Bourbon County Commission Agenda Summary

Agenda 11.17.25

This summary provides an outline of the agenda for the Bourbon County Commission meeting on Monday, November 17, 2025, and detailed information from the accompanying packet.

Bourbon County Commission Agenda

Monday, November 17, 2025, 5:30 PM Bourbon County Commission Chambers, 210 S National Ave. (Page 1)

I. Opening Items

• Call Meeting to Order

• Roll Call

• Pledge of Allegiance

• Prayer

II. Approval of Agenda

III. Approval of Minutes

• Approval of Minutes (unofficial until approved) 11.10.25

IV. Bourbon County Planning Commission

• Moratorium on New Commercial and Industrial Business

V. Consent Agenda

• Approval of 11.14.25 Accounts Payable ($\$342,223.45$) (not mailed until approved on 11.18.25)

• Approval of 10.31.25 Payroll ($\$243,122.51$)

• Approval of 11.14.25 Payroll ($\$299,154.82$)

VI. Executive Sessions

• Executive session pursuant to KSA 75-4319 (b)(2) for consultation with an attorney (Jacob Bielenberg & Bob Johnson)

• Executive session pursuant to KSA 75-4319 (b)(1) to discuss personnel matters (Don Doherty & Mika Milburn)

VII. Public Comments for Items Not on The Agenda

VIII. Old Business

• Sheriff Lease for Vehicles

• 2026 Benefits

• Sanitation Discussion

• Elevator Discussion

• Stop Sign removal north & southbound 205th & Overbrook

• 108 W 2nd Transition

• Emerson Payroll

• Noise Resolution

• Longevity

• Credit Card Policy

IX. New Business

• Resolution of Election Results

• Letter of Support Tri-Valley

• Road Closure Application Patricia Daniels

• Schwab-Eaton Engineering Services Agreement (Dustin Hall/Kenny Allen)

• AC Tank and burner ($\$186,160$) (Dustin Hall/Kenny Allen)

• Build Agenda for following meeting

X. Commission Comments

XI. Adjournment

Detailed Information Packet Summary

Meeting Minutes & Follow-Up

Minutes of the November 10, 2025, Meeting (Pages 3-5)

• Health Insurance: Commissioners approved a plan with three options, aiming to balance employee affordability and the county’s budget (Page 4).

  • Plan A: County contributes $844 (single) to $2,678 (family) (Page 4).

  • Plan B: County contributes $769 (single) to $2,440 (family) (Page 4).

  • Plan C (Alt B3): County contributes $836 (single) to $2,051 (family) (Page 4).

• Sheriff’s Vehicle Lease: Sheriff Martin and Bryan Murphy discussed the lease of 11 vehicles for an annual cost of $137,449, with a first-year total of $399,303 for equipping (Page 4).

• Bitcoin Mining/Noise Resolution: A lengthy discussion occurred with representatives from Evotech about their Bitcoin Mining operations, gas wells, and plans to mitigate noise (Page 3). The discussion on the proposed Noise Resolution was tabled because the county attorney was absent (Page 4).

• Longevity Pay: The Clerk was requested to provide information on the cost of incorporating longevity pay into employee salaries instead of a lump-sum bonus (Page 4).

• 6th Judicial Office Space: The Commission approved a motion to hire a contractor for up to $15,000 for improvements to a trailer behind the courthouse and eliminate rent for the office once the transition to the new space occurs (Page 5).

• Janitor Position: HR was directed to handle the posting and filling of the open janitor position (Page 4).

Future Meeting Topics/Next Agenda (Pages 5-6)

• Action Items: Clerk to bring Longevity calculations and projections for sales tax/sheriff vehicle leasing (Page 5).

• Tabled Topics: Sanitation discussion, Elevator Discussion, Stop sign removal (205th street & Overbrook), Emerson Payroll, Noise Resolution, Letter of Support Tri-Valley, and Road Closure application Patricia Daniels were all tabled until the next meeting (Page 5).

Planning Commission Moratorium (Page 7)

• The Bourbon County Planning Committee unanimously recommends a moratorium requiring any new commercial or industrial business (not agricultural) in unincorporated areas to obtain a special use permit prior to commencing operations (Page 7).

• The purpose is to protect residents while the Planning Committee develops more detailed and comprehensive zoning regulations (Page 7).

Financial Approvals

Accounts Payable Totals (as of 11/14/2025) (Pages 8-46)

• Grand Total: $342,223.45 (Page 44, 46).

• Largest Fund Totals:

  • Employee Benefit Fund: $91,972.89 (Page 44)

  • County Sheriff/Correctional Fund: $50,646.27 (Page 44)

  • Emergency Services Sales Tax Fund: $60,731.95 (Page 44)

  • Bond Sales Tax – County Jail Fund: $14,681.63 (Page 44)

Payroll Fund Appropriation Totals

• 10/31/2025 Payroll Total: $243,122.51 (Page 48).

• 11/14/2025 Payroll Total: $299,154.82 (Page 50).

New Business Details

Road Closure Application – Patricia A. Daniels (Page 57)

• Applicant: Patricia A. Daniels (Page 57).

