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Category Archives: Bourbon County
Core Community Thanks the Community
On behalf of our Bourbon County Core Community family I just want to extend our warmest wishes to you and yours as we pause to give thanks for the relationships and growth we have witnessed this past year. We can not do what we do without the generosity of our supporters, volunteers, and donors; so please accept our deepest gratitude for your involvement and support in 2024. You are so appreciated! Happy Thanksgiving.
No Bourbon County Commission This Week
Bourbon County Courthouse
210 S. National Ave Fort Scott, KS 66701 Phone: 620-223-3800
Fax: 620-223-5832
Bourbon County, Kansas
Brandon Whisenhunt
1st District Commissioner
Jim Harris, Chairman
2nd District Commissioner
Clifton Beth
3rd District Commissioner
Bourbon County Commission Agenda 210 S. National Ave.
Fort Scott, KS 66701
There will not be a meeting of the Board of Bourbon County Commissioners this week.
Executive Session Justifications:
KSA 75-4319 (b)(1) to discuss personnel matters of individual nonelected personnel to protect their privacy.
KSA 75-4319 (b)(2) for consultation with an attorney for the public body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the
attorney-client relationship.
KSA 75-4319 (b)(3) to discuss matters relating to employer/employee negotiations whether or not in consultation with the
representative(s) of the body or agency.
KSA 75-4319 (b)(4) to discuss data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trust and individual proprietorships
KSA 75-4319 (b)(6) for the preliminary discussion of the acquisition of real property.
KSA 75-4319 (b)(12) to discuss matters relating to the security measures, if the discussion of such matters at an open meeting
would jeopardize such security measures.
Uniontown City Council Special Meeting Unapproved Minutes of November 19
The Special Council Meeting on November 19, 2024 at Uniontown City Hall, was called to order at 7:00PM by Mayor Jurgensen. Council members present were Jess Ervin, Danea Esslinger, Amber Kelly, Mary Pemberton, and Bradley Stewart.
Motion by Kelly, Second by Stewart, Approved 5-0 to enter in to executive session pursuant to non-elected personnel matters exception, KSA 4319(b)(1), in order to discuss vacancy of non-elected personnel position, the open meeting to resume at 8:10PM
Councilwoman Esslinger exited executive session at 7:45, back in at 8PM.
Meeting resumed at 8:10PM.
Motion by Stewart, Second by Pemberton, Approved 4-0 to accept resignation of Danea Esslinger as Councilwoman, effective immediately.
Motion by Kelly, Second by Pemberton, Approved 4-0 to accept resignation of Christina Miller as City Clerk effective 11/18/2024 and to hire Danea Esslinger as City Clerk, with a start date of December 5th or 9th, dependent upon notice to her current employer.
Moved by Ervin, Second by Kelly, Approved 4-0, to adjourn at 8:12PM
Uniontown City Council Unapproved Minutes from November 12
The Regular Council Meeting on November 12, 2024 at Uniontown Community Center was called to order at 7:00PM by Mayor Jurgensen. Council members present were Jess Ervin, Danea Esslinger, Amber Kelly, Mary Pemberton, and Bradley Stewart. Also in attendance for all or part of the meeting were City Treasurer Charlene Bolinger, City Superintendent Bobby Rich, and City Clerk Sally Johnson.
SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS/PROJECTS
Public Restroom toilet issue – Danny Taylor, Taylor Plumbing, has worked on the flush valves for the toilets. There is not enough water volume or pressure for the valves to work properly. Suggestions to remedy are to replace current piping from the meter to the valves with larger piping and increase pressure to the valves or replace the toilets with residential toilets.
Motion by Kelly, Second by Esslinger, Failed 2-3 to replace toilets with residential ADA toilets
He will return next month with estimated figures for both options.
