Thursday, June 27, 2013

Riley County Commission June 27, 2013



Joan Strickler, observer
 

Commissioners Lewis and Wells present, Lewis presiding.  Commissioner Boyd joined the meeting shortly after 10:00 a.m.

Commissioner Lewis said he received a call from Ft. Riley officials informing him that 1700 troops have been drawn down there as part of an overall cutback in Army personnel.

Much of the discussion throughout the meeting focused on the potential requirements of the recently passed concealed carry bill in the Kansas Legislature.  State officials will be meeting to decide signage requirements for buildings being designated temporarily as not allowing concealed weapons.  There is a six month time period provided for counties to make permanent decisions on which of their buildings should remain free of weapons.  Temporary designations are required during the six month period.  Unfortunately the State officials meeting to decide signage requirements during that six month period will not be held until right before the deadline for getting the signs in place giving counties little time to act.

County employees are not now allowed to carry weapons while performing their County duties nor will they be under the new requirements.  It was noted that federal grants have provisions that no employee be allowed to carry guns.  A question arose about volunteer firefighters and how the law would pertain to them.  It was pointed out no weapons are ever allowed to be carried into a fire.

Other questions were raised about insurance.  Schools are finding insurance companies unwilling to insure them if weapons are allowed in their buildings. What would the insurance implications be for the County? 

County Extension Director Jennifer Wilson said 110 campers from Riley County attended 4-H camp at Rock Springs.  She described plans for the County Fair and told of cooperative efforts now underway between her office and the local Boys and Girls Club in providing learning opportunities for children.

Commissioners agreed to bring the CASA program (Court Appointed Special Advocate) into the County’s IT services.  CASA will be billed only for phone and long distance use.  

 

 

 

Monday, June 24, 2013

Riley County Commission June 24, 2013


Joan Strickler, observer

Riley County Commission June 24, 2013

All Commissioners present, Lewis presiding.

The Commissioners indicated interest in adding the CASA program to the County’s internet system.  They asked Robert Nall, director of internet services, to bring a CAR to the next meeting that will spell out the details.

It appears the County’s tax revenue picture remains positive.  However income from utilities taxes is down, affecting Riley and Leonardville in particular.  The switch to cell phone use has adversely impacted utility tax receipts.  Following a later discussion Commissioners agreed to plug into County 2014 budget projections a l.5% increase for salaries.

Dr. John Leatherman, Professor and Director of the Office of Local Government in K-State Research and Extension, presented a report on fiscal conditions and trends in Riley County.  His department provides similar reports for all Kansas counties.  According to Leatherman Riley County’s fiscal condition, adjusted for inflation, looks very positive.

Cheryl Collins, director of the Riley County Museum, encouraged people to attend a brown bag discussion on the traveling exhibit “Americans by Choice:  The Story of Immigration & Citizenship in Kansas” with a focus on Riley County’s immigration history.  The discussion will be held over the noon hour Thursday, June 27, at the RCHS Museum.   The exhibit itself is now located in the Town Center mall.

County Counselor Clancy Holeman provided Commissioners with a proposed letter to send to the State requesting concealed carry exemptions for all buildings owned by the County.  He encouraged Commissioners to be very inclusive in the request since it appears failure to include a building in the request for short term exemptions may negate any possibility of requesting a long term exemption for that building in the future.  It was pointed out that only with the exemption is it possible for employees to be restricted from carrying concealed weapons.  Currently County employees are restricted from carrying such weapons while performing their County work duties.

 

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Riley County Commission

County commission June 17, 2013

Commissioners Boyd and Lewis present, Lewis presiding.

Cheryl Collins, director of the Riley County Historical Museum said that she will be guiding a tour  titled " a visit with K-staters in Sunset Cemetery " on June 23 at 2PM.  It is free and open to the public.  Meet at the front gate at 2 PM.  More info at www.rileycgs.com  

Collins also reported that Museum Trustee, Edna Williams has been honored with two awards, one from the county preservation alliance and the other the DAR Historic Preservation award.  She has been curator of Wolf House Museum since 1983.

Larry Couchman talked about the upcoming Country Stampede and the safety precautions planned by the city of Manhattan and both Pottawatomie and Riley counties.  He stressed that individuals should dress appropriately to avoid sunburn and wear shoes, not flip-flops.  Going barefoot is inviting trouble.  He also stressed having a plan to deal with weather emergencies.  He said that it is the Stampede weekend, so therefore there will be rain and/or storms!

Fire Chief Pat Collins announced that Riley County Fire District #1 has applied for and been granted $363,130 of the FY 2012 Assistance to Firefighters Grant which will allow both the fire district and the RC Emergency Medical services to upgrade their radios to Federal Mandate standards and replace others which can't be upgraded.

Commissioner Dave Lewis introduced and welcomed the new Health Department Administrator,Brenda Nichols.



Julie Merklin, observer.

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

USD 383 Board of Education

June 5, 2013
Kathy Dzewaltowski, observer

Work session:
The work session focused on the results of the facility study that had been done on MHS East Campus by Gould Evans Associates.  The building's current conditions were evaluated, and needs were prioritized.  Priority One items included roof repairs, drainage and waterproofing improvements, asbestos removal from the steam tunnels, and signage for Houston Street.  The exterior stone walls are in good condition, although there is no insulation, and the roof is in good condition.  Other concerns included the main office not being very handicapped accessible, the elevator will need to be replaced in five years, and the chiller will need to be replaced.

Regular meeting:
The board continued its discussion of MHS East Campus begun in the work session.  Pete Paukstelis asked about the $10 million price tag for the improvements and wondered if it would be better to spend $20 million and do a higher quality renovation, along the lines of what was done at MHS West Campus, and possibly create a second high school.  Adam Sterns with Gould Evans said that $20 million was probably a good guess and that the building has the potential to function better, but there are other factors the board will have to consider, such as how the district foresees using the building over the next 20 years.  Dave Colburn suggested that the board have a visioning session to discuss the future for East Campus and also to discuss other district needs, such as additional gyms for the middle schools, a new elementary, and other needs not covered by the bond projects.  Colburn thought East Campus might be a better site for a smaller second high school than to purchase land and construct a second high school out in a cornfield.  For the near future, the facility study provided the board with information about needs that will need immediate attention.

Dr. Bob Shannon, Superintendent, presented a report on district salaries and wages.  USD 383 ranked 66th out of 286 districts.  Salaries and benefits were similar to Lawrence and Auburn-Washburn, whose districts are comparable to USD 383.