Category Archives: Government

Bourbon County, Government

Bourbon County Commission Minutes of Oct. 15

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October 15, 2019                                           Tuesday 9:00

The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with Commissioners Oharah and Fischer present.  The County Counselor and the County Clerk were also present.

Jason Silvers with the Fort Scott Tribune, Nancy & Kerry Van Etten and Julie Saker each attended a portion of the Commission meeting.

Michael Hoyt met with the Commissioners to clarify his request from the last time he met with the Commissioners; he said he would like for the County to engage Emergency Manager Will Wallis to test or evaluate all EOP plans in place to see if there is room for improvement.  Mr. Hoyt said the USD 234 plan fell apart in two areas on September 3, 2019 when there was an intruder; the 911 system and notifying the parents of students of the incident.  Lynne Oharah said he had a conversation with Will Wallis and asked what the County’s responsibility was for those plans; Will said he was asked to critique USD 234’s plan, he said he did and felt it was a good plan.  Mr. Hoyt said they had an event or incident and said there was no reason why the County leadership couldn’t take control and evaluate the plans.  Lynne said he would discuss this with Will Wallis again.

Jim Harris and Jerad Heckman met with the Commissioners; Jim said they are mowing and crushing.  He said they are making chips at the Beth Quarry.  The County is making 1,400 tons of asphalt for the City of Fort Scott.  He said they did a 23,000 ton blast.  Jim Harris said they will be doing a snow drill this week.

Lynne said there are potholes at the north end of Devon that need filled and said a culvert may be needed; Jim said they would send the pothole patcher to the area.

Jeff made a motion that Kendell send all department heads a memo asking that they watch and control their overtime since we are over budget in employee benefits (taxes and KPERS are based on compensation, and are elevated due to the extra overtime), Lynne seconded the motion.  Jeff said we need to be good stewards of the taxpayer’s money and said if we don’t reduce expenses it will require a reduction in force.

Jeff discussed the work done on Ironwood and the collapsed culvert there; he said the County did an amazing job there; he complimented the work that Jared Lord did.

Jeff discussed Mr. Phillips property on Justin Lane; he said there is water running from a spring or from a runoff, Mr. Phillips asked that ditching be done there.  Jim Harris said he would view the area.

Lynne reported that 125th & Osage going east and west needs gravel.

Lynne made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for confidential data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners Justin Meeks and Jody Hoener).  No action was taken.

Bill Martin, Ben Cole, Bobby Reed and Leslie Herrin (who was videotaping the meeting) met with the Commissioners to discuss a bill the Sheriff’s department received from Noxious Weed.  Bill said he had requested gravel (which they have not received) for an area on the north side of the Sheriff’s building.  Bill said they received a $566 bill from Noxious Weed for chemical spraying done by the Sheriff’s building.  Bill suggested that the bill be written off since the property belongs to the County.  Jim Harris said Noxious Weed has to purchase the chemicals and said if Noxious Weed sprays at the Landfill then the Landfill pays for the chemicals.  Jeff questioned how the bill for spraying is different than the bill for fuel delivered to the Law Enforcement Center for the generator; Bill said the fuel for the generator should be paid out of operations.  Jim Harris said they mow the area, but do not send a bill for mowing.  Lynne said they would discuss the bill for spraying with Nick Ruhl when he returns.  Jim Harris said there is a $506 delinquent bill owed from the Law Enforcement Center to Road & Bridge for fuel that was delivered for the generator; however, it was later stated that the $506 bill had been paid.

Julie Saker briefly met with the Commissioners; she announced that she was planning to run for Sheriff in 2020.

Jody Hoener met with the Commissioners; she discussed the event center, she said she and Rod Markin had attended a work group meeting and did site visits.  She said the next step is to do business (to see if there is a need for the facility) & resident surveys.  Jody said she needed to put out a press release to businesses and residents to identify long term property tax goals. Jody said the average mill levy for Bourbon County is 180.77 (which is the 11th highest in the state of Kansas).  Jody suggested adding value to help reduce the mill levy and to obtain a long term goal (by 2030) of an average mill levy of 158.61.  Lynne made a motion to accept this goal, Jeff seconded and the motion passed.    Jody said that Jim Keller and Steve Buerge had both made contributions towards having the market demand study done.

