“It has been a pleasure serving Bourbon County, but effective immediately, I’m resigning. So…” Brandon Whisenhunt made that statement and left the room immediately after the prayer at the Monday night commission meeting.

Whisenhunt had replaced Nelson Blythe, who resigned in April of 2024.

Tornado sirens interrupted in the first 5 minutes and the meeting was paused and most audience members and staff moved to safety until the sirens stopped. The pause lasted about 10 minutes.

Despite further sirens going off the commissioners opted to continue the meeting.

Public Hearing for Vacation of Road

Alley between lot 3 and lot 4 for the sublot of block 8 in Hiattville, KS.

No public comments were made.

The commission approved the resolution for the vacation of the road in Hiattville.

Old Business

Budget Reminder

Commissioner Mika Milburn addressed the elected officials and county department heads, reminding them to get their very detailed budgets in to the County Clerk’s office by June 1, and “be ready to defend your budget down to the dollar.”

Work Sessions Reminder

Both the June 16th separation of landfill and public works work session and the June 23 camera work session will be held after the regularly scheduled commission meetings on those dates.

Landfill Separation

Commissioner David Beerbower read a statement after apologizing to the chairman and members of the board as well as those in attendance at the May 12 meeting for his failure to follow Robert’s Rules of Order and the disrespect he presented towards the chairman in bringing his motion forward in that meeting. The heated discussion between himself and three citizens failed to allow Chairman Commissioner Brandon Whisenhunt control of the meeting at that time.

He brought the issue back up during the May 19 meeting because the motion he made to table it last week was based on incorrect information he received regarding an email about landfill rates. Regarding cost analysis he acknowledged the importance of the budget as well as services the county offers. Higher costs of operation in the future are a possibility.

He said that on its own, the landfill would be its own priority, giving it more attention than it has had historically. This isn’t about punishing anyone or saving money. The 2025 budget is set.

He again moved that the landfill department be separated from public works, that the landfill be increased by one employee from the current public works roster, that the equipment currently used at the landfill, including the dozer that is sometimes used elsewhere in the county, be placed under the control of the landfill supervisor; that the landfill will operate under the approved 2025 budget and public works will operate under their remaining department budget and that any revenue generated by the landfill must be presented to the commission before being used.

“There is a work session that you’ve told all these people is going to happen and now you’re trying it again,” said Milburn. She refused to discuss the issue with a second to Beerbower’s motion.

Whisenhunt seconded the motion.

Milburn then read a statement that included the statement that landfill employees have said they don’t want raises until they can prove that the landfill can make money. She is concerned with the cost of the change. “You could lower the budget if you didn’t do all these things.” It’s going to cost a secretary, a mechanic, and one more employee. “So we want to spoil this department and make sure they take all this money because it can generate revenue, when really we don’t have to do that?”

She then asked for public comments on the issue.

Whisenhunt reiterated that the  motion had been made and seconded before acknowledging an audience member that had been at the previous meeting.

Kevin Allen, who does a lot of hauling out to the landfill transfer station, included Clayton Miller whose family had been in trash hauling since 1987, and other local trash companies as people he was representing in his comments said, “There’s several of us that are really nervous as to where this would head.”

One of their concerns is the county looking at the transfer station [landfill] as a cash cow. He asked the commission if that was a correct assessment.

Beerbower said, “The only way the rates [for dumping at the transfer station] would be raised is if the rates are raised where we take it.”

Allen said he and the other trash haulers were excited about the commission having a work session that would compare numbers because of the potential to lower fees for county businesses who dump there if the numbers worked out, though he admitted that idea was “pie in the sky.”

Allen said that he and other trash haulers in the area are friends with the landfill employees and don’t want to create hostility with them by questioning practices at county meetings. “We don’t want to look at this as a big hostile environment either, and we’re not going to be treated any different than what we ever have been. I’m not going to allow that either.” He reminded the commission that they all are watching.

He said he would rather talk about this stuff with the commissioners outside of the meeting than have these kinds of discussions in a public forum, but his call wasn’t returned. Beerbower was recovering from surgery at the time of the call.

He asked them to do a P&L (profit and loss) analysis on the landfill for the last three years. Beerbower said he was willing to do that.

“You have a pretty luxurious way to run it because if at any given moment they need extra help, it’s a phone call away,” said Allen, when referring to the fact that the landfill transfer station is under the umbrella of the Public Works Department.

Whisenhunt said that the county charges $40 per ton for household trash, but then pays $33.70 per ton to dump it at the landfill in Allen County.

Whisenhunt also said that one of his goals for the county is to go beyond a transfer station and create a Bourbon County landfill.