• Request: Permanent closure of a 62’ wide, 125’ section of 267th Street between lots 13, BIK17 and Lot 16, BIK 18 in Woodards addition to Garland (Page 57).

• The application is signed and notarized by the adjacent property owner(s) (Page 57).

Schwab-Eaton Engineering Services Agreement (Pages 59-63)

• Consultant: Schwab-Eaton, P.A. (Page 59).

• Project: Bridge replacement of NBI Bridge No. 000061103206020 on Jayhawk Road over a tributary to the Marmaton River (Page 59).

• Total Fee: $74,000.00 (Page 60).

  • Payment Schedule: 55% upon Field Check Plans submittal, 40% upon Office Check Plans submittal, and 5% upon KDOT Final Plans approval (Page 60).

• The agreement includes various engineering services such as topographical survey, R/W descriptions, and permit applications (Page 59, 61).

• The County is responsible for the cost of the separate geology investigation (Page 60, 63).

AC Tank and Burner – Proposal from Asphalt Drum Mixers Inc. (ADM) (Pages 64-70)

• Equipment: ATD15 Direct Fired Asphalt Tank (15,000-gallon horizontal tank) and associated components (Page 65).

• Price: $186,160.00 USD (Page 69).

• Payment Terms: 30% down payment with the signed order, and the 70% balance due when the equipment is ready to ship (Page 69).

• Customer Responsibilities: Include supplying electrical power, fuel tank/lines, gas connection, a 100# propane tank, asphalt and hot oil lines, all receiving/unloading, erection, installation, foundations, and required permits/stamping (Page 66).

Resolution of Election Results (Pages 51-54)

• The resolution certifies the results of the City School General Election held on November 4, 2025 (Page 51).

• Total Ballots Cast: 2,262 (Page 51).

• Selected County Offices:

  • County Commissioner District 4: Gregg Motley (454 votes) (Page 51).

  • County Commissioner District 5: Mika Milburn-Kee (268 votes) (Page 51).

Letter of Support Tri-Valley (Page 55-56)

• Request from Tri-Valley Developmental Services for a letter of support for the CTD#10 Transportation Council’s application for the continuation of KDOT funding (Page 55).

• A draft letter is provided, stating the Bourbon County Commissioners support the transportation providers in their application (Page 56).

The October meeting of Starlite FCE was held at the Presbyterian Village meeting room.  President Glenda Miller called the meeting to order and vice president Joyce Allen led the club in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and the club collect.  Eleven members were in attendance and reported that they had volunteered twelve hours and had recycled 1305 pounds.

Letha Johnson was recognized for having a birthday.  Glenda read a Thank You note for sponsoring a Fair premium from Miles Pollock.  Karen Peery presented the treasurer’s report.

Glenda presented information on the poppy honoring Veterans.  She informed us that it is to be worn on the right side and that the red represents the blood shed and black center is for those who died and the green leaves represent the grassy fields.  Deb Lust announced that the speaker for the Veterans Day event will be Retired Sergent Arnold Skofield at the VFW Post and will be speaking on the Viet man Era.  The VFW will be hosting a ham and bean dinner.  Deb also informed the club about the Honor Flights.

Old business consisted of Glenda reminding the club to fill out and return their insurance benefit card.  New business consisted of Glenda announcing that the district meeting will be in Parsons and that Bourbon County is responsible for providing breakfast.  LeAnna Taylor, Karen Peery and Deb Lust volunteered to provide quick bread, Joyce Allen will bring juice and Glenda Miller will bring muffins.

Before the meeting the members put together gift bags to present to veterans in the area.

Refreshments of pumpkin dessert, candy and drinks were provided by Glenda and Angela and enjoyed by all.

Prepared By: Terri Williams

County Commissioners approved accounts payable and payroll at the opening of their meeting.

Commissioner Mika Milburn Key suggested reviewing the payroll policy regarding how payment is made for employees who go from hourly to salaried.

Commissioner Samuel Tran asked for a deep dive on a particular employee’s status change from full-time to part-time.

The commission tabled approval of the 10-31-2025 payroll.

Public Comments for Items Not on The Agenda

Carol Lydic spoke to the commission about the elections. She serves as the supervising judge at the Grace Baptist Church election site.

“We have a county clerk that went above and beyond last week to catch up,” she said of Susan Walker. Lydic wanted Walker to be recognized for all the hard work she did.

Rachel Walker also spoke to the commission about the elections. She worked with the clerk during advanced voting. She read through a detailed list of the duties of the clerk’s office and challenged the commissioners to go look at the clerk’s election calendar and see how much she is required to accomplish during an election cycle.

Old Business

Bitcoin and Evotech

Ty Patton with Trip, Wolf, and Garrison out of Wichita, KS, has been working with Evotech to help navigate questions and concerns about their operation.

Adam Couch, one of the owners of Evolution Technology (EvoTech), also attended the meeting.

Commissioner David Beerbower asked them to explain their operation.

