With the local, state and national elections just a few weeks away, the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce hosted a candidate forum Thursday evening for any candidates interested in sharing their ideas and goals with the Fort Scott community.

Local candidates running for positions such as county offices participated as well as candidates running for places in the United States Senate and House of Representatives. Each participant was given the opportunity to give a statement and to answer questions if they are not running unopposed.

Questions submitted by the public covered a wide range of topics including second amendment rights, the national debt, education in Kansas, Guantanamo Bay, the local law enforcement center project, immigration, county budgets and the Affordable Care Act among others.

Early voting began Monday and will continue through noon on November 7. Election Day is Tuesday, November 8.

See below for some of the statements from different candidates and their opponents:

Patrick Wiesner (D), U.S. Senate:

“I am the ‘get us out of debt’ candidate…My mission is paying off our national debt.”

“They need to apply for citizenship.” [On letting undocumented immigrants receive welfare, adding children and emergencies should be exceptions.]

Joshua Berg, on behalf of Jerry Moran (R), U.S. Senate:

“Jerry believes that the number one thing that the federal government must do is protect us and keep us safe.” [Through military spending, immigration control and caring for veterans.]

Britani Potter (D), U.S. House of Representatives:

“My goal is to put people before politics.”

“Healthcare’s a huge passion of mine… The Affordable Care Act did not make healthcare affordable…One of the big things that we can do to address this is by getting special interest money out of our politicians’ pockets.”

“Debt is a terrible, terrible burden and I would work in any way possible to reduce that debt and not incur any future charges. I think we have to address our tax system. It isn’t working. There are far too many loopholes.”

Lynn Jenkins (R), U.S. House of Representatives:

“Many people in Washington don’t share our Kansas values.”

“Obamacare has been a disaster. It’s not working. It’s time the Democrats on Capitol Hill recognize that.”

“Our tax code is broken…we need to throw it out and start over. We have a plan to do just that, it grows the economy. You can’t cut your way out of 19.5 trillion dollar’s debt, you have to grow your way out of it. So fix the revenue side and then fix the spending side.”

Caryn Tyson (R), Kansas Senate District 12:

“I am tied to my constituents, not the governor, not the lobbyists.”

“You can count on me to work hard, to know the issues and to work with both sides to come to a solid conclusion for the state. I will continue to fight for limited government, individual freedom, traditional values and economic development.”

“I think we need to protect our schools. I fought very hard for our rural schools.”

“We have a budget process that promotes wasteful spending.”

Lynn Grant (D), Kansas Senate District 13:

“The Medicaid expansion will actually end up paying for itself… There’s money to be made by creating jobs.” [On her statement that she will increase spending on education and Medicaid.]

Jake LaTurner (R), Kansas Senate District 13:

“We didn’t have a lot of good alternatives looking at us… We were looking at a situation where we could cut K-12 schools, higher education, community colleges, or we could vote for a tax plan.” [On tax increase that put Kansas at a disadvantage to Missouri.]

“I’m clearly open to revisiting the 2012 tax cut, I think we must in Kansas, but I will not do that on the backs of the middle class and the working poor.”

Harold Coleman (D), County Commission District 3:

“The county is limited. We have taxes and fees, that’s the only income that we receive.”

Nick Ruhl (R), County Commission District 3:

“We need to cut back on some of our spending to grow the budget back.”

Mike Feagins (D), Bourbon County Sheriff:

“I want to make a change to the Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office. I want there to be integrity brought back, dedication and honesty. I want to keep the budget low.”

“The policy needs attention and it should’ve been changed a long time ago instead of now.” [On recent ride-along policy questions.]

“I would implement a hiring process.” [On the issue of employee attrition.]

Bill Martin (R), Bourbon County Sheriff:

“I believe in working for you. As I’ve said before, performances not promises.”

“I can assure you that there is nobody that is in that patrol car that’s going to bring harm to anybody in this community as they ride around with the deputies.” [On recent ride-along policy questions.]

“It’s one of the lowest paying jobs in the county [referring to correctional officers]… We have to be more competitive in our pay.” [On the issue of employee attrition.]

Once again, the local no-kill, animal shelter is again preparing for a fall festival for the community that also serves as a fundraiser to raise the money needed to keep Lee’s Paws & Claws serving the community.

On Saturday, October 15, the shelter will hold their third annual Pet-toberfest event from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., providing a variety of events such as a blessing of the animals at 11 a.m., dog agility run demonstrations, a pet costume contest, bake sale, silent auction as well as pet adoptions and micro-chipping. Grand prizes, face-painting, bounce houses and concessions will also be available.