Jeff Fischer discussed the St. Martins Academy on Indian Road; he said he had met with Daniel Kerr, Mr. Kerr said they did not want regulations or restrictions, but asked that the County place school zone signs (without restricting or reducing the speed limit at this time).  Jim Harris recommended 45 mph since this was the current speed limit in the area.  Jeff said that St. Martins had constructed a bridge and pathway for the students to use to keep them from walking on Indian Road.  Jeff made a motion to direct Jim Harris to install school zone & warning signs with a 45 mph speed limit, Lynne seconded and the motion passed.

William Laporte from Hidden Valley met with the Commissioners; he said they have received good service from the Sheriff’s department.  He said recently the club house alarm had gone off, but it was a false alarm;

he said he wanted to contact the Sheriff’s department to notify them of the false alarm so they didn’t make the trip to Hidden Valley, but said he had to call 911 to cancel the call, but said his 911 call went to Linn County.  He questioned if it was true that only 2 deputies were on duty at one time and asked if it was too expensive to add more deputies; Lynne said the tax payers do not want their taxes to go up.  Mr. Laporte asked about Yale Road; Lynne said it would eventually be paved.

Sparky Schroeder met with the Commissioners and Jim Harris; he said the base on 230th is coming apart, Jim Harris said the asphalt came apart but said the base did not.  Jim said they did a good job on the base of the road and said if it fails they will fix it.  Mr. Schroeder said if it’s a blacktop issue, what are they doing to fix; Jim said it is unpredictable in what asphalt will do.

Mike & Judy Wilson met with the Commissioners regarding Unity & 75th Terrace; Mr. Wilson said the gravel had washed off of the road and said the road needs a crown or peak so that the water can run off.  Jim Harris said they would view the road.

Justin Meeks reported that the City of Uniontown had accepted the real estate contract for the Noxious Weed building in Uniontown; he said he would discuss this at the next Commission meeting when Nick was present.

Lynne gave Justin Meeks permission to attend the KAC conference in November, Jeff seconded and the motion passed.

Justin Meeks discussed the tax sale and said that the tax sale is progressing; he said the publication for the tax sale cost $10,000.

Lynne 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, Jeff seconded the motion, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks).  No action was taken.

At 11:23, Lynne made a motion to adjourn and Jeff seconded.

THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS

Lynne Oharah, Chairman

Jeff Fischer, Commissioner

ATTEST:

 

Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk

10/21/2019, Approved Date

Government, Kansas

Third meeting for the Governor’s Council on Tax Reform concludes

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The third meeting for the bipartisan Governor’s Council on Tax Reform concluded this afternoon. The group, composed of experts, representatives and stakeholders, is performing an in-depth study of the state’s current tax system. Once their study is complete, the Council will make specific statutory recommendations to state lawmakers on tax reform in Kansas.

 

The one-day meeting began with a budget and consensus revenue estimates update, then moved into a public comment period. The council heard testimony from 11 interested groups and individuals, including the Kansas Association of Realtors, the Kansas Association of School Boards, the Kansas Chamber of Commerce, KC Healthy Kids and others.

 

In the afternoon, representatives from the Kansas Department of Revenue gave presentations on Ad Valorem Property Tax and Global Intangible Low-taxed Income (GILTI) provisions under the 2017 Tax Cut and Jobs Act.

 

Dr. Donna Ginther, professor of economics at the University of Kansas, then offered a history of the three-legged stool approach in Kansas. The three-legged stool refers to a sensible balance of income, sales and property tax revenue.

 

Following Dr. Ginther’s presentation, Council members participated in discussion regarding their initial tax reform policy thoughts and their expectations for December’s meeting.

