FSCC holds line; In a special meeting Wednesday, trustees approve keeping mill levy steady

Posted on August 16, 2012 by angeliquemcnaughton

Thursday, August 16, 2012

By Angelique McNaughton

Fort Scott Community College’s Board of Trustees decided to keep the local mill levy flat during a special budget hearing on campus Wednesday night.

The Fort Scott Community College Board of Trustees dissected the college’s projected 2012-2013 budget during a special budget hearing on Wednesday night. About 20 community members attended the meeting and applauded the board after they voted to keep the local mill levy flat at 25.357 mills.
(Angelique McNaughton/Tribune)

About 20 community members, including Fort Scott Mayor Jim Adams, attended last night’s hearing to determine the amount of local taxes to be levied for the 2012-2013 school year. The board and college administrators spent about an hour breaking down FSCC’s projected budget for audience members.

FSCC officials initially recommended a .637 mill increase for the 2012-2013 budget, but reduced that figure to about half a mill prior to Monday night’s budget hearing. A recent $1.5 million county miscalculation in assessed property valuation for 2012 left the county’s five taxing entities scrambling to re-work their budgets.

Administrators laid out two options for board members on Wednesday — both of which included an increase to the levied amount — explaining to trustees and those attending — that the increases were necessary for the college to continue to operate successfully and efficiently.

College administrators said they are faced with operating increases in every area, including a 12 percent bump in health insurance and a 33 percent hike in worker’s compensation premiums.

In response, community members stressed the rising cost of living and the number of county residents living on a fixed income.

Local businessman Jim Smith said he attended the hearing, not only as a concerned citizen but as a resident concerned about those who are financially less fortunate than him, like his father-in-law.

“I’m not here for me,” Smith said. “I’m 63 and I never thought I would be alive to see times like they are now.”

He said it would be a disservice to raise taxes on people now and suggested placing some of the burden on the college’s other revenue sources — tuition and the federal government.

“Something has to be done; it’s going to be worse in the future,” Smith said. “You have to take a look at personal responsibility. You (students) want an education; it’s something that’s important, but it doesn’t have to be put on the backs of the people out here.”

The college’s local mill levy remained flat from 2004-2011, something that both trustees and administrators say has led to the current situation.

“Expenses go up; revenues go flat,” FSCC President Clayton Tatro said. “At some point something is going to bend.”

Tatro said the community needs to look at its contribution to the college as an investment, not a penalty.

“If there is value in education we have to fund it,” Tatro said. “How do we expect to grow our economy if we don’t educate our workforce?

“The reality is, if we are going to invest in the future, we need to invest in education,” he said.

After considering public comments and statements from administrators, the panel chose to keep the local mill levy flat at 25.357 mills, with $2,321,179.78 in taxes levied for the 2012-2013 school year. The college raised the local mill levy last year more than 2 mills.

The college’s administrators sat quietly, looking almost defeated, following the panel’s decision and the audience reaction.

Dean of Finance and Operations Karla Farmer said the college already runs on a very narrow margin.

“Unfortunately, certain services will be cut,” Farmer said. “Those of us who answer everyday to requests that can’t be met because of the current budget, it will compound that.”

The ones who will face most of the burden, Famer said, will be the students but officials will do their best to make it as “painless as possible.

“I respect the decision of the board and we will operate within the prescribed budget,” she said. “But everything has a cost.”

From both Monday and Wednesday night’s budget hearing, the six-member board cut nearly $80,000 from the college’s total projected budget of about $12 million in total revenue and expenses.

Trustee Jim Fewins said he understands what the administration is tasked with.

“They work pretty hard to get this down and they’ve kept it stagnant,” he said after the hearing. “I want the crowd to understand that we are really looking at this; (we) have looked over this and we are giving up certain things.”

While the audience only represented a small percentage of Bourbon County residents, Fewins said trustees don’t “bow down” to those citizens but consider their opinions.

Fewins said he felt pressure to not raise the mill levy after the Fort Scott City Commissioners voted to keep the city’s mill levy flat at a special meeting Wednesday afternoon. Commissioners voted to cut $75,000 from the general fund instead.

“If we can get through another year … but it’s going to be tough,” Fewins said.

Audience members cheered and applauded the board following its decision.

Gerald Kerr, of Bourbon County, said what the college board did is a “very good thing” because it listened to the people.

“And we’re grateful,” Kerr said. “I want to thank you all. We’re in hard times and the city, the community, the college and the people that work in the city with businesses need to work together. We have to be prudent.”

