BUTLER
COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Monday, October 1, 2001
Commission Chairman, Bill Shriver, called the Butler County Board of Commissioners to order. Present were Commissioners Randy Doll & Will Carpenter; County Administrator, Jay Newton; and Commission Secretary, Marcy Zwall.
Commissioner Doll moved to approve the Butler County Commission Meeting minutes of Monday, September 24, 2001, and Tuesday, September 25, 2001. Commissioner Carpenter seconded the motion. Motion carried 3-0.
Commissioner Carpenter moved to approve vouchers totaling $173,244.98, dated September 24, 2001. Commissioner Doll seconded the motion. Motion carried 3-0.
Commissioner Doll moved to approve the Adds in the amount of +$223.38 and the Abates in the amount of -$1,725.08, approval #2072, dated 10/01/01. Commissioner Carpenter seconded the motion. Motion carried 3-0.
Beverly LeFever, County Treasurer, reviewed delinquent Mineral Taxes from 1985 through 1990, in the total amount of $1,346.19. Further, she requested that the Board adopt a resolution, to be drafted by County Counselor Norman Manley, to abate said taxes. Ms. LeFever noted that these were not Oil minerals but probably gas & were not present any longer. She further confirmed that each tax was included in the original tax statement, 2 notices sent for payment & then turned over to District Court where they currently are idle. The Board acknowledged that it was probably costing more to keep these on the tax rolls than to cancel them.
Commissioner Carpenter moved to authorize Jay Newton to draft a resolution to abate delinquent Mineral taxes, from 1985-1990, in the amount of $1,346.19, according to State Statute 79-2014.
Commissioner Doll seconded the motion. Motion carried 3-0.
Due to inquiries regarding why the County owns some of the buildings it does, the County Administrator presented and reviewed the following lease agreements with the Commissioners:
Flinthills Services, Inc. & South Central Mental Health Counseling Center, Inc.
Mr. Newton added that it might be more beneficial to sell the buildings or give them away. Commissioner Doll commented that he did not see the strategic advantages to keeping the building. Commissioner Shriver stressed the importance of having a “hold harmless clause” in a lease agreement. Commissioner Carpenter suggested getting comparison figures together, including what these buildings are costing the County currently. The Board agreed to research all of the County’s cost on these and revamp a
lease agreement requiring these agencies to be responsible for maintenance, as well as adding the aforementioned clause.
Andover City Council: Commissioner Doll informed the Board that the City of Andover still wants to meet with the Commissioner tomorrow. However, he stated that, after talking to the Council President, he understands the County’s position & sees no need to meet. Mr. Newton confirmed that his discussions with the Andover mayor and administrator have indicated there are internal disagreements about this situation. So, he suggested that those issues be resolved before Andover meets with the Commissioners. Both Commissioner Shriver & Commissioner Carpenter stressed the need to keep the “doors open” so to speak & welcome any discussions. However, they acknowledged that there was still homework to be done, so the answer probably would not be any different. Commissioner Doll said he would contact the appropriate people and notify them of the Board’s decision.
Dan Rowe’s Report:
Dan Rowe, Architect for the new Judicial Building & Jail Facility, approached the Board with a status report on each. First of all, he informed the Board that due to a delay in moving of the gas line for the Judicial Building, the bid deadline should be postponed for a couple of days. Further, he indicated that Kansas Gas Service was supposed to have the gas line moved for excavation by today. However, they stated they could not have it on the schedule until December 1, 2001, claiming they did not know about it in time. Both Mr. Rowe & Mr. Newton showed KGS letters from a year ago discrediting that claim. Nonetheless, the work cannot be completed as originally scheduled. Mr. Rowe acknowledged that, depending on when winter weather hits & how harsh it is, excavation may be pushed back to February. He noted that at least 2 weeks of 45-degree weather would be needed. The Commissioners agreed to postpone the bid deadline to Thursday, October 4, 2001.
Commissioner Carpenter asked Mr. Rowe to clarify some change orders he received. One was from Belles & Associates for a $10,000 upgrade to gravel. Mr. Rowe told the Board to tear that change order up, stating he was agitated that it was submitted in the first place. He explained that all of the sketches & specifications noted gravel as a requirement, so there should be no “upgrade”. Likewise, Mr. Rowe voiced his frustration regarding the $176 change order, saying it seemed petty. However, he also felt it would cost more to argue it than to approve it. Overall, Mr. Rowe was pleased with the low number of Change Orders as well as the status of this project.
Mr. Newton & Mr. Rowe announced that they had been approached by Dick Morris, local funeral home director, & Bill Mason, Kansas Representative, with the idea of a Veteran Memorial being erected on the courthouse grounds, specifically on the northeast corner. Mr. Newton informed the Board that a bronze statue of an eagle would be the focus of the Memorial, and that Mr. Morris suggested a small wall &/or plaza. Mr. Rowe
offered his architectural services free gratis, stating this was a great idea for the community & it needed to be done right. Mr. Newton indicated that if this site was decided upon, a sweet gum tree would need to be relocated & an old hackberry tree (rotted through the middle) would have to be removed. The Commissioners requested a preliminary sketch of what all parties involved had in mind.
Mr. Rowe informed the Commissioners that site plan approval by the City of El Dorado for the new Courts Building has been received. Further, he announced that the Butler County Jail has won an award for inclusion into the Committee on Architecture for Justice on a national level, for its unique functional aspect, which lowers the amount of staff necessary.
The Courts Building has also received an award by inclusion in the National Center for State Courts. He reiterated that the American Institute of Architects National Committee on Architecture for Justice awards these not based on appearance, but for their unique approach to program solution.
Butler County Economic Development Meeting: Commissioner Shriver announced that he attended the BCED meeting last week and talked about the Wholesale Water District, noting that the Board was unanimously supportive of exploring it. Commissioner Carpenter added that he would be meeting with John Bailey this week.
Jail Staff: Commissioner Shriver also told the Board that he spoke with Sheriff Stan Cox and explained that the Commissioners were anxious to discuss the new jail staff with him, as well as a strategy. Sheriff Cox, also eager to talk about this issue, scheduled a meeting for Tuesday, October 2, at 11:00 a.m., with Chairman Shriver & Administrator Newton.
Commissioner Shriver moved, having no further business before the board, to adjourn the meeting, allowing the Board to tour the Butler County Road & Bridge north operations facility. Commissioner Doll seconded the motion. Motion carried 3-0.