After weeks and months of campaigning as well as months of sitting in on meetings before finally being elected, Nick Ruhl is settling into his role as Bourbon County District Three Commissioner.

Ruhl has lived in Bourbon County all but five years of his life, serving the Fort Scott Fire Department for 20 years and owning a construction company for eighteen years. But at the request of friends, he decided to serve the community in a different way.

“A lot of people came to me and asked me to run,” Ruhl said, saying he knew something needed to be done to keep from spending too much money while bringing in other funds for the county at the same time.

Ruhl said he is looking forward to finding ways to invite new businesses, such as by not driving them away because of high taxes.

“I hope we can build a reserve back into the county and have some extra money,” Ruhl said. “That’s what I’m really looking forward to trying to do.”

Since filing as a candidate in spring of 2016, Ruhl said he has probably missed only six of the bi-weekly county commission meetings. After those months of hearing about the issues and concerns of the county, Ruhl said he is excited and ready to take on the new position.

“We’ve got to have a place for our kids to grow up,” Ruhl says. “I don’t want my grand-kids to move away and I don’t want their kids to move away…we’ve got to do something.”

Since being sworn into office on January 9, Ruhl and fellow new commissioner Jeff Fischer have attended training from the state and have heard a number of reports concerning county resources and other concerns.

In recent years, Bourbon County received a Blue Cross Blue Shield grant for $500,000 as part of the Pathways to a Healthy Kansas program, to be used to improve the health of county residents by various means.

Jody Hoener of Mercy Hospital, who also works with Pathways and the Healthy Bourbon County Action Team met with the Bourbon County Commission January 17, and shared the needs of the program and how the commission could be involved.

Hoener said, since 2012, Bourbon County has ranked in the bottom 10 percent of Kansas counties concerning the health of its residents. Out of the 101 counties recently ranked, Bourbon County has been ranked as high as 97^th in health, including factors such as level of activity, access to healthy food and tobacco use.

The commissioners agreed to cooperate and meet with Hoener and other team members as the county forms a Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Plan, to do an inventory of the trails and sidewalks available to the community. An assessment will also be made to see how accessible healthy food is for county residents as well as how the Highway 69 corridor can be used to promote activity and good health such as through bicycle lanes.

“Not only is the transportation plan important, but the access to healthy food is important, too,” Hoener said.

The commission would be consulted as the plan is formed and as priorities for the county are developed. The opinions of the county residents are also considered through the use of surveys and public meetings.

The study of the county’s needs and creation of the plan, with the assistance of the PedNet Coalition – Pedestrian and Pedaling Network, will cost about $55,000, paid for out of the Pathways grant. Uniontown will have a separate plan to help meet their specific needs.

“I think it’s a good solution,” commission chairman Lynne Oharah said of the plan and the teamwork between the county and the Pathways teams.

Bourbon County is also looking at becoming involved in the WorkWell Kansas program, promoting worksite wellness at businesses by providing incentives up to $10,000 per participating business.

By promoting wellness in the workplace, Hoener said employers can decrease rates of illness, injury and absenteeism among employees, such as by decreasing the sedentary rate, the amount of time employees spend sitting at a desk each day.

Each participating business will have a team of representatives that will attend workshops and form a plan for their businesses.

The county commissioners voted to be involved with the Pathways program by being members on some of the boards, which included focuses such as schools, worksites, food and retail, restaurants, community policy, healthcare and resident community well-being.

Commissioner expressed the importance of promoting health in the county and taking advantage of the grant while the funding is available.

Per request, Correctional Center Major Bobby Reed gave information to the Bourbon County Commission Tuesday morning concerning the wages of the different positions at the Sheriff’s Office as compared to surrounding counties.

In recent weeks, new Commission Chairperson Lynne Oharah had asked Reed for the report, after hearing that the local Sheriff’s Office had lost deputies and staff to other counties and departments because of the low wages.

Reed reached out to six counties for the information, including Linn, Crawford, Neosho, Allen, Anderson and Cherokee counties. When compared to these counties with similar demographics, Bourbon County frequently ranked below average.

