COMMISSIONERS PROCEEDINGS
JUNE 18, 2018
The Board of County Commissioners met in regular session with all members present. Also present were Paul Kitzke, County Attorney; Amy Jo Tharp, County Clerk and RoGlenda Coulter with the Hugoton Hermes. Joe called the meeting to order. Tron moved to approve the minutes of the last three (3) meetings. Pat seconded. Motion carried. Pat moved to approve the county vouchers. Tron seconded. Motion carried. The Clerk was instructed to draw warrants on the Treasurer chargeable to the various funds of the county for the following amounts:
| General | $ 40,155.40 |
| Road & Bridge | $ 60,636.23 |
| Building | $ 735.00 |
| Noxious Weed | $ 174.43 |
| EMS | $ 2,768.18 |
| Fire | $ 834.17 |
| Alcoholic Treatment | $ 237.50 |
| Diversion | $ 1,931.92 |
| Community Health | $ 13,091.39 |
| Sheriff | $ 6,398.35 |
| Employee P/R Misc W/H | $ 38.40 |
| $ 127,000.97 |
Tron and Pat discussed radio/sound issues at the Wellness Center and the best way to go about keeping people from playing inappropriate music. Tron said that Shelby Martin is supposed to look for something to protect the system. Pat said that it shouldn’t matter. There should be a posting that no inappropriate music (language) be used in the Wellness Center, at any time, even after hours when a county employee is not present.
Phillip Willis with Noxious Weed came in to inform the commissioners that the department has been spraying for weeds, especially bine weed as it is bad this year.
Robert Lucero with the courthouse Maintenance/Janitorial department came in to let the commissioners know that the Knipp A/C unit was whining and noisy due to a bad crankcase heater. Robert presented the Knipp bill for repair in the amount of $553.00. Pat said if travel charges are not included in that proposal just have Knipp fix it when they come to do their next scheduled maintenance. Robert said the proposal included travel, labor and materials.
Rodney Kelling, Bailey Esarey and Perry Crane with the Stevens County Emergency Services department came in. Joe asked Rodney if the ambulance door had been repaired yet. Rodney told the commissioners that he hasn’t had a chance to work on it yet.
Sheriff Ted Heaton made an appearance.
Joe asked what the protocol was for when an accident gets called out and how it is determined which vehicles get deployed. Rodney said the rescue truck and an ambulance are the two (2) main vehicles that get deployed for any accident. Joe told Rodney that in the past there were concerns by the Sheriff department that too many vehicles were going out on scene.
Rodney said that at the accident site, the number of people involved along with the number that are possibly injured are reported. Rodney then sends the rescue truck first and then the pump truck, after that it depends on how many employees show up at the ambulance/fire station. It could be anywhere from one (1) to four (4) vehicles. When the first responder gets on scene, they are to call in and say how many vehicles may be needed.
Sheriff Ted Heaton asked about the protocol for a single motorcycle accident because he feels that more than two (2) vehicles would be too many and would like to know how to correct the situation.
Bailey said that a fire truck would be needed at most every scene because with the dry conditions, who knows what could start a fire at an accident. Rodney said the other reason for certain vehicles is due to having to extract someone which could take anywhere from ten (10) minutes to hours.
Tony Martin with Road and Bridge made an appearance.
Pat asked Rodney, Ted and Tony if having rumble strips on the Hooker/Moscow road might possible cut down on the accident rate. Tony said it would be nice if KDOT would allow or provide signs with flashing lights letting people know there is a stop ahead. Tony said that any sign has to be 1,000 feet from the Kansas Highway intersection as per regulations and rules.
Tony requested that Paul write a letter to the KDOT to possibly get help on that particular intersection on Kansas Hwy 51 and Road 20.
Ted agreed that rumble strips might help alert people to the stop sign and hopefully less accidents will occur.
Tony said rumble strips will only last about three (3) years before they will have to be made again.
Tron said start with rumble strips and hopefully before they disintegrate, hopefully the State will respond and help with that intersection.
Tron made a motion to add rumble strips at the intersection going North and South of Kansas Highway 51 and County Road 20. Pat seconded. Motion carried.