CITIZENS REQUEST
none
FINANCIAL REPORT
Treasurer Bolinger presented the October 2024 Treasurer’s Report. Beginning Checking Account Balance for all funds was $272,926.87, Receipts $72,792.48, Transfers Out $3,026.00, Expenditures $36,882.81, Checking Account Closing Balance $305,810.54. Bank Statement Balance $313,061.25, including Checking Account Interest of $60.96, Outstanding Deposits $0, Outstanding Checks $7,250.71, Reconciled Balance $305,810.54. Water Utilities Certificates of Deposit $37,624.74, Sewer Utilities Certificate of Deposit $21,491.62, Gas Utilities Certificates of Deposit $39,426.41, Total All Funds, including Certificates of Deposit $404,353.31. Year-to-Date Interest in Checking Acct is $587.65, and Utility CDs $1,443.93 for a Total Year-to-Date Interest of $2,031.58. Also included the status of the Projects Checking Account for the month of October 2024, Beginning Balance $0, Receipts $0, Expenditures $0, Ending Balance $0. October Transfers from Sewer Utility Fund to Sewer Revolving Loan $1,402.00; from Water Utility Fund to GO Water Bond & Interest $1,624.00 for Total Transfers of $3,026.00. Net Income for the month of October $32,883.67, Year-to-Date Net Income $70,331.34. Budget vs Actual Water Fund YTD Revenue $99,922.94 (81.0%), Expenditures $102,002.05 (62.8%); Sewer Fund YTD Revenue $29,153.80 (78.9%), Expenditures $25,731.01 (61.1%); Gas Fund YTD Revenue $100,521.58 (68.6%), Expenditures $93,332.91 (52.6%); General Fund YTD Revenue $205,264.79 (104.9%), Expenditures $160,323.61 (51.8%); and Special Highway YTD Revenue $8,175.91 (112.5%), Expenditures $7,183.05 (70.9%). The November 2024 payables to date in the amount of $25,002.71 were presented. The invoices from Homestead Tech, KMGA, Johnson-Schowengerdt, and Ag Engineering have not been received by noon meeting day.
CONSENT AGENDA
Motion by Kelly, Second by Ervin, Approved 5-0, to approve Consent Agenda:
- Minutes of October 8, 2024 Regular Council Meeting
- Treasurer’s Reports, Monthly Transaction Report & Accounts Payables
DEPARTMENT REPORTS
City Superintendent Rich had nothing to report.
Clerk Johnson reminded the council that we had received another quote for the storm siren maintenance in August, but no action was taken.
Motion by Stewart, Second by Esslinger, Approved 4-0-1 (Kelly abstained) to accept the quote from Kelly Electric to inspect semi-annually at $300/inspection for a contract term of five years
The 2025-2026 Projected Gas Supply Schedule was presented.
Motion by Ervin, Second by Kelly, Approved 5-0 to accept 2025-2026 Projected Gas Supply Schedule as presented
KMGA prepay project – after discussion, Council requested more information.
A KMGA member update was presented.
League of Kansas Municipalities announced a Cyber Liability Insurance Program in partnership with Cowell Insurance Service Inc and Travelers Insurance. There will be a free webinar November 21, 2-3PM to learn more.
Progress on Warehouse – the roof and outside metal has been removed. Contractor says will be completed by December 15, 2024.
COUNCIL REPORT
Councilman Ervin – nothing
Councilwoman Esslinger – nothing
Councilwoman Kelly – asked about check to Bloesser Outdoor Services. It is in approved payables and will be mailed tomorrow.
Councilwoman Pemberton – nothing
Councilman Stewart – nothing
Mayor Jurgensen – asked if we know when Bettis Asphalt will be here to complete warranty work. Clerk Johnson sent email request for timeline this morning, no response as of meeting time. She will reach out again and impress upon them that property owners want to be able to get in their garage before it gets much colder. He also presented a retirement plaque to Sally Johnson.
OLD BUSINESS
Pickleball Court Placemaking Project – Councilwoman Pemberton gave report that the will begin erecting fence on November 25 or 26.
Streets/FEMA – Clerk Johnson requested budgeting quotes from three contractors for the proposed mitigation work. None were received by noon today. One contractor did call this morning and will have quote to us later this week.
Sale of property – sale of property closed today and funds received.
SEED Grant – Grant application was submitted 11/4/24. Councilman Ervin wrote the narrative and Clerk Johnson filled in the budget information. Grant will be awarded in December.
NEW BUSINESS
Motion by Ervin, Second by Kelly, Approved 5-0 to enter into executive session pursuant to non-elected personnel exception, KSA 75-4319(b)(1), in order to discuss non-elected personnel, the open meeting to resume at 8:15
Open meeting resumed at 8:15.
Motion by Ervin, Second by Kelly, Approved 5-0 to extend executive session pursuant to non-elected personnel exception, KSA 75-4319(b)(1), in order to discuss non-elected personnel, the open meeting to resume at 8:30PM.