 

Among other topics discussed by the Council:

 

  • Three co-equal, sturdy legs of tax revenue would cushion Kansas from recessionary pressures, such as the energy recession of the late 1980s.
  • Sales tax on food costs the average rural Kansas grocer close to $18,000 per year.
  • The property tax is the largest, single source of revenue in Kansas, generating $4.93 billion in levied tax from $36.57 billion of taxable value for calendar year 2018.

 

The next meeting of the Council has been set for Dec. 3-4, 2019. An interim report by the Council is planned for December 2019, in advance of the 2020 legislative session. A final report is due in December 2020, in advance of the 2021 legislative session.

 

For more on Governor Kelly’s executive order establishing the Council, its membership and presentation materials:

 

https://governor.kansas.gov/newsroom/council-on-tax-reform/

 

Bourbon County, Government

The Bourbon County Commission Agenda for Nov. 14

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Agenda

Bourbon County Commission Room

1st Floor, County Courthouse

210 S. National Avenue

Fort Scott, KS 66701

 

Date: November 14, 2019

1st District-Lynne Oharah Minutes: Approved: _______________

2nd District-Jeff Fischer Corrected: _______________

3rd District-Nick Ruhl Adjourned at: _______________

County Clerk-Kendell Mason

1:30-1:45 – Property Tax Discussion

2:00-2:15 – Robert Leisure – EMS Update

Bourbon County, Entertainment, Fort Scott, Government

Multi-Use Event Facility? Give Your Input

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Bourbon County
requests your feedback on a possible multi-use event facility
in our county.
Please take either or both
of the following surveys:
Click here for business survey.
Click here for resident survey.
Survey will close Nov. 15th, 2019!
If you have questions on the survey or other input,
please email Jody Hoener, Bourbon County Economic Development.
Bourbon County Commission, as part of its ongoing efforts to enhance livability and quality of life for its residents and to grow our economic base and resulting job opportunities, has commissioned a feasibility study for a multi-use event facility to be located in the Fort Scott area.
Markin Consulting, a national consulting firm specializing in these types of facilities, is conducting this two-phase study. The first phase is an intense look at the market viability of this type of facility.
We are thankful for Bourbon County stakeholders Jim Keller,
of Keller Ranch, and Steve Buerge, of Buerge Farms and
Buerge Enterprises, Inc. who have made substantial contributions toward the market demand study.
By completing a rigorous cost benefit analysis, we are not only showing to be good stewards of taxpayer resources but we are also planning for the future.
We believe the feasibility study for the multi-use event facility is very important to our business community and are asking business and residents for your help by taking time to complete a very short, on-line survey for this study process.
Government, Kansas

Water Conference: Sustainable Water Future and Flood Response

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Governor’s Water Conference Focuses on a Sustainable Water Future and Flood Response

“Messages of Partnership and Collaboration with a Focus on Water Resources Delivered, Water Legacy Award” presented

 

Wichita, Kan. – Nearly 600 attendees with diverse water interests were encouraged at the Governor’s Conference on the Future of Water in Kansas to keep pushing forward with implementation efforts for accomplishing state and regional priorities within the Long-Term Vision for the Future of Water Supply in Kansas and incorporating it into the Kansas Water Plan to ensure our state’s water future.

 

“The State of Kansas remains focused on its goal of a sustainable water future,” said Lt. Governor Lynn Rogers. “During this past year serving as Lt. Governor I have met thousands of Kansans who are working each day to make a living and make Kansas a better place more prosperous place. It’s easy to see how having a ready supply of good quality water means a community or industry can develop and grow. It’s important for all Kansans to play a part in helping make progress on our water issues.”

 

Attendees heard updates on water resource statuses and continued implementation of the Vision as well as areas of concern throughout the state. Progress continues to be made through local, state and federal efforts to implement conservation practices to improve water quality and decrease reservoir sedimentation but much work still remains. To date almost 200 failing streambanks have been stabilized but nearly 700 still need to be addressed in priority watersheds. Reservoirs within Kansas continue to lose storage due to sedimentation. There are now 15 Water Technology Farms across the state demonstrating how producers can maintain their bottom line while reducing water use. More progress needs to be made to reduce water use as groundwater levels continue to fall in the Ogallala Aquifer.

