FORT SCOTT — The Bourbon County Commission appointed a new county appraiser it will share with Allen County, pushed adoption of the 2027 budget to its final possible week, and heard a longtime county employee tell commissioners that “you’re so far behind, you think you’re in first” on county employee wages at its regular meeting Monday night.

Commissioner Joe Allen presided as vice chairman; Commissioner Gregg Motley was absent. The commission amended its agenda at the start of the meeting to add the budget discussion, the courthouse relocation proposal and a second accounts payable list. Commissioners David Beerbower, Mika Milburn-Kee and Samuel Tran also took part, along with budget consultant Matt Lawn and County Clerk Ann Clarkson. The county’s livestream broke in the middle of public comments and resumed as a second recording (part 1, part 2); the two recordings run about two hours and 20 minutes in all.

Public comment: handouts, wages and the transfer station

Clint Walker, who said he has attended commission meetings for a decade, complained that handouts distributed at the table reach “only select people” and said that was why he did not speak at the Sept. 14 revenue-neutral-rate hearing: “I didn’t have documents to review to make an intelligent decision or conversation.” He tied that to the county’s volume of open-records requests, picking up a remark he said he had heard the chairman make on the radio. “We have the highest number of KORA requests. The reason we have the highest number of KORA requests is because we’re not getting the information coming out here,” he said. “The worst thing you can do is withhold information” (part 1, 7:09). Milburn-Kee said the new “executed documents for record” item on the agenda, posted on the county’s digital public agenda calendar, is meant to answer that by sharing the online access point in the published agenda.

Bob Reed, who introduced himself as a longtime Bourbon County employee, taxpayer and property owner, said he was speaking “as a voice for the employees” and asked the commission to act on wages immediately (part 1, 9:06). He said the county has given an across-the-board raise “about every six to eight years,” and that benefits once offered in lieu of raises: no-cost insurance for single employees, free dumping, extra holidays and longevity bonuses, have all been lost in the past year except the holidays. A single employee now pays $135 a month for insurance and an employee with a spouse $400, he said, “on a $16 to $19 wage.”

“Us employees get told every year we can’t afford raises. However, we can afford the three P’s,” Reed said. “What are the three P’s? Pet  political projects.” “At Public Works alone, the director would have to cut back $73,000 a year to give his employee a dollar raise,” he said, adding that studies he did as a department head reached the same conclusion as everyone else’s: “You’re so far behind, you think you’re in first.” He asked for raises across the board and a step-increase system, and said the incentive being discussed for employees who decline county insurance would penalize those who take a benefit “that historically has been provided” by other employers. When told his 3 minutes to speak were up, he concluded with the exhortation, “Don’t talk about it. Just do it.”

Kevin “Skitch” Allen, who owns Skitch’s Hauling & Excavation and hauls to the county transfer station, returned to ask whether the commission had a response to the transfer-station suggestions he made in the Sept. 14 meeting: foam-filled tires and air conditioning for the backhoe, and half-day openings on some holidays (part 2, 0:40). Joe Allen said the board had not met since and the items were not on the agenda. Tran said one commissioner’s opinion “doesn’t mean much when you need a consensus of at least the majority,” and that the request belonged on an agenda rather than in public comment if action is what’s wanted. “I just think that any citizen deserves an answer, eventually,” Kevin Allen said. Beerbower said he would put the items on a future agenda, and did so at the end of the meeting, along with a transfer-station rate discussion.

A new appraiser, shared with Allen County

After a five-minute executive session on appraiser employment, the commission authorized Milburn-Kee to continue onboarding. Later in the meeting it adopted Resolution 30-26 appointing Danielle Louk, a Kansas Registered Mass Appraiser, as Bourbon County Appraiser effective Sept. 21 for the unexpired term ending June 30, 2029 (part 2, 1:11:41). The resolution, included in the agenda packet, authorizes a memorandum of understanding with Allen County for shared appraiser services, with Louk’s compensation and benefits administered under that agreement. Milburn-Kee moved, Beerbower seconded, and the resolution passed with no opposition. The resolution repeals Resolution 20-25. Milburn-Kee asked to put the Allen County MOU on next week’s agenda.

The office had been vacant since former appraiser Matt Quick’s resignation took effect Aug. 18. Commissioners interviewed candidates at a special meeting Sept. 14.

Budget: adoption next Monday, and a fight over road money and raises

Lawn told the board the budget must be adopted by Sept. 30, which leaves only next Monday’s meeting (part 2, 10:50). Milburn-Kee asked that Road and Bridge’s 2026 spending estimate be lowered to the amount originally adopted, a difference Lawn put at about $240,000, with the corresponding mills moved to the employee benefit fund or the general fund rather than left to Road and Bridge spending authority.

