ORIGINALLY WRITTEN JERRY ENGLER
Sheriff Lee Becker got the go- ahead from the Marion County Commission Monday to continue investigating costs of a new jail-one that might house inmates from other counties-to pay for itself at no cost to taxpayers here.
His proposal was part of a lengthy six-hour payday meeting that saw new Commissioners Dan Holub and Randy Dallke dealing with everything, from road complaints that might help set new road policy to procedures on hiring an economic director, in the absence of Commission Chairman Bob Hein.
Becker brought with him Dan Hall of BG Consultants of Manhattan, the company that planned the 125-bed Riley County Jail.
Hall recommended involving a company out of Colorado called NRGS, which specializes in planning penal institutions, to consult on the Marion County effort.
He said NRGS could figure size and type of a Marion County jail according to available markets such as housing inmates from counties like Johnson and Sedgwick. Finances could be worked out so Marion County inmates might be kept for free instead of the situation now where Marion County sometimes has to pay another county such as Chase to house prisoners, he said.
Holub noted that Chase County has turned its jail into a money-making situation.
Hall said NRGS also could figure law enforcement needs such as additional officers that might be needed to police a new jail.
Discussed possible locations for a new jail across the street east of the courthouse where the old lumber yard and some houses are located, or in Marion’s industrial park. Hall said consultants could assess advantages or disadvantages to having the sheriff’s office at a separate location from the
jail.
Becker said Marion County’s jail population has fluctuated in recent years averaging from as few as five inmates to triple that number. The situation this week is that excess jail inmates are sleeping on the floor, he said.
Hall said the rise in methamphetamine cases and other crimes has led to larger jail populations all over with the trend appearing to continue.
Dallke noted that a new jail could be a burden to taxpayers if it doesn’t pay for itself in its first five years.
Hall guessed that it would pay for itself.
Hall added that the current Marion County facility is antiquated with cell bars dangerously close to walkways and high liability dangers-“a lot of safety issues.” New jails don’t have bars, he said.
The commissioners directed Hall and Becker to come back with cost estimates for NRGS and alternative jail scenarios.
The commissioners invited Ed Vinduska to meet with them concerning criticisms he made regarding the condition of Nighthawk Road and roads coming off it in a Free Press story two weeks ago. Vinduska not only came, he brought 10 other men with him all dissatisfied with road upkeep.
Many of the men also use Nighthawk through Strassburg to the Reservoir as a primary route. Others from along other county routes said they agreed with Vinduska’s opinions on road matters.
Vinduska said primary routes like Nighthawk, that once were blacktop roads, have been incorrectly graded to the point that they are flattened and even “dished” out in the center instead of being crowned to shed water.
Terry Cant from south of Lehigh charged that the road grader operator for his area had been threatened with firing for reporting he had been assured of gravel for roads that never showed up.
Cant suggested the commissioners check into outside contractors to help if the road and bridge workers can’t keep up. He suggested that county road supervisors aren’t adequately doing the job.
Vinduska reiterated charges that complaints about the condition of Nighthawk early in the winter had only resulted in one load of gravel being dumped in a hole.
Acting Road and Bridge Supervisor Jim Herzet said unexpected heavy rain and the ice storm had stopped his crew from completing other planned actions.
The groups listed businesses trying to operate on Nighthawk in view of the county’s call to economic development, such as a new bed and breakfast and a trucking company. They said Nighthawk is the main access road on the east side of Marion Reservoir, and its poor condition impacts county sales tax.
County practices of clearing small amounts of snow were criticized for throwing too much gravel off roads, contributing to the problems.
Robert Konarik noted that an Ohio County he visits regularly has gone to all blacktop roads over the past 20 years. He wondered if some roads that used to be blacktopped here, such as Nighthawk, might be more economically kept as hard surface instead of continually being graded and gravelled.
In response to commissioners’ questions about the possibility, Herzet replied that Nighthawk could be “if you want to pay the price.”
He said the 80-foot wide road could have more rock put down to build up the base, and the crown built up before hard surfacing. He told the group an engineer could be employed to estimate how much gravel it would take.
Other speakers cited roads such as the Aulne Road as being in similar condition. Nighthawk residents said they liked the hard-surface job done on the Durham-Lincolnville Road to give them better access.
Herzet said building Nighthawk up as a gravel road could be done to the same standard as the recently improved Wonsevu Road.
The commissioners promised new training for road grader operators, work on establishing county road standards and operations by a manual, greater and more open communications with citizens with road concerns, and a look at whether Nighthawk and some other roads should be turned back to hard surface.
Holub noted that Marion County has the second-most number of miles of roads of any county in the state of about 1,600 miles with only a population of close to 13,000 persons.
Dallke said the county includes about 940 square miles.
At the Tuesday, Feb. 22 meeting, the commissioners approved proceeding on hiring a county economic director for at least a three-year period. The new administrator could come from anywhere, but would be required to live in Marion County.
Hillsboro City Administrator Steve Garrett, acting as chairman of the county economic development council, came to the meeting Monday to help commissioners set procedures for hiring an economic director.
Under Garrett’s questioning, the commissioners clarified that they want an executive board in addition to the council that would act in an advisory capacity both to them and an economic director.
The board also would help in interviewing director candidates, commissioners said. A director would report both to commissioners and the board, they said.
It was determined, although not officially approved, that a board should include a mayor, a business representative and an agricultural representative from each of the three commissioner districts, including five persons to be asked who have already served on such a board.
County Clerk Carol Maggard reported a payday figure of $565,205.33.
She said sales tax receipts for December, collected in January and distributed by the state to the county in February, totalled $41,965.06.
Noreen Weems, elderly department director, said USDA commodities will be picked up at the National Guard Armory in Council Grove March 9 by volunteer drivers for distribution to all of Marion County’s senior centers.
She told of reports on a new scam where persons seeking information about individuals search dumpsters at medical facilities for unshredded documents. She said Blue Cross Blue Shield is issuing new cards that replace Social Security numbers with new identity numbers.
David Brazil, planning and zoning, environmental health and transfer station director, told commissioners the planning and zoning commissioners plan to meet an hour early March 24 so county commissioners can be included in a discussion of amending regulations to enable more rural housing.
Holub said he wanted such discussions to continue as long as needed so that more rural construction can be encouraged.
The commissioners approved writing off $16,568.48 in bad emergency medical services debt, subject to inclusion on the state set-off list for possible collections from things such as tax refunds and lottery winnings. EMS Director Darryl Thiesen said the bad debt is due mostly to the deaths of patrons with insufficient estates to pay, and to things such as bankruptcies.
Thiesen said billing for ambulance runs that had fallen two years behind will be up-to-date by May.
The commissioners approved paying $1,629 for a computer bid by Great Plains over a bid of $1,958 from Business Systems that will help the department in updating billing.
Commissioners received copies of a letter written by County Attorney Susan Robson advising Warren Kreutziger, owner of Canada Bait, that Kansas Law doesn’t allow commissioners to make provision for sale of 3.2-percent beer on Sundays, but only provision for sale of higher alcohol content beer from liquor stores.
