Bourbon County, Government

Bourbon County Commission Agenda Jan. 14

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Agenda

Bourbon County Commission Room

1st Floor, County Courthouse

210 S. National Avenue

Fort Scott, KS 66701

Tuesdays starting at 9:00

Date: January 14, 2020

1st District-Lynne Oharah Minutes: Approved: _______________

2nd District-Jeff Fischer Corrected: _______________

3rd District-Nick Ruhl Adjourned at: _______________

County Clerk-Kendell Mason

1:30-2:00 – Jim Harris

2:00-2:15 – John George – Wind Generation Opportunities

2:15-2:30 – Jody Hoener – executive session Proprietary Information

2:30-3:00 – Jody Hoener-Business Incubator

3:00-4:00 – Alan Anderson-Polsinelli Law Firm

Executive Session

Confidential data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets

4:00-4:15 – Justin Meeks

4:15-4:30 – Courthouse Security

4:30-6:00 – Lunch

6:00-6:30 – Windfarm Discussion

6:30-6:45 – Kim Simons

Bourbon County, Government

Bourbon County Commission Agenda for Jan. 13

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Agenda

Bourbon County Commission Room

1st Floor, County Courthouse

210 S. National Avenue

Fort Scott, KS 66701

Tuesdays starting at 9:00

Date: January 13, 2020

1st District-Lynne Oharah Minutes: Approved: _______________

2nd District-Jeff Fischer Corrected: _______________

3rd District-Nick Ruhl Adjourned at: _______________

County Clerk-Kendell Mason

2:00-2:15: executive session – Non-elected personnel

2:15-2:40: executive session – Contract Negotiations

Bourbon County, Business, Government

Bourbon County Commissioner Answers Questions on Raises

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Lynne Oharah, District One Bourbon County Commissioner. Submitted photo

Bourbon County Commissioners are trying to close the gap in wages for its’ elected officials, according to chairman Lynne Oharah.

Recently the commission raised four elected officials earnings with a combined total of $46,000.

At the Dec. 17, 2019 county commission meeting Ohara made a motion to approve a salary resolution for elected officials effective Dec. 15, 2019, according to commission minutes. This raised the clerk and treasurer’s salary to $47,248 annually, the register of deeds to 44,821 and the sheriff’s salary to $60,000. Commissioner Jeff Fisher seconded and all commissioners approved.

Ohara then made a motion approving a wage resolution for Bourbon County employees changing the following: the salary for the correctional center captain, the emergency preparedness director and the deputy county appraiser were raised to $35,568 annually to comply with the U.S. Dept. Of Labor standards for salaried employees. A Maintenance 5 position was added at a rate of $17.47 per hour.  Commissioner Nick Ruhl seconded and all were in favor of those changes.  The economic development director’s salary was changed to $70,000 a year on the same resolution.

Jeff Fischer, District 2 Bourbon County Commissioner.

Ohara made a motion to approve changing her salary to $70,000. He said that if Bourbon County gets an administrative fee from Phase 2 of the Healthy Bourbon County Grant then part of the $70,000 salary would be subsidized from the grant, Fisher seconded this motion, Ruhl voted against this motion,  and the motion passed.

Nick Ruhl, District 3 Bourbon County Commissioner.

The following is an interview with Bourbon County Commissioner Lynn Oharah.

He started with a  history of the raises.

“In 2015, Sheriff Martin contracted an agency to do a wage study to compare Bourbon County wages with other comparable counties because he thought there was a large wage disparity between Bourbon County employees and other like counties,” Commissioner  Oharah said. “The county commissioners also accessed Kansas county wage information from the ks.gov website. The results indicated that Bourbon County wages were significantly behind our peers. The commissioners resolved to address these wage disparities and devised a plan to increase FTE (Full Time equivalent) positions first and address the next positions that had the most wage disparity, which happened to be the elected officials. Along with this effort we wanted to incentivize employees to continue working for the county and we did this by approving a $100 per year of service longevity pay increase.”

Where did the money come from to give the raises?
“We gave four elected officials raises when combined totaled $46,000.00. This money came from most of the departments managing their budgets and workforce which created a carryover from the 2015 and forward budget years. These wage increases did not increase the mill levy and this carryover gave us the resources to create a competitive wage with our peers although Bourbon County wages are still on the low side.”
What is the justification for the doubling of the earnings of the Bourbon County Economic Development Director?

