Monday, April 25, 2011

County commission April 25, 2011

County Commission April 25, 2011

All Commissioners present.

The Commission approved the amended Manhattan Urban Area Comprehensive Plan that was presented to them at the last Commission meeting, April 21.

Rod Meredith, Assistant Public Works Director presented the single bid for asphalt overlay. It was submitted by Schilling Asphalt. The bid was referred to staff for recommendations.

Johnetta Shepek reported from the Budget and Planning Committee on the CIP, County Building Fund, Economic Development fund and the Road and Bridge Sales 1/2 Cent Sales Tax fund.

During the Press Conference, Eileen King reminded people that, for car owners with names beginning with C or D, their license plates must be renewed before Monday, May 2.

Commission Chair, Karen McCulloh, read a statement proclaiming May as Mental Health month. Mental Health issues of some sort strike one in four persons in any given year and one in seventeen will deal with serious issues.

Leon Hobson gave a progress update on Public works projects.

The Commission went into executive session relating to the acquisition of real property.

Julie Merklin, observer

Thursday, April 21, 2011

County Commission April 21, 2011

BOCC April 21, 2011

All Commissioners were present.

Debbie Regester, Register of deeds said the 2011 revenue is up about $36000 compared to last year. Recently there was a mortgage of $12 million, another for $1.6 million. There are some apartments planned for Moro and 11th st and others for Denison and Claflin which will bring in more revenue.
Regester said that software is working well and the vender has been extremely helpful

Clancy Holeman, counselor/director of Administrative Services said the administrator for the panel of attorneys that work with indigent persons will participate in the budget process for the new 3 year contract. Having the administrator participate in the budget process will help the panel understand the process and the difficulties of budgeting. . Two of the current attorneys have said they will not continue on the panel

Jennifer Wilson, County Extension Director, reported that the VITA program (volunteers who help with taxes for low income people) has finished up. They received an IRS grant of $10,000 which helped with purchase of supplies and to pay for a site coordinator. Four hundred low-to-moderate income people were helped – this was 100 more than last year and 50 over the goal. Some people were also filing for tax year 2009. There were 15 volunteers. The program has now been in place for 6 years.

Brad Schoen, RCPD Director, talked about the Safety Committee meeting which discussed “Fake Patty’s Day”. There has been talk of possible new codes and the possibility of recovering some costs which totaled about $60,000, not considering the loss to businesses which closed or had reduced business activity. It is the bars that are making the money.

Because the RCPD is funded by both the city and the county and there are new city commissioners, and thus new Law Board members, there will be a meeting for new Law Board members to be oriented to the county’s budget process and how it affects RCPD funding

Monty Wedel, Planning Director explained the Gateway To Manhattan plan as an attachment to the Manhattan Urban Area plan. A formal hearing will be held next Monday.

Pat Collins, Emergency Management Director presented the RC Fire District#1 2011 first quarter Run Report . Fire calls for grass fires were 42, up from 26 in 2010 first quarter, EMS rescue calls were 49 as compared to 33 in 2010. Total calls were 137 compared to 91.

Julie Merklin, observer

Monday, April 18, 2011

Riley County Commission

April 18, 2011


All Commissioners present, McCulloh presiding.

It was agreed to ask the designated administrator for the attorneys paid by the County to represent clients in indigent and child-in-need cases to report to the Commission on a quarterly basis. County Counselor Holeman said, in his opinion, they are doing a good job.

During a general discussion of issues, Commissioner Lewis mentioned observing those participating in the Gay Rights parade and those attending the Tea Party function. He said he saw more people involved in the Gay Rights activity than that of the Tea Party.

County Attorney Craig Cox discussed an investigation he made concerning complaints about some property in Valleywood. A house is in poor shape with weeds and construction material in the yard. Cox will be in contact with the property owner.

County Counselor Clancy Holeman said he talked to Gina Scroggs, head of Downtown Manhattan, in regard to the controversy over allowing a hot dog vendor to do business in the downtown area. Holeman said it seems the business community is split on the issue. The restaurants are opposed to allowing the vendor while others see it as a way to attract more people to the area.

The Commissioners proclaimed April 18 as Bruce Sneed Day and presented a certificate to Mr. Sneed in appreciation of his contributions to Manhattan and Riley County.

Museum Curator Cheryl Collins announced tours of Goodnow House will be offered 4th grade students April 25, 26 and 27. Normally the tours are given in Wolf House but, due to renovations occurring there, the children will visit Goodnow.

City Planner Monty Wedel presented an award trophy for the Vision 2025 plan to the Commission. The National Association of City Planners gave the award to Riley County in recognition of excellence.

The Manhattan Area Transit Services Interlocal Cooperation Agreement has been finalized and federal funds have been awarded to implement the transportation system. All that remains is for the City Commission to agree to meet its $54,000 funding responsibility.

