Monday June 22nd Mitchell County Commisioners Meeting

Mitchell County Commissioners

Monday, June 22, 2015

By Terry Bailey

The Mitchell County Commissioners conducted their regular weekly business meeting Monday morning, June 22. All three Commissioners and the County Clerk were present. They dealt with a light agenda in a business like fashion. A meeting of all the department heads was called to order at the end of the regular business meeting.

Clint Offut made a return appearance to visit with the Commissioners regarding a mobile GPS device. Such a device would allow him to enter data while in the field and then to use that same information at other locations. He had presented this purchase request to the Commissioners in a previous meeting. He returned with definite figures and a plan to divide the cost. The total cost for such a device is $9,880. The cost will be shared between his office, the County Appraiser’s office and the 911 Emergency Dispatch Center. The Commissioners approved the purchase and instructed him to indicate on the billing how the cost would be shared.

A Neighborhood Revitalization grant was approve for Allen and Sharon Thornton to build a home and a foundation for the amount of $100,000. The structure will be located in the USD #272 school district.

It was announced that the Glen Elder Fun Day will be held on July 18. The list of activities planned for the day is quite extensive and includes a parade and a street dance. The Commissioners urged everyone to attend and enjoy the small town festivities.

The Kansas Association of Counties will hold its annual meeting in Wichita this year. The convention takes place during the first week in November. The voting delegate for Mitchell County this year will be Tom Claussen. Mike Cooper was named the alternate delegate and Jim Marshall will serve as the second alternate.

The Commissioners unanimously voted to pay membership fees to continue as a member of the North Central Regional Planning Commission. The fees of $3,500 per year have remained the same for the past 8 years. Each of the 12 counties in the NCK Regional Planning Commission pay membership fees. All Commissioners express their belief that Mitchell Country receive much more money in return than they pay in membership fees.

Larry Emerson, Public Works Superintendent, reported that he had just hired a new man for the Bridge Crew. The new hire, Brent Cooper, is 18 years old and is from Manhattan. He has previous work experience working for the City of St. George, Ks. and comes highly recommended.

Emerson reported that the County “lost a bridge” over the weekend. It is located between 150 and 160 on M Road. His crews had attempted repairs recently but the heavy rains washed out the back wall and the deck of the bridge then collapsed.

Commissioner Tom Claussen mentioned that the utility lines that were uncovered when the bridge by Micah Tice’s was replaced are exposed and not yet buried. They are lying on the bridge deck near the guardrail. Emerson acknowledged that he was aware of the situation. He said the utility company, he thought it was AT&T, was responsible for completing the work. He will check with them to see if and when they will do the work they were supposed to do almost a year ago.

Emerson has plans to being working on the bridge replacement on K Road over Walnut Creek when harvest is over.

Mr. Noel of Noel Roofing discussed a measuring error relating to the roof of the old Law Enforcement Center. As they progressed with the work on the roof they discovered the measuring error which resulted in not enough shingles to be ordered. The Commissioner asked him to make and adjustment in written form and submit them.

The Commissioners announced that they had received a good response to their request for citizens of Mitchell County to contact them regarding their desires about what type of memorial they would prefer to honor the Veterans of Mitchell. County. They very much want the final project to indicate the wishes of our citizens. The is ample time left for people to contact them and pass on their thoughts about the project.

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Beloit, KS 67420, USA