Error could change local budgets

Posted on August 14, 2012 by angeliquemcnaughton

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

By Angelique McNaughton

An annual state audit revealed a $1.5 million miscalculation in Bourbon County’s assessed property valuation for 2012, affecting projected budgets for five taxing entities, including the county’s.

The clerical error amounted to a higher property valuation for the county, which led to an expected increase in revenue for the coming fiscal year. The city of Fort Scott, United School District 234, Fort Scott Community College, the Southwind Extension District and the county are all impacted and now must re-work their budgets. The county notified the entities of the error by fax around 4:52 p.m. Friday.

“I know that mistakes happen. I think everybody understands that,” Assistant City Manager Susan Brown said during Monday’s Bourbon County Commission meeting. “My biggest concern is in the future how do we keep this from happening so late in the game?”

Fort Scott City Commissioners approved the city’s budget on July 25, setting the mill levy flat at 48.8 mills.

Brown said commissioners are now faced with cutting the budget by $75,000 or raising the mill levy 1.6 mills.

A special meeting of the city commission is scheduled for 4 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 15, at City Hall. The purpose of the meeting is to approve the re-publication of the budget.

“Luckily, we still have enough time (that) we can republish,” Brown said. “But is there an audit process internally that we can do with the appraiser’s office to make sure mistakes don’t happen again — at least not as severe as this one was?”

By law, the county is required to submit its assessed valuation totals to the state in July and November. County Clerk Joanne Long said she sent the county’s information to the state around July 15.

“I sent my stuff off to the state, as I do, and they called back on a couple of things,” Long said.

The state audit showed that of the $4 million in personal property machinery and equipment for the county, $1.5 million was in assessed value. When people and businesses in the community were sent rendition forms to assess personal property by the county appraiser’s office in January, local business Valu Merchandisers incorrectly entered information for a trailer causing the county’s personal property to be nearly $4 million higher than this time last year, Long said.

The increase didn’t initially raise any red flags, Long said.

“I have nothing to say about what the county appraiser’s office gave me,” she said.

County Appraiser Judy Wallis was unavailable for comment. An employee with the appraiser’s office said Wallis would return on Friday.

“Everybody fell down on the job on that one,” Long said.

Accountant Terry Sercer, of Diehl, Banwart, and Bolton CPAs, said when he was working the county’s budget it was obvious the personal property had increased, but that was not unusual.

“It wasn’t in real estate … If it was up in real estate, you’d go wait a minute,” Sercer said. “But personal property could be a big business doing something different this year. That’s why I wasn’t as concerned seeing it in the personal property area.”

County Commissioner Allen Warren said from the county’s standpoint, the miscalculation is “not good.” Warren said commissioners were initially hopeful when they saw the valuation increase.

The county’s latest revised budget included a decrease in last year’s local mill levy of about .600 mills.

Now if the county keeps the budget the same as it was a week ago, the projected budget shows the exact opposite — about a half mill increase.

“I’m personally concerned about the impact on the county, but also how the city and schools are affected,” Warren said. “I don’t know what else to say, other than we apologize.”

Fort Scott Community College officials recently recommended the college’s Board of Trustees raise the mill levy for the second year in a row. The suggestion was a .637 mill levy increase. Working on the county’s miscalculation at a Monday night budget hearing, FSCC officials still recommended raising the mill levy, but by a smaller amount than previously suggested.

“I think it’s unfortunate we have to come back in here and re-do this when we worked to get the dollars down,” trustee Jim Fewins said.

After listening to comments from residents and board members, the panel voted to abstain from approving the budget to reconsider it at a special meeting set for 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 15, in the Heritage Room of the Administration Building.

Both the city and USD 234 originally planned to keep their mill levies flat.

“One thing we stressed was we were wanting to keep everything the same,” district Business Manager Tiffany Forester said.

During the district’s budget hearing Monday night, USD 234 officials recommended a .479 mill levy increase.

“The new property valuation assessment strains the school’s budget by about $40,200,” Forester said. “If we don’t increase mill levy and keep everything the same … the students are going to be the ones affected.”

Forester said school board members decided to table the budget until it can be revisited during a special meeting set for noon Thursday, Aug. 23.

All local taxing entities must submit their approved budgets to the county clerk by Aug. 25. Considering the county’s miscalculation, Long said the end of the month deadline will be flexible for both the schools and the city.

