The Board
of County Commissioners met in regular session at 9:30 a.m. with all members
and the County Clerk present.
Madison
Traster made the motion to appoint Carl Higgs as Chairman for 2004. Gene
Schwein seconded the motion and it passed unanimously.
Gene
Schwein made the motion to approve items 2 – 15 on the organizational agenda.
Madison Traster seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. The items
include: commissioners meeting dates will be the 1st Tuesday of
every month beginning at 9:00 a.m. and the 3rd Tuesday of every
month beginning at 9:30 a.m.; the official depositories for the county will be
the Grant County Bank, Western State Bank, and the Bank of Ulysses; the
official newspaper for the county will be the Ulysses News; the treasurer is
given authority to invest county funds to the best interest of the county; to
appoint the clerk as Chief Purchasing Agent, Federal & State Withholding
Tax Agent, Social Security Agent, Kansas Public Employees Retirement System
Agent and Insurance Agent for the county; to appoint Frank Goldsby as Public
Works Administrator; to appoint Ramon Clinesmith as Noxious Weed Director; to
appoint Ronald Lofland Transfer Station Manager; to appoint Nancy Ramski as
Building and Grounds Manager; to appoint Sherill Thompson as Health Department
Administrator; to appoint Dr. Johnson as County Health Officer; to appoint Don
Button as Emergency Management Coordinator; to appoint Sean Gooding as
Emergency Medical Services Director; and to appoint John Crosby as Fire Chief.
Gene
Schwein made the motion to leave the mileage reimbursement at 31 cents per mile
when using personal vehicles for county business. Madison Traster seconded the
motion and it passed unanimously.
Madison
Traster made the motion to approve item 17 of the organizational agenda. Gene
Schwein seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Item 17 appoints the
following administrative heads for approving claims against the various funds
of the county: Lance
Babcock for sheriff’s department and juvenile justice; Sean
Gooding for ambulance; John Crosby for fire department; Frank Goldsby, for road
department; Ramon Clinesmith for noxious weed; Ronald Lofland for transfer
station; Tom Fuhrmann for appraiser; Mary K. Sullivan for register of deeds
regular and technology funds; Rita Gee for treasurer and treasurer special
funds; Douglas Campbell for attorney; Don Button for emergency management;
Sherill Thompson for health department; Nancy Ramski for park maintenance;
Harold DuPree for airport; and Linda McHenry for all other funds.
Gene
Schwein made the motion to appoint Madison Traster as Grant County’s
representative to weather modification. Carl Higgs seconded the motion and it
passed.
Gene Schwein made the motion to
make the following board appointments: reappoint James Myers to the Western
Prairie Care Home Board; reappoint Isidro Alcala and Mollie Beard to the Board
on Aging, appoint Dewey Middleton to fill the unexpired term of Raymond Fort on
the Board on Aging, and appoint Dale Cole to replace Ione Shore whose term
expires on the Board on Aging; appoint Tony Cavasos to replace Ron Smith on the
Fair Board and reappoint Daron Cowan, Kevin Shapland, Katrina Benyshek, Christa
Moyer and Dennis Deyoe to the Fair Board; and to reappoint Art Trevino and Larry
Rumburg as the county’s mental health representatives.
Gene Schwein made motion to approve
the minutes of the January 6, 2004 meeting and the claims against the various
funds of the county. Madison Traster seconded the motion. Following
clarification of several vouchers, the motion passed unanimously.
Cheri
Hoppenstedt, local citizen, reported on an accident she had at the intersection
with the signal light on milepost road. She wondered if something could be done
to slow traffic down and help encourage it to stop. The commissioners said they
would talk to the sheriff and the road department regarding the problem. The
commissioners also said they can put some rumble strips on the road to help
with the problem.
David Gill,
VALIC, gave a proposal for his company’s 457-retirement plan. The commissioners
will consider his proposal.
Lance
Babcock, Sheriff, met with the commissioners. They discussed the problem with
vehicles not stopping at marked intersections in the county. The sheriff
acknowledged that there is a problem with this and his department will try to
help encourage people to stop at stop signs. In other business, Sheriff Babcock
informed the commissioners that Douglas Campbell, County Attorney, has offered
diversion funds to purchase new office chairs for the sheriff’s department.
Pick up bids were opened. Riley Ford bid $24,491 for a Ford; Riley Chevrolet
bid $24,900 for a Chevrolet; and Burtis Motors bid $23,937 for a Dodge and
$24,241 for a Ford. Madison Traster made the motion to accept the best bid from
Riley Ford at a cost not to exceed $24,491. Gene Schwein seconded the motion
and it passed unanimously.
Frank
Goldsby, Public Works Administrator, and Tom Kramer, Road Foreman, met with the
commissioners. Discussion was held on purchasing a snowplow that would attach
to a truck for use during snowstorms. Approval was given to purchase the
snowplow. Discussion was held on the intersection on Milepost Road that was
talked about earlier in the day. Mr. Kramer said they could put rumble strips at
the intersection. He will try to get it done as soon as possible.
Dennis
Deyoe, Fair Board, and Donnie Phelps, Bit & Spur, discussed the Fair Board
helping with the cost for livestock for the rodeo again this year. It was
agreed that this would be done. Discussion was also held on having a free rodeo
again but asking for donations to help with the cost for improvements to the
rodeo grounds. The commissioners agreed that the county would pay for the
material to replace a fence between the rodeo grounds and the softball fields.
Sean
Gooding, Emergency Medical Services Director, asked if the county would
contribute to the schooling for an employee to pursue his paramedic
certification. The commissioners said they would do the same as in the past and
pay the tuition for the paramedic portion if the employee signs an agreement to
work for the county for 3 years, but the county will not pay the entire cost to
obtain an associate’s degree. The commissioners said the county would pay the
tuition for Sean to complete his IC classes too. Mr. Gooding said he has been
approached by the care home to see if the ambulance department would contract
with the care home to transport nursing home patients when needed. He said it
would be necessary to have a van with a wheel chair lift. More investigation
will be done regarding this. Mr. Gooding talked to the commissioners about the
rescue section of the emergency services. He asked about the possibility of
purchasing a new vehicle for rescue. There is a demonstrator vehicle available
at a cost of $82,000. The same model would list for $100,000 new. If allowed to
purchase the new rescue vehicle the old one can be used for a “dirty” ambulance
to be used when hazardous materials are involved. The commissioners authorized
Mr. Gooding to do some more investigation regarding a rescue vehicle. Following
discussion, the decision was made to offer the EMS Director a salary increase
to $58,000/year. If Mr. Gooding accepts the offer it will be effective the next
pay period.
Gene Schwein
made the motion to approve a 1.9% cost of living increase for all full time
county employees who have worked a year for the county. Employees who started
working for the county in 2003 will receive the cost of living increase at
their anniversary date. The increase excludes the county commissioners and the
county attorney. Madison Traster seconded the motion. Following discussion the
motion passed unanimously. A copy of the new pay rates is attached as a part of
this record.
Madison
Traster made the motion to allow David Gill with VALIC to contact county
employees regarding a 457-plan. Gene Schwein seconded the motion and it passed
unanimously.
The
commissioners adjourned to meet again in regular session on February 3, 2004
Linda McHenry, County Clerk Carl
Higgs, Chairman