 

“This position was initially created to see how the position could help the county,” Oharah said.  “It was created with a minimum of 20 hours of work per week at $35,000 annual salary and we would look at the performance and scope to see if we needed to increase the hours and wages.”

“Our economic developer has been a great asset and for the first six months spent a lot of time helping get the Bourbon County Ambulance Service up and running along with the other duties.”

“Since then all Bourbon County businesses and government entities have been contacted and surveyed to address their needs and identify what’s important to them.  Also, new businesses have been guided through the process of starting a business, grants have been written, the County NRP program has been implemented and coordinated under economic development.  Meetings and plans regarding healthcare are ongoing with economic development highly involved. This is just naming a few projects that are ongoing and the time spent well exceeds what was required.”

“Based on the need, the commission voted to increase the economic development salary and scope. The salary was based on what was being paid to other economic development directors in our surrounding market and the Bourbon County Economic Development budget is still lower than most of our competitive counties.”

 

“Bourbon County needs to grow and prosper and we cannot get there by doing the same thing that we have been doing for the last 100 years,” Oharah said.
The commission meets on Tuesdays at 9 a.m. at the courthouse.
To contact Ohara: 620-223-3800, ext 110; Fisher at ext. 112 and Ruhl at ext. 111.
Government, Kansas

Kansas gets new personalized license plate design: wind turbines are featured

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Topeka – Beginning January 15, 2020, a new personalized license plate design will be seen on Kansas roads. The plate, featuring wind turbines on a Kansas sunrise, is aptly named “Powering the Future.” It will serve as a reminder of the state’s long history of embracing the natural energy resource of wind.

“Kansas is a leader in alternative energy and this plate helps feature the fact the state has a long history of adopting technology that shapes the future,” Secretary of Revenue Mark Burghart said.

“I am pleased that this license plate design comes on the heels of Kansas being ranked first in the nation for percentage of electricity produced by wind,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “At the same time, it is a display of an expanding industry that contributes so much to the economic fabric of our state.”

“The new personalized plate design has been highly anticipated,” David Harper, Director of Vehicles, said. “We are happy that people continue to take pride in and show interest in the option for personalized plates.”

Customers will need to go into their local county treasurer’s office to place the order for the personalized plate.

To obtain the personalized plate, county treasurers will require customers to have their current registration receipt, photo ID, and proof of insurance.

Customers who currently don’t have a personalized plate can go to their local county treasurer’s office with those documents and pay the plate fee and any additional fees associated with the plate order. They will receive a temporary vehicle tag and the metal plate will arrive in the mail. This can be done ahead of the regular renewal month.

Kansas gets new personalized license plate design

Topeka – Beginning January 15, 2020, a new personalized license plate design will be seen on Kansas roads. The plate, featuring wind turbines on a Kansas sunrise, is aptly named “Powering the Future.” It will serve as a reminder of the state’s long history of embracing the natural energy resource of wind.

“Kansas is a leader in alternative energy and this plate helps feature the fact the state has a long history of adopting technology that shapes the future,” Secretary of Revenue Mark Burghart said.

“I am pleased that this license plate design comes on the heels of Kansas being ranked first in the nation for percentage of electricity produced by wind,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “At the same time, it is a display of an expanding industry that contributes so much to the economic fabric of our state.”

“The new personalized plate design has been highly anticipated,” David Harper, Director of Vehicles, said. “We are happy that people continue to take pride in and show interest in the option for personalized plates.”

Customers will need to go into their local county treasurer’s office to place the order for the personalized plate.

To obtain the personalized plate, county treasurers will require customers to have their current registration receipt, photo ID, and proof of insurance.

Customers who currently don’t have a personalized plate can go to their local county treasurer’s office with those documents and pay the plate fee and any additional fees associated with the plate order. They will receive a temporary vehicle tag and the metal plate will arrive in the mail. This can be done ahead of the regular renewal month.

For customers with the current 2015 personalized plate, a letter will be in the mail 45 days before the regular due date of the registration telling them they have the option to switch their current personalized combination to the new plate. Customers will be able to keep their 2015 personalized plate.

An application for a personalized plate can be printed and completed prior to the visit to the respective county treasurer’s office by clicking the following link: https://www.ksrevenue.org/pdf/tr715.pdf.

The cost of the plate will be $45.50 in addition to other registration fees and taxes normally due.

