Category Archives: Government

Business, Government, Kansas

KCC Reviews Evergy’s New Plan

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The Kansas Corporation Commission will review details of Evergy’s new Sustainability Transformation Plan to protect ratepayer interests


TOPEKA – With the announcement that Evergy’s Board of Directors voted in favor of a standalone plan (Sustainability Transformation Plan) to increase shareholder value, KCC staff will soon begin its review of the details and how the Sustainability Transformation Plan might affect electric ratepayers.

In June, the KCC opened a general investigation into an agreement between Evergy, a regulated utility, and Elliot International. The agreement required the utility to develop a standalone plan to cut costs or pursue a merger transaction to increase shareholder profits. KCC staff were concerned that either path had the potential to have a negative impact on consumers.

Evergy is required to file a report addressing questions posed by KCC staff about the new Sustainability Transformation Plan within two weeks of today’s announcement. After receipt, the KCC as well as other stakeholders participating in the investigation, have 45 days to respond to the information provided.

Six stakeholder groups, including the Citizens’ Utility Ratepayer Board, Kansas Power Pool, Kansas Electric Power Cooperative Inc., Kansas Industrial Consumers, IBEW, and USD 259 Sedgwick County have intervened to participate in the investigation.

The general investigation docket is available on the KCC’s website at: https://estar.kcc.ks.gov/estar/portal/kscc/PSC/DocketDetails.aspx?DocketId=c1fa81fb-6557-4e0f-bf33-70fb0b5a47ad

Fort Scott, Government

Firefighters Needed in Fort Scott

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The local fire department is looking for a few good men….or women.

The Fort Scott Fire Department is currently looking for men or women who are interested in serving in the fire department as a reserve firefighter, said FS Deputy Chief Mike Miles, who is also the fire marshal.

“We prefer ones with experience or past training but we will recruit and train the right candidate,” he said.
“Currently, Fort Scott Fire has 14 full-time members and three reserves,” Miles said. “That consists of Fire Chief Bruner, Deputy Chief Miles and three shifts of four crew members that work 24 hours on and 48 hours off, revolving.”
“Our reserve program is essentially a part-time job,” he said.  “They can pick up open shifts from full-time guys needing off for vacation or sick leave. We do allow them to work as a fifth man on any shift to get training and comfortable with the job and skills.”
” We are needing reserves because our roster is very limited right now,” Miles said.  “We need candidates that are available to work to cut down on the overtime.  When a reserve can’t work, a full-time member is required to stay and work another 24-hour shift causing overtime.”
The new reserve firefighters are needed to help cut operating costs throughout the year, he said.
 ” Also a bonus about being a reserve firefighter, you kind of get to pick and choose what days you can and can’t work,” Miles said. “This is also a great program to get your foot in the door to the fire service and work your way into a full-time spot and career.”
The reserve firefighter position is just a title, he said.
“You are a firefighter just not full-time status,” Miles said. “That does not take away from the job required. They do everything a full-time firefighter would do on a daily basis.  Run rescue, ambulance calls. Work all fire calls involving hazmat (hazardous materials), fire alarms, vehicle, and structure fires.  During the daytime when not running calls this time of year we are currently flowing hydrants. Our crews stay busy throughout the days performing assignments required.”
A job description for the position can be seen on the Fort Scott Fire Department’s Facebook page.
The requirements of the job:
“We do require candidates to hold Firefighter 1 certification,” Miles said.  “Along with Hazmat Ops and Awareness. Those are the basic requirements to legally be able to work as a city employee in the fire department.  We look for candidates with prior experience and many more certifications.  EMT is a plus. We will recruit the right candidate we believe may be a good fit for our department and provide them the proper training or academy to become certified.”
Candidates can contact Miles directly at the firehouse. 620-223-2140. Lieutenant Clint Lawrence can also assist callers.
Bourbon County, COVID-19, Government, Health Care

Bourbon County Records Second Death Due to COVID-19

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SEK Multi-County Health Departments

Bourbon County, Kansas

PRESS RELEASE:

NOVEL CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19

August 5, 2020

It is with our deepest regret that we need to announce the loss of a resident of Bourbon County, KS (elderly female), due to COVID-19. We would like to extend our sympathy to the family and friends of this individual during this difficult time and encourage the public to do the same as her family and friends mourn her loss.

