COMMISSIONERS’ PROCEEDINGS
AUGUST 22, 2022
Agenda: 8:30 – RNR Hearing – Budget Hearing
9:30 – Tony Martin
10:00 – Darren Booth – Theel Insurance
The Board of Stevens County Commissioners met in regular session with Tron Stegman attending by phone. Paul Kitzke, County Attorney and Amy Jo Tharp, County Clerk were also present. Pat called the meeting to order. Joe moved to approve the minutes of the last meeting. Pat seconded. Motion carried. Joe moved to approve the county vouchers. Pat seconded. Motion carried. The County Clerk was instructed to draw warrants on the Treasurer chargeable to the various funds of the county for the following amounts:
Those who were present for the RNR and Budget hearings were: Jose J Sanchez Molina, Cornelius Wiebe, David Mason, Frank Chenoweth, Clifford Shuck, Angelica Sheets, Gary Gold, Warren Willis, Theodore Bansemer, Connie Tennis, Floyd Knox, Jo Harrison, Nancy Bansemer, Pam Brown, Tanner Rindels, Mike Willis and Maryann Willoughby.
Many residents of Stevens County came in to visit with the commissioners on the Revenue Neutral Rate paper which was mailed out over a week ago. The residents were concerned as they heard the taxes were going up 40%. Amy Jo explained there has been many glitches in the software to get correct information sent out and with the timeline of getting the program made, County Clerks getting the information uploaded there was not enough time to fix any issues with the software. She stated many counties are facing the same issues and problems and she is working with the software company to get corrections completed and the figures to be correct. The commissioners have tabled the RNR Hearing which pushes the Budget Hearing back as well so residents can have a corrected document to go from. The new RNR and Budget Hearing will be held in the Commissioner Meeting Room on Monday, September 12, 2022, beginning at 8:30 AM. Amy Jo said she will get corrected notices in the mail of the RNR as soon as all the bugs are worked out in the software, and everything is accurate.
Several of the residents expressed their concerns over some citizens of Stevens County tagging their vehicles in other counties or states. The commissioners stated it is up to the Hugoton Police Department and Stevens County Sheriff’s Department to write the tickets for vehicles tagged illegally and from there it goes to the County Attorney to be handled. The commissioners understand the citizens’ concerns as it does affect the county’s revenue which can help or hurt budgets which provides the citizens with tax relief.
Rodney came in and discussed the power-load cots to determine which contract the commissioners would agree upon for warranty issues. He stated the original contract had lapsed. Stryker gave Rodney two (2) different proposals, one (1) was for $8,196.00 which includes parts, labor, travel, annual inspection, some replacement parts and unscheduled services. The other proposal was for $9,786.00 which included the same as the other but added in battery replacement. Rodney stated they rarely have to replace batteries so going with the first proposal would be best.
Joe made a motion to bypass the bid process and accept the first proposal in the amount of $8,196.00 from Stryker. Pat seconded. Motion carried.
Jim Ghumm was present with Tony Martin to discuss the vehicles he has found for the Road and Bridge Department. The bids presented were:
- 2022 Chevy Silverado RST Crew Cab 4X4 $58,900.00
- 2022 GMC Sierra LTD Crew Cab 4X4 $58,000.00
These bids will include two (2) trad-ins:
- 2015 Chevy 1500
- 2008 Chevy 1500 Total: $26,000.00
After discussion, Pat asked Jim what the trade-in value total would be if the county kept the 2015 Chevy for the Appraisers office and traded in the 2011 Chevy. Jim Ghumm went out and looked at the 2011 Chevy and came back and said the total of the two (2) Chevy 1500’s (the 2008 and 2011), the trade-in value would be $18,500.00. This would bring the total of the two (2) Chevy pickups with trade-in value to $98,400.00 total cost.
Pat made a motion to accept the two (2) bids of the 2022 Chevy pickups from Ghumm’s Auto with a trade-in of the 2011 and 2008 Chevy 1500 pickups to give a total cost of $98,400.00, for Road and Bridge. Joe seconded. Motion carried.
Eric Friesen with Foley Equipment came in and discussed with the commissioners what the CCR (Caterpillar Certified Rebuild) on the crawler would entail along with the costs. He said the CCR completely rebuilds the hydraulic powertrain and gives a five (5) year/6,000-hour warranty. He also stated if the powertrain has any updates after the original was built the updates will be put on the machine and if it is not a Tier 1 already, they will upgrade it to a Tier 1. If they find anything else bad when they tear down the equipment, they will fix it at no additional cost. The cost for this rebuild is roughly $226,431.31. Pat asked what the turnaround is on the rebuild and Eric stated it is about eight to ten (8-10) weeks. Eric said new equipment is over $300,000.00 with a one (1) year/2,000-hour warranty. The commissioners asked about a longer warranty and Eric said there could be an extended warranty on the new equipment with an additional cost. The commissioners have tabled the decision at this time.
Tony said Morton County would like to purchase asphalt and some other materials which would help with revenue. He stated the oil distribution equipment coming in late caused the county road repair to be on hold, but they are working to get the repairs completed soon.
Joe discussed having parking lines painted on the west side of the courthouse and possibly the Sheriff’s office. Tony said he is looking at purchasing a striping machine and could have his guys paint the stripes if needed.
Darren Booth with Theel Insurance working under Freedom Claims came in to talk to the commissioners. Pat asked about portability. Darren said there was portability and there is also reserves the county can receive. The commissioners discussed their interest and asked Darren to run some information for them so they can see if it is worth looking into.
Shelby Martin came in and stated she has the opportunity to have work-based students from the high school come in and work from 1:30pm – 3:30pm, usually Monday thru Friday. Pat asked Shelby what the pay would be. Shelby said $9.00 per hour was her thought. The commissioners approve to have a student work for the Wellness Center from 1:30 – 3:30pm, Monday thru Friday at $9.00 per hour. Shelby also asked the commissioners if Michael Rickman could work up to twenty-nine (29) hours a week with the understanding it would put him in the KPERS eligible bracket.
Pat made a motion to allow the Wellness Center Part-time position to work no more than twenty-nine (29) hours a week becoming KPERS eligible. Joe seconded. Motion carried.
Discussion over the “First Generation” production video concluded in the commissioners agreeing to give the EcoDevo $1,625.00 for the project in hopes to bring more revenue to Stevens County.
By motion, the Board adjourned.
Attest: Amy Jo Tharp, County Clerk
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Pat Hall, Vice Chairman