Clerk Johnson called in at 8:15, out at 8:28. Open meeting resumed at 8:30PM.
Motion by Ervin, Second by Esslinger, Approved 5-0 to accept retirement of Sally Johnson as City Clerk effective 11/15/2024; accept resignation of Charlene Bolinger as City Treasurer effective 11/13/2024; appoint Christina Miller as City Clerk effective 11/18/24; and appoint Sally Johnson as City Treasurer effective 11/18/24
Moved by Ervin, Second by Kelly, Approved 5-0, to adjourn at 8:32PM
215th Closed through November 27
This is a road closure update from Bourbon County Public Works:
215th Street is closed between Grand Road and Hackberry Road for repair through Wednesday, November 27, 2024.
From:
Becky Robertson
The Beacon Sees An Increase In Local Families In Need
The Beacon is an interfaith, not-for-profit network in Bourbon County that has been in existence for 40 years. They assist community residents with food, utilities, and other necessities during times of need.
“We are dedicated to providing an efficient link between churches, civic groups, and other service organizations to those in need,” according to Dave Gillen, the director.
This time of year, the community gears up to give gifts and food to those who need it.
“The Adopt-A-Family program is a project that The Beacon takes great pride in,” said Gillen. “We help local Bourbon County families bring Christmas to their homes. After the application is filled out, we make the families available for the public and organizations to come in and ‘adopt’. They then purchase gifts for the children and The Beacon puts together a rather large holiday meal package for the family. The children’s Christmas gifts are purchased, wrapped, and tagged with the family number and dropped off at Community Christian Church, where we sort into the proper family group.”
Those who want to adopt a family can come to The Beacon, 525 E. Sixth, on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. to pick the family they want to adopt or call 620-223-6869.
There is an increase in the number of local families in need this year.
“This year we have 112 families, which includes 290 children that will be up for ‘adoption.’These families are current Beacon clients or families needing help in Bourbon County. Last year we had 77 families for the Adopt-A-Child program so we had a major increase in local families in need this year.”
“This program could not be possible without the help of individuals, businesses, organizations, and our local fire department,” he said. “It takes many volunteers to transfer and sort food from The Beacon to the Community Christian Church gym.”
“The Beacon also helps supply food items for the Elk’s Christmas Basket that is delivered the Sunday before Christmas,” he said.
“We are very busy this time of year with food and toy donations, sign-up, and just everyday activities,” he said. “We average about 25 to 30 families a day for food distribution and do some financial assistance to help residents of Bourbon County. The Beacon celebrated our 40th year helping Bourbon
“We are dedicated to providing an efficient link between churches, civic groups, and other service organizations to those in need.“
Fort Scott Area Community Foundation to Host 2nd Annual Match Day Event: Dec. 3
The Fort Scott Area Community Foundation (FSACF) is hosting its second annual Match Day on National Giving Tuesday, December 3. Match Day is an exciting fundraising campaign to support local nonprofit organizations and the work they do in our region. This year, the Community Foundation, through a generous grant from the Patterson Family Foundation, is offering up to $25,000 in matching funds for contributions made to eligible funds.
“Our first Match Day in 2023 was a wonderful success, and with the matching funds grant, we added a total of $89,551 to our participating funds. We are very excited to have the opportunity to participate again this year, and we invite to the community to give together during Match Day 2024,” said FSACF Chairman Becky Tourtillott. “The support of our community donors, combined with the match dollars, allows us to grow the endowments and provide ongoing support for our charitable partners. These local organizations and the services they provide are important to Bourbon County and make a true difference.”
Community contributions support each organization’s endowed fund held at FSACF. The funds are invested to produce present and future income, which organizations can use for operations, programs, or special projects. The $25,000 match pool will be divided among the participating organizations’ endowments in proportion to their share of community contributions, subject to a 20% limit. The full 100% of each donation will be placed in the organization’s endowed fund, and the match amount will be made available to the organization immediately.
