ORIGINALLY WRITTEN DON RATZLAFF
A plan for county-wide economic development dominated Wednesday’s meeting of the Marion County Board of Commissioners, but the commissioners did address other business.
County Clerk Carol Maggard reported that sales tax receipts from October were at $43,031, the highest total for that month in at least six years.
That put the year-end total at $454,810, which was still the lowest amount since 1997, when the county received $439,048. Last year’s total was $459,336.
Maggard also told the commissioners the county would see only a “slight increase” in its premiums for workman’s compensation for 2004. The new amount would be $76,189 compared to “between $74,000 and $74,500” from 2003.
“We are well covered for the $76,000,” she said about the amount budgeted for that expense in 2004.
Dale Snelling, manager of Marion County Park & Lake, reported that his 2003 budget should have a positive bottom line of $8,722, which he asked the commission to encumber so he could add it to the $10,000 already budgeted for his 2004 fish order. Commissioners approved the action.
Commissioners also approved encumbrance requests from other departments totaling $242,593. Of that amount, about $207,000 was encumbered for the Road and Bridge Department for projects approved in 2003 that will paid for this year.
Commissioners also approved a bid of $3,390 from Navrat’s Office Products of Emporia for a new work station within the department. Sunflower Office Products of Newton submitted a bid of $3,694.
The following low fuel bids were approved: $839.76 for 800 gallons of diesel for Area No. 1 and $2,235.35 for 2,150 gallons for Area No. 2, with both bids coming from Cardie Oil Co. of Tampa.
Cooperative Grain & Supply of Hillsboro submitted the low bid of $1,908 for 1,800 gallons of fuel for both Area No. 3 and Area No. 4.
Commissioners reappointed Don Fruechting to another term as a representative for Marion County on the board of the North Central Flint Hills Area Agency on Aging. The county still needs to fill a vacancy on the board created recently by the resignation of Virginia Downing, who stepped down for health reasons.
The commissioners met for a brief executive session with County Attorney Susan Robson and County Sanitarian David Brazil early in Wednesday’s meeting, but took no action when the public meeting resumed.