Tran said the last thing he remembered the full commission agreeing on was to put the growth in assessed valuation into the general fund. “I just want to know when and where did we change our mind on this,” he said. Milburn-Kee said nobody had directed a change: Lawn had projected what the department would overspend in 2026 and carried that forward. Beerbower said he did not remember the board discussing the benefit-fund idea at the table. “Did we vote?” he asked. “No,” Tran said. “We never voted because we weren’t voting at the time. It was just a consensus.” Milburn-Kee added: “To be fair for Matt, we’re throwing him all over the place because we haven’t voted on a single thing” (part 2, 37:42).

“There’s five of us and five different ideas,” Tran told Lawn. “Any marching orders that you get should come from the table. It should always come from the table where there’s a consensus.”

Lawn said the proposed budget includes a 5% wage increase across all departments. Beerbower said he would like it higher. “5% is not much, not considering where we’ve been and how long it’s been to get here,” he said, adding that he had run his own numbers for a 15% increase at Public Works and, with benefits, arrived at about $120,000 because the department has fallen from 38 employees to about 31. Tran put a 15% increase on the department’s projected $1,406,633 in wages at $210,994. Milburn-Kee pressed Lawn on where the money for a 5% raise comes from if the valuation growth is being set aside unencumbered; Lawn said it comes from all revenue sources, including sales tax transfers and fund balance, and that he budgets “holistically at total revenue versus total expenditure” rather than matching each increase to a revenue line (part 2, 28:33).

Milburn-Kee said her larger fear is spending authority built on one-time revenue: the FEMA reimbursement, about $412,000 of which is being transferred into Road and Bridge this year, and a carryover balance Lawn projects will grow from about $130,000 to about $621,000. “We learn to operate at this capacity, and then we have to…” she said. Tran put the consequence plainly: “We can spend that money this year, but if you don’t refund that money or get more money in next year, you’re going to raise the mill.” Beerbower argued the opposite risk: “You keep running everything flat [pay rate] and everything else around you keeps going up. Four years from now, you’re going to be way down here and you’re going to have to have an enormous raise.” Lawn called that “valid, absolute valid criticism” and said next year’s budget “will have to look different than this one” if one-time money is used for operations. He agreed to bring four scenarios by Wednesday, moving the disputed authority to an equipment reserve, to the general fund, or splitting it. Lawn also urged the board to create a step program for wages and positions and to take “a stronger role in approving expenditures,” since budget authority is not blanket permission to spend.

Tran asked Clarkson whether $60,500 budgeted for an election employee would stay in elections; she said it would.

Asbestos inspection Sept. 29, and who may attend

Beerbower said Apex Environmental and Otis Elevator will both be at the courthouse at 9 a.m. Sept. 29; Apex will inspect the elevator first to allow the Otis people to begin their work, then either the third-floor jury room or the basement, and will also look at the building at 108 W. Second St. (part 2, 49:22). The commission authorized signing the Apex agreement, whose proposal in the agenda packet lists $2,475 for the inspection and report and an estimated $1,050 for 30 samples at $35 each. The board capped the work at $5,000 on Sept. 2.

Beerbower said he planned to bring maintenance staff and “one citizen advisor that asked if he could come,” Michael Hoyt. Milburn-Kee moved that attendance be limited to employees, the elected official and the contractors; Tran seconded. Beerbower objected: “If there’s not a problem for us as individuals to go down there in all transparency, why wouldn’t it be all right?” Tran said the asbestos issue “has been known in this building for a while” and “became a controversy because somebody took it and broadcast it all over the news prior to coming to the board with the results,” and said the county does not let the public help at the transfer station either for liability reasons. The motion passed with Beerbower voting against (part 2, 52:37).

Temporary courtrooms at 108 W. Second

Beerbower presented a budget proposal for moving court operations to three temporary virtual courtrooms at 108 W. Second St. while the courthouse elevator is modernized, estimated at $28,540, mostly for computers and cameras, plus a reception counter, carpet tiles over the worn lobby carpet and cleaning (part 2, 57:58). Joe Allen asked whether IT equipment already stored in the courthouse could be used instead of buying new. On Tran’s motion, seconded by Joe Allen, the commission authorized Beerbower to issue the request for proposals and carry out the project on a not-to-exceed budget, with regular status updates and receipts. Tran stated the cap as $28,540.

