The Board of County Commissioners met in regular
session at 9:00 a.m. with all members and the County Clerk present.
The monthly department head meeting was held
with the following in attendance: Rita Gee, Treasurer; Jerry Jo Deckert, EMS
Director; and Tom Kramer, Road Department Administrator.
Carl Higgs made the motion to approve the
minutes of the June 20, 23 & 27, 2006 meetings and the claims against the
various funds of the county. Marty Long seconded the motion and it passed
unanimously.
Carl Higgs made the motion to pay Kim Swafford, Interim Civic Center Building and Grounds Manager, a per diem of $12.00 to help with her
expenses while helping the county through the fair. Marty Long seconded the
motion and it passed unanimously.
Frances Roberts, Librarian, and Board of Trustee
Members, Galen Pelton, Gary Boldt, Archie DeBruce; and Gloria Battin, presented
their 2007 budget request. The general operating budget remains the same at
$464,133.00. The employee benefits request of $102,557.45 is an increase of
$15,004.26 due to increased health insurance costs and more employees
qualifying for health insurance and KPERS. The commissioners will consider
their request.
Tom Kramer, Road Department Administrator, met
with the commissioners. Discussion was held on purchasing the land necessary
for the road project. Mr. Kramer will talk to the land owner and offer the
appraised value to him. Road crossing permits for Oxy were reviewed and
approved. Mr. Kramer presented the 2007 budget request for noxious weed. The
request is for $133,397, which is $50,000 less than the current year. Noxious
weed equipment needs were discussed. Mr. Kramer said he would like to have
another spray rig that works with GPS so an exact chemical spraying record can
be made. The 2007 road and bridge budget request was discussed. The total
request is for $3,323,534 which is $267,796 lower than the current budget. Mr.
Kramer said the request includes 7 miles of overlay.
David Wagner, Transfer Station Manager, and Cecil
Wright, Ulysses Gun Club, met with the commissioners. Mr. Wright requested
approval to pipe water from the county’s water well at the landfill to the Gun
Club site for cleanup, drinking and possibly to water a few trees. The
commissioners gave their approval for this to be done. Mr. Wagner presented
bids for testing water samples at the Transfer Station. Marty Long made the
motion to accept the low bid from Terracon in the amount of $4,200.00 for the
testing. Carl Higgs seconded the motion and it passed unanimously.
The commissioners reviewed and approved the FY
2007 budget summary and narrative for Cimarron Basin Community Corrections.
Jerry Jo Deckert, Emergency Medical Services
Director, presented her 2007 budget request. The request is for $539,250 which
is an increase of $16,650 over the current budget. Commissioner Long asked if
there is a need for 3 ambulances since there is another ambulance service in
town. Ms. Deckert explained that when an ambulance is out of town on a transfer
and there are a couple of local emergencies, there is a need for 3 ambulances.
She explained that 3 is a reasonable number but 4 would be too many. Ms.
Deckert also stated that the current ambulances should be adequate for 5 – 7
years. In other business, Ms. Deckert reported the EMS radio repeater is not
working very well. She had Snyder Radio check it and it is a mid 80’s radio and
needs to be replaced. The estimated replacement cost is $10,000. The
commissioners authorized Ms. Deckert to get bids for a new repeater. Ms.
Deckert explained that there is a state funded regional council that includes
18 counties and she needs a letter of appointment to represent Grant County on this council. The commissioners approved Ms. Deckert’s appointment to the
council.
Kim Swafford, Interim Civic Center Building and Grounds Manager, presented a quote for the shelter that was damaged by high
wind. Ms. Swafford will talk to the county’s insurance carrier to determine
what should be done. Ms. Swafford reported the big floor scrubber is not
working correctly and might have to be sent in to be fixed. If it can be fixed
while the repairman is here he will repair it. If not, he will take it with
him. The scrubber is still working so Ms. Swafford will wait until after the
fair to have it repaired. Ms. Swafford will work on the 2007 budget request.
Robin Hathaway, County Attorney, and Bob Medina,
KDHE, Bureau of Waste Management had a conference call with the commissioners. It
was reported that a substance was dumped on property owned by United Prairie Ag
and some of the material may have drained on to farm ground. The substance
appears to be animal fat, grease and milk product. It does not appear to be
hazardous but tests will determine if there is a biohazard condition. It was
reported that there is money available through KDHE to clean up the area. Mr.
Medina said KDHE can pay 75% of clean up costs up to a maximum of $10,000.00. He
stated that once a sample of the material is analyzed and it is determined that
it is not hazardous, it can be scooped up and taken to the landfill as a
special waste. Mr. Medina estimates the cleanup cost to be between $500 and
$1500. It was explained that the property owner cannot apply for clean up funds
from KDHE, the county has to make the application. It was the consensus of the
commissioners that the county would take no part in this issue.
Marty Long made the motion to recess into
executive session for 40 minutes for the purpose of discussing non-elected
personnel. Carl Higgs seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. After 40
minutes the meeting continued in open session.
Lance Babcock, Sheriff, reported there is an
electrical problem at the LEC. The building was wired for 220. Now there is a 208
generator that does not work well with the current air conditioners and other
electrical equipment. He is working on the problem.
David Wagner, Transfer Station Manager, and
Cindy Heaton, Transfer Station Weigh Master/Secretary met with the
commissioners. Marty Long made the motion to recess into executive session for 30
minutes to discuss non-elected personnel matters. Carl Higgs seconded the
motion and it passed unanimously. Robin Hathaway, County Attorney, Rita Gee,
Treasurer, and County Clerk, Linda McHenry, attended this portion of the
meeting. After 30 minutes the meeting continued in open session.
Carl Higgs made the motion to recess into
executive session for 10 minutes for the purpose of discussing non-elected
personnel. After 10 minutes the meeting continued in open session.
Carl Higgs made the motion to adjourn at 5:50
p.m. to meet again in regular session on July 18, 2006.
Linda McHenry, County Clerk Madison
Traster, Chairman