January 8, 2024 Monday, 5:30 p.m.
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all three Commissioners and the County Clerk present.
Jason Silvers, Mark McCoy, Clint Walker, Teri Hulsey, Michael Hoyt, and Rachel Walker were present for some or all of the meeting.
Jim Harris opened the meeting with the flag salute.
Clifton made a motion to approve the consent agenda which includes approval of minutes from 12-18-23, approval of payroll totaling $225,101.85, and approval of accounts payable totaling $448,457.08. Nelson seconded the motion and all approved.
Michael Hoyt stated he sent information regarding the STAR Bond and TIF and if anybody else would like to receive the information he has it available to email.
Eric Bailey, Public Works Director, stated there wasn’t a culvert report for December and the fuel report was emailed to the Commissioners. Eric said it is time to have the annual bridge inspections and he is asking approval for 21 bridges and 5 low water crossings for $8,000 from Schwab Eaton. Eric stated that Schwab Eaton does the inspections every year and that we are mandated to do the inspections. Clifton made a motion to accept the proposal for the 12-month annual interim routine bridge inspections which are due January 2024 for Schwab Eaton in the amount of $8,000 and for all three Commissioners to sign. Nelson seconded the motion and all approved. Eric then presented an agreement for the bridge at 60th and Grand Road. Eric said Justin has reviewed the contract. Clifton made a motion to sign the agreement for Project 006C-5286C-01 off system bridge program. Nelson seconded the motion and all approved. Eric updated the Commission on the landfill compactor that he asked permission to purchase from Purple Wave. Eric said he was able to purchase the compactor for a price of $21,500 and that it has made a big difference just by how much it is compacting the ground. Eric said there are two road graders listed on Purple Wave that will sell tomorrow. A blast was conducted at the Shepard Quarry last Thursday and ended up with 48,177 tons and they are currently in the process of moving the crushers and setting up the quarry to get rock on the road in that area. Eric said they sent trucks out to push off the slush we received from the storm today. The crews are on a rotating basis with one crew working 4:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m. and another crew working 10:00 a.m.- 6:00 p.m. to try to cut down on the overtime. Eric said they are prepared for the rest of the week and are full on salt and ice control and running five dump trucks. Nelson said he received a call from the Bronson City Clerk and that she inquired about meeting with him and Eric to see about possibly doing chip and seal and Eric said he was unsure about if they could do in-kind projects and said he would visit them. Jim said the City of Fort Scott will be contacting Eric to talk about working together to do asphalt again this year.
Matt Quick, County Appraiser, informed the Commissioners that their office sent out personal property rendition forms January 1st. Matt said that anybody that who personal property in Bourbon County will receive a form that has their personal property listed with a section that asks if the personal property is still owned. Matt stated the forms need to be completed, signed, and returned to his office by March 1st. If the form is not received, they must assign a penalty to the property owner which will be reflected on their tax statement they receive in December. Matt stated it is a simple form to complete and return and he wanted to get the information out to residents so they do not receive penalties in the future. Matt also said if a resident sells any type of personal property, such as a boat, ATV, or trailer, they need to let the Appraiser’s office know when they do so they can remove it from the tax roll. Matt stated if a person has a boat, they sell they also need to notify KDWP in Pratt to get it removed from the state system.
Susan Walker, CFO, spoke to the Commissioners about the audit proposals she received to complete the 2023 fiscal year audit. Susan stated she reached out to five audit firms and only two were able to accept clients. Susan said we need to make a decision quickly so that we can get our audit scheduled to ensure we have the audit information back timely to help with budget preparations for next year. One proposal was from Loyd Group, LLC and was $45,000 the other is Jarred, Gilmore, and Phillips, PA for $24,000. Clifton made a motion to use Jarred, Gilmore, and Phillips PA out of Chanute, KS with a bid of $24,000. Nelson seconded the motion and all approved.