“I think Susan (Brown) and I both sort of questioned it, but who are we to question the information that was sent to us,” Forester said Monday morning. “… Because it did kind of send up a warning to us, but for us it was good news.”

County vote tally made official

Posted on August 14, 2012 by angeliquemcnaughton

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

By Angelique McNaughton

Approximately 28 percent of registered Bourbon County voters participated in the Aug. 7 primary, according to Monday’s official ballot canvass.

The three Bourbon County Commissioners spent Monday morning certifying the election results from the primary elections last week.

Commissioners received 66 provisional ballots that were marked for further review. A provisional ballot is used if there is any doubt about a person’s eligibility to vote due to a name or address change, lack of photo ID, or a discrepancy with the person’s party affiliation.

Commissioners counted 35 ballots in full and four partial ballots.

According to the canvass, 3,067 of 10,800 registered voters in Bourbon County participated in the election. The Associated Press reported a 23 percent turnout in Kansas.

Locally, County Clerk Joanne Long said registered Republicans turned out in greater numbers than Democrats.

Election results from local and state races are available on the county’s website, www.bourboncountyks.org.

County Commission OKs ticketing for burn ban violations

Posted on August 14, 2012 by angeliquemcnaughton

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Fort Scott Tribune

By Angelique McNaughtonHerald-Tribune

Fort Scott, Kan. — County Commissioners gave the Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office the green light to begin immediately issuing tickets to local residents caught violating the county-wide burn ban.

Bourbon County Emergency Manager Keith Jeffers told commissioners during the regularly scheduled meeting Friday morning that residents burning trash have caused at least two fires in the county this week, with both occurring in Scott Township since Tuesday.

“The one yesterday near Jayhawk… they burned trash in a barrel and drove away,” he said. “The problem is they see a little bit of rain and think it’s now safe.”

Both of the fires were contained and no significant accidents or injuries resulted, Jeffers said, adding that it took many personnel to contain the fire.

Jeffers said he was asked by the Fort Scott Fire Department to help find a way to strengthen enforcement of the burn ban or offer an alternative to trash burning.

“I was asked to come up here to see if you guys would consider the possibility of a free dump day for county residents,” he said.

Officials with the county fire departments thought the ban would encourage county residents to cease outdoor burning, with the hope of preventing future fires.

However, commissioners decided against the suggestion, fearing it wouldn’t solve the problem and would instead incite ill feelings amongst city and county residents because of the exclusivity of the suggestion.

“I could see that being a big problem,” commissioner Jingles Edincott said.

Commissioners instead agreed that stepping up the enforcement of the ban could possibly reduce the amount of residents burning trash and help the rural fire departments recover from the strain the recent fires caused to the departments that are already running thin on staff and fuel.

“If we hit a couple people with tickets, maybe everyone else will slow down,” Jeffers said.

With fire conditions “very high” in the county, commissioners instituted the county-wide burn ban prohibiting “all outside burning, unless specifically ap-proved in writing by the fire chief” at the end of June. It was amended on July 6 to include covered grills, but it is “highly recommended” by county officials and the fire departments to “maintain a close watch” on the grills to prevent any sparks from escaping.

According to the Burn Ban, resolution 16-12, all violations of the ban constitute a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in jail and up to a $2,500 fine. A minimal assessment of $160 will incur through court costs, and if a person is convicted of the offense they face an additional $45 fingerprint fee. If probation ensues, an additional $60 probation fee will result, Bourbon County Attorney Terri Johnson said.

Any fire also has the potential, county officials said, to burn out of control, escaping the violator’s property, which could result in more monetary damages in the form of civil liabilities and court-ordered restitution costs.

Commissioner Allen Warren said the problem is “they don’t think they’ll get caught.”

“The one on Locust was a half mile south of my house,” Warren said. “That one worried me.”

Commission Chairman Harold Coleman said the problem isn’t going to go away.

“We are in a critical situation and it’s not getting any better,” Coleman said.

Undersheriff Bill Martin said the department would start enforcing the burn ban immediately.

In other business:

* Phil Gorman, Fort Scott, asked commissioners about the agreement between the city of Fort Scott and Bourbon County Sewer District No. 1, which covers Lake Fort Scott residents. Commissioners said they would look into it. (See related story, Page 4B.)

* Bourbon County resident Michael Daubben spoke to commissioners about fences in both the Millcreek and Freedom Townships. No action was taken.

The Bourbon County budget hearing for the 2013 budget is scheduled for Monday, Aug. 27.

