Bourbon County Commissioner Brandon Whisenhunt began the meeting by reading and signing the Bourbon County Proclamation of National Health Week, April 7-13.
The commission decided to postpone discussion of the county’s budget for the Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center. Allen County Commissioner David Lee is planning a multi-county meeting to discuss SEK Mental Health, the time of which will be determined. Beerbower asked to attend on behalf of Bourbon County. The Commission then agreed to put the SEK Mental Health budget discussion back on the Bourbon County Commission agenda after the multi-county meeting.
Hay Bid Openings
The county received three hay bids from Joe Tirri: 255th Radio Tower Property for $30; Elm Creek East Side for $1000; and Elm Creek West Side for $2050. All bids were accepted.
The old landfill property on Native Road received no bids. The commission opted to mow it, rather than resubmit for bids.
Old Business
Tax Sale Redaction and correction of the motion made on 3/27/2025
The original motion by Whisenhunt included the land bank, which was an error. A new motion to use the firm of Klenda Austerman for county tax sale properties only was made and approved.
Public Comments for Items Not on the Agenda
Mary Pimperton regarding roads
Mary Pimperton requested that the county pave the half-mile section of Maple Road that runs from 3 Highway to 75th Street. It is a main road through Uniontown, frequently traveled by buses. “It’s in extremely poor condition,” she said. For the past several years the city has been patching it, but it’s beyond patching now. During the work session following the meeting, the commission asked public works to do a cost assessment on paving that section of road.
New Business
Commissioner Comments
Beerbower read a statement about zoning, to clarify comments he made at the last commission meeting.
Based on the comments he saw on Facebook and the texts and phone calls he had received, one would believe that zoning was always a bad thing. Beerbower went on to explain the history of zoning in Bourbon County and the previous commissioners’ naming lack of zoning in the county as the reason citizens have no way to defend their property from their neighbor’s actions. “Those that hold on to the outdated ideology that zoning somehow robs their freedom and right to do whatever on their land are shortsighted,” said Beerbower.
He explained the validity of zoning as a way to protect rural property from industrial encroachment and pointed to the efforts of companies looking to come to Bourbon County as a second industrial revolution that is looking for land instead of labor. Beerbower said, “Let me reiterate, it is not a matter of if we will zone. It is a matter of what zoning will look like.” He ended his speech with an appeal to citizens who are interested to submit letters of interest to join the advisory committee that the commission voted to form at last week’s meeting so their voices can shape the future zoning of Bourbon County.
There were questions and comments from those in attendance asking if adjacent counties have zoning. Whisenhunt said Allen County has minimal zoning, while Crawford and Lynn County both have zoning. Parts of Crawford aren’t zoned yet, but the zoning they do have is “pretty strict.”
Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center
Jeff Fischer and Marty Dewitt spoke to the commission about the role of SEK Mental Health in Bourbon County. Fischer said that behavioral health is an area of great need and not many organizations are capable of an integrated care model. Throughout all the healthcare provider changes that Bourbon County has undergone in the past several years, the SEK Mental Health Center has been a stabilizing force, he said.
Fischer and Dewitt both gave the commissioners their contact information and asked that they be contacted with any questions the commission may have so they can provide truthful answers.
Work Session for 2025 roads and equipment plan for public works
Eric Bailey, director of public works, showed a video of his department doing a blast, running it through the crusher, making and laying asphalt, and chip and seal road maintenance, to inform the commission of the procedures his department goes through.
Annually, after the winter freezes and thaws, public works workers drive around the county and rate the condition of the roads based on the Pacer Asphalt Roads Manual, rating from 0-9. The higher the number, the better the road’s condition.
He also reported the asphalt produced and laid by the county: 9336 tons laid in 2024. Reduced sales tax numbers and flooding reduced the amount laid from previous years: 14,302 in 2023: 11,474 in 2022; and 23,600 in 2021.
2025 plan based on analysis of the roads
District 1
Hackberry on 120th to Kansas. Major road failure there that the county has been battling for some time. It needs to be taken back down to gravel, re-work the sub-base and look at asphalting it in the next few years.
Yale Road: asphalt from Mapleton to 95th this year to get a good base coat down on the road.
Chip and seal is everything asphalted in 2021 in the district.
District 2
State Line Road: Vernon County owns half, and has expressed that they would pay for the asphalt if Bourbon County will lay it.
Eagle Road from RR tracks in Garland to State Line needs a 2-inch seal coat on it. Should have been done last year, but they ran out of funding.
Chip and seal the remainder of the asphalt laid in 2021.
District 3
215th from Xavier to Yale damaged by flooding last year, needs to be relayed.
Soldier Road from 215th to 225th didn’t get finished in 2023 and it needs to be finished to prevent losing the work done on it from that year.
Chip and seal the roads asphalted in 2021.
Bailey also provided a list of all the roads that could be done if the commission chooses to. It would take $3.3 million to do every road in Bourbon County that could use improvement and maintenance, based on the current analysis.
Bailey has goal to get started laying asphalt on the smaller areas in May and June, chip and seal in July and August, then spend the remainder of the sales tax funds on Yale and go as far as they can.
His recommended order is Garland, Soldier, 215th, then chip and seal.
“We can only do what sales tax money we have,” said Bailey.
Bailey emphasized the need to improve preventative maintenance (chip and seal).
Whisenhunt said the commission should have a decision for the road maintenance plan by the first meeting in May.