Donations for Match Day can be made in three different ways:
- Online at FortScottGives.org or
- In person, delivered to Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce, 231 E. Wall, on or before Tuesday, December 3 or
- By check, mailed to FSACF, P.O. Box 901, Fort Scott, KS 66701 with a postmark date no later than December 4, 2024. Please make checks payable to: Fort Scott Area Community Foundation
Funds participating in Match Day are: Anna Faye and Robert Gordon Steele Memorial Funds, Care to Share Cancer Support Endowed Fund, First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Fort Scott Endowment, Fort Scott Area Chamber Foundation, Fort Scott Area Community Foundation General Endowment Fund, Fort Scott Area Public Parks Endowment, Dr. Pratt & Pauline Irby Endowment, John Valentine & Patricia Jean Neff Health Care Fund, Shepherd Family Endowment Fund, and the Shirley Yeager Animal Friends Foundation.
***
More information at FortScottGives.Org
215th Street Is Closed Until Noon Today
From Bourbon County Public Works:
215th Street is closed between Grand Road and Hackberry Road for repair. It will reopen at approximately noon on Friday, November 22, 2024.
From
Becky Robertson
Bourbon County Public Works
Christmas in the Park In Uniontown on Sunday, November 24
The 2nd Annual Christmas in the Park in downtown Uniontown is this Sunday, November 24 from 3 to 5 p.m.
Decorating the park and putting up lights starts at 1 p.m.
“The purpose of the event is to make the park beautiful for Christmas, bring the community together, and have some fun,” said Mary Pemberton, a spokesperson for the Uniontown Ruritian.
“Everyone is welcome,” she said. “Come help light up the park for Christmas!”
Christmas light donations are welcome and can be left at Bandera Stone, 103 Third Street, on the north side of the park, by Friday, November 22.
Christmas trees will be decorated, and a contest will be held. Everyone in the park at 5:30 p.m. will vote for their favorite.
The Baptist Church youth group will be caroling during the event, to add some Christmas cheer.
There will be a chili feed with dessert and drink for a free-will donation. The proceeds will help support Christmas in the Park.
The chili feed will be from 4-6 p.m. in the community building on the east side of the park.
A bingo game, with proceeds to the Old Settlers Day 2025, from 3-5 p.m.
A cornhole board will be available to play, as well as the pickleball court.
A special guest will be Santa Claus who will visit with children from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the gazebo in the middle of the park.
Jewel Endicott Wins SEK District Conservation Speech Competition
Submitted by Scott Sutton, Uniontown FFA Advisor.
“Jewel Endicott, FFA member and Junior at Uniontown High School, recently competed in the Southeast District Conservation Speech competition. Jewel won first place at the contest and qualified for the state competition held in late November. As part of the competition, Jewel was encouraged to share her speech with local news outlets to be published for the public to read in order to advocate for conservation practices.”
“One Water”
By Jewel Endicott
It’s a hot summer day and you come inside the house and reach for a cold glass of water.
While rehydrating the thought crosses your mind “where did this water originate from?”.
The truth is that water may have traveled through rivers, ponds, groundwater, or even rain clouds to reach the button of your glass.
If you’re like me, you probably see and notice all sorts of bodies of water as you drive up and down local roads and highways. But, how often have you stopped and thought about the purpose of those bodies of water you see?
The fact is, every pond that you see could be preventing floods from coming through neighborhoods or supplying public water to numerous homes. We take for granted the water that is in our hands that comes to us at the turn of a handle, but a lot of this water could be coming from watersheds.
You may be wondering, what is a watershed? Watersheds are essentially water structures that are designed for water that is shed during rainfall to gather in a specified area contained by a man-made dam.
Recreation is an added benefit of watersheds and provides yet another use for these bodies of water.
Without this added purpose watersheds may sit unused for months.
Landowners may add fish to their ponds and lakes for fishing purposes or use the water bodies to hunt on and utilize this habitat year-round for enjoyment.
Watersheds are first thought of as stopping floods but another important feature is they are designed to release extra water so it can continue its flow into natural rivers.
Watersheds were first put in place in the 1950’s with a main goal of slowing the income of water and preventing floods. They also are important in releasing water when it is necessary. After being used to regulate and prevent an excessive amount of water from running through neighborhoods they have been built in various places around the United States.
Today watersheds have grown by adding many more purposes. They filtrate water, create habitats, prevent droughts in rural areas and most importantly provide public drinking water.
Water from hundreds of different sources accumulates into ONE water.
In my local area of Bourbon County, there are two major rivers we get water from. The first being Mill Creek which was established in 1978. This river has 14 watersheds coming off of it. The Marmaton was started in 1984 following a major flood in the Fort Scott area with damage to local businesses and livestock. This river is slightly bigger with 30 completed watersheds.