Joe Allen reported that the county’s equipment auction through GovDeals is grouped into eight lots and should be listed within a week or two.

Purchasing policy, insurance and KORA fees held for next week

Milburn-Kee introduced a draft purchasing policy, modeled largely on the City of Fort Scott’s and citing state statutes, saying the county’s large-ticket purchases “have drawn a following and a little bit of attention because large vendors are not getting a chance at serving the county” (part 2, 1:14:11). The agenda packet includes a Sept. 9 letter from Travis Clinesmith of Murphy Tractor & Equipment Co. saying the company was never invited to compete for a Caterpillar motor grader financed at about $54,000 a year for eight years, an excavator at about $34,000 a year, or a proposed backhoe. Joe Allen offered a simpler policy requiring bids at purchase amounts of $10,000 or more. Beerbower also mentioned the idea of creating a policy manual for the county, which would include purchasing policies. Discussion was set for next week.

Milburn-Kee’s employee insurance proposal would set the county contribution at $1,100 a month for every employee who takes county coverage and pay $2 an hour in premium pay to employees who show they are covered elsewhere (part 2, 1:19:54). The written proposal says about 18 employees now receive up to $1,700 a month toward insurance while about 64 receive $925, and estimates the premium pay for about 35 employees at $145,600 a year. Milburn-Kee said that the county’s insurance agent is not in favor of paying employees who don’t take the insurance option, as they may be choosing not to insure at all. She didn’t think that would be the case. Joe Allen said he wanted to hear from employees; Beerbower asked for more time, and Milburn-Kee said Motley should see it as well. No action was taken.

The commission adopted Resolution 31-26 reassigning storage space: the clerk gives Pod H to the sheriff for evidence and moves to Pod B, formerly used by 911, and the old kitchen goes to Emergency Management. They also discussed moving a variety of IT equipment that is scattered in three different places in the courthouse to the server room so it can be secured and gone through at a future date. Allen asked about giving the Register of Deeds some of the space that will be freed up by moving the equipment. Milburn said that could be brought up at a future meeting after the move is accomplished.

County Clerk Anne Clarkson and Milburn-Kee presented a draft open-records resolution that would make each department responsible for its own records requests instead of routing them through the clerk; the board tabled it to update the fee schedule after Clarkson said copies should be 50 cents rather than 25 and that another county clerk she had spoken with charges $30 an hour for the work of answering a KORA request.

Housing pitch draws skepticism

A representative of KC Crown Inc. asked for a resolution of support for a Kansas Housing Investor Tax Credit application for up to 100 homes, built as duplexes, in four phases on 15 acres behind the K C Mart south of Fort Scott, saying the state requires a county resolution and the deadline is around Oct. 1 (part 2, 1:40:24). He said units would rent for about $800, the investment would be about $2.5 million for each of four phases (the written scope in the packet says $2.5 million “expected the first year”), and if no sewer connection is available the project would use a one-acre lagoon. Al Neese, speaking from the audience, said no sewer line had been approved by the city and urged “a hell of a lot more research” before the county commits. “There’s no free lunch out there,” he said, referring to past issues the county and city had both had with approving projects funded by “people we don’t know,” that left the government entities holding the bag. Tran said the tax-credit program is run by a nongovernmental organization. He and Beerbower asked that County Counselor Bob Johnson review the request, and Allen said he wanted Motley’s take on it as well; the board tabled it to next week. In closing comments Tran said that while they want good, affordable house in the county, he calculated that 100 buildings of 6,000 square feet each would nearly fill the acreage before roads or infrastructure. “Until I see some more information, this does not bode well for me,” he said.

“My sincere apologies”

In commission comments, Beerbower read a statement about “the heated discussions and debates” viewers have seen in county commission meetings. Healthy debate is essential, he said, but too often discussion “becomes centered on criticisms rather than suggestions.” He apologized “to this board and to the citizens of our community” for an exchange at last week’s meeting, saying it stemmed from a dispute more than a year old and “a public meeting is not the appropriate venue for such a confrontation” (part 2, 1:54:05). Tran thanked Anne Clarkson, appointed County Clerk Sept. 1, and Milburn-Kee for their work in getting the new clerk and the clerk’s office up to speed. Clarkson then thanks Jennifer Hawkins, County Treasurer for her help as well.

The commission approved accounts payable of $581,360.08 and $110,758.06 and the minutes of both Sept. 14 meetings. Next week’s agenda will include the budget, the purchasing policy, the insurance proposal, the KORA resolution, KC Crown, the appraiser MOU, transfer-station equipment and rates, and two emergency-management items.