ORIGINALLY WRITTEN JERRY ENGLER
District Judge Michael Powers told the Marion County Commission Monday that he would like to be in on discussions for a new jail.
Judicial District Administrator Cecil Aska, who accompanied Powers on business matters, told commissioners he affirmed tentative plans for a jail that would include housing prisoners from other counties for pay.
Powers said jail facilities do enter into some of his decisions such as having jail space available for some persons when he feels jail time really is needed.
He advised the commissioners to plan for a jail “with everything you could want, and then cut back.”
He said there are security considerations in the courthouse such as persons on probation wandering around among clerks who are not law enforcement personnel. Powers said he thought a probationary center with a jail might be considered.
He also suggested considering an area for such specialty cases as juvenile runaways.
Powers and Aska said jail space might be considered for housing more female inmates because such space is lacking in the region.
The commissioners said they would be traveling to Colorado in October for jail educational sessions with consultants who will advise them on considerations such as what kind of personnel they might need in a jail.
Aska said he was familiar with the program, and commended the commissioners for planning to take the trip.
The commissioners voted 3-0 to accept Mike Wederski’s termination as juvenile district corrections director following the same decision of the advisory committee named by the four counties involved.
The counties are Marion, Dickinson, Geary and Morris. It was noted that Bob Maxwell and Sandy Berg represent Marion County on the committee.
The commissioners accepted a letter of resignation from Road and Bridge Supervisor Gerald Kelsey for personal health reasons effective April 12, and thanked him by teleconference call for his 19 years of service.
The commissioners tentatively set a meeting with the economic advisory committee for 7 p.m. May 3, to finalize the job description for a county economic director.
David Brazil, planning and zoning, environmental health and transfer station director, reported there have been four ditch dumpings of trash reported in the last month, a number that is high for the years the county has run the transfer station.
Brazil said before the transfer station was county run it was common to have a ditch dumping a month.
He said the dumpings consisted of tires and household trash.
He works with road and bridge on such reports.
The commissioners promised Brazil a letter of support for his application to be a basin representative for the Kansas Water Administration for Marion County. Brazil said there is no current vacancy, but applications are kept by the state for two years to insure that adequate public voice is given to the Kansas Water Plan.
He reviewed requirements for sewage septic systems and lagoons constructed according to soil type for Commissioner Randy Dallke who said he is getting questions from the public on how requirements are determined.
The commissioners approved Brazil seeking computer bids to give planning and zoning and environmental health separate computers to economize on employee time.
The commissioners went into executive session with County Attorney Susan Robson for 15 minutes for attorney-client privilege with no announced decision.
Milton Lowmaster of the engineering firm of Cook, Flatt and Strobel, which handles the county’s bridge planning, said federal grant sharing bridge money to Marion County has been increased to $422,000 for fiscal year 2005, up from the former annual rate of $228,000.
Lowmaster said this comes at a time when because of the efforts of previous commissions, bridge construction needs for current traffic patterns on rural secondary roads are nearly complete. “I don’t think any other county we deal with is this close to building all the RAS bridges necessary,” he said.
He said the commissioners will need to come up with a new five-year bridge building plan, and examine where their 20 percent matching funds will come from. Lowmaster said a mill tax increase may become necessary.
The commissioners approved design funding of $24,200 for a bridge west of Ramona and $22,700 for a bridge east of Peabody.
Jim Herzet, acting road and bridge supervisor, said in two years county road signs will be updated to six-inch letters instead of the current four-inch letters.
He reported on stolen road signs at commissioners’ request, noting that Mustang appears to be the favorite taken.
Dallke called for commissioners to begin at next week’s meeting to determine what to do about Kelsey’s resignation, and how they will go about a job description for road and bridge supervisor.
He commended Herzet for his performance in the position during Kelsey’s leave.
Commissioner Dan Holub said he wanted it clarified that comments made at last week’s meeting weren’t meant as criticism of Herzet, but as calls to decide what to do about Kelsey’s position. At that time, the commissioners hadn’t received Kelsey’s letter.
