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Bourbon County Commission Minutes of Jan. 12
January 12, 2021 Tuesday 9:00 am
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all three Commissioners, the County Counselor and the County Clerk present.
Also present were the following; (some were present for a portion of the meeting and some were present for the entire meeting, Jason Silvers with the Fort Scott Tribune, Jody Hoener, Mr. & Mrs. Clint Walker, Nancy Van Etten, Michael Hoyt, Anne Dare and Shane Walker.
Clifton made a motion to reorganize and elect Lynne Oharah as the Commissioner Chairman, Jim Harris seconded the motion and all approved.
Road & Bridge Director Eric Bailey met with the Commissioners; he said there were limbs down due to ice on the trees on January 1st, he said they are chipping and burning limbs from this storm. Jim Harris complimented Road & Bridge on the work they did on the roads in the ice/snow storm.
Eric reported they are still having issues with the hydraulic pumps on the dump trucks, he said a new pump lasted just over 3 hours. He said they had a conference call between him, Hillbilt & Tri-Star, Hillbilt rode around with the County and the truck shut down again, there is also an issue with the control box. Lynne told Eric to keep track of the amount of time spent dealing with the mechanical issues.
Eric reported that Schwab Eaton has been doing the annual bridge inspections; he said there are three bridges of concern… a bridge on 215th over the railroad tracks, a bridge at 85th & Xavier, and a bridge on Jayhawk. Eric said they are cleaning brush under the bridge at 235th & Valley and working on a sidewall at 85th & Xavier.
Eric said the motor for the rock crusher is at Berry Tractor for repairs; he said they are getting low on the rock supply. Eric said they bought coal patch by the ton to fill potholes with.
Eric reported they had three internal candidates for the Road & Bridge office manager; he said he interviewed all three and said Jennifer Hawkins was selected and will be starting on 1/19/2021.
An employee had an accident in the belly dump trailer on 1/11/2021.
At 9:20 am, Clifton made a motion to go into an executive session KSA 75-4319(b)(1) to discuss personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel to protect their privacy to discuss a specific employee, the Commissioners will meet in another location and reconvene in the Commission room at 9:30, Jim seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Patty Love). Clifton made a motion to reconvene in open session, Jim Harris seconded and all approved, no action was taken.
At 9:31 am, Clifton made a motion to go into a 15 minute executive session for KSA 75-4319(b)(1) to discuss personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel to protect their privacy to discuss an employees performance, the Commissioners will meet in another location and reconvene in the Commission room at 9:46am, Jim seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners). At 9:46, Clifton made a motion to come back into open session, Jim seconded and all approved, no action was taken.
Lynne made a motion to amend the agenda to eliminate the times stamps on the agenda, Clifton seconded and all approved.
Kendell Mason met with the Commissioners to discuss a real property relief application for a home that burnt down in March of 2020; Clifton made a motion to approve the real property relief application for M&RC rentals for a property at 306 S. Steen, Jim seconded and all approved and signed the application.
Lynne made a motion to adopt Resolution 06-21, a resolution regarding patron participation and public forums, Jim seconded and all approved and signed the resolution. Justin Meeks suggested having a time on the agenda for public comment and for County Counselor.
Lynne made a motion to adopt Resolution 05-21, a resolution naming P. K. Gugnani as the public health officer for 2021, Clifton seconded and all approved and signed the resolution.
Lynne made a motion to adopt Resolution 04-21, a resolution designating depositories and the official publication carrier, Jim seconded the motion, Clifton questioned if Landmark was the main bank and how it was selected, Lynne said yes and said it had been the main bank for several years; Lynne and Jim were in favor of the motion, Clifton was against the motion, the motion passed.
Lynne made a motion to adopt Resolution 03-21, a resolution for reimbursement of travel expenses; Clifton seconded and all approved.
Lynne made a motion to adopt Resolution 02-21, a resolution concerning the waiver of generally accepted accounting principles, Clifton seconded and all approved.
Lynne made a motion to adopt Resolution 01-21, a resolution naming the County holidays for 2021, Jim seconded and all approved.
Lynne made a motion to nominate Clifton to serve on the SEK Juvenile Detention board, Jim seconded and all approved.
Clifton made a motion to nominate Lynne to the SEKRPC board, Jim seconded and all approved.
Lynne made a motion to nominate Jim Harris to the Mental Health board, Jim seconded and all approved.