A time has yet to be determined for the hearing, County Clerk Joanne Long said.

The next regularly scheduled Bourbon County meeting is Monday at 9 a.m. on the second level of the Bourbon County Courthouse.

Four-laning of U.S. 69 slowly moving forward

Posted on August 8, 2012 by angeliquemcnaughton

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

By Angelique McNaughton

Initial moves to four-lane U.S. Highway 69 are slowly taking shape.

Darrin Petrowsky, an area engineer with the Kansas Department of Transportation, recently met with Bourbon County Commissioners to request they consider the county’s future involvement in the road expansion, scheduled to begin in 2017.

The majority of project is in Crawford County, Petrowsky said, with only about four miles in Bourbon County’s jurisdiction. However, Petrowsky said the project has reached the point where interchange locations need to be identified with the purchase of the rights-of-way through the state. Estimated project cost is $47 million.

“We’d like for you guys (the county commission) to start reviewing and seeing if you guys have any better suggestions than what they came up with in 2010,” he told the panel at their July 27 meeting. Petrowsky referred to the 2010 U.S. 69 Corridor Study, which involved an advisory committee and public input.

“(We’ve) got to get the counties concurrent on interchange grade separation and road closure locations, as well as access road locations, which will be turned over to them for maintenance after the construction,” he said.

Plans to build an upgradeable expressway” between Fort Scott and Arma have been approved under the T-WORKS program, the state’s comprehensive transportation initiative.

An “upgradeable expressway” is an expressway where sufficient right-of-way has been purchased to build a freeway in the future, according to the Corridor Summary. The upgrade, officials say, is supposed to be “easy.”

KDOT officials have started surveying the land for the proposed expansion and are expected to be finished at the end of September.

“Now it’s time to get some serious thinking done,” Petrowsky said. “And what you guys are thinking is going to affect what you guys have to do in the future … Those are some of the things that we really have to start thinking about.”

Petrowsky said state officials would like KDOT to organize two separate meetings before Sept. 14, with both Bourbon and Crawford County commissioners, to gauge the county’s preferences about the project.

Sometime in October or November, a public hearing will be held to give landowners and residents a chance to ask questions or express comments or concerns regarding the future project and the proposed interchange locations.

“Nothing that we do right now is really set in stone, but we’ve got to start somewhere,” Petrowsky said Tuesday. “We’re just trying to get the i’s dotted and t’s crossed with everything so we can go forward with the construction of them.”

The Fort Scott to Arma highway expansion has been in the works for more than 10 years. Financial constraints have slowed the project’s momentum.

U.S. Highway 69 Association member Dean Mann said he’s been involved with the organization for more than 15 years. He said the original overall goal for the more than 50-year-old organization was to construct a four-lane highway from Kansas to Oklahoma.

Mann said the organization has been lobbying for the highway’s expansion since its construction in the 1990s.

In 2011, Gov. Sam Brownback announced the continued expansion of the highway to Arma at an estimated cost of $47 million.

“We lobbied and worked very hard for that part of our project,” Mann said. “These things don’t happen very quickly.”

Years ago, Mann said there used to be a bumper sticker that read “Pray for me; I drive Highway 69.”

“It used to be one of the most dangerous highways in the state because of the hills and narrowness of the road,” he said.

The most important factor in the highway’s original construction and its continued expansion is safety, Mann said.

“That’s why you stay involved,” he said referring to the years he has worked with the organization.

Another reason for his continued involvement, Mann said, is the fact that U.S. 69 Highway is the “biggest economic engine” in Southeast Kansas.

Mann noted that transportation is the “key element” to economic growth and development and a four-lane highway supports that.

Whenever public input is sought, Mann said everybody affected should try and participate.

“I think that’s an important element that people certainly try and participate in the process,” he said.

Voters head to the polls

Posted on August 7, 2012 by angeliquemcnaughton

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

By Angelique McNaughton

Bourbon County voters have a lot to determine in today’s primary election with many state and local candidates vying for positions at every level.

Bourbon County Clerk Joanne Long said she expects to see a higher number of voters than the statewide 18 percent turnout Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach predicted in an Associated Press article, because the county’s Republican voters will turn out in greater numbers than Democrats, Long said in a recent Tribune article.Long said she stands by her prediction.

“I do,” she said on Tuesday. “We have a lot of local races that are going to bring people out.”