The shelter, located at 721 240^th Street, accepts dogs and cats from Bourbon County as well as some from Linn County, providing shelter for them at their current facility that was donated to them, allowing them to be debt-free. But while they own the structure and 20 acres of property, there are still fees to keep the shelter running each year.

“It’s a beautiful facility,” board member Marti Wells-Smith said. “People are really trying to help us keep it going.”

The facility includes a play yard, heating and air, indoor areas for the cats and dogs to play and other amenities and services provided by volunteers and generous donors.

Other fundraisers held during the year included the Dancing with Our Stars and the town-wide garage sale.

In preparation for the upcoming local elections, the Young Professionals League hosted a Bourbon County Commission candidate forum Tuesday evening, inviting anyone from the community to attend and hear the current and campaigning candidates discuss issues and concerns in the county.

YPL members and others submitted questions to be discussed in advance and the candidates were then given about a minute each to answer each of the 10 questions. Many of the questions focused on finances and budgets in the county.

“We’ve got to do more with less money,” 3^rd District candidate Nick Ruhl summed up the issue.

Candidates discussed how to save money in the county, how employees could be impacted, the budget for the new law enforcement center, the commissioners’ own salaries and benefits, property values and taxes and the possibility of adding a county manager to help deal with financial topics.

The candidates also discussed the status of economic development in the county.

“I do think we need a strategic plan,” 2^nd District candidate Jeff Fischer said, while 1^st District candidate Lynne Ohara added the county needs to have a business-friendly climate that focuses on important issues such as education, crime rate and taxes that can draw or drive away businesses and residents.

When asked what the biggest selling point and drawback is for Bourbon County, the candidates agreed the taxes are the most significant negative point, while positive aspects included the education system, public safety and the fact that Kansas City seems to be growing south.

The state of the county roads were also addressed, with Ohara pointing out the increase of gravel from local quarries and the county’s ability to haul it with more equipment. But Ohara and 3^rd District candidate Harold Coleman both said it is nearly impossible for the county to constantly stay on top of road conditions with the employees, equipment and resources available to them.

The final question asked the candidates what they think the county will look like in 50 years and what they can do now to prepare for that future. While the candidates agreed the county would probably still be a chiefly agricultural area and not look like New York City, they also said it is important to invest in the equipment, roads, services and economic development now in order to encourage the younger generation to remain in Bourbon County.

“Regardless of who’s sitting in the commissioner’s seat, this is kind of like a roller coaster ride,” Coleman said of the role of the commissioner.

During their meeting Tuesday, the Bourbon County Commission received an update on the bids and budget for the Bourbon County Law Enforcement Center from the construction and architecture teams.

Steve Smith of Universal Construction Company, Inc., said the larger portions of the structure have been put to bid and it is important for the commission to agree to the estimated total construction cost so they could move forward in finalizing those bids before the contractors move on to other projects. With just concrete, masonry, drywall and a few other smaller construction items remaining to go to bid, Smith said the total construction cost will be about $6 million.

“It’s been a bit of a struggle to get bidders of late,” Smith said, saying there are billions of dollars worth of projects being worked on in the Midwest that are keeping contractors busy and away from the local project. “Construction costs are continuing to rise.”

Kevin Rost of Goldberg Group Architects pointed out that in just the past year of delays, due to the difficulty in finding property and having to complete land surveys, the cost of construction has gone up about 17.4 percent because of the rise in material prices and the trouble of finding contractors.

The commissioners agreed to a guaranteed maximum price of $6.25 million for the construction costs, with the price of land acquisition and architect fees alone bringing that total to the initial goal of $6.85 million. The remaining cost of about $1.7 million will be reached through lease purchasing items such as the cells and some electrical work, not costing taxpayers any more than was promised at the beginning of the bond project.

“It is disappointing,” commission chairperson Barbara Albright said of the unexpected rise in expenses, despite their efforts to decrease costs. “It’s more than we anticipated.”

Already, changes had been made to the plans to decrease the square footage and cut out other features the commission decided they could do without, but Albright pointed out that they still have to make sure the facility is functional.

“We’ve been committed since day one to make this project happen for you,” Rost said, saying they hope to have the remaining bids in place in the next few weeks, allowing work to begin before winter weather arrives. “We’re trying to stretch the dollars as much as we can.”

Once construction does begin, the project will likely take just over a year. Already, the building on the property has been removed so just a concrete slab and some debris such as bricks remain.