Allen said, as a tax payer and business operator in Bourbon County, “I just want to be heard, I want to be respected…I don’t want to make hasty decisions…that’s why I’m here.” He then thanked the commission for listening.

Whisenhunt mentioned that he has regular, weekly conversations with the “county boss” who has said that the landfill is probably not ready yet to be apart from Public Works.

Milburn used information from Susan Walker, County Clerk, to say the county is spending more money by making this decision. She also had further information for Beerbower regarding non-elected personnel that would inform his decision.

They tabled the motion, then adjourned to a 10-minute executive session.

Jennifer Hawkins, Deputy County Clerk, then asked how the commission would handle the required $250,000 which the transfer station must have on hand by state mandate. Currently, Public Works has that money set aside in its budget. “That’s a significant chunk of Public Works’ budget that’s just in limbo that they can’t use to buy equipment or do any repairs or upgrades,” she said.

Allen spoke up and said that would be a great item to be worked over in a work session. Another audience member said he didn’t understand the rush and it looked to him like they were lying when the commission proposed a work session for June 16, but made a motion to go ahead with the separation today.

Johnson reminded the commission to follow the rules for a public meeting, but not a public forum.

Beerbower made the motion to withdraw his original motion to vote on the separation of the landfill from public works.

The Commission will not be meeting during Memorial Day week.

Public Comments for Items Not on the Agenda

Nick Graham addressed the commission, saying the last time he spoke with them was at the first meeting of the new commission in January. “That night I felt something I had not felt for a long time: hope.” He believed the toxicity he had seen pervading the county’s operations was coming to an end. However, he no longer believes that is the case. He says the county suffers from “grievance mentality.” He addressed the cause of Leroy Kruger’s resignation, saying he believed Kruger felt caught in the middle of the internal wars the various departments within the county have with each other.

He said he hates to bring this up with people he considers friends and has respect for, but he hates even more the fact that, “every time I encourage good people like Leroy and Dillon and Mika to serve this county it turns out that what I’m really asking them to do is jump head-first into a spirit-grinding toxic meat grinder. That has to stop. And now.”

FSCC asking for gravel

Milburn did the cost analysis and said it will cost the county $1305 to give FSCC the gravel they are requesting to improved the drive to the softball facilities being used for regional games. Bailey said he wouldn’t have time to do it if the storms increased the work the county needs to do on roads. She said it was at his discretion whether to do it or not and she wasn’t sure the county should spend the money, either. She didn’t want to tell him to do it in place of the work he needs to do on the roads.

Beerbower said he thinks that if Bailey can do it, he should do it. Whisenhunt said he already told Bailey to do it if he can.

Milburn said she wanted to see a motion to that effect. Whisenhunt made the motion, Milburn voted against, but it carried.

Dale Griffith

Griffith spoke to the commission, saying he’s seen a lot of talk that the county has paid a large amount due to non-representation of the board in litigation. As a tax payer, he asked why.

Johnson said they cannot speak about pending litigation.

Don George with Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks

George asked the commission if they wanted to apply for further grants for repair of the Elm Creek Lake Dam.

Whisenhunt said he would get information on numbers from Bailey and get back to George.

Concerned Citizen

Another audience member spoke with the commission, saying he agreed with Nick Graham. He then thanked the commissioners for serving, acknowledging how hard their job is, and reminding them to do what’s best for the people who elected them. He encouraged them to hang in there despite the difficulties. “It’s not pretty, but it’s not meant to be pretty. It’s politics.” He reminded them to keep their heads up and do the best they could, saying that he and several other citizens he knows appreciate their service.

New Business

KCAMP Memorandum

The memorandum speaks to the need for replacing roofs on the county building. KCAMP inspect the facilities annually and submits their assessment. The information will need to be kept in mind as the commission makes their budgets.

Commissioner Comments

Mika Milburn; apologized for getting heated during the landfill discussion. She has spent several weeks talking to department head and elected officials in an effort to get acclimated to the county and find out where she can best serve.

“My opinion: there’s a lack of respect for the tax payer,” she said.

She isn’t aligning herself with any other elected offices, but seeks to represent the best interests of the county. She said that no one in the county employ deserves to be making “the most money.”

“There are men and women that sign up to defend our nation every day and they are signing up to serve. We all signed up to serve our county in a different capacity but want to set here and bicker about what we deserve. Well if you ask me, we all deserve to be elected out for our displeasing behavior that we subject our electorate to, and I don’t want to hear any more about it. Right now we have an economic crisis in our county. Let’s not forget that we all signed on to serve the people of Bourbon County and not ourselves. And if anyone chooses to stay the course and keep on, I’ll do nothing, because your choices are yours and they are not a reflection on me and mine,” she concluded.

With that, they voted to adjourn the meeting.