Teri Hulsey, EMS Director, presented the KRAF grant and stated they would use that to purchase another LUCAS device and RAD 57 pulse-oximeters which will detect carbon monoxide. Teri stated that the Chairman would need to sign the grant. Clifton made a motion to allow the Chairman to sign the KRAF grant. Nelson seconded the motion and all approved. Teri said she was contacted via Facebook by an individual asking if the patient is alert or if the patient is with a person that can legally make decisions for them and they know their insurance will not cover a certain area and are able to let you know this and will EMS transport that patient to a facility covered by their insurance upon their request. Teri said that they will transport to the closest appropriate ER based upon medical conditions and yes, if the patient is alert and able to make a sound medical decision, they will honor that request; however, there are stipulations to that for example if they are having a cardiac event Via Christi would be the closest appropriate ER even if they are not in your network. Teri said if they were to transport a patient to an ER that was not capable of handling their situation then the patient would incur another ambulance bill whether that is ground or air ambulance. Teri said they have protocols they must follow and must take patients to the closest appropriate facility and if anybody has any questions, please reach out to her.
Jennifer Hawkins, County Clerk, presented several resolutions for 2024 including GAAP waiver, financial institution and official newspaper declarations, and Rural Opportunity Zone. Clifton made a motion to adopt Resolution 1-24 concerning the waiver of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. Nelson seconded the motion and all approved. Jennifer stated Resolution 2-24 is designating depositories and the official publication carrier. Jennifer stated in compliance with KSA 9-1401 the following banks of Bourbon County are selected as depositories of funds by the County Treasurer: City State Bank, UMB Bank NA, Union State Bank, Liberty Savings and Loan, Landmark National Bank, and Citizens Bank NA. The county’s active account will be carried in Landmark National Bank and the official county newspaper will be the Fort Scott Tribune. Clifton made a motion to adopt Resolution 2-24 designating depositories and official newspaper as stated by the County Clerk. Nelson seconded the motion and all approved. Jennifer presented Resolution 3-24 which authorizes the participation in the Rural Opportunity Zone student loan repayment program for the calendar year 2024 with Bourbon County allocating zero dollars for the purpose of matching payments from the State of Kansas. Clifton made a motion to pass Resolution 3-24 authorizing the participation of the ROZ for student loan repayment for the calendar year 2024 and as stated allocate zero dollars for this purpose. Nelson seconded the motion and all approved. Jennifer asked to amend the agenda to discuss the inclement weather policy. Clifton made a motion to amend the agenda to add discussion of inclement weather in the county. Nelson seconded the motion the motion and all approved. Jennifer stated since this is her first year as Clerk, she wanted to inquire about the inclement weather policy and if it is decided to close the courthouse who would be notified. After discussion it was decided the Chairman would coordinate with the Public Works Department and the County Counselor to determine if the courthouse will be closed. The Chairman will notify the County Clerk, who will send out notifications to the department heads of the closure. Nelson asked how the employees who work EMS, Public Works, and the Sheriff’s Department who work while the courthouse is closed would get paid. It was determined that the employees who work while the courthouse is closed will receive time and a half.
Sheriff Bill Martin met with the Commissioners regarding the retirement of a K9 named Pistol. Sheriff Martin presented the contract, which states the handler Zach Ross will be taking custody of the dog, for the Chairman to sign. Nelson made a motion for the Chairman to sign the retirement paperwork for K9 Pistol so the dog can go to Deputy Zach Ross. Clifton seconded the motion and all approved. Sheriff Martin stated another car has been totaled in an accident and he is working with the insurance company regarding it. Sheriff Martin said they have received approximately $11,000 from the insurance company for the vehicle that has 152,000 miles on it. Sheriff Martin said he has reached out to the business where they purchased the other vehicles and is waiting on a quote from them. Sheriff Martin asked to work with the CFO to determine how to purchase a replacement vehicle whether that be money that have or if it needs to be financed.
Clifton asked for continued permission to work with Sheriff Martin and Undersheriff Davidson regarding deputies that are underpaid. Clifton said he would like to talk to them as a Commissioner about trying to get the deputies more money. Jim agreed and said if Bill doesn’t have it in the budget they can work with Susan and find some more money or move it but he thins we’re losing deputies to the City because they’re paying much better. Clifton thanked the newspaper for the clarification that was made about a story a few weeks ago stating information was leaked during an executive session which was not what was stated. Nelson ended the Commission comments section by holding a prayer.
Jim made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 6:16. Nelson seconded the motion and all approved.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
___________________, Chairman
___________________, Commissioner
ATTEST: ___________________, Commissioner
Jennifer Hawkins, Bourbon County Clerk
1-23-2024 Approved Date