 

Sustainable food production was the message attendees heard from Jill Wheeler head of Syngenta’s Sustainable Productivity in North America. She leads The Good Growth Plan, supporting Syngenta’s mission to improve the sustainability of agriculture and meet the challenge of feeding the world’s fast-growing population. “Sustainability drivers are opportunities that can be used on the farm. This means taking advantage of resources, increasing efficiency and improving profitability. Wheeler also posed the question, “What is the constant in agriculture?” to which she followed up by saying “It’s CHANGE.””

 

Meeting growing water supply needs is a common problem facing communities across the nation, and a critical component of the Vision in Kansas. Dr. Rollin Hotchkiss has conducted research in multiple aspects of managing reservoir sedimentation for more than 25 years as well as the economic impacts to decreasing supply. Hotchkiss said, “We need to propose solutions that are sustainable for sediment management and engage downstream stakeholders early in the conversation.”

 

“One important feature of our conference is to provide a perspective from outside our state from folks who are addressing similar water issues in other parts of the country and around the world,” said Kansas Water Office Acting Director Earl Lewis. “We were very pleased to have Wheeler and Hotchkiss as well as the Chief of USDA-NRCS, Matt Lohr join us today.”

 

The morning also featured the “Water Legacy Award” which was presented to Mike Hayden, who has epitomized what public service for water and natural resources stands for all across the state and country and help implement the modern water resource management funding and principles used today. Starting with his role as legislator to the 41st Governor of Kansas to Asst. Secretary of the Dept. of Interior for Fish Wildlife and Parks of the U.S. under the Bush administration to Secretary of Kansas Dept. of Wildlife Parks, he has spent decades leading many groundbreaking initiatives.

 

“The challenges ahead are greater than what we have faced in the past,” Hayden said. “There are many who say we needn’t take political risk, but you have to have vision, and you have to be willing to put your name on it to truly make a difference for the future.”

 

This year’s ‘Be the Vision’ award recipients were also honored for taking extraordinary measures to conserve, reuse or adopt better practices to help ensure the future of our state’s water resources. This year’s recipients were Garden City Company who has two Water Conservation Areas with about 15,000 acres enrolled using only about 62 percent of their water allocation and saving about 15,000 acre-feet of water for future use; Maize High School – Climate Club which was started by five high school students last year and has worked with the Kansas Biological Survey and KU faculty to help understand and monitor Cheney reservoir water quality as well as work to help address harmful blue-green algal toxins; and Public Wholesale Water Supply District No. 23 for bringing together 20 other entities who were struggling to negotiate annual terms of their water purchase contract to meet community needs. Ten years later PWWSD#23 became operational and the new plant was built this year. This has brought over $55 million dollars of USDA loan and grant funds into southeast Kansas for a sustainable water supply that will last for many generations to come.

The rest of the day continued with four panels highlighting different water topics.

 

Conference topics include:

  • Sustainability Across the Supply Chain
  • Flooding Impacts
  • Groundwater Quality/The Arbuckle
  • Reservoir Sediment Management

 

Tomorrow will build on Vision implementation and water management and policy discussions from the previous day with technical presentations, posters and talks. Graduate and undergraduate students will present their research.

 

The conference also features the Kansas Water Office Photo Contest. More than 100 photos were submitted to be voted on as the ‘people’s choice’ at the conference. The winner will be featured on the 2020 brochure, website and other locations throughout the coming year.

The Governor’s Conference on the Future of Water in Kansas is hosted by the KWO and K-State /Kansas Water Resource Institute. Major sponsors for the event include 96 Agri Sales, Inc., Black & Veatch, Burns & McDonnell and Great Lakes Dredge & Dock.