Long will face fellow Republican Kendell Dawn Mason in the primary today. The winner of that contest will face Democrat Evelyn Taylor in the Nov. 6 general election. Other local positions up for election are second and third district county commissioner, county treasurer, register of deeds and sheriff. County Attorney Terri Johnson is running unopposed.

The county has about 10,700 registered voters, of which 4,400 are Republicans, 3,000 are Democrats and 3,300 are registered as unaffiliated meaning they can vote as either Republicans or Democrats.

An unidentified resident holds two pink sample ballots for her parents to review on Monday prior to the primary elections set for 7 a.m.-7 p.m. today. The primaries narrow down the candidate field before the Nov. 6 general election.
(Angelique McNaughton/Tribune)

When early voting ended at noon Monday, 334 voters had physically cast their ballots since voting started on July 18. Deputy County Clerk Tony George said he had mailed about 350 ballots, but was unsure how many had been turned in.

It’s been smooth sailing for the last 20 days, Long said, and there haven’t been any voter issues so far.

Voters have been receptive to the new state law requiring photo identification at the polls, she said.

“It has been well received,” Long said. “People are interested; something has changed.”

The law, enacted last January, states that Kansas voters must show photo identification when casting a ballot in person or have their signature verified and a copy of an acceptable form of photo ID when voting by mail. Accepted forms of identification include a driver’s license, nondriver ID card, concealed carry handgun license, U.S. passport, a government employee ID, U.S. military ID, Kansas college ID, government public assistance ID or Indian tribe ID.

Contrary to Long’s perception, Bourbon County resident Karen Endicott-Coyan said she had a less than favorable experience when voting at the courthouse last week.

Edincott-Coyan, a registered Republican, said she went to cast her early vote on July 31 and after she finished, she placed her ballot in the machine and stepped outside the clerk’s office on the second floor of the courthouse to wait for her husband to finish voting.

“Then we both stepped back inside the clerk’s office and imagine my surprise when I witnessed a county employee holding my ballot face up which could be easily read,” Edincott-Coyan said.

Edincott-Coyan said she knew it was her ballot because she had written her name in for a position.

“I was very upset about it and I’m still very upset,” she said. “I don’t believe there is any integrity in that process and I believe it is flawed.”

An error with a machine sensor caused the machine to refuse any ballots not placed in the machine face down. A sign noting this problem was placed near the machines sometime last week, but not when Edincott-Coyan voted.

“The integrity bothers me,” she said. “Quite frankly, I didn’t know things like this went on until I experienced it.”

Long said it is not her office’s policy to look at ballots.

As of Monday afternoon, she said the machines were fixed and back in working order.

“Everything’s great and the equipment is in running order,” Long said.

Voters can cast their ballots at one of the polling stations in Fort Scott and around the county from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. today.

“Please be sure and vote,” Long said. “Some people think, ‘I’ll vote in the general (election)… Your candidate may not make it in the general election if you don’t vote in the primary.”

Voter rights and responsibilities

As a Kansas elector, a voter is entitled to ask questions and obtain a ballot. Voters can obtain up to two replacement ballots if one is mismarked or spoiled. Voters can request a provisional ballot if their name does not appear on the voter registration list. Voters are also allowed to review a sample ballot before voting.

Voters are allotted up to five minutes in the voting booth if others are waiting free from coercion and intimidation. After voting, voters are entitled to have their ballot count if its cast legally and in a timely fashion, according to the website VoteKS.org.

Voters are required to register to vote at least 21 days before the election and are expected to follow all federal and state voting laws. Voters are also expected to respect the privacy and voting rights of others and report an illegal activities.

If a voter would like to express complaints about alleged election crimes or other voting problems, a complaint must be submitted in writing and signed under oath by the person filing the complaint. The complaint must be filed with the Secretary of State’s office at Memorial Hall in Topeka, 120 SW 10th Avenue.

Questions about the voting process and voters’ rights can be directed to the secretary of sstate’s at election@sos.ks.gov, or by calling (800) 262-VOTE.

Source: www.voteks.org

Request to block roads for Mercy Day Run OK’d

Posted on August 6, 2012 by angeliquemcnaughton

Saturday, August 4, 2012

By Angelique McNaughton

Mercy Hospital spokeswoman Tina Rockhold gained the cooperation of Bourbon County commissioners on Friday for the second annual Mercy Day Run next month.