USD 383 Board of Education

April 6, 2011
Kathy Dzewaltowski, observer

Work session:
The work session focused on the construction project at Bluemont Elementary. During construction, a temporary parking lot will be put in place on the south side of the building, and the option of making the temporary lot permanent had been explored. The city had indicated it would not allow a permanent parking lot on the south side because traffic on Bluemont Ave. would be negatively impacted by cars turning into the parking lot.

Following the Bluemont discussion, the board also reviewed a few of the factors that will affect the budget, such as state funding being reduced to $3,780 per pupil, projected enrollment increasing by 210 students, transportation costs increasing, federal stimulus dollars ending, salary increases, and revenue from new facility weighting resulting from the completed construction projects.

Regular meeting:
The board reviewed a report on gifted education. Students have to score at the 95th percentile in at least one subject area or at the 97th percentile on an IQ test in order to qualify for services. Usha Reddi, elementary teacher, addressed the board about her concerns about a potential economic gap. Bluemont and Ogden, both schools with families with lower incomes, had the fewest number of students qualifying for gifted services.

Board members discussed the option of a new gym floor for Lee Elementary. Lee's construction project had experienced unforeseen expenses (new fire lane and new water main) that had caused the gym floor to not be bid as part of the construction project to reduce costs. Now that the project is 50% complete, the project manager was confident that there were enough contingency funds available to complete the gym floor. All of the other elementary schools are scheduled to receive new gym floors, so board members had not wanted Lee to be the only school to not get one. Susan Marshall wondered if the gym floor was a priority for the school or if there were other items that had been deleted from the project that might be a higher priority. The board approved the gym floor 6-1 with Marshall dissenting.

The board was presented information regarding the creation of a Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) at MHS. An application to create a program usually takes 2-3 years to be approved, so a program would not begin until the 2013-14 or 2014-15 school years. The district's cost for the program in the initial year would be $100,000 and then would be $88,500 for subsequent years. Pete Paukstelis asked whether MHS faculty were supportive of starting a JROTC program, and Terry McCarty, MHS principal, reported that the faculty were supportive but concerned about the logistics of budget and space for the program. The district will have the ability to back out of the application process before 2014. The board approved 7-0 to pursue the JROTC application process.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Riley County Commission mtg 4-14-11

All Commissioners present. After routine business, Leon Hobson, Pub Works Director, conducted opening of bids for Wildcat Creek Road reconstruction and water main improvements. There were six bids. Bids came in under the Engineers' Estimate by over $1 million. Commissioners referred the bids to staff for review and recommendation, 3-0.
Lyle Butler, Chamber of Commerce, updated Commission on Economic Development projects. He said now that the K-18 alignment is set, some companies may wish to situate on the corridor. Good planning by City and County will be needed to promote desirable development. There are two empty buildings in the Tech Park which were built specifically to house call centers. Conversion of such buildings is not easy, but it is possible. Some companies have inquired about coming here, but have lost interest when they discovered the $12 per-hour rate of pay required in order to receive favorable tax incentives. Such companies customarily offer $8.50-$10.50. Butler mentioned some interest expressed by (unidentified) companies from around the world and the US. Most of them are interested in cooperative agreements with researchers at KSU in such fields as fertilizer, cyber security, DNA vaccines, and other vaccines. These are not only connected to NBAF. Commissioners discussed the attractiveness of Manhattan's quality of life. Ms McCullogh asked if the Chamber could help stir interest in the seminars offered by Public Works on Energy Efficiency. Butler said he would confer with Rod Meredith.
Eileen King, County Treasurer, reported on monthly finances. Investment income is holding up. In her conversations with other County Treasurers, King is envied for the "high" interest rate of l.00% which she is receiving. Invetment earnings ar presently at 32.16% of annual budget. Sales tax receipts are down, primarily because of bad weather every week-end in January (the month reported on in March). This meant that people were not buying cars. In answer to a question from Mr. Lewis, King said that as to income from Fake Patty's Day, there are no bars in the top hundred sales tax contributors in the State. In ad valorum tax, 55.53% of budget has been collected. County has collected 25.27% of budgeted motor vehicle taxes. It was noted in passing that military personnel are exempt from personal property tax on cars, but they do pay sales tax.
Clancy Holeman requested an executive session. Granted.
Commissioners gave permission to allow residents of paving benefit districts 30 additional days to file petitions in opposition to a charter change resolution, since they had not been personally notified.
Rod Meredith conducted bid opening for asphalt seal oil. There were three bids. Commissioners referred the bids to staff for review and recommendations.
Meredith conducted bid opening for crushed limestone chips. Two bids, referred for review and recommendation by staff.
Johnette Shepek, Budget and Finance Officer, conducted a discussion of 2012 Budget Baseline. In previous years, departments have based their budget requests on the previous year's amounts.The proposal was to have departments base their budget requests on actual perceived need. Some budget items are not in Commission control: e.g. RCPD, Health Dept. Others are subject to discussion and revision by the Commission. Budgeting has two sections: 1) the "three C's": Contractual services, Capital outlay, and Commodities; 2) Personnel. By consensus, Commission agreed to allow 2012 Budget requests by departments to be based on actual projected needs. They ask for full funding of the three C's, and project personnel costs with stop increases only. COLA raises would be computed at a later time in the budgeting process. Ms Shepek will notify the agencies that receive County support of this policy.
Adjourned. Submitted by Lyndal Nyberg.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Riley County Commission mtg 4-11-11