Government, Kansas

Governor’s Water Conference Starts Thursday

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The eighth annual Governor’s Conference on the Future of Water in Kansas will be Thursday, November 7 and Friday, November 8, 2019 at a new location, the Hyatt Regency in Wichita, Kansas.

 

Conference topics include:

  • Sustainability Across the Supply Chain
  • Flooding Impacts
  • Groundwater Quality
  • The Arbuckle
  • Reservoir Sediment Management

 

To view the brochure for a current list of speakers and panelists visit: www.kwo.ks.gov   

Some of the day one speakers include Jill Wheeler, head of Sustainable Productivity for Syngenta in North America; Matthew Lohr, Chief NRCS; Kim Dirks, Tyson Foods; Colonel Scott Preston, USACE Tulsa and more.

 

Day two will build on the water policy and vision implementation discussions from the previous day with technical presentation posters and talks. Graduate and undergraduate students will present their research.

 

The Water Legacy Award and Be the Vision recipients will be presented at the conference and the KWO Photo Contest will be a feature again this year.

 

This event is open to credentialed members of the media.  Please RSVP to the Kansas Water Office by phone (785) 296-3185 or email Katie Patterson-Ingels, Communications Director at [email protected].

 

The Governor’s Conference on the Future of Water in Kansas is hosted by the KWO and K-State /Kansas Water Resource Institute. Major sponsors for the event include 96 Agri Sales, Inc., Black & Veatch, Burns & McDonnell and Great Lakes Dredge & Dock.

Bourbon County, Business, Government

Wind Power Coming to Bourbon County?

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Photo from the Jayhawk Wind website.

The Kansas wind could benefit Bourbon County financially.

Apex Clean Energy, headquartered in  Virginia, is exploring the feasibility of constructing Jayhawk Wind, a wind energy project expected to generate up to 195  megawatts of clean, homegrown energy, according to http://www.jayhawkwind.com/about_jayhawk

Local wind data confirms that the Bourbon County area under consideration is ideal for a project of this size, which will produce enough safe, pollution-free energy to power up to 48,750  Kansas homes every year, according to the website.

Apex is working with local landowners, community leaders, and various stakeholders on the project and welcomes input into the planning process.

The Jayhawk Wind project hosted two moderated public forums on Wednesday, Oct. 30,  one Hepler and one at Fort Scott Community College’s Ellis Center to answer residents’ questions about wind energy and Jayhawk Wind.

 

The is proposed area is in the southwest part of Bourbon County and the Hepler / Walnut areas of Crawford County.

“Over 100 residents attended both forums where industry experts discussed sound, property values, environment and wildlife impacts and protections, development, construction, and operation of a wind farm, what new revenues the two counties can expect, and short-term and long-term job creation,” according to the press release.

“Construction will initially create 318 full-time equivalent jobs,” said economist Dr. David Loomis, who conducted the economic impact study, according to the press release.  “These include jobs directly related to the project as well as jobs created by the additional economic activity including new demand for goods and services at area restaurants, merchants and local businesses.”

Dr. Loomis presented how Jayhawk Wind will create an entirely new source of long-term revenue for local schools, government services, and property owners, according to the press release. “The total direct financial impact to the region will be in the millions of dollars over the life of the project, with additional indirect economic benefits to the local economy.

A complete economic impact report will be released in the coming weeks, according to the press release.

“Many of the residents who attended are landowners who are already participating in the project as well as considering participating in the project,” according to the press release. “Landowners with wind facilities on their property will receive annual lease payments. These payments will continue over the projected 30-year lifespan of the wind farm, injecting millions of dollars into the economies of Bourbon and Crawford Counties, supporting local merchants, contractors, equipment suppliers, auto dealers, and others.”

Apex development director, Jade Scheele, said the power generated by Jayhawk Wind will be delivered into the Kansas electrical grid, reducing the need to import electricity from outside markets.

Videos of the forums will be posted by Nov. 22, to www.jayhawkwind.com, as will a written document providing all the questions asked at both forums with the answers.