Patton explained that Bitcoin is a decentralized digital currency which is tracked by “miners.” Their job is to safeguard and compile the data of who owns what bitcoins into data blocks, which are put into a chain of blocks. This system is viewable by the public. Miners are incentivized to solve complicated math puzzles at a high rate. This enables them to build the data block to track and help maintain the ledger of all the bitcoins in the world. Those miners who are the fastest are essentially paid for their work in bitcoin. Mining is actually maintaining the ledger of bitcoin transactions and owners.

Evotech’s operation involves computers solving those math puzzles all the time to try to win the race to get the bitcoin.

The Bitcoin mine is not is a data center. It is a small operation in two shipping containers. The only electricity hookup they have is residential service. The fans and computers are powered by the natural gas generator on site, so as not to impact the electrical grid. No water is used at all. There is no industrial component to this. They use Starlink or Verizon hotspots for their internet.

“Mining is a misnomer for what this is in terms of this actual facility,” he said.

The old transfer station was chosen for this purpose. The Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) has inspected and signed off on it. There are no peak hours, as the generator runs all the time. The fans only have to run to cool it, so cooler weather results in a quieter operation.

The Bourbon County Sheriff’s Department has helped get decibel readings at a variety of times throughout the day and night. The site is currently running between 55 and 77 dBs at the entryway to the site.

Patton said Evotech wants to be a good neighbor. They have added noise mitigation fences to bring the noise back down. He compared the site to other common noise levels, from conversation to highway noise. He also said that as a transfer station in the past, the noise would have been as high as 80-90dB.

He said there is more they can do, but it would be a significant outlay of between $75,000-$100,000 to build that infrastructure.

He wants to address the concerns of the county and make sure that any steps they take will actually help with the problem. The goal of attending the meeting was to talk it through and get on the same page, and then move forward in a way.

Milburn asked what the purpose of bitcoin is. Patton talked about it as a commodity, “like buying gold.”

She asked if they thought it was reasonable to do noise mitigation. Patton said that he did, in the spirit of being a good neighbor.

She asked if Bitcoin mining is agricultural, commercial, or industrial. In other areas, it’s been zoned agricultural, per Couch’s information, with a conditional use permit. Milburn asked for a list of the counties so she could follow up on the information.

Tran asked how many kilowatts they are producing with their generator. Patton said that at max capacity it generates 1 megawatt. Couch said currently, there’s not a plan to expand the operation. He also said the mine runs at just under capacity right now.

When Tran asked if they were looking at doing the same operation on another site in Bourbon County, they said they we not.

Couch said they build in counties that are zoned and unzoned. They don’t target unzoned counties for building.

Tran asked what decibel level they believe is tenable. “What’s a good level?”

Patton said they want to reduce the ranges further, but it’s a sound engineering puzzle. Couch said they haven’t set a goal yet, but need to work on the adjustment to bring it down.

Beerbower asked for further explanation of the range of sound.  Patton said it is affected by the atmosphere and temperature, which affects how hard the fans are working.

Tran had collected questions from the gallery before the meeting began to streamline the question and answer process.

Charlotte O’Hara had a comment. She was raised about 3 miles from the site. She was surprised by the industrial use and went to visit. She is concerned about this occurring more in Bourbon County, as there are a lot of abandoned gas wells in the area.

According to O’Hara, the EPA has criteria to protect public health and welfare set at 55dB during the day and 45dB in the evening. She also mentioned the amplification of the sound caused by the sound bouncing off their buildings.

Patton responded that the transfer mechanism is what they are using, not an abandoned well. “Nothing here is getting around the KCC,” he said.

He addressed the noise measurement, saying that the data the Sheriff’s department has collected shows the loudest noise is at the property entrance.

Tran read two questions, each asking how and when Evotech plans to quiet it down.

“I don’t have a specific answer for your question….we’re not going to drag it out,” said Couch. He also said the sound fencing and exhaust modifications they’ve already done are the beginning of their plans.

“It’s also a bit of a moving target,” said Patton. “This is already quieter than its original use as a transfer station,” at 80-90dB. It’s already quieter than a lawnmower or vacuum, he said.

Patton said it is a relatively new situation for them. They want to find the best solution and the final solution that is attainable, cost-effective, and fair.

“We’ve made some improvement and we’re going to go further,” he said.

Patton said they would keep the commission informed of their plans and progress.

Derek Ranes told the saga of the building of the bitcoin mine across the road from his house. He asked the representatives from EvoTech if they would like the noise and vibration by their house.

Ranes asked the commission if they would “step up and do something if they don’t,” referring to Evotech.

Tran replied that he will do all in his power as a commissioner to protect the citizens of his county. But it all has to be within the law. He wants a product that helps everybody.

Patton said they are operating the gas wells per the industry standard, approved by the KCC.

Couch said that public comments can have a negative effect on their business, and they will take steps to protect their business.

John Spate asked for a time frame and cost estimate on what it will take to solve this problem.

David Ranes also spoke. He focused on the fact that the noise doesn’t ever stop, unlike the noise of a lawnmower or vacuum cleaner. He also said their noise mitigation fences don’t work.

“That’s all we ask. Quiet it down,” he said.

The commission thanked them for coming in.