“In my opinion, we are low,” Reed said of the wages, while Sheriff Bill Martin pointed out most of the staff are 25-30 percent underpaid compared to other similar positions, while some are as much as 80 percent behind.

Since 2011, Reed said the correctional office, which has 19 staff at any given point, has lost about 44 people because of the non-competitive wages. Undersheriff Ben Cole said the Sheriff’s Office has lost a total of at least 33 employees in that same time, with many of them citing pay as the reason.

Reed and Cole both said retention is a problem at the Sheriff’s Office, as deputies come for training and experience, only to move on to a county or position with higher pay.

“We are basically a training ground that we’re paying for,” Cole said, with training often costing at least $3,500 per officer.

Director of Security Alvin Metcalf said there are also intangible, negative aspects to that attrition and turnover as well, including low morale, lack of experience and the question of safety as deputies have to regularly get accustomed to new fellow deputies.

Oharah said some of the Sheriff’s Office positions no longer compete even with Walmart and other businesses in Bourbon County, with benefits not adding much incentive. The commissioners said they will continue to consider ways they can support the Sheriff’s and Correctional departments to help attract quality deputies.

“This is not an easy process,” county attorney Justin Meeks said. “It can’t happen overnight.”

See below for comparisons of the actual hourly rate of certain positions according to a state-wide study done in 2015.

Undersheriff: Bourbon $16.57, Neosho $23.40, Allen $21.35, Anderson $18.58, Cherokee $18.77

Deputy Sheriff: Bourbon $13.15, Neosho $19.03, Allen $15.30, Anderson $15.92, Cherokee County $10.25

Correctional Center Supervisors: Bourbon $12.21, Allen $18.83, Cherokee $10.50, Crawford $17.86

Corrections/Detention Officers: Bourbon $10.39, Neosho $12.02, Allen $10.50, Anderson $14.78, Cherokee $10.50

Recently elected Bourbon County officials were sworn into office by District Judge Mark Ward Monday, as some return for new terms and others begin to serve for the first time.

“This is one of two rare occasions for a district judge that is a joyful occasion,” Ward said, saying that situation and adoptions can be the only occasions people exit the courtroom feeling like winners.

Officials sworn in included Sheriff Bill Martin, register of deeds Lora Holdridge, treasurer Rhonda Dunn, attorney Justin Meeks, clerk Kendell Mason and commissioners Nick Ruhl and Jeff Fischer.

“Do you solemnly swear that you will support the constitution of the United States of America and the constitution of the state of Kansas?” Ward asked each official, going on to ask if they would faithfully discharge the duties of their specific office.

Thursday morning, Third District Commissioner Harold Coleman was recognized by the Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office for his 35 years of service to the county, both in the sheriff’s office and on the county commission.

“I present this plaque to you, Harold Coleman, in appreciation for your many years of dedicated service to the community of Bourbon County,” Sheriff Bill Martin said during a brief, surprise ceremony during the final county commission meeting before the new commissioners are sworn in.

For three years, Coleman held the position of undersheriff before becoming the sheriff in 1984. After 24 years as sheriff, he then served as a county commissioner for eight years.

“That’s a lot of years of service,” outgoing commission chairperson Barbara Albright said, while Coleman said it could be considered a lifetime.

“It’s been an experience that I think any man would probably cherish forever,” Coleman said, adding that, while the responsibilities as a commission are not always enjoyable or easy as they face decisions that impact the entire county, he will miss the people.

Albright also reflected on her terms as commissioner, as both Coleman and Albright visited the different departments of the county to say farewell to other county employees.

“It’s been great,” Albright said. “I feel like I’ve learned a lot in four years and I feel like I’ve contributed to our community and county.”

Coleman described the position as a rollercoaster ride, but both he and Albright said they were glad to do the best they could.

“That’s all we can do, is come in where things are and leave things as good as they are or better,” Albright said. “That’s our mission.”

Nick Ruhl and Jeff Fischer will be sworn in Monday at noon as they begin their terms as first and second district commissioners respectively.

During the Bourbon County Commission meeting Thursday morning, Public Works Director Jim Harris summed up his road and bridge department’s past year as one where they learned to streamline their work in order to save finances.