A month after members of the community and artists gathered to enjoy and purchase art, the Bourbon County Arts Council is again holding an Art Walk on Friday at the Liberty Theatre Courtyard, from 5 to 8 p.m.

The downtown Fort Scott event is still accepting artist entries to set up their wares at no cost, providing an opportunity for artists to show and sell their art. Those interested in registering as an artist can contact Deb Anderson of the BCAC at 620-224-8650 or [email protected] for a registration form.

The event is also free to the public, with some appetizers and drinks provided by Crooners as well as the chance to see and purchase numerous different forms of art, including photography, paintings, crafts, pottery and ceramics and a variety of others.

A project whose planning stages began years ago came a step closer to having visible results with a groundbreaking ceremony held Thursday morning for the new Bourbon County Law Enforcement Center.

On April 7, 2015, the public’s vote gave the county approval to move forward with their plan to construct a new building to serve as the Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office as well as the county’s detention center.

“It’s a special day for the county,” commission chair Barbara Albright said, saying the new center will provide more space as well as a safer environment and improved conditions for the inmates and the staff.

With work beginning soon on clearing and beginning construction on the property located just east of the Briggs Auto Group off Highway 69, the commissioners stated they hope it will be complete in about a year.

“It’s been a long journey,” commissioner Lynne Oharah said. “It’s going to be a good project for the community and I’m excited to see the ground start moving and the land get cleared.”

Commissioner Harold Coleman admitted it was a long and often difficult process to get to this point—facing hurdles such as getting the project approved by the county citizens, finding suitable property and deciding on the building design—but that work was well worth it as they begin to see work being done on the new law enforcement center.

Sheriff Bill Martin expressed his appreciation to the county and city officials as well as the citizens for making the new center a reality. Martin pointed out that a lot of the hard work was completed by his own staff and leadership.

Lindsay Madison, executive director of the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce, said during the ceremony that there are numerous projects going on around the city of Fort Scott, and that the new center is another key project that will build up the infrastructure of the county for years and generations to come.

“We are leaving a footprint on our history,” Madison said of those projects, including the new law enforcement center.

County, city and sheriff’s office leaders participated in the groundbreaking ceremony as did representatives from the architecture and engineering firms that took part in the planning and design process of the center.

With the budget hearing for the new fiscal year coming later this summer, the Bourbon County Commission began accepting proposed budgets from individual departments during their meeting Tuesday.

With the general fund being tight in Bourbon County in recent years, with carryover often being used up the following year, and other expenses such as courthouse security changes approaching, the commissioners expressed appreciation to the department heads they met with Tuesday when many of them came with budgets unchanged or lower from previous years.

“Thank you for being frugal on your budget,” commission chairman Barb Albright said to emergency management director Will Wallis when he presented a budget that was lower than the previous year.

The emergency preparedness budget requested $66,464, which included line items such as wages, phones, maintenance, office supplies and other fees and dues. A second emergency budget consists of a $17,000 grant from the government that is also used to pay for some equipment and other items such as the Code Red weather alert system.

Eric Bailey of the Local Environmental Protection Program presented two proposed budgets, one that totaled the same as the previous year while the second added an extra $20,000 for the purchase of a new vehicle, since the current one has needed a significant amount of maintenance work done to keep it operational and has about 136,000 miles on it. With a new vehicle included, the proposed budget totaled $64,821.

Rhonda Cole and Judge Mark Ward of the district court proposed a budget of $242,293, with no increase over the previous year’s budget. The commissioners expressed their surprise and appreciation that the courts were able to keep the budget the same despite heavy case loads in recent months.

Tim Cunningham of Tri-Valley Developmental Services also presented a proposed budget to the county commission, requesting $55,000, down from the almost $55,500 they received the previous year. From their total, more than $5 million budget, Cunningham said cuts in their number of employees and other changes decreased their budget by about $.5 million.

“You have always been good to us,” Cunningham thanked the commissioners, while the commission expressed their positive opinions concerning the importance of the services Tri-Valley provides.

Director Jim Harris of the road and bridge department also presented a budget proposal, with the key difference from previous years being a three percent wage increase. Areas and their requests within the department included: $152,598 for noxious weed; $217,426 for bridge and culvert; $20,585 for special bridge; $225,019 for the landfill; $26,931 for Elm Creek; $2,197,773 for road and bridge; and $1,018,124 for the road and bridge sales tax.

County Clerk Kendell Mason requested $98,462 for her department as well as $90,450 for the election budget, both numbers very similar to the previous fiscal year’s budgets.