The individual had been hospitalized and the contact investigations have been completed. If you have not been contacted, your risk of exposure from this individual is minimal.

The overwhelming opinion of medical professionals across the country is that we MUST all do our part to help reduce the spread of this virus. Even though many will only experience mild symptoms, the higher risk/elderly population and those with underlying health issues could experience more severe symptoms.

In an effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19, it is recommended that everyone stay home if you are ill, utilize social distancing, use frequent hand hygiene, cough or sneeze into your sleeve/elbow, wear a mask when applicable, and disinfect highly touched surfaces.

If you feel you are exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms (fever, cough, shortness of breath) please call your clinic first. If you are experiencing life threatening symptoms, please call 911!

If you have questions, the Bourbon County Health Department will answer your call at (620)223-4464. Due to the volume of calls, we are not answering messages via Facebook or Messenger.

You can also visit Southeast Kansas Multi-County Health Departments on Facebook for local updates regarding COVID-19 or our website www.sekmchd.com.

We appreciate everyone’s efforts to decrease the spread of COVID-19. Please continue this effort.

Fort Scott, Government

FS City Commission Meeting Today at 11 a.m.

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There will be a special City Commission meeting scheduled for 11:00 am today, August 5th, 2020. This meeting will not be held in public.  This is due to an outbreak in coronavirus at City Hall.   You can call into the 1-620-724-9910, participant code 515698# to listen to the meeting.
 This meeting will be held to consider approval of the Consent Agenda and four items under consideration.
City Hall will be closed to the public until further notice.
Bourbon County, Elections, Government

Unofficial 2020 Primary Election Results For Bourbon County

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Voters took advantage of advance voting Monday morning at the Bourbon County Clerk’s Office.

Submitted by the Bourbon County Clerks office:

2020 PRIMARY ELECTION UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
AUGUST 4, 2020

Editor’s note: the clerk does not list the winners in each position for both the Republicans and Democrats together.

Republicans:

United States Senate
Vote for One 1
Lance Berland . . . . . . . . . 41 1
John L. Berman. . . . . . . . . 10
Derek C. Ellis. . . . . . . . . 31 1
Bob Hamilton . . . . . . . . . 579
Kris Kobach. . . . . . . . . . 1,029
David Alan Lindstrom. . . . . . . 85
Roger Marshall. . . . . . . . . 537
Brian Matlock . . . . . . . . . 38
John Miller. . . . . . . . . . 41
Steve Roberts . . . . . . . . . 101
Gabriel Mark Robles . . . . . . . 10

United States House of Representative
Vote for One 1
Jake LaTurner . . . . . . . . . 1,256
Dennis Taylor . . . . . . . . . 283
Steve Watkins . . . . . . . . . 948

Kansas Senate, 13th District DISTRICT 13
Vote for One 1
Richard Hilderbrand . . . . . . . 1,451

Kansas Senate, 12th District DISTRICT 12
Vote for One 1
Caryn Tyson. . . . . . . . . . 819

Kansas House of Representatives, 2nd DISTRICT 2
Vote for One 1
Kenneth Collins . . . . . . . . 202

Kansas House of Representatives, 4th DISTRICT 4
Vote for One 1
Arlyn Briggs . . . . . . . . . 205
Trevor Jacobs . . . . . . . . . 2,030

County Commissioner DISTRICT 3
Vote for One 1
Clifton Beth . . . . . . . . . 296
Joshua Jackson. . . . . . . . . 98
LeRoy “Nick” Ruhl. . . . . . . . 172