Jim made a motion to nominate Lynne to serve on the BEDCO board, Clifton seconded and all approved.
At 10:06 am, Clifton made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for KSA 75-4319(b)(1) to discuss personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel to protect their privacy, to discuss pay and leave time, the Commissioners will meet in another location and reconvene in the Commission room at 10:16, Jim seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Kendell Mason). At 10:16, Clifton made a motion to come out of executive session and go back into open session and said there will be action, Jim seconded and all approved. Lynne made a motion to extend the Federal leave benefits for the County employees that had not used the benefits in 2020, Clifton seconded and all approved.
Register of Deeds, Lora Holdridge met with the Commissioners to give an end of year review; she said they had the best year in 3 years, (even with COVID), she said in 2020 $121,025 was deposited back into the County general fund, in 2019 $94,979 was deposited back into the County general fund and in 2018 $82,103 was deposited back into the County general fund.
Nancy Van Etten, Lake Advisory Board, met with the Commissioners; she said there is a meeting on 1/16/2021 at 9:00 am at the City Hall, she asked for an update on the inter-local agreement regarding the sewer district and asked that the Commissioners appoint someone to the lake advisory board. Justin said he had conversations with the City and hoped to have the service contract finalized by the end of February, he said there is plenty of capacity for single family homes on the lake to connect to the sewer district.
Dave Bruner and Robert Leisure met with the Commissioners to discuss EMS. Dave Bruner asked the Commissioners to approve the medical director contract with Dr. Burke; Clifton made a motion to accept the EMS medical director agreement as written, Jim seconded and all approved. Clifton moved to allow Lynne to sign the EMS service agreement, Jim seconded and all approved. Clifton made a motion to accept as written the memo of understanding, Jim seconded and all approved. Robert Leisure reported that the company was building the new EMS vehicle; he said they still had time to decide if they wanted 6 or 7 total vehicles in their EMS fleet. He reported that in 2020 there were a total of 2,321 calls – 1702 were transports and 611 were transfers. He said an average year for calls is 2,400. Justin Meeks briefly discussed the memo of understanding; he said the 2021 budget is the same as the 2020 budget, but said there may be a possible increase in 2022.
At 10:35, Lynne made a motion to go into a 15 minute executive session for KSA 75-4319(b) (4) to discuss data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships, regarding contract issues, the Commissioners will meet in another location and reconvene in the Commission room at 10:51, Clifton seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners). At 10:51, Clifton made a motion to come back into open session, Jim seconded and all approved. No action was taken.
Lynne said the Commissioners had been working on a budget director position for the County and said Justin had put together a contract for this position. Justin said creating this contract was a joint effort between the City, himself and Susan Bancroft, he said the base pay for this part-time position is $60,000 and said this position includes benefits (which will be reimbursed back to the City of Fort Scott); Lynne said this is not an Interlocal agreement. Lynne said the County had incidents where they had to hire an outside person to do an audit of the accounts, that person recommended to do this to increase transparency and help the workings between departments. He said this person could be beneficial to have for budgeting issues, he said not having to pay an outside firm for budget issues could save $20,000. Justin said this person could help with HR issues and give support when needed. Clifton said the County is a very large organization and said this person could come in and solve some issues; he said we weren’t just dealing with gravel roads anymore. Clifton said he was tired of his taxes going up and said we had to move forward and put this organization in the 21st century, he said he was tired of status quo, he said we are a large organization that is somewhat disjointed. Jim Harris said he had concerns over this position, he said he had gotten the impression that they hadn’t involved any other elected officials during the dialog of this position and said he didn’t see a job description for this position. Jim said the elected officials needed to be brought into the conversation and make sure they are all on the same page. He questioned what the duties of this position were and asked if this meant a reduction in force. Lynne said there had been a large sum of money not moved into the correct account, Jim said they haven’t been transparent and said he wasn’t ready to make a decision on the position, he said he did support the position. Lynne said this is a one year contract. Clifton made a motion to accept the engagement letter as written, Lynne seconded and Jim abstained from the vote, motion passed.
Monica Murnan with Greenbush called the Commissioners to give a SPARK update; she said as of January 6, 2021 Bourbon County had all of the required documents submitted to the State and said the grant had been zeroed out. She said it was unknown if there would be any future grants for the County due to COVID. Monica thanked Ashley in the County Clerk’s office for all of the work she did with the grant. Greenbush will be providing the County with a flash drive with all the grant information on it; Jody Hoener questioned who at the County would receive the flash drive, Lynne suggested the new business director get the flash drive, Jody suggested giving it to an elected official, Justin said the flash drive should go to Kendell’s office.
