State and local leaders took part in a groundbreaking ceremony Monday morning at Cherry Grove Baptist Church in preparation for the Highway 69 widening project that is set to begin this week.

“It’s a big day for us to be here and to actually be turning dirt,” said Ken Brock, the volunteer leader of the Kansas Highway 69 Association who played a key role in making the project a reality.

Governor Sam Brownback attended the event and said he is glad the project is underway after it “hit a rut” in recent years because of budget issues.

“There’s a lot of people who have fought for this for a long period of time to make this a reality,” Brownback said.

Brownback explained the state is currently focusing on the maintenance of roads instead of new constructions, but added the Highway 69 project is key to commerce and safety and is a priority of the state.

“It is one of the major arteries of the state that needs to be finished,” Brownback said of the six-mile project that will make it four lanes to the county line, adding he plans to have that project continuing to Pittsburg before he finishes his time in office. “Today is the beginning of a nice victory lap.”

Kansas Secretary of Transportation Richard Carlson, appointed to his position just in the last year, said he looks forward to the completion of the project and how it will bring a boost to the entire state.

“It’s an important corridor for the area for the expansion of 69,” Carlson pointed out. “It’s another important step in moving our four-lane highway system further south…We at KDOT are proud to be a part of this important project and certainly look forward to the completion of it all the way south.”

Carlson also encouraged drivers to be cautious when driving on the highway during periods of construction in order to avoid any dangerous situations for the drivers or the construction workers.

“There’s a lot of people that go into making a project like this happen,” Brock said, saying the governor and Senator Jake LaTurner invested great effort into the project. “It doesn’t just happen and it doesn’t happen quickly.”

LaTurner pointed out he was not the individual who began the process, as a number of bipartisan senators and representatives invested time into it over the past 30 years. The first portion of the project is expected to be complete by the end of 2018.

This Week on the House Floor

Submitted by Representative Adam Lusker

This week, an elections bill passed through the House 120 votes – 0. The bill is in regards to the special election to be held on April 11, 2017, to fill the Congressional seat in Kansas’ District 4 vacated by Mike Pompeo. Pompeo was appointed CIA Director by Donald Trump and confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

A Congressional seat in Kansas has not been vacated since 1950. The rules and regulations of a special election that are not specified must be drawn. This particular bill from the Senate, (SB 43), deals with setting forth those updated rules and processes.

Brownback Tax Plan Dead in Senate

On Tuesday, the Kansas Senate took up Governor Brownback’s tax plan for a vote. The tax plan included more unsustainable fixes to plug the budget deficit, like doubling the alcohol and tobacco taxes across the state. The process was long and drawn out, as the Senate divided the bill into separate parts, voting each one down in turn.

Senate Creates Education Budget Committee

Following the Kansas Supreme Court ruling in the Gannon case, which deemed the school finance system both inadequate and unconstitutional, Senate President Susan Wagle created a special committee to address the school funding issues that the Kansas Legislature must solve and prove adequate by June 30, 2017.

The committee is composed of 9 Republicans and 2 Democrats. The Kansas House had already established such a committee at the beginning of the 2017 session.

International Women’s Day

Wednesday, March 8th, we celebrated International Women’s Day – a day to honor women across the world, recognizing their great contributions to our history, to our present and to our futures. This day also spotlights the inequality that women face in many aspects of their lives, and emphasizes the need for solutions to those issues. Kansas has a long history of showing respect for women’s rights.

Happy International Women’s Day!

It is a special honor to serve as your state representative. I both value and need your input on the various issues facing state government. Please feel free to contact me with your comments and questions. My office address is Room 50-S, 300 SW 10th, Topeka, KS 66612. You can reach me at (785) 296-7698 or call the legislative hotline at 1-800-432-3924 to leave a message for me.

Additionally, you can e-mail me at [email protected]. You can also follow the legislative session online at www.kslegislature.org.