County Commissioner DISTRICT 2
Vote for One 1
Jeffrey Fischer . . . . . . . . 282
Jim Harris . . . . . . . . . . 466
Sparky (Don) Schroeder . . . . . . 445

County Clerk
Vote for One 1
Nick Graham. . . . . . . . . . 695
Kendell Dawn Mason . . . . . . . 1,148
Bobby “Bob” Reed . . . . . . . . 685

County Treasurer
Vote for One 1
Patty Love . . . . . . . . . . 1,467
Mike Mason . . . . . . . . . . 497
Shaunn Pytlowany . . . . . . . . 559

County Register of Deeds
Vote for One 1
Lora Holdridge. . . . . . . . . 2,286

County Attorney
Vote for One 1
Jacqie Spradling . . . . . . . . 2,154

County Sheriff
Vote for One 1
Derick Burke . . . . . . . . . 1,095
Bill Martin. . . . . . . . . . 1,318
Craig A. Rice . . . . . . . . . 172

 

Democrats:

 

United States Senate
Vote for One 1
Barbara Bollier . . . . . . . . 391
Robert Leon Tillman . . . . . . . 224

United States House of Representativ
Vote for One 1
Michelle De La Isla . . . . . . . 387
James K. Windholz. . . . . . . . 217

Kansas Senate, 13th District DISTRICT 13
Vote for One 1
Nancy J. Ingle. . . . . . . . . 352

Kansas Senate, 12th District DISTRICT 12
Vote for One 1
Mike Bruner. . . . . . . . . . 138

Kansas House of Representatives, 2nd DISTRICT 2
Vote for One 1
Lynn D. Grant . . . . . . . . . 23

Kansas House of Representatives, 4th DISTRICT 4
Vote for One 1
Bill Meyer . . . . . . . . . . 563

County Commissioner DISTRICT 3
Vote for One 1
Phillip G. Hoyt . . . . . . . . 171

County Commissioner DISTRICT 2
Vote for One 1
WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 19

County Clerk
Vote for One 1
WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 61

County Treasurer
Vote for One 1
WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 52

County Register of Deeds
Vote for One 1
WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 22

County Attorney
Vote for One 1
WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 23

County Sheriff
Vote for One 1
Mike Feagins . . . . . . . . . 397
Julie Saker. . . . . . . . . . 178

Bourbon County, Government

BoCo Commission Minutes of July 24

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July 24, 2020

The Bourbon County Commission met in open session for a Spark grant meeting with Commissioners Oharah and Fischer present, the County Clerk was also present.

Also present for the Spark meeting were Economic Development DirectorJody Hoener, FSCC President Alicia Johnston, Hazel Swarts, Emergency Manger William Wallis and Greenbush representatives Monica Murnon, Mike, and Dawn Floris.

Bourbon County is receiving $2.9 million for disbursement for COVID-19 related expenses and direct aid.

Treasurer Patty Love met with the Commissioners regarding the bank account for the Spark grant funds, she said that Terry Sercer told her to deposit the money in a separate non-interest baring bank account. Lynne made a motion to deposit the money in a non-interest baring account, Jeff seconded and the motion passed and the Commissioners and Kendell signed the banking paper work.

Jody Hoener said the Spark steering committee will be comprised of the following… Craig Campbell (Mercy Hospital), Jesse Ervin (City of Uniontown), Jerry Witt & Bill Michaud (business owner in Fort Scott, Susan Bancroft (City of Fort Scott) and Ted Hessong (USD234).

Monica said that currently Bourbon County is in the reporting and compliance portion of the grant. She said the County could use the County prioritization roadmap as a framework to plan and prioritize their investments and it is as follows… making public institutions whole, protecting the health of Kansas, revitalizing local businesses and building resilient communities. Normally you specify what the funds will be used for when applying for a grant, but this grant was given to the Counties in Kansas and the County then has to specify where the money will be used. There are two different pillars for the use for the use of the funds: reimbursement and direct aid.