“My goal for 2017 is to continue streamlining it,” Harris said of their department, pointing out that in 2016 they had to learn to complete their work despite losing employees to retirement.

With a current hiring freeze and facing two more retirements in March, Harris said they will have to continue to “do more with less,” with both finances and manpower. As a result, Harris said they will have to restructure their labor force in early 2017. Commission Chairperson Barbara Albright said some of those changes can be beneficial to the county.

“We’re operating smarter and utilizing our people better,” Harris said, praising his team for their hard work.

Because of their limited workers, Harris said they sometimes have to be a little more selective when choosing what work they complete first, but said they continue to keep up with the many tasks needing attention in the county.

While the road and bridge fund is meeting their budget carryover for the new year, county funds are still tight for all departments moving forward.

In 2017, Harris said he also hopes to see progress made in finding a fourth quarry in the county in the northern region in order to save the cost of transporting gravel to that area. He also pointed out decisions will have to be made concerning asphalt roads.

“It’s going to be a big year,” Harris said. “It will be a good one.”

The Bourbon County appraiser’s office will be able to complete more work in the field in 2017 after receiving the commission’s approval to invest in a new field software program that will reduce their time entering data in the office.

The software made available by Tyler Technologies is used via tablets and allows county employees to enter data while in the field instead of having to return to the office to upload that data, saving the office time.

County Appraiser Clint Anderson presented the information to the commissioners Tuesday morning, saying he had been in the process of researching the program for some time.

“I think it’s a forward thinking opportunity for us to reduce some costs of our office,” Anderson said.

The initial cost of the program is $14,000 for the program itself, its installation and training in it. Part of that cost will be taken from the remaining funds in the appraisal office budget, while the remainder will be taken from the Neighborhood Revitalization Program account. Starting in 2018, there will then be an annual, set fee of $3,625, which Anderson said is feasible from his annual budget with the time and money they save by using the program.

Commission Chairperson Barbara Albright expressed concern over using a program that is still in just its experimental stages, but Anderson said a number of counties in Kansas are already using it, some of them for at least a couple years.

“They’re very happy with it,” Anderson said, saying other counties expressed pleasure with the return on it.

Anderson said they already have much of the needed equipment, such as tablets and a laptop the program would be used on. The program is to be installed and the employees trained in it in late March or early April of 2017.

The commission approved the program and signed the agreement, with the stipulation that no more than $8,500 be used from the NRP account.

• County Attorney Justin Meeks also informed the commission that in the near future they will need to consider updating the policy handbook, since it has had few updates since the 1990s. On Tuesday, the commission decided to go ahead and make the change of allowing residents outside of Bourbon County to be hired for county positions that require specific licensing, such as attorneys and nurses. The application of such a policy will be put in place after the commissioners approve the handbook as a whole. Other issues to be addressed could involve employee training and orientation, nepotism, compensation and the relationship between the county policies and those held by the sheriff’s office.

The Bourbon County Commission received an update on the Law Enforcement Center Thursday morning, learning that the project continues to move forward despite winter weather and rough terrain.

“There’s a lot of underground going on right now,” Gary Walker of Universal Construction Company said, saying they are currently working on the deep underground features such as water, sewer, fiber and electricity.

Because of the rock underground, Walker said they had to raise the pad about a foot to try to avoid jack-hammering through as much rock, while in other places they had to dig further to find the rock since the goal is to have the concrete foundation resting on it.

Walker said they have been pushing the project in order to get the concrete laid before it got too cold to do so. While the construction team can work on the metal building in cold weather, the concrete has to have the correct temperatures to set.

“Winter came early,” Walker said, but added they still plan to pour concrete Wednesday, though that schedule also depends on how difficult it is to drive through the remaining underground rock.

“You have no control,” commission chairperson Barbara Albright said of the weather and terrain.

The metal building of the jail is supposed to be delivered by the end of this week while the cell pods are to be fabricated by the end of the month and delivered by the end of January. After that, the stairs that are also being constructed off-site will be delivered and installed.