For customers with the current 2015 personalized plate, a letter will be in the mail 45 days before the regular due date of the registration telling them they have the option to switch their current personalized combination to the new plate. Customers will be able to keep their 2015 personalized plate.

An application for a personalized plate can be printed and completed prior to the visit to the respective county treasurer’s office by clicking the following link: https://www.ksrevenue.org/pdf/tr715.pdf.

The cost of the plate will be $45.50 in addition to other registration fees and taxes normally due.

Bourbon County, K-State Extension

Information and Resources Available from K-State Extension

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Carla Nemecek is Southwind District Director and agent.

Kansas State University provides you with research-based information through many avenues. Locally, your contact is the Southwind Extension District in Erie, Ft. Scott, Yates Center and Iola. Hundreds of publications and fact sheets, written by K-State researchers and specialists, are available through the university’s Publications Library, www.bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/ Another alternative is to research the information provided on the Southwind website, www.southwind.k-state.edu/  In 2020, we are working toward making more information and resources available to you in a digital format – but that initiative is a work in progress!

 

Not all of our services can be found on the internet. One of the most utilized resources is soil testing. K-State Research & Extension can test soil for $12 per sample or $10 apiece for two or more. Soil testing is recommended for gardeners, farmers, testing for lawn & turf problems, or pasture management. Feed and forage testing is also offered. The only way to know for certain the quality of the feed is to get a lab analysis of it, to take a forage test. A forage test may run from $12-24 per sample, depending on what you want the sample tested for. Other tests that are available include Radon Test Kits ($6) and Water Quality Testing resources.

 

Have you ever wondered what that unidentified pest or plant lurking around your home may be, or even how you can get rid of it? The Extension Office has expertise and resources available to identify pests that are common to our area and in Kansas. This includes home and crop insects, weeds, and various plants. We can also provide information on how to remove or control the pest, depending on your situation.

 

One of our “best kept secret” products that we offer for sale are odor neutralizers.  Ecosorb ($28) is used in numerous homes, farm and industrial/commercial applications. Most of our clients seek this product to control the odor from fuel spills, mold smell, or skunk sprays.  Neutroleum Alpha ($35) is a concentrated product utilized in a similar fashion to control strong odors. Because it is a concentrate, it can be used in a larger area.

 

This time of the year, we sell quite a few Farm and Family Account Books ($4.50 – $8.50). If you haven’t made the transition to computerized record keeping, this resource allows for an accurate accounting of your finances in a form that makes completing taxes easier.

 

Extension publications are very accessible to the public, and most are free if you pick them up in the Extension Office. The Kansas Garden Guide is a new publication that is available for only $6. If you are looking for resources on planning a garden, seeding & planting, or details about a specific crop, this publication is a must-have.  Extension offers many, many publications on home gardening so please stop by if you are looking for something specific.

 

Area farmers and ranchers often utilize the Kansas Performance Tests for various crops to determine which varieties will grow best in this area of the state. Next month, the 2020 Hybrid Reports for Corn, Soybeans, and Grain Sorghum will become available in the Extension Office. This is in addition to the Wheat Seed Book that is always available in late summer after wheat has been harvested and data collected.

 

The 2020 Chemical Weed Control Guide will be published in January and provides suggestions for chemical weed control in several major crops. It offers recommendations, and guidelines for crop specific chemicals.

 

If you are involved in a club or organization that requests presentations, the Southwind District offers a “Speakers Bureau” brochure, which contains the public speaking topics offered by the Extension Agents. Let us help you with your educational topics during your meetings. We try to mail this to civic and social organizations on an annual basis, but you are also welcome to pick up a copy in any of our four offices.

 

As a consumer, you have many options for finding the answers to your questions. By choosing to use the Extension Service, you can be sure you are getting research-based, unbiased information. We encourage you to use the Southwind Extension District Offices in Erie, Ft. Scott, Yates Center and Iola to help answer your questions. Or you can find us on the web, www.southwind.k-state.edu/


Carla Nemecek
Southwind Extension District
Director & Agent
[email protected]
620-365-2242
1 North Washington, Iola, KS 66749

