According to Bourbon County Undersheriff Bill Martin, old patrol cars that have been totaled out by insurance will be removed by KCAMP, the county’s insurance provider. According to Sheriff Ron Gray and Martin, the remaining older patrol vehicles have been paid off and will be sold at auction, and bids for 2 new pickup trucks for the department have been offered by Shepherd Team Auto Plaza.

According to Sheriff Gray, the bid from Shepherd’s is $26,382 for the two vehicles. Gray said, “I am very pleased,” regarding the bid for the vehicles from the local dealer. “They actually came in almost a thousand less [than competitors], so they are the low bid.”

Regarding the sale of the four remaining aged vehicles, Gray said, “What you have to sell at auction would be my pickup, the Tahoe, the emergency preparedness truck and Tom Davis’s truck.” Commission Chairman Warren asked for a “ballpark” figure on the price these vehicles might bring, to which Gray replied that they might bring $500 each if sold at local auction, and at a larger auction, the amount would depend on the market the day of the sale. “I think your best option is probably to send them across the auction block,” Gray said.

The commissioners then went into a 15-minute executive session with Gray and Martin present to protect the privacy of non-elected personnel.

In other business:

• Bourbon County Emergency Manager Terri Coop shared an update on the first Bourbon County Long Term Relief Committee. “I am super impressed,” Coop said of the volunteers’ work on the first committee project. “The church kind of adopted this family,” Coop said of the Presbyterian Church’s work with the first project. Coop said that the Bourbon County Long Term Relief Committee portion of the project, the roofing of the house, is now finished. Commissioner Albright said that she had been questioned about the committee working on a home that the individual considered “unoccupied,” to which Coop replied that the house had been used, but that the home was rendered “uncomfortable” for use after the April hailstorm. Coop also brought an Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) application forward for the commissioners to sign.
  Coop also announced that Bourbon County is scheduled to host Kansas Division of Emergency Management (KDEM) training in September and October. “It’s taken me about 3 months to get it organized,” Coop said. According to Coop, the training will be held on the campus of Mercy Hospital in Fort Scott. “I’m hoping to be able to bring more of the state-sponsored training to Bourbon County,” Coop said.
• Phil Gonzalez of Source One Restoration, a local contracting company, attended the meeting in order to request permission to turn in a late bid on the courthouse roof. “If we could get you something by Monday, would you at least entertain it?” Gonzalez said. Commissioners Coleman and Warren explained that the county had made a “verbal commitment” to another company chosen by the insurance company. “Since no one bid, we went back to the insurance company for help,” Warren said. Warren said that the commissioners would contact the insurance company to see if KCAMP would allow a late bid.
• David Stewart of Heartland Propane presented a proposal to the commissioners involving the conversion of county vehicles to dual propane/gasoline capabilities. Stewart said that if the propane conversion were implemented, it would “reduce operation costs.” Stewart cited several reasons that make propane a wise choice for fuel, including the fact that it burns cleaner, is cheaper per gallon than gasoline ($1.80 for propane vs. $3.65 for gasoline), that there are tax rebates (50 cents per gallon) in place, and that using propane for vehicle fuel reduces dependence on foreign oil.
  Stewart outlined the cost of implementing the system, which would include a dispenser and cost for conversion of vehicles. Stewart said that a top of the line dispenser with digital readout would cost the county around $15,000, but a lower-end dispenser would cost closer to $8,000. A representative from Fuel Conversion Solutions put the price of conversion at $7-9,000 per vehicle.
• Carolyn Flynn of EnBridge Pipeline came to the meeting to finalize permits involving culverts and right of way for the new crude oil pipeline.Commissioners added up the cost, which totaled $2,163.76 for two entrances, including 24 inch culverts for each site.