During a work session held Wednesday morning, the Bourbon County Commission discussed how the current jail building will be used once the inmates and Sheriff’s Department moves to the new law enforcement center later this year.

“We’ve got to get this going,” commissioner Nick Ruhl said. “October will be here before you know it.”

A number of county employees attended the work session to share ideas on how the building could be utilized.

Commissioners first mentioned that moving the offices currently on the second floor, including the treasurer’s and clerk’s offices, could be moved to that first floor area so members of the public would not have to climb the stairs to the second floor. The second floor could then be used by the county attorney, making the second and third floors used only by the judicial system, and thus more easily secured.

Further discussion revealed that plan could end up being costly, as walls would have to be added in those second floor offices to accommodate the attorney’s staff, which currently works out of a separate building across the street from the courthouse.

Instead, the commissioners decided it made more sense to have the attorney’s office move directly into the old jail, where the rooms are already arranged to serve as offices, storage rooms, the law library and a conference area.

“It shouldn’t take a lot of money,” commission chairman Lynne Oharah said, adding the area would likely only need paint and new carpet.

Other options that arose during the work session, some of which could be done in conjunction with the attorney’s move, included turning portions of the old jail into storm shelters. Certain office areas may also be available to lease, such as to the city codes and community correction departments, who have already expressed interest. The building could also be sold entirely.

In upcoming weeks and months, the commission will continue to listen to ideas and begin to form a plan for how the building will be used. The remaining funds from the tax increase for the law enforcement center project are to be used to fund those changes and other courthouse improvements.

Regardless of how it is used, the commissioners said they will likely save money by not having to use the utilities in that building all the time as they did when housing inmates. They also plan on closing off that entrance for security purposes and repairing the east entrance to make it handicap accessible.

Almost 100 pieces of art are on display at the Ellis Fine Arts Center, as the Bourbon County Arts Council hosts the 25^th Annual Fine Arts Exhibit.

“It really speaks well of the community and the arts council itself,” Ray Streeter said of the 25 years of hosting the event.

Through Friday, members of the community can visit the exhibit to view and purchase a variety of pieces, including paintings, photographs, ceramics, jewelry and others. Prizes were awarded to the first place pieces of each category, donated by individuals and businesses of Fort Scott.

The exhibit includes 95 pieces from 42 artists. Nineteen of those artists are from Bourbon County while the others are from surrounding cities and into Missouri. Items from the Fort Scott High School art class students are also displayed.

The exhibit will be available from noon to 7 p.m., Thursday and Friday. The arts council is also asking its members to renew their memberships and encourages other members of the community to join.

“We think we do a lot for the community and we need your support to do it,” Streeter said.

After much discussion and consideration of county residents’ input, the Bourbon County Commission decided during their meeting Tuesday morning to not purchase another jail pod, which would have added 16 more beds to the new law enforcement center.

The plans for the jail began with 74 beds, but included an option for adding one more pod to increase that to 90 in case they found that the jail was filling up with local and out-of-county inmates. Sheriff Bill Martin said that, in communicating with other counties and their law enforcement agencies, most encouraged them to not limit their bed space, such as Cloud County, whose jail built just two years ago is already overflowing.

The present jail currently has 48 inmates, while six had to be moved out of the county because there was not enough space. Martin said they have also had to turn away other counties asking if Bourbon County could house some of their inmates.

Citizens present at the meeting spoke against adding the pod, which would add more than $380,000 to the jail project, which has already come in above the initial $6.85 million budget because of an unexpected increase in the cost of materials and construction.

“You can’t keep spending money we don’t have,” Brian Wade addressed the commissioners. “You’re burdening us to no end.”

Rhonda Dunn, now working part-time for the county treasurer’s office, said the funding for the pod would not come as a new tax. The 0.4 percent tax increase approved for the jail project, an increase that will sunset after 20 years or as soon as the project is paid off, is expected to bring in more than enough to cover the added cost.