Clifton made a motion to amend the agenda to discuss a work session, Jim seconded and all approved. Clifton said the City has requested a work session with the County on January 14th at 5:00 pm at City Hall, Clifton made a motion to allow all of the Commissioners to attend the work session, no business will be conducted, Jim seconded and all approved.
At 11:16, Clifton made a motion to go into a 20 minute executive session for KSA 75-4319(b)(3) to discuss matters relating to employer-employee negotiations whether or not in consultation with the representative(s) of the body or agency regarding the County Counselor position, the Commissioners will meet in another location and reconvene in the Commission room at 11:36 am, Jim seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). At 11:36, Lynne made a motion to come out of executive session into open session, Clifton seconded and all approved. After the session, Justin Meeks said he had enjoyed his job the past 3 years, but said it had come with a lot of pressure when dealing with the EMS, hospital, COVID and the windfarm. He said his goal is to revert back to being the County Counselor and said he wouldn’t take on any administrative functions. He had a one year contract effective 1/12/2021 to agree to work 20 hours a week for $75/hour, he said if he works over the 20 hours he would bill $100/hour for hours over 20. Justin said his goal is to step further back and eventually work less hours. Justin said this is a one year agreement and said the Commissioners could terminate it at anytime. Clifton made a motion to accept the engagement letter and to allow Lynne to sign it, Jim seconded and all approved.
Clifton made a motion to amend the agenda to terminate the last scheduled executive session, Jim seconded and all approved.
The Commissioners decided to allow time on the end of each agenda to allow for public comment.
Clifton made a motion to amend the agenda for public comment for a total of up to 10 minutes (3 minutes per speaker), Jim seconded and all approved.
Anne Dare said that the public will be surprised when they see the numbers for the part time position created. Michael Hoyt said he would get Jim Harris a copy of the advisory board documents he had given to the other Commissioners and said he would like to discuss this in the future.
Clifton made a motion to discuss the election canvass date and time, Lynne seconded and all approved. Clifton made a motion that all of the Commissioners attend the canvass on January 14th, 2021 at 10:00 am in the Commission room, Jim seconded and all approved.
At 11:47, Clifton made a motion to adjourn, Jim seconded and all approved.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jim Harris, Commissioner
(ss) Clifton Beth, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
January 19, 2021, Approved Date
Bourbon County Commission Minutes of Jan. 11
January 11, 2021 Monday 10:00 am
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all three Commissioners, the County Counselor and the County Clerk present.
Jason Silvers with the Fort Scott Tribune was also present.
Lynne reported they were having the meeting due to receiving a KOMA complaint; the Attorney General issued an opinion on the complaint, the KOMA complaint included the following allegations… the Commissioners failed to “comply with the statutory requirements for recessing into an executive session, failure to include an attorney in an executive session held for “attorney client privilege”, improperly including a third party in two executive sessions held for consultation with an attorney; and holding an executive session for personnel matters of nonelected personnel that did not pertain to an identifiable employee.” Justin Meeks said the County did have technical KOMA violations, he said the Commissioners need to include in their motions for an executive session the reason for the executive session, plus additional details for the session, include a K.S.A. when making a motion to go into executive session, the exact start and stop time of the session and make a motion when coming back into open session. Justin said the Commissioners went into an executive session for windfarm discussion for attorney client privilege but should have gone in for proprietary information instead. Justin reported that Nick Ruhl had already signed the consent order from the office of the Attorney General, Lynne signed during the Commission meeting, Jeff Fischer said he would have to review the consent order before signing; he said if Justin had shared this before the meeting, he could have reviewed it. Jeff told Justin he saw this complaint for the first time in October/November timeframe, and at that time Justin said he would take care of this. Jeff read a portion of the consent order and said he would not sign this. If the Commissioners participate in KOMA training, the $50 penalty for each Commissioner for the KOMA violation will be waived, (Justin suggested doing the KOMA training).