Bourbon County Commissioners identified economic development as a priority in October 2018 and hired Jody Hoener to lead the county’s economic development efforts, according to a press release from Hoenor.
The commission gave Hoenor the task of identifying development opportunities which would result in new revenues and jobs for the county.

“One of the developments identified as a positive source of revenue is a wind energy project, so we were pleased to learn that a company has proposed to build a wind farm here in Bourbon and Crawford Counties,” Hoenor said.  “Throughout Kansas, wind farms create a substantial new source of tax revenue and add to the local economy.  We think the Jayhawk Wind project offers an opportunity for Bourbon County residents.”

 

Before a project can be built, agreements will be negotiated to ensure that Bourbon County residents benefit from the project as Kansans do in other counties throughout the state, Hoenor said.

 

Fort Scott, Government

City of Fort Scott Offices Closed For Veteran’s Day, Nov. 11

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The City of Fort Scott offices will be closed on Monday, November 11th, 2019 in observance of Veterans Day. The regular offices will reopen on Tuesday, November 12th, 2019.

The City’s tree and brush dump site located on North Hill will also be closed on Saturday, November 9th, 2019 for the Veteran’s Day holiday. It will be open again on Tuesday, November 12th, 2018 from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Fort Scott, Government

Fort Scott Commission Minutes of Oct. 15

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CITY OF FORT SCOTT

CITY COMMISSION MEETING

Minutes of October 15th, 2019 Regular Meeting #19

The regular meeting of the Fort Scott City Commission was held October 15th, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. in the City Commission Room, 123 S. Main, Fort Scott, Kansas.

ROLL CALL:

Commissioners Adamson and Mitchell were present with Mayor Parker presiding. Commissioner Bartelsmeyer and Nichols were absent.

INVOCATION: Robert Uhler, Community Development Director, said a prayer asking God for guidance for the City, our Government and City officials.

AUDIENCE IN ATTENDANCE: Devin Tally, Susan Bancroft, Adam Borth, Michael Hoyt, Deb McCoy, Rachel Pruitt, David Elliott, Dale Bollinger, Jason Pickert, Paul Ballou, Robert Uhler, Cathy Bishop, Pat Bishop, Jerry Witt, Colleen Quick, Douglas Guns, Rhonda Dunn, Geoff Southwell, Dave Bruner, Deb Needleman, Kelly Perry, Thaddeus Perry, Kevin Allen, Lindsey Watts, Clayton Miller, and representing the press, Jason Silvers of the Fort Scott Tribune.

PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS:

Recognition of Labconco Corporation, Peerless Products Inc., Timken Company, Niece Products of Kansas, Inc., Fort Scott Community College, and the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce for participating in Manufacturing Day 2019. – Rachel Pruitt, Economic Development Director, informed the Commission that the attendance at Manufacturing Day more than doubled this year. There were around 200 in attendance. Timken donated $1,000 for this event which was used to reimburse schools for mileage. Schools as far as Spring Hill, Kansas attended this event. She thanked the four manufacturing companies who participated in this event. She also thanked the Chamber of Commerce and Fort Scott Community College for their assistance with this event.

Recognition of Office of Minority & Women Business Development – Kansas Department of Commerce 2019 Award Winners:

Lindsey Watts – Young Entrepreneur of the Year

Perry’s Pork Rinds, LLC – Supplier/Distributor of the Year – Rachel also recognized the recent Kansas Department of Commerce award winners. Lindsey Watts and Kelly and Thaddeus Perry of Perry’s Pork Rinds.

Robert Uhler introduced the new Golf Course Superintendent, Douglas Guns, to the Commission. He comes to the City from Girard, Kansas and has a lot of experience in golf courses and ballparks. He will be replacing Jon Kindlesparger, who is retiring at the end of the year.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES AND APPROPRIATIONS/CONSENT AGENDA:

  1. Approval of minutes of the regular meeting of October 1st, 2019.

  1. Approval of Appropriation Ordinance 1248-A totaling $517,421.93.

  1. Street Closing Request – Community Christian Church – October 31st, 2019 – Annual Trunk or Treat Event

Mitchell moved to approve the Consent Agenda. Adamson seconded. All voted aye.