“This is not costing the taxpayers more,” Dunn said, but added it would take funds away from other projects, such as improving the county courthouse and renovating the area where the jail is currently located.

Dunn said so far the tax revenue for the project is coming in above their projections, bringing in more than $761,000 in 2016 when they had estimated about $676,000 annually.

All three commissioners said they received calls from citizens in the past week, some expressing support for adding the pod now, when it could likely be done at a cheaper rate, while others said that is not what the county voted for when they approved the project, which has already exceeded the agreed upon cost.

Commissioner Jeff Fischer said he believes citizens are beginning to feel as if they are losing their say in the project, which was already approved by a narrow margin. Fischer said it may be best to delay adding the pod in order to draw in more revenue before deciding to spend more.

Commissioner Nick Ruhl said it makes sense to add the pod now, since the other pods are currently being installed and since the county is already paying for the utilities and staff needed. But Ruhl said he believes the county should wait to spend more money and instead give the sheriff’s department an opportunity to raise that money itself by housing inmates from other counties once the project is complete.

Martin said the jail could potentially raise between $100,000 and $200,000 annually by housing other inmates. Dunn said the county could create an account for that surplus money from the sheriff’s department for the law enforcement’s use.

The commissioners voted unanimously not to approve the change order for the project that would have included the extra pod.

A local state senator and representatives attended a legislative breakfast held Saturday morning at Mercy Hospital, answering a variety of questions raised by concerned citizens attending the event.

District 2 Representative Adam Lusker, District 4 Representative Trevor Jacobs and District 12 Senator Caryn Tyson were present for questions, while District 13 Senator Jake LaTurner was absent due to illness.

“We want to make sure you have an opportunity for questions,” moderator Mark McCoy said to the audience.

One of the first topics of interest addressed the issue of taxes, specifically House Bill 2178, the largest tax increase for the state which increases taxes retroactively for owners of smaller businesses, requiring them to pay that increase starting from January 2017. Governor Sam Brownback vetoed that bill in the past week, with the senate upholding the veto, while the House of Representatives voted to override that veto.

Jacobs said he voted against the override because of his promise to supporters that he would not support tax increases. Tyson said she does not believe the logistics of the bill are what the state needs, although she said changes do need to be made in order to improve the state’s budget.

“We’ve been working very diligently in the senate on tax,” Tyson said, adding there will be a number of tax bills addressed this session and that she believes there needs to be a single tax code for all businesses. “We need a fair tax structure.”

Lusker said he voted for the override, saying the state needs to increase its revenue in order to improve the state budget so further cuts need not be made.

“Fixing our state budget is our job,” Lusker said.

Jacobs said the state spending needs to be addressed before the state begins to increase taxes.

“The government needs to learn to do some squeezing,” Jacobs said, adding he believes limits need to be set. “We have to go by boundaries.”

The issue of the increase of Medicaid in Kansas also came up—which Tyson said may not be a good idea currently since the federal administration is reconsidering the Affordable Care Act, which Jacobs referred to as a “sinking ship.” Lusk said he believes such an increase is vital for rural hospitals.

Other concerns raised addressed topics such as cuts to education—which Tyson said she believes will not happen at this time, but added she cannot guarantee that; and the Highway 69 project, with Jacobs saying the Bourbon County phase is scheduled to begin soon and be completed by the end of 2018.

“It’s not easy to do what they do,” McCoy said of the Bourbon County representatives. “And I commend them for that.”

See the following link for more information about House Bill 2178: http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2017_18/measures/documents/hb2178_00_0000.pdf

After months and even years of concerned comments from constituents, the Bourbon County Commission decided Tuesday to demand an audit from Rural Fire District 2, or the Garland Fire Department.

Township trustees Dwayne Allen and Don Banwart presented their request to the commission, saying the fire department in the past year had refused to give the township board details concerning finances and fire district administration, even going so far as to get a restraining order against the township.

