County commissioners discuss mediation, strategy on land issue

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN JERRY ENGLER
The Marion County Commissioners, at their Oct. 27 meeting, discussed what to do and how to mediate with adjacent land owners, in the matter of Ulysses Road west of Antelope, which was closed by the commission in 1991 but not vacated.

County Attorney Susan Robson said they could vacate it “and be done with it,” or vacate it but “mediate easements across it, even though it may not be our problem to talk about it.”

Robson said the 1991 Commission apparently only closed it to traffic so the county could maintain ditches along it as a convenience to adjacent land owners to help prevent flooding.

Commission Chairman Howard Collett said any change to more flooding wouldn’t make landowners “happy,” but Wetta added the county can’t afford to channel all waterways.

At the direction of commissioners, Robson is to check to make sure no landowner would be “landlocked” by vacating of the road.

County Treasurer Jeannine Bateman and County Clerk Carol Maggard joined in discussion with commissioners concerning bond reissue company selection after which the commissioners voted 3-0 to commit to George K. Baum & Co.

Bateman had prepared a list comparing figures between Baum and its competitive bidder from last week, Public Finance Group. She said the figures produced a spread of variables depending on the circumstances at the time of bond sales, and all could result in the nearly $30,000 in savings estimated for the county.

Wetta and Commissioner Bob Hein both said they liked the experience of the much older Baum company.

Maggard said the county has a “comfort and familiarity” record with Baum because the company has previously worked with the county’s bond attorney, Jonathan Small.

Collett said he liked the initiative of Charley Young, who only recently founded Public Finance, but would agree to the experience of Baum provided they could get started before the first of the year.

Maggard presented a report from Bateman showing funds on hand for the county as of Sept. 30 of $5,556,452.87. This included a general fund of $1,634,191.82 and a road and bridge department fund of $1,167,309.49.

Bateman’s report showed special auto fund expenses for September of $1,682.30, which includes payments for such things as equipment, telephone expense and supplies.

The commissioners approved a plan presented by Michele Abbott-Becker, director of communications and emergency management, to commit $886.59 for equipment to begin a system that would enable caller ID of cell phone 911 calls along with location of the call.

Abbott-Becker provided statistics on 911 calls annually beginning with 2001 that showed cellular phones have accounted for an approximate two-thirds of calls. She said this also reflects duplication of effort because at times as many as 10 cell phone calls have come in to report the same accident.

Abbott-Becker said cellular phone calls have presented problems for dispatchers because sometimes the signal breaks up several times, disconnecting the caller in emergency situations.

Abbott-Becker said she has updated county emergency plans that were earlier done in the 1990s to update Federal Homeland Security on current needs on which to base grant funds.

She said prior to that report she also had to provide a mitigating report that outlined what the county is doing about chronic problems. For instance, she said, if the county has a road that continually washes out in flood time, she had to show what the county is doing or could do to mitigate the circumstance with flood protection devices or construction.

Bill Smithhart, noxious weed and household hazardous waste director, showed commissioners letters from the state approving renewal of his personal qualifications, his permit to apply chemicals for weed control, plus his plans for closure and post-closure disposal of hazardous wastes.

Smithhart showed maps outlining this season’s chemical applications for weeds such as johnsongrass, cerecia lespedeza and bindweed.

He reported that Oct. 11 in Florence he collected wastes from four participants including 25 gallons of used oil, a half-gallon of latex paint, four gallons of antifreeze and a pound of trash.

In Peabody Oct. 18, Smithhart said he collected wastes from 27 participants that included 33 gallons of used oil, 42 gallons of latex paint, three gallons of antifreeze, 94 pounds of trash, 12 pounds of pesticides, 292 pounds of flammable liquids, 40 pounds of flammable solids, 10 auto batteries, three gallons of corrosive liquid, 23 pounds of aerosol cans, 10 pounds of household batteries and 4.5 pounds of toxic substances.

The commissioners approved Gerald Kelsey, road and bridge director, spending approximately $800 more on a bridge at 47th and Bluestem to replace 13 40-foot steel beams with 50-foot ones. He said the extra steel comes from Wellborn Steel at a price of $23 per unit.

Kelsey said the extension was recommended by Kraus Welding of Hillsboro, the contracting company, to extend support for the bridge over more solid ground away from the water. He plans to increase sheeting and other material required from supplies on hand.

At Maggard’s recommendation, commissioners tabled approval of a standard request for $300 in support for Flint Hills Resource and Development to the first of the year for budget purposes.

David Brazil, planning and zoning, sanitarian and transfer station director, presented a variance plan already approved by the planning committee for allowing Tabor Mennonite Church to develop a waste water lagoon system on four acres.

The commissioners approved that, and also a planning committee decision to allow a variance change from agricultural to rural residential on 6.4 acres near Burns in section 32-22-5 because of an unusual situation where the Kansas Department of Transportation took right of way from the land.

Noreen Weems, elderly department director, reported on the 43rd annual meeting of the Senior Citizens of Marion County Inc.

She said Julie Govert Walter, executive director of the Northcentral-Flint Hills Area Agency on Aging, told them the State Department on Aging is shifting its focus in response to fewer persons selecting nursing home care to a need for more assisted-living units that allow senior citizens to stay independent longer.

Weems said newly elected board members are Reinhold Winter from District 1 for a second term, Marlene Anduss from District 2 for a first term, and Estelle McCarty and Joyce Kye from District 3 for second terms.

The next county board meeting will be Nov. 21 at the Peabody Senior Center, she said.

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