was amended to add: an auction discussion under Old Business; an HSS appointment letter under New Business; a Kansas Division of EMS document under New Business; and a request to move the budget presentation to immediately following the Approval of Tax Corrections item.
• A note was made to add an executive session with Don Dougherty to the following week’s agenda.
• Motion to approve the agenda as amended: Chair Tran / Commissioner Motley. Carried 3-0.

Approval of Minutes

• 06.29.26 Minutes: Motion to approve by Commissioner Milburn, seconded by Commissioner Motley. Carried 3-0.
• 07.06.26 Minutes: Approval deferred to later in the meeting to allow for additional review. Later voted on out of order during Commission Comments — Motion to approve by Commissioner Motley, seconded by Chair Tran. Carried 3-1, with Commissioner Milburn casting the dissenting vote, noting she had not yet finished reviewing the minutes.

Approval of Accounts Payable – July 10, 2026 – $543,225.90

• A brief question was raised regarding a line item for Desert Snow training in the Sheriff’s Department, which was identified as narcotics training.
• Motion to approve accounts payable for July 10, 2026 in the amount of $543,225.90: Chair Tran / Commissioner Motley. Carried 3-0.

Approve Tax Corrections

• Motion to approve tax corrections: Commissioner Motley / Chair Tran. Carried 3-0.

Budget Presentations – Baker Tilly

• Presenter: Matt Long of Baker Tilly
• 2026 General Fund Forecast: Estimated 2026 ending fund balance of approximately $594,000, reflecting a projected surplus of roughly $64,000.
• Preliminary 2027 Budget: Projected a deficit of approximately $201,000.
• Revenue Neutral Rate (RNR) Scenarios Presented:
  • Flat mill levy (prior year): 56.669 mills — total taxes of $8,147,172
  • 15% mill reduction scenario
  • Revenue neutral rate: 54.664 mills — total taxes of approximately $7,858,000
• Recommendation: Mr. Long recommended notifying the county clerk of intent to preserve the option to exceed the revenue neutral rate, capping the mill levy at last year’s adopted rate of 56.669 mills — setting a ceiling, not a final levy decision.
• Discussion: Commissioners noted the full picture — including employee benefits and the upcoming presentation from Don Dougherty — had not yet been reviewed. Mr. Long offered to bring the complete employee benefits fund budget to the following Monday’s meeting.
• Outcome: Commission reached consensus to table the final RNR vote until July 20, 2026 to ensure Commissioner Beerbower’s participation and a more complete budget picture. No vote taken. Mr. Long noted his professional opinion that the revenue neutral rate is generally inadvisable for counties operating without surplus capacity.
• Commissioner Allen joined the meeting during this discussion.

Department Updates – Jennifer Hawkins, Treasurer

• Property Tax Deadline: July 31 is the last day to pay property taxes before delinquent names are published in the newspaper; a publication fee will apply after that date. A courtesy call list is available for taxpayers who wish to receive a reminder.
• Unclaimed Property: The state’s unclaimed property search tool is available at missingmoney.ks.gov.
• Clarification: Treasurer Hawkins addressed a statement from the prior meeting suggesting she had not responded to commissioner inquiries regarding postage. She clarified that she had received only a single missed call two hours before that meeting, with no voicemail, email, or text, and that she remains available for questions.

Public Comments

• No public comment cards were submitted.

Old Business – a. Jarred Gilmore Phillips 2026 Audit Engagement

• Discussion centered on whether to seek competitive bids before renewing the engagement.
• Commissioner Milburn noted she had spoken with Varney and Associates (which audits Crawford County) as a potential alternative.
• Commissioner Allen indicated the current firm has served for three years without issue.
• Commissioner Motley noted that switching auditors incurs higher first-year costs.
• Outcome: Commission agreed to request a cost estimate from an alternative firm by the following Monday. Item tabled to July 20, 2026 for final decision. No vote taken.

Old Business – b. Auction Discussion (GovDeals)

• Commissioner Allen reported meeting with a GovDeals representative to review available surplus items.
• Items identified as sellable: TVs and monitors.
• Items advised for disposal: wooden items, filing cabinets, broken furniture.
• Metal items recommended for scrapping.
• Motion to authorize Commissioner Allen to list surplus items on GovDeals and dispose of unsellable items: Chair Tran / Commissioner Motley. Carried 4-0.

New Business – a. Opioid Fund

• Commissioner Milburn reported responding to an outside inquiry regarding the opioid fund and researched permitted uses with the Kansas Association of Counties (KAC).
• KAC confirmed the fund has broad permitted uses under the attorney general’s MOU.
• Commissioner Milburn presented a draft application process to allow organizations to apply for opioid fund distributions; indicated she would not finalize the template without commission support.
• Commission expressed general support for establishing a formal application process.
• Outcome: Item tabled for a future agenda topic. No vote taken.

New Business – b. HSS Appointment Letter

• The Commission considered a request from the Sheriff to appoint Lou Howard to the Homeland Security Board in place of the Sheriff, who is relinquishing that position.
• Motion to approve the appointment of Lou Howard to the Homeland Security Board: Commissioner Milburn / Commissioner Motley. Carried 4-0.

New Business – c. Kansas Division of EMS Document

• Chair Tran requested authorization to sign a document for the Kansas Division of Emergency Management stipulating that Bourbon County is not subject to a single program-specific audit, as the county expends less than $1,000,000 in federally awarded funds annually.
• Motion to authorize Chair Tran to sign the Kansas Division of Emergency Management document: Commissioner Motley / Commissioner Allen. Carried 4-0.

Future Agenda Topics – July 20, 2026

• Executive session with Don Dougherty (KSA 75-4319(b)(1))
• Baker Tilly budget presentation, RNR discussion, and vote
• Audit engagement decision
• Opioid fund application
• Update from Commissioner Allen on the juvenile detention meeting in Girard

Commission Comments

• Commissioner Milburn: Encouraged fellow commissioners to utilize available resources, specifically noting the KAC local road engineer available at no charge. Expressed concern about deteriorating road conditions, including thinning roads and double-ditch issues, and hopes engineering solutions will focus on utilizing existing infrastructure.
• Commissioner Allen: Noted fair week activity and mentioned plans to attend.
• Chair Tran: Reflected on the commission’s fiduciary responsibility during budget season, expressing measured concern about projected expenditures and potential future liabilities. Emphasized the need for the full commission to work collaboratively on budget decisions.

Adjournment

• Motion to adjourn at 6:38 p.m.: Chair Tran / Commissioner Motley. Carried unanimously.
• Note: Budget Work Session previously scheduled for after this meeting was not held.