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Fort Scott, Schools

FSHS Thespian Troupe Receives State Honors

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The Fort Scott High School Thespian Troupe #7365 attended the annual KS State Thespian Festival on Jan. 9-11 in Wichita.
Twenty-six students attended three days of theatre-related workshops, competitions, and performances accompanied by FSHS Thespian Director Angie Bin and FSHS English teacher Don Parsons.
Ashanti (Bell) Green, Jenna Stockstill, and Mesa Jones pose with their Superior Rating medals qualifying them to compete at the International Thespian Festival.
The following students competed in Individual Events and received Superior Ratings qualifying them to compete at the International Thespian Festival in Indiana in June: Senior Mesa Jones and sophomore Jenna Stockstill qualified in Musical Solo and junior Ashanti (Bell) Green qualified in Monologue.
Mesa Jones served as a State Thespian Officer for KS.
FSHS also once again received the Gold Honor Troupe Award, the highest honor given, for their performances, community involvement, and participation. Jones was recognized for serving this past year as a State Thespian Officer. She was one of five student officers from across the state elected to plan and facilitate this year’s festival.
Seniors Mackenzie Peoples and Wendy Monahan pose with their college audition call-back lists.
Two FSHS seniors auditioned for all of the colleges in attendance. Wendy Monahan received call-backs from 15 colleges and Mackenzie Peoples was called back by 9 colleges.
Other students who competed in Individual Events included senior Dominic Cannon with junior Sage Hill and Monahan with junior Amber Russo in Duet Acting; and Peoples and sophomore Christina Ramirez in Musical Solo. All FSHS attendees also competed in Improvisational Acting, Speed Charades, Creative Costuming, or Theatre Quiz Bowl.
Left to right (top row): Angie Bin, Tailynn Harding, Jacob Ham, Italeigh Harding, Sierra Long, Amber Russo, Wendy Monahan, Christina King, Levi Bin, Daniel Watson. (Middle row): Carlee Studyvin, Alexis Williams, Israel Carreno, Kaitlyn Hanks, Olivia Wilterding, Christina Ramirez, Mackenzie Peoples, Avery Dorsey, Justin Stevens. (Front row): Troupe #7365 officers: Ashanti Green, Zaria Byrd, Alexa Bukowski, Dominic Cannon, Jenna Stockstill, Mesa Jones, Sage Hill.
Bin taught workshops entitled “Unlocking the Mystery of Immersive Theatre” and “Let’s Play! Building Your Theatre Program Among Kids” throughout the weekend.
The FSHS spring theatre season kicks off with auditions for the play “Radium Girls” by D.W. Gregory on Jan. 13 and 14. Performances are at 7 p.m. on Feb. 27-29 in the FSHS Auditorium.
Bourbon County

Uniontown 4-H Club December Report

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By Marley Sutton, Uniontown 4-H Club Reporter

 

Uniontown 4-H Club members have been busy preparing for the Southwind District 4-H Days by practicing their 4-H skit. The club will perform the skit, which is about 4-H facts, for judges at the event on February 1st in Moran.

 

On December 30th Uniontown 4-H Club members attended the  Southwind District 4-H Skate Party in Chanute. Members skated and ate pizza with 4-H members from all four counties in the district.

 

Bourbon County, Fort Scott National Historic Site

Do you want to be a “Friend”?

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Submitted by Martha Scott, Membership Chairman of Friends of Fort Scott National Historic Site.
Membership in Friends of Fort Scott National Historic Site is underway and easy.
Just fill out this form below, decide on membership level and mail this form and check to:
Martha Scott, Membership Chairman
Friends of Fort Scott National Historic Site
1208 S. National
Fort Scott, Ks. 66701
NAME____________________________________________
ADDRESS_________________________________________
EMAIL____________________________________________
MEMBERSHIP LEVEL:
CORPORAL $35____________SERGEANT $50_________
QUARTERMASTER $75____________________________
SERGEANT MAJOR $100___________________________
CAPTAIN SWORDS $200__________________________

Obituary

Obituary of Mary Del (Esch) Sparks

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Mary Del Sparks, age 93, passed away on Friday, January 10, 2020 at Country Place Senior Living in Fort Scott where she had been a resident for two years.

Mary Del was born on September 21, 1926 in Pittsburg, KS. She was the daughter of Peter A. and H. Leota Dixon Esch. She attended St. Mary’s School in Pittsburg and graduated from St. Mary’s Colgan High School with the class of 1944. Mary Del graduated from Kansas State Teachers College of Pittsburg, now called Pittsburg State University, in 1948. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Education

Mary Del married James (Sparky) Sparks of Arma, KS after meeting in college. They were married on August 8, 1948 at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Pittsburg. Sparky and Mary Del had four daughters.