This is Jeff Fischer’s last Commission meeting as a Commissioner; he said he had enjoyed serving with this Commission, he said he admired Lynne for his work in preserving the taxpayers interest, and said it was nice to see he advocated for a reduction in the mill levy. He told Clifton that he enjoyed working with him and appreciated his ability to quickly learn & get to the heart of an issue, he wished him the best. Lynne said he appreciated the compliment and said it had been a trying time the past two years and said he has tried to save taxpayers money. Jeff said he could count on him to make decisions for the taxpayers.
At 10:22, Clifton made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for KSA 75-4319(b)(4) to discuss data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships, concerning medical, the Commissioners will meet in another location and reconvene in the Commission room at 10:32am, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Jody Hoener and Justin Meeks). At 10:32, Clifton made a motion to go back into open session, Lynne seconded and all approved, no action was taken.
Lynne asked that a 30 minute executive session be scheduled on the January 12th agenda for medical discussion.
At 10:33, Clifton made a motion to adjourn, Jeff seconded and all approved.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jim Harris, Commissioner
(ss) Clifton Beth, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
January 12, 2021, Approved Date
The Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office Daily Reports Jan. 29
The Fort Scott Police Department Daily Reports Jan. 26-28
Selfishness By Patty LaRoche
A priest, a doctor, and an engineer were waiting one morning for a particularly slow group of golfers. The engineer fumed, “What’s with those guys? We’ve been waiting for fifteen minutes!” The doctor chimed in, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen such inept golf!” The priest, noticing a nearby green-keeper, greeted the worker. “Hello George, What’s wrong with that group ahead of us? They’re rather slow, aren’t they?” The green-keeper replied, “Oh, yes. That’s a group of blind firemen. They lost their sight saving our clubhouse from a fire last year, so we always let them play for free anytime!” The group fell silent for a moment.
The priest said, “That’s so sad. I’ll say a special prayer for them tonight.”
The doctor added, “Good idea. I’ll contact my ophthalmologist colleague and see if there’s anything she can do for them.”
The engineer responded, “Why can’t they play at night?”
I’ve met people like that, haven’t you? Empathy is not in their vocabulary. Correction: they appreciate empathy, but only when they are its recipient. Should they, however, be inconvenienced, a price will be paid. The same is true with forgiveness. My granddaughter, Montana, is here in Mazatlán, Mexico, in discipleship training. This past week, she shared that their group had focused on forgiveness. She made me smile with this observation: “Forgiveness is a gift.”
I’m not sure there is a better present than to forgive someone. Consider the eternal implications to not. (Jesus’ words, not mine): For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions. (Matt. 6:14-15) It’s one of the harshest warnings in Scripture.
I have known people who will not forgive, who hang on to their offense, who would rather spend eternity away from God than to humble themselves and deal with their pride. Fortunately, my Mazatlán friend, Debbie, is not one of them. We could have lost something precious, had she not forgiven me for what I wrote in an Email–implying that she was not trustworthy–that was accidentally forwarded to her a few years ago. I had written the words in frustration and became hysterical when I realized that she had read them. Immediately, I phoned her to apologize and ask her forgiveness. She had been deeply wounded by how I had both betrayed our friendship and disrespected her work.
Since I was teaching in Kansas at the time, I had to wait over two months–for spring break– until I could meet with her, face to face, to ask her forgiveness. She had every right to dismiss me, to judge me and decide that I was not worth her time. Her choice to give me another chance was a lesson that taught me much about how I want to live my life. Because Debbie knew that unforgiveness always leads to bitterness which keeps us living with a broken heart, she showed grace, and because of that, our friendship has become an elite bond we both cherish. Not a week goes by that we don’t spend time together. Last year, when Debbie and I were having lunch, I brought up how I wish I could take back those accusatory words, but my friend would have none of it. “That’s in the past. What we have now is the best.” We both are blessed beyond measure because Debbie was the bigger person.
Is there someone you need to forgive? Or would you rather harbor your power-in-payback resentment and hold to the lofty “over my dead body” mantra? I pray that you don’t see that to its literal ending.