All Commissioners present. After routine business, Rich Vargo, County Clerk, gave the YTD Budget and Expenditures report. Again, all departments are more or less within acceptable limits. RCPD may have a problem later with medical expenses: prescription drug costs have spiked, and one inmate requires dialysis treatment.
Chris Welchhans, GIS Director, gave an update on his department's activities. They have plotted two new subdivisions and continue to search records for errors to be corrected. Welchhans went to a meeting in Wamego to discuss plans to place back-up data in Pottawattomi County in case of large emergency (e.g. tornado). Riley County has the ability to assist other Counties who do not have the resources Riley Co. has. The boundaries for offering assistance should probably be those of Flint Hills Regional Planning Organization, McCullogh suggested. Welchhans agreed in principle.
Rod Meredith, Asst Dir of Public Works, announced the ribbon-cutting ceremony to take place on Wed., April 13 at the site on Tuttle Creek Blvd.This ceremony marks the official "opening" of the Resourceful Kansas site. Several distinguished guests will be in attendance, including KS Governor Brownback, a representative of US Department of Energy, representative of the architectural/engineering firm involved in installing the energy-efficient systems, and Kansas State University experts. The site has solar panels, LED and solar street lighting, a waste oil furnace, four wind turbines, efficient lighting and heating measures, etc. The ceremony is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. The public is invited to attend.
Meredith announced that Deep Creek Road will be closd tomorrow, April 12, for the entire day to replace a culvert.
Doug Messer, Asst Riley County Fire Chief, said that no firefighters were called to duty this weekend (remarkable in present conditions) because ALL the agricultural people in the County cooperated with the no-burn policy ("Red Flag" conditions). The cooperative system worked out 10 years ago continues to work well. When wind is 20 mph or more and humidity is 20% or lower, it is a dangerous condition. Some selective burn permits have been issued since 7:00 Sunday evening, when wind had decreased and humidity increased. (Apparently a NW wind, which arose about then, is very advantageous and rare,)
Ms Mccullogh presented a plaque of appreciation to Tom Finney for his years of service as Township Clerk in Zeandale. He has also served on Sr. Center Board, Zoning Appeals, Park Advisory, and County Council on Aging.
Jolene Keck, Clerk's Office, presided over presentation of election results from April 5. There were 69 accepted provisional ballots (one partial). Almost all provisional ballots were recommended for acceptance. of those rejected, all but one were rejected because was not registered in Riley County. The one other was rejected because the voter had already cast an IVO vote at another polling place. Such attempts are easily caught by the system in place. Rich Vargo oversaw the electronic counting of those provisional ballots accepted. No changes were made in previously announced victories. Write-ins from provisionals will be counted by a special board to be certified Thursday. Commissioners certified (as the Board of Canvassers) the results of the election, 3-0.
Approved adjournment to occur at end of County Officials Luncheon. Submitted by Lyndal Nyberg

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Health Board Reports

Health Board Reports
Monday, March 7, 2011

The visit from the Kansas Department of Agriculture represented by Erik Wisner and Steve Morris which had been postponed began the meeting. The purpose was to explain the services the KDA food service program was providing locally and to determine whether to continue the local food inspection program in addition to the state program. Governor Brownback’s funding cuts removed the long term state contract to the Riley County/Manhattan Health Department for local food inspections and placed that responsibility with the state instead. They claimed that two inspectors cover Riley County and inspect all food facilities, which means restaurants, vending companies, and groceries and convenience stores, once yearly and when there is a complaint. A county can have an additional inspection program as long as it meets the state criteria. At the moment Overland Park is the only entity to augment the state’s inspection system with it’s own system. Mr. Morris claimed that a complaint of food borne illness would be dealt with within 24 hours. The present Manhattan Ordinance for Food Safety will have to be changed because of the change at the state. Part of the ordinance requires at least one onsite person certified through ServSafe, a program which requires the teacher to be certified as a ServSafe instructor and is a program more in depth than the KDA program. The Board decided to recommend to the city that the ordinance include adopting a licensing program requirement for ServSafe classes and a certified food safety coordinator onsite in each establishment and to give the Health Officer enforcement authority to inspect food establishment as needed.
Suzanne Kufahl asked that the Board approve accepting Medicaid patients at the Primary Clinic and that approval was needed so that that fact could be included in a grant proposal that needed to be submitted in the near future. There were extensive reports included in the Board’s packets. Acceptance of this idea seemed to be there until Dr. Paul Hesse stated that he had philosophical reasons for objecting to this plan. In his experience Health Departments can be overwhelmed if they accept Medicaid patients and that other Health Department goals can be compromised. The board then decided to wait on this decision. A committee comprised of Dr. Benne, Barbara Sollner and Dr. Floersch agreed to meet and discuss this issue.

Submitted by Sue Cohen