“This is unnecessary; it’s a waste of taxpayers’ money,” Banwart said of the injunction that has cost both parties large sums of money due to lawyers’ fees. “Our hands are basically tied.”

County Commissioner Jeff Fischer, who is familiar with the fire district and has attended meetings on the subject, said the lack of transparency with the fire department began as far back as four years ago, when some of the staff such as the chief were released and money seemed to disappear without the knowledge of the township board, which is supposed to have authority over the fire board.

Banwart said an audit would help clarify some of what is occurring in the fire district and give them guidance moving forward, saying their chief concern is the safety of the Scott and Drywood township residents in that district.

A report concerning the four Bourbon County fire districts and their effectiveness was presented to the commission January 17, and showed that in 2016, the Garland department only responded to about 77 percent of the calls. Banwart said he believes the department is down to only three firefighters.

In March 2016, District 13 Kansas Senator Jacob LaTurner successfully created a bill that was passed by the senate, giving county commissions the authority to demand an audit from fire districts at the request of the townships.

Under that new ordinance, the Bourbon County Commission unanimously voted to act by pursuing that audit. The audit, which in this case may reach as far back as five years, will be paid for by the townships.

Initially, county treasurer and CPA Rhonda Dunn had said she could do the audit, but Tuesday advised they use a third party. The commission said they would move forward immediately, finding what the cost of such an audit would be as they decide how far back to go in the district’s finances.

About half of the jail cell pods arrived at the site for the Bourbon County Law Enforcement Center Tuesday morning, with the remainder scheduled to come in next week.

The pods, which each include eight cells, with two beds in each, arrived already fabricated and ready to put in place. Their complete installation including welding is expected to be accomplished by the end of next week.

The pods will provide beds for 76 inmates, but the original site plans included a place for one more pod that would provide 16 more beds. During the Bourbon County Commission meeting Tuesday morning, Sheriff Bill Martin encouraged the commission to consider going ahead and getting that pod while the building is still being constructed.

Martin gave a report on the responses he got from surrounding counties he had contacted about housing their inmates. Many showed interest, including Wichita’s Kansas Department of Corrections, while other counties said they were too far away to transport inmates to Bourbon County.

Martin said he also spoke with counties that recently constructed or added on to their own jails, and those corrections departments shared advice that Bourbon County not be conservative in their number of beds, since even their newer and larger facilities are filling up.

Housing out-of-county inmates could bring in an additional $35 per inmate per day, and the excess number of beds would also insure that Bourbon County would not have to pay other counties to house local inmates.

Martin said now may be a good time to go ahead and get that pod, since the space is available and it would be easy to put in while the building is still open and other pods are being placed. Once the building is complete, it would be more expensive and difficult to open the building back up in order to install it.

The commissioners said that decision would be made based on the available funding.

After about a year of discussions on the topic, and with a case making its way through the court, the Bourbon County Commission decided Tuesday to just do away with the vicious dogs policy that had been written in 1987.

The commissioners, along with members of the Sheriff’s Office and county attorney Justin Meeks, determined that even updating the policy to better define a vicious dog would not solve the problem since the county does not have the employees to enforce it.

“If you don’t enforce a policy, why have it?” Meeks asked.

Under the previous policy, it was left to the sheriff’s deputies to answer calls concerning vicious dogs, but that department does not have the manpower or the equipment to respond to such calls or handle the animals, even if they are able to catch them.

Undersheriff Ben Cole said even having a deputy focus full-time on vicious dog calls would not be sufficient, and would also be expensive due to the deputy’s wages, a kennel and other equipment and mileage from traveling through the county. He added it is up to the county to prioritize what they want to accomplish and devote county funds to.

By dissolving the policy, circumstances involving vicious dogs become a civil issue. Pit bulls are also no longer banned in the county, though Meeks pointed out some homeowners’ insurance policies have their own restrictions on owning such dogs.