Jim preceded her in death on June 30, 1991.

Mary Del is survived by her daughters and son-n-laws J.W. and Diana Endicott of Fort Scott, Rick and Kim Farmer of Rogers, AR. and Shelly Sparks of Dallas, TX. Also surviving are granddaughters and their husbands: Mathew and Mary Foster, Cris and Laura Corey, Jake and Susan Brown, Cody and D’Ambra Hawkins, Kayla Stillwagon, Heather Townzen and Steven and Hillary Townsley; two grandsons: Mathew Hampton and Christopher Stillwagon as well as 15 great-grandchildren. In addition, Mary Del is survived by her brothers and their wives Pete and Shirley Esch of Fayettville, AR and David and Masolyne Esch of Joplin, MO.

Mary Del was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, her daughter Kay Lynn Stillwagon, her brother John Gerald Esch and sisters-n-law Betty Esch and Louise Esch.

Mary Del taught school in Crawford and Bourbon Counties. She was a member of Mary Queen of Angels Catholic Church, Chapter FU PEO and past president of Alpha Sigma Alpha Sorority. Mary Del devoted her life to caring for her friends and family. She was a loyal friend to many who found her always available when needed. She was never too busy to offer support to others. Mary Del’s sense of style and fashion were outdone only by her quick wit and delightful sense of humor, always gracious. Mary Del was loved and admired by all who knew her.

The family suggests memorial contributions be made to Fort Scott Area Community Foundation in care of Konantz-Cheney Funeral Home.

Rosary and Mass of Christian Burial will be held for the family. Graveside services for friends and family will be at Fort Scott National Cemetery at 12:30 p.m. on Friday, January 17, 2020.

Family will receive friends following the graveside services at the Empress Event Center, 7 N. Main in Fort Scott.

Opinion

The Three-Legged Chicken by Pastor James Collins

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“But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.” 2 Peter 3:18

Many years ago, a man was driving on a country road when he saw something very strange. A chicken was running beside his car. Suddenly, the chicken ran even faster. The man glanced at his speedometer. He was going 50 miles per hour. Incredibly, the chicken was outrunning his car.

The man pushed on the accelerator and increased his speed to 60 miles per hour. Remarkably, the chicken still outran his car.

He drove faster, 70 miles per hour. The chicken was still faster.

The chicken made a right turn and darted into the driveway of a small farm. The man watched as the chicken disappeared behind the farmhouse. The man was so amazed by the speed of the chicken that he parked his car and knocked on the farmhouse door. A farmer dressed in overalls opened the door and the man said, “Sir, do you know you have a chicken that can run over 70 miles an hour?” The farmer replied, “Oh you must mean our three-legged chicken. Yes, she’s really fast.”

The man said, “I’ve never heard of a three-legged chicken.” The farmer said, “I run this farm with my wife and son. When it comes to eating chicken, each of us loves the drumstick. So, we decided to breed three-legged chickens.” The man said, “That’s amazing. How has it worked out? How does a three-legged chicken taste?” The farmer replied, “I don’t know. We haven’t caught him yet!”

The three-legged chicken is symbolic of the pursuit of happiness in today’s world. If you are chasing anything other than a richer, deeper relationship with Jesus Christ, then whatever you’re after is your three-legged chicken. You will never catch it.

Your three-legged chicken can come in many varieties. Money. Fame. Sex. Pleasure. Success. Instead of chasing after something that you will never catch, Jesus wants you to chase after Him. The road to true contentment is the one where you give your life to Christ and then go deeper into a relationship with Him.

What are you living for in your few fleeting years on this earth? A thousand years from now, some of the things you think are so important – your date for the winter formal, who won the Super Bowl, the make and model of your car, working overtime to make more money – are not going to be so important. There’s nothing wrong with these things, but they are not lasting.

The point is: The only One worth chasing is Jesus Christ. Get to know Jesus better. Grow in His grace. Go deeper in your relationship with Him.

Are you chasing after Jesus or three-legged chickens?

James Collins is the pastor of First Southern Baptist Church. You are invited to come and chase after Jesus with us. Church starts tomorrow at 10:50 am. For more information, go to the website fortscottfsbc.com.

Bourbon County Local News