Alicia Johnston said that FSCC needed money for the following areas: distance learning, improvements for telework capabilities, payroll specific to mitigating the COVID-19 response, reopening measurers, technology costs and transportation costs. She said that Mercy hospital is allowing FSCC to use 30 patient rooms to house students in.

Jeff made a motion to accept the 1st round of reimbursement of expenses, (administration fees, FSCC=$308,717.00, the City of Uniontown=$225.33, the City of Fort Scott=$20,000.00 and the City of Bronson=$100.00), Lynne seconded and the motion passed.

Jeff made a motion to accept the steering committees recommendations for spending the remaining money (Economic Development=$490,049.64, Small Business/Non Profit Grant Program=$122,512.41, Health=$735,074.47, Education=$490,049.64 and Collaborative Projects=$612,562.06), Lynne seconded and the motion passed.

Monica discussed the different draft survey application processes for the reimbursement portion and the direct aid portion. She said the application will be live on 07/28/2020. She said business that were mandated to close due to COVID-19 or chose to close (if approved for the grant) could use the funds for operational costs. Jeff made a motion to accept the survey processes, (this is currently in draft form and changes could be made to the process), Lynne seconded and all approved.

Hazel Swarts questioned what Greenbush’s role was in the grant; Lynne said they had been hired to administer the grant, he said the Commissioners wanted to keep the administration process local and that the Commissioners had voted to sign the contracts with Greenbush. The contract amount is $69,900, (unless they do anything beyond the scope of services).

Any questions regarding the Spark grant funds or the application process should contact Greenbush at (620)249-7149.

Lynne made a motion to have a budget worksession and a Spark grant meeting on August 7th at 1:00 pm, Jeff seconded and the motion passed.

At 3:17, Lynne made a motion to adjourn, Jeff seconded, meeting adjourned.

THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
(ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
July 28, 2020, Approved Date

Bourbon County, Government

BoCo Commission Minutes of July 21

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July 21, 2020 Tuesday 1:50 pm

The Bourbon County Commissioners met in open session with Commissioner Fischer and Oharah present as well as the County Clerk and Emergency Manager William Wallis.

Lynne made a motion to adopt Resolution 24-20 and to change the effective date of 7 days to 60 days (a resolution proclaiming a state of local disaster due to COVID, Will said this resolution will help the County continue to get financial aid due to COVID expenses), Jeff seconded and the motion passed.

At 1:54, Jeff made a motion to adjourn, Lynne seconded, meeting adjourned.

THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
(ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
July 24, 2020, Approved Date

Bourbon County, Government

BoCo Commission Minutes of July 20

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July 20, 2020 Monday 1:30 pm

The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all three Commissioners, the County Counselor and the County Clerk present.

Also present were the following… Jason Silvers with the Fort Scott Tribune, Angel Wilson and Lora Holdridge.

Lynne made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Appraiser Clint Anderson). After the session, Jeff made a motion to approve hiring a field appraiser due to future vacancy that will occur over the next few weeks, Nick seconded and all approved.

Jeff Fischer questioned a service charge that the Consolidated Rural Water District is charging; the Commissioners told him they had a board that should be contacted regarding their charges.

Lynne discussed a resolution for possible approval requiring that any grant applied for or accepted must be approved by the Commissioners; he thought it would be a good resolution for the County. Lynne made a motion to approve Resolution 24-20, there was not a second for his motion. Jeff asked if they were trying to solve a problem with the current granting process, Lynne said yes, Justin said it was a procedural issue which caused problems that the resolution could resolve for future grants. Jeff said that the wellness grants didn’t have the Commissioners approval for the application and said that last year they considered (but didn’t follow through with) a cost share grant from the Department of Transportation for an iron bridge in Garland. Jeff questioned if the resolution would be another barrier for obtaining grants. Justin said it would be putting a layer of protection in the grant process. Jeff questioned if the resolution would be reacting to a situation and said he didn’t think that was the right thing to do. Jeff made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). After the session Lynne made a motion to table the resolution until a later date and Nick seconded.