Rockhold asked commissioners if they would block certain county roads the day of the race from 215th Street and the intersection of Indian Road, south to the intersection of Grand Road and Highway 39 — about two and a half miles. The run is slated for 7 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 29, starting in Mercy’s east parking lot. It is organized by an eight-member committee comprised of Mercy employees.

“We are asking for assistance from the county to keep the roads safe for our participants,” Rockhold said.

Commission Chairman Harold Coleman told Rockhold the county would do “whatever we did last year” to help.

The idea for the Mercy Day stemmed from Mercy’s public initiative to engage coworkers in healthier habits by emphasizing the four pillars associated with healthy living — eat for life; breathe for life; balance for life; and move for life.

“To address the ‘move for life,’ pillar we chose this particular project last year to get our coworkers engaged,” Rockhold said.

Participants may make a 5K run, or a half-marathon. The fee for the 5K run is $25 per person, which includes a T-shirt and awards for the top three finishers in each age group.

Cost for the half-marathon is $40 per individual and also includes a T-shirt and medal. Additional medals will go to the top five men and women. Those who wish to take part may register up to the day of the race, from 6-6:30 a.m. but fees will increase $5 after Sept. 14.

Online registration is available at www.heartlandtiming.com. Forms can be obtained at Mercy Health for Life and Buck Run Community Center.

Proceeds will benefit the resurfacing of the community walking trail at Fort Scott Community College.

About 140 people attended the first Mercy Day Run last year, with some runners hailing from as far away as Kansas City and Arkansas. Approximately 42 Mercy workers donated their time to the event.

“The other thing that I think is important (is that) even though it’s an idea to promote fitness among our own co-workers, we hope to encourage our community to become more active, too,” Rockhold said. “We hope the community and others join our efforts to make us a stronger, more healthy community.”

Rockhold said only a handful of people have pre-registered for the event. With eight weeks left until the big day, Rockhold said she isn’t “getting too nervous yet.”

Organizers have set a goal of 150 participants to surpass last year’s attendance.

Rockhold said she would like to thank this year’s sponsors: Mercy Clinic, the city of Fort Scott, FSCC and Cobalt MedPlans.

“The whole idea is to challenge yourself to go just a little bit farther this time,” she said.

This year is the 126th year that Mercy has been in Fort Scott. Across Mercy’s four-state service area, Mercy Day honors the servitude and compassionate care of the founding Sisters who set the Mercy health care ministry in motion, a June news release said.

For more information about Mercy Day or the Mercy Day Run, contact the Mercy Development Office at (620) 223-8094.

In other business, commissioners:

*Received another revised edition of the 2013 county budget. Accountant Terry Sercer, of Diehl, Banwart, and Bolton CPAs, presented the revised version of the budget to commissioners, which included an additional $25,000 to the county’s murder trial fund, which covers the expenses the county incurs from murder trials.

The revisions in the budget adjusted the local mill levy, but Sercer said it is still down from last year at about .600 mills.

Commissioners plan to hold the public hearing on the budget within the next few weeks.

Bridge move gets OK

Posted on August 3, 2012 by angeliquemcnaughton

Friday, August 3, 2012

Tribune Staff Report

Officials with the National Register of Historic Places recently approved the relocation plan for the Long Shoals Bridge so it can stay on the register during and after its move to a new site across the Marmaton River.

The Fort Scott/Bourbon County Riverfront Authority submitted the relocation request to the Kansas Historic Sites Board of Review in May seeking to move the bridge, located in the northeast part of county across the Osage River at 265th Street.

The state board approved the request and forwarded its recommendation to the national register in Washington, D.C., which made its final decision July 17. Register keeper Carol Shull made the final decision.

FSBCRA officials said the 175-foot long bridge would serve as part of a pedestrian and light vehicle trail, spanning the Marmaton River between U.S. Highway 69 and North National Avenue.

Getting approval for the bridge to remain on the National Register is an important step in the relocation process for the proposed Riverfront Park and trails, Riverfront Committee member Dean Mann said.

“By keeping it on the registry, it makes the project eligible for certain types of grants that are for the preservation of historical items or historical places,” Mann said.

Early cost estimates for the project range from $300,000 to $400,000, Mann said. The FSBCRA officials said they plan to contract with a professional engineering firm to provide a plan for the bridge’s disassembly, relocation and re-assembly, according to the relocation request.

Mann said some of the work to construct the piers for the bridge will be done through a project to complete the River Loop Road.

“After we have that information, we will able to use it for grant requests and we’ll know exactly what that will cost us to move and restore it,” he said.