Further departments will continue to present proposed budgets to the commissioners so the commission can approve the numbers in a budget hearing, scheduled for the end of August, so those requests can then be submitted to Certified Public Accountant Terry Sercer, who will form the budget before the fiscal year begins January 1.

Bourbon County participated in the nationwide and even international Relay for Life event Saturday evening at the Fort Scott Community College, raising more than $20,000 locally for the American Cancer Society.

“This is an amazing gathering,” organizer Allison Daly said in the opening ceremony, saying the reason they come is to finish the fight against cancer by remembering cancer victims, celebrating the survivors and thanking caregivers.

The event began with guest speaker Patsy Smith, a Fort Scott native and fifth-year cancer survivor , despite her diagnosis of a rare cancer in her appendix.

“I’m really feeling very blessed to be here,” Smith said, adding she was especially pleased when she learned they would honor caregivers as well as those with cancer. “Through this journey, that is both physical and mental, I have never walked alone.”

Smith said cancer is a disease that affects entire families, not just the individual, and it takes that family or a strong support group to help the victim both physically through the cancer treatment as well as mentally when they become discouraged.

The relay kicked off with a cannon fired by Velocity Tactics and then a lap for the survivors followed by a lap honoring those caregivers.

Local businesses, organizations and families formed teams to raise money and participate in the overnight relay event, including FSCC, Mercy Hospital, Future Farmers of America, FirstSource and area churches among others. The groups also sold food items, raffle tickets or other items around the track to continue to raise funding.

Other festivities included bounce houses, a luminary ceremony, performance by Signing of the Divine and music provided by a DJ. Calendars are also for sale.

Leaders, volunteers and participants in the upcoming Relay for Life shared information about the event during the Thursday morning Chamber Coffee, inviting people to participate in Saturday’s event held in honor of cancer victims and survivors.

“It’s an opportunity for everyone,” survivor lead Janderon Harrison said. “Because all of us have been touched by cancer in some way or in some form in our lives, either directly through a loved one or ourselves, or friends and other people we may know.”

The relay will be held Saturday in the Arnold Arena parking lot at Fort Scott Community College, from 6 p.m. until midnight, beginning with a survivor lap followed by a caregiver lap before other individuals and teams join in. Festivities will also include features such as a cannon fired by Velocity Tactics, bounce houses and games for children, a DJ and information distributed on health and cancer prevention.

Harrison explained the event is an overnight one because cancer never sleeps, and the relay serves as an opportunity to celebrate survivors and remember those lost while raising awareness, bringing those impacted by cancer together and collecting funds for research against the many forms of cancer.

The weekend events will begin with a survivor dinner Thursday evening at 6 p.m., hosted at the First Presbyterian Church. There is still room available for cancer survivors as well as caregivers interested in attending the dinner.

The Relay for Life team is also selling calendars for $12 each and luminary bags in honor of those lost to cancer in the last year for $5 each. A luminary ceremony will be held at 9:15 p.m. Saturday followed by a performance by Signing of the Divine.

Teams as well as individuals are invited to participate in the Relay for Life. Some teams already formed represent families, local businesses, organizations and others such as FSCC and Mercy Hospital.

After the recent passing of a state house bill, which allows city, county and state employees to carry concealed weapons while they are on the job in the community, the Bourbon County Commission and other Kansas county leaders have less than a month to prepare for such a change to employee policy.

The bill will come into effect on July 1, allowing government employees to carry weapons while they are on duty outside the public buildings, such as in vehicles and when visiting sites around the county, in addition to being allowed to carry within public buildings.

After July 1, 2017, another law will be enforced which allows the public to carry concealed weapons inside those public buildings as well. The only way the county could prevent employees or the public from carrying weapons inside those public buildings would be if they could guarantee the safety of the building by providing security that would prevent anyone from carrying a weapon inside.

The commissioners in a meeting with department heads Tuesday morning expressed their desire to prevent any weapons from being carried into the courthouse, just as the third floor is weapons-free because of the location of the courtroom.

But in order to make sure that floor and possibly the entire courthouse remains secure against weapons, the county would have to provide security through guards, whether deputies or other contracted security officers, as well as equipment such as wands, metal detectors or x-ray equipment.

“I think there are some good options out there, we’re kind of relieved to know,” commission chairman Barbara Albright said, saying at first they had thought they would have to purchase complete metal detectors and other equipment when personnel with wands would be sufficient and cost the county less.

But Shane Walker, involved in emergency management as well as information and technology, said the equipment is not what will cost the county the most to provide the security, but the additional employees’ salaries and benefits. To secure the entire courthouse, Walker said the manpower and the equipment and changes to make sure the single entrance is accessible to everyone could add up to more than $350,000 initially.

