Key points from 8/11/2025 Commission Meeting with links to that section of the video recording.
- 07:35 Brad Matkin from the City of Fort Scott requested the county produce asphalt for the city at $65 per ton, requiring approximately 2,000 tons this year, which would save the city about $35 per ton plus travel costs compared to other sources.
- 18:17 The commission discussed canceling the IT support Memorandum of Understanding with the City of Fort Scott as they had hired their own IT support, with Commissioner Milburn moving to cancel the agreement effective immediately.
- 20:47 Bob Guilfoyle from Crawl Can Internet presented two internet service proposals: maintaining the current network at a reduced rate of $1,100/month (down from $1,400) or separating the Sheriff’s Department onto its own network for $1,220/month total, which would provide better security and redundancy.
- 01:02:17 Justin from Crawl Can explained the difference between hosted and on-site phone systems, noting that hosted systems cost about $30/month per phone (with 125 county phones currently) and require each phone to have its own number, while on-site systems have a one-time purchase cost with some recurring software fees.
- 01:07:49 The commission tabled the internet service decision until August 25th to allow Commissioner Tran to consult with a technical expert and gather more information about the total costs involved.
- 01:52:17 Susan Walker, County Clerk, presented information about upcoming election deadlines, including October 14th as the voter registration deadline, October 15th for mailing advance ballots, October 20th for early voting at the courthouse, and November 4th as the general election date.
- 02:06:50 Matt, the County Appraiser, reported that Bourbon County is in compliance with state valuation requirements but still approximately 18% below the ideal valuation ratio of 90–110%, with residential properties and farm home sites showing the largest increases in value.
- 02:19:34 Commissioner Tran presented data showing that 20.8% of Bourbon County households pay less than $800 annually in property taxes, 19.2% pay between $800–$1,499, and 18.5% pay $3,000 or more, with the median home value at $95,600 and median tax bill at $1,694.
- 03:14:58 The commission voted to move forward with Emerson and Company for payroll services, with the understanding they would work with the County Clerk’s office during the transition period.
- 03:17:03 Commissioner Milburn reported on discussions with the driver’s license office and sixth judicial district about relocating them from their current building, with the driver’s license office potentially moving to the courthouse and the judicial district to the former health center trailer.
- 03:29:59 The commission discussed repealing Resolution 1425 to remove the Budget Payroll Benefits Officer ($10,000), Road Records Officer ($5,000), and Chief Operations Officer ($88,616.84) positions from the county’s organizational structure.
- 03:39:11 The commission scheduled a special meeting with insurance broker Don Doherty for August 22nd at 5:00 PM to learn more about the county’s insurance plans.
- 03:41:22 Commissioner Tran emphasized the importance of reaching consensus on maintaining the current mill levy before determining budget priorities, stressing the need to take care of county services while maintaining professionalism throughout the budget process.
- 03:43:17 Commissioner Milburn announced that the tax sale list was sent to the law firm on August 8, 2025, and emphasized that property valuations are market-based, with the commission only directly raising taxes when they increase the mill levy or choose not to lower it when valuations increase.