The project should be completed within a couple years, Mann said.

“We have a lot of government agencies that have to bless the project before we can get started,” he added.

Once moved, the bridge will still need to be re-evaluated by Kansas Historical Society staff to determine if its integrity has been compromised, in which case it wouldn’t remain on the list.

Lisa Hecker, public information officer with the Kansas Historical Society, said the society is “pretty hopeful it will work out fine.

“They think it should be OK and easily reinstated on the registry unless they find something they are not aware of,” Hecker said referring to damage that might be sustained during the move.

The ornate, metal truss bridge, constructed in 1902, was listed on the National Register in 1990 for its engineering significance, and at the time of its nomination, was only one of two vertical end post-Pratt truss bridges in Kansas, a news release said.

In order for properties to be eligible for the registry, they must have made a “significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history.”

The National Register recognizes properties of local, statewide and national significance, the release said.

Commissioners making county budget work

Posted on August 2, 2012 by angeliquemcnaughton

Thursday, August 2, 2012

By Angelique McNaughton

Bourbon County commissioners sat down and discussed several ways to cut expenses from the upcoming fiscal year’s budget and keep the mill levy down during a recent workshop.

Commissioners Allen Warren and Chairman Harold Coleman, minus commissioner Jingles Edincott, who is on vacation until next week, along with County Clerk Joanne Long and accountant Terry Sercer, of Diehl, Banwart, Bolton CPAs, spent more than an hour Monday afternoon discussing where the board could make adjustments to reduce the budget. All department budget requests were submitted to the county last week.

County officials met with some of the department heads to discuss where to make possible cuts without affecting their operations.

“We know what you’re asking for but what can you live without?” Coleman asked.

The revised budget after the workshop shows about a $10.3 million budget, which is slightly higher than last year’s $9.6 million budget, but with a decrease in the local mill levy.

“We’re spending more, but we levied less,” Long said.

County officials slashed approximately $160,894 from the preliminary budget by reducing the amount some county departments requested during the work session.

The Bourbon County Sheriff’s Department originally put in a request for around $558,000 — about $125,00 more than the previous year. But after working with Sheriff Ron Gray, the department’s request was reduced to $518,355 for the coming year.

The projected budget shows about $3.68 million in the county’s general fund, with about a third of that earmarked for the road, bridge and culvert funds.

“I think it looks great,” Long said of the budget on Wednesday. “It includes a cost of living adjustment for all employees and funding for the essential things we have … (the budget is) looking pretty good actually.”

The coming year’s proposed budget includes a 2 percent raise for all county employees and an additional 5 percent raise to recoup the salary reduction department heads agreed to last fiscal year.

About 20 percent of the budget includes $2.4 million in employee benefits and salary increases, which also factors in health insurance and retirement benefits. County employees haven’t had a raise since January 2009, Long said.

“… You’ve got to try and look out for your people because we’re not only making the budget, we’re going to have to pay these taxes, too, before it’s over,” she said. “People only have a finite amount of money, so you can’t tax them to death.

“It’s a balancing act and it’s difficult sometimes,” Long added.

The county has had to steadily raise the local mill levy the last couple of years because the county’s assessed valuation continued to drop. Commissioners raised the tax rate by slightly more than 3 mills last year.

Long said she was nervous prior to working on the budget about what the tax rate would look like this year, afraid trends wouldn’t help and values wouldn’t go up. “But I was pleasantly surprised to see the value was up and we also didn’t spend as much as we thought we were going to, so we had some carryover.”

The county’s assessed valuation, or worth, went up by nearly $2 million this year, which in turn creates more revenue.

Sercer said in a recent email to county officials that he thinks the budget “looks pretty solid right now.”

All the county department heads — about 12 people — start working on the county’s budget in the spring.

Warren said one of his main concerns about the county’s finances was how to reduce cost for tax payers and “still get the job done.

“I think that’s the big one,” Warren said.

Long said she considers all the county’s responsibilities and whether it can meet them.

“What kind of services are we able to provide and are we able to provide all the services that we’ve been (providing) in the past and are there any more that we can do,” she said. “There are all sorts of people that depend on the county for money to run themselves and we need to make sure we can fund everybody.”

The county’s budget must be published 10 days before a scheduled public hearing, which has yet to be set. The budget will be finalized and approved before Aug. 25, Long said.