APPROVED CONSENT AGENDA.

APPEARANCE/COMMENTS/PUBLIC HEARING:

  1. APPEARANCE: Jerry Witt, Approval of Resolution to apply for Grant – Mr. Witt said that to update the Commission on Riverfront Park, they will notice on the north side of the park that trenching has occurred. This is to install LED lights all around the trail. He is just waiting on the electrician and the City to work together to finish this project. On the south side, in 2014 and 2015, they received a K.D.O.T. grant to build the Park Loop Road. There was money for roads, but not for trails. In visiting with K.D.O.T., there is another grant available in 2020 to construct trails. They have hired a consultant to write the grant and they hired AG Engineering to engineer the trails. He asked the Commission for a resolution to declare the eligibility of the Fort Scott Riverfront Authority to submit an application to the Kansas Department of Transportation for use of transportation alternatives program funds set for by MAP-21 for the Riverfront Trail project in the City of Fort Scott and authorizing the Mayor to sign this resolution. This is an 80/20 grant with 80% from K.D.O.T. and 20% from the Riverfront Authority. Mr. Witt said if the grant is awarded, the project will be done and if not, it will not be done. Also, the parking lot will be paved and striped and an ADA accessible ramp will be constructed up to the pavilion for wheelchairs. That will be done before too long.

City Manager reminded the public that the 20% is coming from Riverfront Authority and not taxpayer money.

Parker moved to approve the Resolution to apply for the Riverfront grant from K.D.O.T. Adamson seconded. All voted aye.

APPROVED Resolution No. 22-2019 declaring the eligibility of the Fort Scott Riverfront Authority to submit an application to the Kansas Department of Transportation for use of transportation alternatives program funds set forth by MAP-21 for the Riverfront Trail project in the City of Fort Scott and authorizing the Mayor to sign this resolution.

B. CITIZEN COMMENTS (Concerning Items Not on Agenda – 3 minute

limit per citizen) Dale Bollinger – Mr. Bollinger said that he spent 28 years as a firefighter with the Fort Scott Fire Department. He has fielded several calls pertaining to the trucks the City is wanting to buy. He decided to address the Commission and let them know where he stands on this issue. First of all, it has been encouraging to hear the Commission talk about NFPA standards and keeping the firefighters safe. Secondly, the trucks need to be replaced. He is not against that, but what he is against is the 100’ aerial ladder. In his 28 year career, he has never been in a situation where he needed more than what we have had in the last 65 years. You can still buy that truck with a 75’ aerial just like the current one we have and still meet the 1901 standards. He said he knows that there are people that want that truck with the 100’ aerial ladder. There are other issues that aren’t being addressed but are immediately life threatening to the safety of our firefighters and to their health and wellness. Please keep in mind that these trucks don’t put the fire out – the firefighters do. The decisions they make in the first two minutes when they arrive on the scene dictate whether they will be there two hours or twenty-four hours. He said that we need to invest back into our firefighters. The NFPA standards and the City codes that you’ve adopted and the Fire codes all trickle down to the NFPA. When we go out as a department and enforce codes on businesses in our community, it all trickles back to the NFPA standards. (He referenced NFPA 13 or 13-R referring to sprinkler systems and gave an example of a building with a sprinkler system.)

The Mayor told him his time was up and thanked him for sharing his thoughts with them.

City Manager said he would love to talk to him more about this.

Mr. Bollinger passed out some information to the Commissioners.

  1. PUBLIC HEARINGS: None

CONSIDERATION:

  1. Approval of memorial bench in Unsung Heroes Park – Robert Uhler, Community Development Director, informed the Commission that Niece Products has asked to place a memorial bench dedicated to the memory of Pat Flanigan in the Unsung Heroes Park. Mr. Flanigan recently passed away and he was an avid supporter of Fort Scott and lead many projects in the City. This bench would be a fitting memorial to him and his love for Fort Scott.