Rodney requested a fifteen (15) minute executive session over non-elected personnel discussing fireman issues. Bailey Esarey and Perry Crane were in attendance along with the commissioners and Paul Kitzke. The executive session began at 9:08am and concluded at 9:17am. No action.
Sheriff Ted Heaton feels that photos taken at the scene by a county employee that is not part of the investigation is not good and wondered if it could possibly be breaching a HIPPA rule. He also feels that at some of the accidents there are too many people and it is hard to conduct work.
Tony Martin said he would like to see the department heads getting together every quarter to discuss issues between county personnel and hopefully come up with solutions to better govern the county.
Tony said the chip sealing should be completed by July 9th. The department still has patching to do. Paul said he is still waiting on two (2) people to sign the easements to begin the work for Rob Heger.
Tony asked Amy Tharp when the new time system will be implemented. Amy Tharp informed him that the equipment is in, and is getting everything hooked up to the same network. She is waiting on some programming from County Works to transfer employees to the time card system. There will be a test run to make sure everything is working properly before putting it in place.
Joe said there is concern by a citizen over a driveway north of Moscow that isn’t being taken care of by the road and bridge department. He has taken all of his business into Grant County due to this fact. Tony said he had spoken with that person and asked him to come to a commissioner meeting so that it could be documented in the minutes.
Tony also informed the commissioners that the person’s driveway is in the middle of the section line and two different people own property on either side of the driveway. Pat said it makes the county liable once it is bladed by the county. Tony said the department had quit blading due to state statute that began about five (5) years ago.
Tron stated that the driveway at one time had been bladed until the property was sold. Nowhere in any contract is it stated the county would continue to blade the driveway. Tony said the county only bladed one (1) time with the previous owner due to a deal made.
Pat and Tron agreed that if it is started for one (1) person then it will need to be done for all and the county is not prepared nor have the funds to start that for all owners on section lines.
Tom Fuhrman, Cynthia Wellbrock and Terry Lawhon with Landmark Appraisal, LLC were in attendance to discuss the County Appraiser contract. Terry said the contract has been streamlined to offer a one (1) year contract instead of multiple years. He also stated that the billing will have an even balance every month to make it uniform.
Terry said that the last time there was a tax appeal that was worth attending was twenty-five (25) years ago. Tom said they used to be held in the county where the appeal was filed but moved to Garden City and now it is all done in Topeka. Terry feels that the $75.00 per hour gives a better idea if attending the appeal is worth it or not.
Joe said the commissioners would have Paul look over the contract and then they will get back with Landmark Appraisal on whether it is approved or not. Terry informed the commissioners that the last bill is on the old contract. July will be the new bill once the contract is signed.
Tom Fuhrman said Landmark is looking at avoiding anything dramatic happening within the next couple of years. He said Landmark is wanting to hire a person that either is experienced or willing to learn the county appraiser trade. So far there is no one in the area that has experience. They are looking at four (4) counties going together to help pay for training and education for another county appraiser. Landmark Appraisal, LLC plans to close down within a three (3) to five (5) year time frame.
Pat made a motion to post signs that parents not leave children unattended. Tron seconded.
Discussion was then brought to the commissioners by Amy Tharp that departments need to start using credit cards instead of a charge account at an area business for the time being. This is due to a difference in accounts payable with the county and the receivable department at the local store and trying to get back to a zero (0) balance. Pat agreed.
Two (2) different bids came in for the museum work including nip/tuck and painting. One (1) bid was by Aredondo in the amount of $5,236.00. The second (2nd) bid by Wayne Harrison was in the amount of $8,068.00.
Pat said he went and checked the museum and noticed that some of the joints could use work but are not in disrepair.
Pat made a motion to accept the bid by Aredondo. Tron seconded. Motion carried.
Pat said he has asked for bids from several different people for the concrete work to be done at the courthouse and sheriff’s office. Work also needs to be done in front of the doors on the west side of the courthouse (the Memorial Hall entrance). As to date there has been no bids brought in.
By motion, the Board adjourned.
Attest: Amy Jo Tharp, County Clerk
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Joe Thompson, Chairman