FSCC could raise mill levy

Posted on August 1, 2012 by angeliquemcnaughton

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

By Angelique McNaughton

Fort Scott Community College trustees got a glimpse of the school’s proposed 2012-2013 budget Monday night, which included a recommendation to raise the local mill levy for the second year in a row.

The board spent almost an hour going through the proposed finances during a work session at FSCC held prior to the college’s regularly scheduled meeting.

FSCC President Clayton Tatro said the session provided an opportunity to “lay out and hash out the budget” with board members. Officials have been working on the budget since February.

Those at the meeting were given documents and graphs outlining revenues and expenditures, including the recommendation for a .637 mill levy increase.

“We’re not making any decisions tonight … (We’re) just hoping to reach some consensus,” Tatro said. “(I) feel good with what we are presenting and why.”

The projected budget shows about $12.3 million in total revenue and expenses. Of that, about $8.4 million is in the college’s general fund; about $3.1 million for technical or vocational education; and a little more than $763,000 for the FSCC truck driving program.

If the board approves the budget, this would mark the second year that FSCC has raised the local mill levy. Last year, it was raised a little more than 2 mills, but from 2004-2011 it stayed flat.

Bourbon County property valuations went up by approximately $1 million this year and FSCC is expecting to generate about $48,000 in revenue because of the increase. If the trustees also approve the mill levy increase, it would generate another $59,000 for the college.

Based on preliminary numbers, about $2.6 million will be generated from Bourbon County taxpayers in 2012-2013. FSCC’s three primary sources of revenue are state, county and student sources, such as tuition.

It was a year without a high number of budget cuts, Tatro said, so it was a “fairly straight forward” year and work session. Tatro said he expects about $307,000 in state funding through the new technical education formula.

“(The year’s) going to be huge in terms of new revenue coming in,” Tatro said in a July 24 interview. “But it’s getting more expensive to do business.”

A $180,000 expense increase to account for the faculty and staff raises agreed upon this year and a 7.5 percent, or about $84,000, increase for the health insurance benefit premium, are among the almost $600,000 in increased expenses officials projected for the coming year.

“(We’ve) got more money coming in and more money going out,” Tatro said.

Trustee Jim Fewins said Tuesday the budget is “pretty well in line” because of work during the past few years to put certain “things into place” that wouldn’t create any financial surprises.

“(We) try and be good stewards of what we put in there,” he said. “From a local standpoint, we want to keep things in balance. We don’t want to make a real burden … I’m a taxpayer myself.”

A former CPA, Fewins said his experience conducting audits gives him a better understanding of the workings of the budget. He said college officials have done “excellent” the last two years in preparing it.

In addition to Tatro, all the school’s deans and an 11-member administration council work on the budget.

“What is best for students without a doubt, that’s a big driver,” Tatro said. “But at the end of the day, our revenue has to match our expenses. You have to set up a budget (and) treat it as if it was your home or business budget and it has to balance.”

College officials work very hard to be effective and efficient, Tatro said. “Students first; community always,” he added. “Kind of a nice driver with the budget as well.”

A budget hearing is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Aug. 13 in the Heritage Room in the Administration Building at FSCC, 2801 S. Horton. It is an open meeting. State law requires the budget to be approved by Aug. 15.

“We made some tough decisions … and spent a lot of time on the budget,” he said last week. “And we are exceptionally cognizant of the community in which we live.”

In other business, following the work session, the board approved:

* Officers for the 2012-2013 school year: Myrtle Anne Colum as chairman; Bernita Hill, vice chairman; Karla Jo Farmer, information officer; Kathleen Hinrichs, clerk of the board; Mindy Russell, treasurer; Juley McDaniel, Kansas Public Retirement System (KPERS) representative; Robert Nelson, Kansas Association of Community College Trustees (KACCT) and Council of Presidents representative; and Jim Sather, Greenbush representative.

* The consent agenda which included the following additions: Tommy Hoyt, webmaster; Janet Burke, PEC cosmetology instructor; Michael Brown, wastewater instructor; Trey Pike, assistant football coach; Richard Johnson, assistant football coach; Morgan Beck, IT director.

And the following separations: Cordell Upshaw, assistant football coach; and Megan Myers, HEP administrative assistant.

* Employment and approval of pay benefits for staff and faculty for the upcoming school year.

* An update to the allowable expenses policy. Officials said the purpose of the policy is to “merely comply” with the current Internal Revenue Service regulations.

The next regularly scheduled board meeting is Aug. 13, following the college’s budget hearing at 5:30 p.m.