Jeff made a motion to go into a 3 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Bobby Reed and Kendell Mason). Lynne made a motion to go into a 3 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Bobby Reed and Kendell Mason). After the session Jeff made a motion authorizing an employee in the Correctional Center to use donated vacation time in the community pool for sick leave (an employee can donate vacation time to an employee to use for sick leave), Nick seconded and all approved.

Jeff said the deadline is in August for submitting an application for KDOT funding for off system bridges, he asked it was the intent of the Commissioners to explore funding for the Jefferson bridge, Lynne said they still need to determine if they want to repair or replace the bridge. Jeff questioned if he should get the authority to write a proposal to fix the bridge, Lynne said they could direct public works to get a proposal. Jeff questioned if the bridge north of Fort Scott could have an at-grade crossing installed to eliminate the need for a bridge. Jeff made a motion to direct public works to complete an application for the two fracture critical bridges (Jefferson bridge and the bridge north of Fort Scott on old 69 Highway), Nick seconded and all approved.

Lynne said they should be more involved in the application process so they weren’t blindsided.

The Commissioners reviewed the 1st draft of the 2021 budget. Jeff said the draft didn’t include a budget for the medical mall or the PILOT money. The current mill levy for Bourbon County is 66.613, the estimated mill levy on the 1st draft of the budget is 67.131. Lynne said in 2019 Road & Bridge had spent more than they thought they had due to deposits not being correct. Lora Holdridge questioned if the draft of the budget included raises for non-elected employees, Lynne said Terry was instructed to enter the amount the department head requested, Jeff questioned if it was possible to encourage all of the departments to save money for a carryover to help fund a raise.

The Commissioners will have a budget work session on July 28th at 9:00 am. Lynne said the Commissioners will work with the department heads regarding the budgets.

Jeff made a motion to adjourn at 3:12, Nick seconded and all approved.

THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
(ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
July 24, 2020, Approved Date

Government, Kansas

Tax Collections More Than 2019

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Kansas Total Tax Collections $484.6 Million Ahead of July of Last Fiscal Year

 

TOPEKA—The State of Kansas starts Fiscal Year 2021 by surpassing its total tax-only collections by $484.6 million compared to July of last fiscal year. Total tax collections for the first month of the fiscal year were $980.8 million. That is $4.6 million, or 0.5%, less than the estimate.

 

“While state revenue collections are more than the beginning of last fiscal year, we must continue to make fiscally sound decisions to minimize the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic moving forward,” Governor Laura Kelly said.

 

The State collected $619.6 million in individual income taxes for the month; an increase of $395.3 million, or 176.3%, compared to the July of Fiscal Year 2020. However, these collections were $30.4 million, or 4.7%, less than the estimate for the month. Corporate income tax collections were $69.8 million; $5.2 million, or 6.9%, less than estimated but an increase of $54.6 million compared to July of FY 2020.

 

Retail sales tax and compensating use tax collections performed better than both the monthly estimate and in their comparison to July of last fiscal year. Retail sales tax collections were $218.6 million; $16.6 million, or 8.2%, more than the estimate. That is a $14.0 million, or 6.9%, growth compared to July of FY 2020. Compensating use tax collections were 39.8%, or $14.3 million, more than estimated, with $50.3 million collected. That is an increase of $11.3 million, or 29.1%, compared to the same month of FY 2020.

 

“The state has seen consistent growth in compensating use tax collections as approximately 4,000 out-of-state online retailers have registered with the state under Kansas Department of Revenue Notice 19-04,” Secretary Mark Burghart said. “In addition, changing consumer purchasing patterns, which focus on online purchases during the COVID-19 pandemic, account for some of the increased use tax receipts.”

 

Kansas Department of Revenue Notice 19-04 was published Aug. 1, 2019, which notified retailers of sales tax requirements for doing business in Kansas.