Walker said they will meet with the architects soon to make sure they have met their expectations so far, saying that is part of their quality control to make sure they get it done right the first time.

Walker also addressed the finances so far, saying the buyout of the project is nearly complete and the construction contingency is still completely intact.

“It’s been a fun adventure so far,” Walker said of the project.

Commissioner Lynne Oharah, who frequently attends project meetings and visits the site, said they are currently close to their target goal and it is still on schedule to be completed by the end of 2017.

In 2011, Bourbon County joined Allen and Neosha counties to become a part of the Kansas State Research and Extension Southwind District, which has provided information and services on a number of topics to residents since that time.

“We are here to serve you guys,” local district agent Christopher Petty said during a Chamber Coffee Thursday.

Petty pointed out Kansas State University is a land grant institution, meaning it was created using federal funds, and now has offices in each county so it can serve residents around the state. Before the Southwind District was formed, the three counties held separate offices that were funded by county commission general fund budgets, but in 2010 it instead became its own tax entity.

District Director Carla Nemecek of Iola said joining into one district allowed the agents to specialize in specific fields instead of merely providing general information on several topics. The agents now focus on fields such as horticulture, health and wellness, food and nutrition, health insurance, agriculture, and 4-H programs for youth.

Throughout the year, the district provides informational programs on a variety of topics from a number of speakers. Other programs include the Walk Kansas health initiative encouraging exercise and the Stay Strong, Stay Healthy class held at the Buck Run Community Center for older members of the community.

“We’ve been grateful and humbled by folks receiving us into your communities,” Nemecek said, adding they enjoy meeting and serving people in the three counties.

Most of the services provided are offered for free, although there could be small fees if samples have to be sent to Kansas State.

The extension agents answer to a locally elected board of officers. The Southwind District has offices in Erie, Iola and Fort Scott. The Fort Scott office is located on the first floor of the Bourbon County courthouse.

During the Bourbon County Commission meeting Thursday morning, the commissioners unanimously voted that First District Commissioner Lynne Oharah would serve as the chairperson beginning January 9.

“I’m one of three,” Oharah pointed out, saying his vote is equal to the other commissioners and cooperation and the input of the different ideas and opinions of all three members are key to their success in serving the county. “Everybody has an equal say and that’s how I like to run things.”

Current chairperson Barbara Albright nominated Oharah while outgoing, District Three Commissioner Harold Coleman seconded the motion. That appointment will go into effect Monday, January 9, the same day incoming commissioners Nick Ruhl and Jeff Fischer are sworn into office.

Albright said the newly elected commissioners also had a say in appointing Oharah as the new commission chairman.

“It’s a privilege to do it,” Oharah said.

Oharah is beginning his second term on the county commission.

Eight new homes are expected to be added in the county after a plat for a new residential area near 235^th Street and Jayhawk Road and the current Marco Estates was approved by the Bourbon County Commission Thursday morning.

Glen Pearson submitted the plat for the Pearson Addition, which includes eight lots of about three acres each where homes are planned to be constructed. One of those lots has already been requested by a future homeowner.

Register of deeds Lora Holdridge said the paperwork for the plat will likely be completed by the end of the year or early 2017. Because the area is within three miles of Fort Scott city limits, the plat had to be approved by both the county and the city.

During Thursday’s meeting, Sheriff Bill Martin also asked the county commission if the courthouse has an automated external defibrillator (AED) on hand in case of emergency. While the jail has one, the commissioners discovered the courthouse itself does not have such a device, and may need one as the jail moves location in the future.

“They’re good to have,” commission chairperson Barbara Albright said. “They can save lives.”

Research revealed that the purchase of an AED had been turned down by county commissioners in the past for fear of misuse and liability. Martin said that may have been because the devices were still only recently put to use.

The commission said they would consider looking into getting an AED, which could cost about $2,000. Grants may be available to offset or even cover the entire cost. The commission plans to bring the county emergency management director and the health department into the discussion as well.

Albright and Martin both pointed out training with the device for all county employees would be helpful, though Martin added there is a good faith clause in a state statute that prevents a person using the device from being held liable.