Pancake Feed, Auction and Bake Sale at First Southern Baptist Church Feb. 6
JOIN US FOR OUR 3RD ANNUAL
ALL YOU CAN EAT PANCAKES (Regular & Gluten Free)
WITH A SERVING OF
GROUNDHOG FUNDRAISER,
SILENT AUCTION & BAKE SALE
Feb. 6, 2021, 8 a.m.- 2 p.m.
at First Southern Baptist Church
1818 South Main, Fort Scott, KS.
Children 7 and under FREE
8 to Adult $5.00 in advance
or
$6.00 at the door
purchase tickets at
Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce or
Contact Ida Ford 417-262-3948 or
Terri Williams 620-215-3202
Vera Norris 620-215-2066
**All proceeds go to the building fund
Child Welfare Settlement Agreement
Federal Judge Approves Child Welfare Settlement Agreement
DCF looks forward to implementation and continued improvement
TOPEKA – Kansas Department for Children and Families Secretary Laura Howard today applauded the approval of the settlement agreement in the matter of M.B. and S.E., through their next friend KATHARYN MCINTYRE, et al., v. LAURA HOWARD, et al.
“I want to thank Judge Crabtree and the plaintiffs for making this a collaborative process,” Howard said. “We’ve already begun the heavy lifting required of us to address the provisions laid out in the agreement, we know we have much work ahead of us to reinforce our commitment to Kansas children by building an effective child welfare system.”
The class action lawsuit was filed in 2018 by Kansas Appleseed, Lori Burns-Bucklew, Children’s Rights and the National Center for Youth Law against the Governor, DCF, Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. The Governor was later dismissed from the case.
The agreement outlines three categories of requirements for DCF focused on placement stability and access to mental health services. Categories include accountability reporting and implementation, practice improvements and outcomes. See the full list of requirements.
“We know these outcomes are achievable because we’ve already seen the positive results of the hard work DCF employees have put into these requirements,” Howard said. “I believe we can meet the timelines set forward in the agreement and ensure that Kansas isn’t caught up in never ending litigation.”
As part of the settlement work, DCF has already organized a statewide placement stability workgroup of partners and providers to identify and implement improvements. In addition, the agency will soon award a contract for Kansas Family Crisis Response and Support will allow DCF to offer crisis intervention services across the state.
The agency also has increased supports to relative and foster caregivers and will soon issue an RFP for innovations to support placement stability practice improvements included in the settlement agreement.
With these efforts, the rate of moves for children in care has reduced over the past 12 months.
Howard isn’t satisfied.
“We’ve made significant progress in slowing the number of foster youth who run away or don’t have a placement and end up in offices thanks to our enhanced special response team and by building a new child protection framework through new practice models like Team Decision Making and Family Finding. I am committed to seeing this work through until the requirements are completed and being transparent about our progress along the way.”
Buck Run Stream Advisory Rescinded
Stream Advisory Rescinded for Buck Run Creek, located East of Scott Avenue and West of 69 Highway in Fort Scott, Kansas
TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has rescinded the stream advisory for the Buck Run Creek, along the area East of Scott Avenue and West of 69 Highway in Fort Scott, Kansas. Water samples show no health risk associated with the creek. Water contact in the river is now deemed safe.
New FS City Manager Starts Feb. 1: Jeremy Frazier
Jeremy Frazier was selected by the Fort Scott City Commission in a unanimous vote to become the next city manager in January 2021.
He starts in that position next Monday, February 1.
He replaces Dave Martin, who retired in October 2020.
Frazier will bring new vision and ideas to the city, according to a January 21 Fort Scott City Commission press release.
To view the city’s press release:
Jeremy Frazier To Begin As Fort Scott City Manager on Feb. 1
“Jeremy brings to this position over a decade of public sector experience,” according to the press release.
Frazier has managed cities of various size towns of from 1,800 people to his most recent in El Reno, Oklahoma, population approximately 20,000 people, according to the release.
He will earn $115,000 per year plus benefits as the new city manager.
To view the entire contract:
FedEx Scan 2021-01-20_14-12-31(1)
The following is from an email interview with Frazier.
Why did you pursue your career? Was there someone who inspired you?
“I chose to pursue city management as a career because after graduating from college and landing a position with a great company, I found myself financially secure but unfulfilled and lacking passion within my organization.”
“So I put serious thought into what I enjoy, how I could serve others, and how I could create lasting changes in the lives of others. I knew that I felt a calling to public service but was unsure as to how best to execute it. After all, I knew very few public servants at the time.”“Fortunately, I met some great public servants through the Oklahoma Municipal League such as Missy Dean and the City Management Association of Oklahoma which include Tim Rundel, Eric Benson, Jason Orr, and many others.”“While the opportunity that I desired did not materialize immediately, I stayed close to the industry and received encouragement from various industry professionals for which I had great respect and admiration.”