“There’s nothing that we can put into place in 30 days,” Walker said.

Walker said he has heard that other counties also are struggling to find the budget money needed to make changes to make sure their administrative buildings and courthouses are secure.

“Money’s an issue,” County Attorney Justin Meeks said, referring to that fact as the 1,000 pound gorilla in the room and saying they may have to consider cuts in departments or raising mill levies.

But because the only change coming this July is allowing employees to carry while on duty outside the building and are allowed to carry in the building already, the commission said they do not have to decide on a plan of action in immediate weeks. The commission did agree to consider forming a committee to continue looking at options as they prepare for when the public would be allowed to bring weapons into the courthouse.

“I don’t believe our risk changes July 1,” tax assessor Rhonda Dunn said, but expressed her concern for the time when any visitor to the courthouse could potentially be carrying a weapon legally.

During their meeting on May 10, the Bourbon County Commission discussed recent gun control changes and other bills passing through the state legislature that could bring changes to how public buildings handle security.

In recent weeks, the Kansas State Senate and House of Representatives have discussed and approved House Bill 2502, which includes allowing employees in public buildings—defined in the bill as “any portion of state or municipal building that is open to and accessible to the public,” though school buildings may be exempt—to carry weapons while on the job outside the building and in the community if they have their concealed carry permit.

This law would be added to others passed in just the past few years that allow visitors and employees to carry concealed weapons in public buildings if that building does not provide its own security such as through metal detectors or continuous armed security.

Bourbon County Commissioners knew they would need to provide such security if they wanted to prevent the carrying of weapons in the courthouse, but initially had until July 2017 to make a decision on that security. A decision may have to be made sooner if this current bill passes as it could be enforced as early as July 1, if signed by the governor.

“It will be something you’ll have to make a decision on in the future,” County Attorney Justin Meeks told the commissioners during that meeting May 10.

Commission Chairman Barbara Albright described the decision they face as an expensive one, since providing their own security would include adding employees as well as technology and equipment, whether they decide to add an armed guard or metal detectors.

Further detail on the house bill and other aspects it includes, such as allowing air guns on school campuses, can be seen at http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2015_16/measures/documents/summary_hb_2502_2016.pdf

During their meeting Tuesday morning, the Bourbon County Commission met with Drywood and Scott township members who gave an update on what has occurred within the Garland Fire District in recent months.

Scott Township clerk Don Banwart and Drywood Township trustee Darrel Bloomfield gave information on issues they said they have faced with the fire department of unincorporated Garland in recent months and even years.

“The situation in Garland has deteriorated,” Banwart said.

First created in 1968 by the county commission and a vote, the Garland Fire Department has responded to calls around the small town and the surrounding area since that time.

As townships lines were drawn in Bourbon County, it was determined that the district includes areas in the Scott and Drywood townships, leading to the Garland fire board including representatives from the two townships. As a result, a hierarchy of authority was created, with the fire board answering to the township boards that then are beneath the county commission if needed.

But most recently, Banwart and Bloomfield said townships have not been made aware of the state of the fire district concerning such information as how many board members or firefighters there are, who the treasurer is or how the money is being used. When those details and an audit were requested, the fire board refused.

Banwart said the department has also responded to emergency calls in an untimely manner of late, sometimes arriving with few volunteers or not at all, resulting in the Scott Township firefighters often responding. To resolve that risk, the townships made official their request to Fort Scott Fire Chief Paul Ballou that the Scott Township department always respond to Garland emergencies.

Enforcing a statute that states the townships have the right to form the fire board, citing insubordination of the current board as their reason for doing so, Banwart said the joint townships voted to make changes to the board by presenting new electors who would represent township members who do not live in the Garland district and so can not serve on the board directly. Some of the board positions are currently open since such electors have not been appointed while others have served beyond the three-year terms of elected township members they represented.

But prior to the meeting held Monday evening, when names of electors would have been proposed, Banwart said they received a restraining order that stated the actions to change the fire board were causing confusion and disorder.

Banwart said their goal is to have transparency between the fire board and townships, adding they have heard from numerous residents from within the Garland Fire District that have concerns about how it is run and how the taxpayers’ money is being spent.

“All that we want is for things to run smoothly and for people to get what they’re paying for,” Bloomfield said.

County Commissioners said they did not think they should step in with action at this time, but thanked Banwart and Bloomfield for the information and expressed their desire to be kept up to date on further issues.