A recent event of flooding occurred in April 2024 and in this case the county claimed there was 9 million dollars in damages. While this shows watersheds may have prevented some of the flooding that happened, if we had had more watersheds around the area it could have lessened the dollar amount of damage and the amount of water on roads. The heavy rains did bring much needed relief to local ponds by filling them up, but in the case of having added watersheds we could have collected and utilized more of this rainfall to prevent droughts going forward.
To understand watersheds it is important to look at them from different points of view. Some would argue they are against watersheds because you lose land that you could plant valuable crops on or that in their opinion we are harming the earth when we build these man made structures.
After looking closer you would see that not only do they end up helping the planet they can also support inhabitants downstream.
While it’s true that you could be losing the use of land by constructing a watershed, it’s also beneficial that the average watershed can hold up to 600 acres worth of water. This water can be used all around the farm and help the area continue to thrive making up for the loss of that land.
Many would agree we would not want to harm the earth we inhabit.
I believe we should preserve nature by placing as little harm as we can on its natural state, but I believe watersheds have an impact that is worth it.
At first people see them being built with machines and digging into the soil which I am sure causes some feelings of bitterness about the consequences of manipulating the land. But, after they are made and the equipment clears out is when they make the strongest influence on the ecosystem and we start to see the benefits they have on nature. Before being rebuilt that area did not have a constant source of water to rely on nor did it help prevent potential flooding in the area.
The creation of this savior is a multi-step process that begins when a skilled engineer comes to the expected watershed area and analyzes the land. After seeing if the site will collect enough water and benefit the area instead of harming it, plans are made for the construction of the unit.
To build this structure money must be collected.
Funding is accomplished by pooling money from the state and local level combined with the local land owners. The state conservation commission will supply the majority of the funding necessary equalling nearly 70%. The local watershed districts supply 25% through local taxes and the landowners supply the final 5%. A maintenance budget will also be established during this time to keep the watershed from breaking down over the years. If they are taken care of, an average watershed will last up to 50 years and hopefully longer.
Ranchers are fond of watersheds, especially in the winter because you can have a constant stream of water for cattle, which makes it much easier for them to keep livestock watered through the cold months. Additionally, watersheds generally maintain water through droughts and hot summer months keeping a consistent supply of water for livestock.
Many of us would agree no matter our opinion or views on topics, that water is essential to the planet. I am a strong advocate for preserving nature by not letting anyone impair it; however, I can see that water conservation is important to the success of our environment.
Watersheds serve the purpose of conserving one of our most precious resources….water.
Amended Agenda for Today’s Bourbon County Commission
Bourbon County Courthouse
210 S. National Ave Fort Scott, KS 66701 Phone: 620-223-3800
Fax: 620-223-5832
Bourbon County, Kansas
Brandon Whisenhunt
1st District Commissioner
Jim Harris, Chairman
2nd District Commissioner
Clifton Beth
3rd District Commissioner
Bourbon County Commission Agenda 210 S. National Ave.
Fort Scott, KS 66701
November 21, 2024 9:00 a.m.
- Call Meeting to Order
- Flag Salute
- Approval of Consent Agenda
- Approval of Minutes from 11/14/2024
- Approval of Accounts Payable Totaling $332,559.66
- Approval of Payroll Totaling $300,763.10
- Approval of October Financials
- Eric Bailey-Discussion of Rock Quarry at Elm Creek
- Approval of Budget Amendment Hearing 12/19/2024 9:00 a.m. Publication
- Justin Meeks-Cemetery Right-of-Way
- Commission Comments
- Adjourn Meeting
Executive Session Justifications:
KSA 75-4319 (b)(1) to discuss personnel matters of individual nonelected personnel to protect their privacy.
KSA 75-4319 (b)(2) for consultation with an attorney for the public body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the
attorney-client relationship.
KSA 75-4319 (b)(3) to discuss matters relating to employer/employee negotiations whether or not in consultation with the
representative(s) of the body or agency.
KSA 75-4319 (b)(4) to discuss data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trust and individual proprietorships
KSA 75-4319 (b)(6) for the preliminary discussion of the acquisition of real property.
KSA 75-4319 (b)(12) to discuss matters relating to the security measures, if the discussion of such matters at an open meeting
would jeopardize such security measures.