Adamson moved to approve the placement of the memorial bench at Unsung Heroes Park in the memory of Pat Flanigan. Parker seconded. All voted aye.

approveD the placement of the memorial bench at Unsung Heroes Park in the memory of Pat Flanigan.

  1. Approval of financing for purchase of pumper truck – Rhonda Dunn, Director of Finance, informed the Commission that bids were taken for financing the purchase of the new pumper truck that was recently approved by the City Commission. The only bid received was from City State Bank in the interest rate of 3.19%. The annual payment will be $54,599.26 for ten years beginning October 2020. There was $55,000.00 budgeted for this payment. The amount financed is $462,405.15.

Mitchell moved to approve the financing for the new pumper fire truck with City State Bank at the interest rate of 3.19% with the annual payment being $54,599.26 for the next ten years beginning October 2020. Adamson seconded. All voted aye.

approveD the financing for the new pumper fire truck with City State Bank at the interest rate of 3.19% with the annual payment being $54,599.26 for the next ten years beginning October 2020.

Rhonda informed them that tonight is her last Commission meeting and that it has been an honor to work with all of them and she will treasure all the memories.

COMMISSION/STAFF:

  1. Director Updates: Deb Needleman – Deb informed the Commission that several of the staff attended the League of Kansas Municipalities annual meeting this last Sunday and Monday in Overland Park. As part of that meeting, Kansas Municipal Insurance Trust (K.M.I.T.) holds their annual meeting also. Once again, the City of Fort Scott received the Gold Star award for our good standing with Work Comp and being accident free which helps with our insurance rates. We were also honored as being recognized as being part of K.M.I.T. for 25 years as this is their 25th anniversary. We were presented with a plaque. There were 48 original charter cities as part of this trust. There are now 38 original cities. It is well managed and Deb said that she sits on this board.

Employee Health Fair – Deb informed the Commission that today was the Employee Health Fair for City employees. Employees have the opportunity to get lab work done and get a flu shot and this year the shingles vaccine was also offered. There were 34 employees that participated in the lab work, 34 employees who received a flu shot, and 6 who received the shingles vaccine. There were vendors who came that included: Midwest Hearing, Courtland Day Spa, I Am Rehab, Public Health Department, CHC, Aflac, Blue Cross and Blue Shield, and the Fire Department. It was held at Fire Station #2 in the bay area.

  1. City Commission:

Bartelsmeyer – Not present.

Mitchell – Nothing to report.

Nichols – Not present.

Adamson – Remarked that one of her favorite parts of being a Commissioner is when they recognize individuals and once again she thanked all who were recognized this evening. She has really enjoyed the last two meetings.

Parker – Mayor Parker echoed her comments.

  1. City Manager:

  1. Dale Bollinger – Dave said that he feels bad that he hasn’t been able to tell us his concerns. He didn’t know he had been in to see him. He wants him to know that we will get together and discuss this.

  1. Water issue – Dave said that he received a thank you note from Barb Schmidt who was at the last meeting regarding some water concerns.

  1. Manufacturing Day – Dave said he had another thank you note from Uniontown High School thanking the City for the lunch for Manufacturing Day.

  1. Turkeys – Dave said that this year turkeys will be given to all employees for Thanksgiving Day.

  1. League of Kansas Municipalities annual meeting – Dave said that it was very obvious that the League is focusing on workforce development, housing, and infrastructure this year. The City has been addressing these three issues also for some time.

  1. Rhonda Dunn – Dave thanked Rhonda Dunn for her work at the City and said she was a joy to work with and wished her well at her new position.

ADJOURNMENT:

Mitchell moved to adjourn the meeting at 6:31 p.m. Adamson seconded. All voted aye.

ADJOURNED MEETING AT 6:31 P.M.

The next regularly scheduled meeting is to be held on November 5th, 2019 at 6:00 p.m.

RECORDED BY:

DIANE K. CLAY

CITY CLERK