“Finally, a few years later, I was offered an opportunity to serve in a small community of 1,800. There the city manager felt it important that I learn every position and task from code enforcement to billing and collections and public works. At the time I did not appreciate these lessons as I thought I was hired to be more of an administrator, in my mind.”“In hindsight, this was the best learning experience that I could have ever asked for and I’ve been hooked on public service every since, building upon my knowledge and skills with each community that I’ve served.”“Now I look forward to bringing my passion for public service, skills, and knowledge to serve the community and residents of Fort Scott.”
What affiliations/community involvement interests you outside of your employment?
“I have served as a board of trustees appointee to a local university, worked closely with local volunteer organizations to perform community projects, served as a member of local civic organizations such as Toastmaster’s International and the Lions Club, and was active with local government organizations such as the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), Oklahoma Municipal League (OML) and the City Management Association of Oklahoma (CMAO).”“I hope to be active in similar organizations in the state of Kansas. I might also find interest in local home building or restoration non-profits such as Habitat for Humanity and others.”
Frazier said he has been married “nearly 15 years to a wonderful woman and mother and I have two young boys.”
Farm Loans Debt Collections Suspended
USDA Temporarily Suspends Debt Collections, Foreclosures and Other Activities on Farm Loans for Several Thousand Distressed Borrowers Due to Coronavirus
Manhattan, Kansas, Jan. 27, 2021 – Due to the national public health emergency caused by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced the temporary suspension of past-due debt collections and foreclosures for distressed borrowers under the Farm Storage Facility Loan and the Direct Farm Loan programs administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA). USDA will temporarily suspend non-judicial foreclosures, debt offsets or wage garnishments, and referring foreclosures to the Department of Justice. USDA will work with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to stop judicial foreclosures and evictions on accounts that were previously referred to the Department of Justice. Additionally, USDA has extended deadlines for producers to respond to loan servicing actions, including loan deferral consideration for financially distressed and delinquent borrowers. In addition, for the Guaranteed Loan program, flexibilities have been made available to lenders to assist in servicing their customers.
Today’s announcement by USDA expands previous actions undertaken by the Department to lessen financial hardship. According to USDA data, more than 12,000 borrowers—approximately 10% of all borrowers—are eligible for the relief announced today. Overall, FSA lends to more than 129,000 farmers, ranchers and producers.
“USDA and the Biden Administration are committed to bringing relief and support to farmers, ranchers and producers of all backgrounds and financial status, including by ensuring producers have access to temporary debt relief,” said Robert Bonnie, Deputy Chief of Staff, Office of the Secretary. “Not only is USDA suspending the pipeline of adverse actions that can lead to foreclosure and debt collection, we are also working with the Departments of Justice and Treasury to suspend any actions already referred to the applicable Agency. Additionally, we are evaluating ways to improve and address farm related debt with the intent to keep farmers on their farms earning living expenses, providing for emergency needs, and maintaining cash flow.”
The temporary suspension is in place until further notice and is expected to continue while the national COVID-19 disaster declaration is in place.
USDA’s Farm Service Agency provides several different loans for producers, which fall under two main categories:
- Guaranteed loans are made and serviced by commercial lenders, such as banks, the Farm Credit System, credit unions and other non-traditional lenders. FSA guarantees the lender’s loan against loss, up to 95%.
- Direct loans are made and serviced by FSA using funds from the federal government.
The most common loan types are Farm Ownership, Farm Operating and Farm Storage Facility Loans, with Microloans for each:
- Farm Ownership: Helps producers purchase or enlarge a farm or ranch, construct a new or improve an existing farm or ranch building, pay closing costs and pay for soil and water conservation and protection.
- Farm Operating: Helps producers purchase livestock and equipment and pay for minor real estate repairs and annual operating expenses.
- Farm Storage Facility Loans are made directly to producers for the construction of cold or dry storage and includes handling equipment and mobile storage such as refrigerated trucks.
- Microloans: Direct Farm Ownership, Operating Loans and Farm Storage Facility Loans have a shortened application process and reduced paperwork designed to meet the needs of smaller, non-traditional and niche-type operations.
Contact FSA
FSA encourages producers to contact their county office to discuss these programs and temporary changes to farm loan deadlines and the loan servicing options available. For Service Center contact information, visit farmers.gov/coronavirus. For servicing information, access farmers.gov.
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender
