Woody Crawshaw, with his supervisor, EMS Director Darryl Thiesen, told commissioners that updating ambulance billings and accounts after the department fell behind for nearly two years is proceeding at an accelerating rate.

Scot Loyd, county auditor who has contracted with the county to oversee the EMS catch-up, confirmed the effort, adding, "I am very pleased with what has happened."

Loyd said the effort also is pushing ahead to bring ambulance run sheets and certification papers up to date with some forms only awaiting completion of medical data by Thiesen or another employee, Deana Olsen.

The process may be temporarily slowed by Crawshaw and Olsen going for further software training for four days in Indianapolis, but Loyd seemed to feel that may be offset by more proficiency when they return.

Thiesen reported 65 county ambulance runs for October, including 20 from Hillsboro, 30 from Marion, seven from Peabody and eight from Tampa.

They included 11 transfers, seven cardiac, nine medical emergency, one standby, three vehicle accidents, seven home accidents-falls, 24 no-transports and two rescue truck.

There were seven first-responder calls-four from Goessel and three from Lincolnville.

Thiesen said a new part-time employee, Jamie Shirley, has been working half days for the department.

Thiesen reported ALS drug boxes are now in place on two ambulance which include updated "cutting edge meds."

He has conducted three county employee CPR classes with two more to go.

Dale Snelling, park director at Marion County Lake, told commissioners his preliminary estimates indicate he may come in lower on permit receipts for 2004 than originally expected. He expected receipt income of $105,000, and now feels it could come closer to $97,000.

Snelling said if his projections prove to be true, it still won't endanger ordering fish or any other lake programs.

The commissioners voted 3-0 for final approval of the new planning and zoning rules with recent amendments and the new subdivision regulations, as presented by Planning and Zoning Director David Brazil.

They approved 3-0 a $680 bid from Krause Welding of Hillsboro for tower ice shields to protect new wireless 911 equipment, as presented by Communications Director Michele Abbott-Becker.

Reports received from County Treasurer Jeannine Bateman indicated county funds on hand the end of October at $5,523,436 with a delinquency factor for 2003 taxes of 2.73 percent.

The county general fund was at $1,457,545 and the road and bridge fund was at $650,126.

October expenditures from the special auto fund totalled $1,981.

The commissioners approved acting Road and Bridge Director Jim Herzet seeking bids from steel companies for two generic bridges to be built by the county next year. Materials sought include such things as beams, decking, plates, angle iron channel and pilings.

Herzet said the county also will need to replace an old three-ton bridge east of Marion near Commissioner Howard Collett's home next year with a box culvert.

The commissioners read the latest communication received by Herzet from the Kansas Department of Transportation concerning ongoing negotiations on what the state will do for Marion County during closing of U.S. Highway 77 from Marion to Florence for reconstruction.

Possible benefits to the county have included resurfacing of Sunflower, ongoing road patching, and receiving millings from the old highway surface.

Commission Chairman Leroy Wetta said the county probably will want to change Nighthawk Road south from U.S. Highway 56 to a "no through traffic" road with appropriate signage to prevent heavy trucks damaging its surface.

The commissioners awarded a bid from Cardie Oil of Tampa of $13,120 for area road and bridge fuel over a bid from Cooperative Grain & Supply at Hillsboro of $13,254.

The Cardie bid included 4,000 gallons of clear diesel at $1.7594 per gallon, 2,000 gallons of dyed diesel at $1.5049 per gallon, and 2,000 gallons of unleaded gasoline at $1.5364 per gallon. The comparative per gallon prices from Cooperative Grain were $1.775, $1.519 and $1.558, respectively.