MOUND CITY – Linn County Public Works Director Shaun West handed out a three-year equipment list to the Linn County Commission during its regular meeting on Monday, March 6.
The list showed information on each piece of equipment and what needed to be purchased each year for the next three years.
The commissioners had already approved a new pickup for the Planning and Zoning department and moved the planning and zoning pickup to the south shop. The commissioners approved West going out for bids on the remaining vehicles scheduled for 2023 and also to check on government surplus vehicles. Bids will be accepted for the following vehicles:
• Utility cart for maintenance
• Pickup truck for the park
• Pickup truck for the north shop
• Backhoe for the north shop
• Backhoe for the south shop
• Tire cutter for solid waste
In other business, the commissioners:
• Approved purchasing five plastic tanks for the fire departments’ utility task vehicles (UTV). They will be purchased from Emergency Fire Equipment for $10,600.
• Gave Public Works Assistant Director Jessica Hightower permission to publish bids for hay leases. The three locations are 27 acres at the La Cygne Industrial Park, 70 acres on the west side of the airport property and 163 acres at the Pleasanton Industrial Park.
Hightower said that these would be one-year leases so that the county could have all of their leases come up at the same time next year. After that, the leases would probably go back to being five-year leases as they have been in the past.
• Approved a contract for fuel for a year from MFA. The prices were $3.318 for clear diesel, $3.318 for dyed diesel and $2.829 for unleaded fuel. The other bidder was TNK with prices of $3.84 for clear diesel, $3.59 for dyed diesel and $3.02 for unleaded.
• Appointed Mitch Falls as a member of the Linn County Housing Committee for Commission District 1.
• Learned from Hightower that Southeast Kansas Regional Planning Commission (SEKRPC) was awarded $1 million from the Safe Streets for All grant through the bipartisan infrastructure bill to study roads in 12 southeast Kansas counties.
An engineering firm will do the study and give recommendations for repairs or expansions of roadway. Linn County will be able to use that study when they apply for grants for roadway improvements, said Jessica Hightower.
Hightower told the commissioners that the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) is going to cover 100% of the matching portion of the grant, so the county will not have to pay anything for the grant. Originally each county was expected to pay a 25% match, but KDOT has agreed to pay for the match.
• Approved the hiring of Donald Grande as an Operator II at the hourly rate of $16.49.
• Learned that the Hell’s Bend Bridge project letting date had been changed from June 23 to August 2, which put the bridge in the state’s project year 2024.
• Learned that asphalt foreman Tod Moeller would be in to report the asphalt plan for 2023 to the commissioners in the next couple of weeks. West said that Moeller had been working with quarries for purchasing rock for the road projects.
• Approved a resolution presented by Planning and Zoning Director Darin Wilson to change the zoning of 3.14 acres of land located at 7434 Kansas Highway 7, Mound City, from agricultural to agricultural residential. The land, located west of Nichol Road on K-7, is owned by Kenneth Eastwood, who requested a lot split so the property can be sold or leased.
• Approved a resolution to allow All Terrain Vehicles (ATV) to be operated at the Linn County Park with a permit for the driver who has to be 18 years old. This resolution will allow people to operate side-by-sides and golf carts on the roadways at the park.
• Learned from West that the courthouse boiler had been inspected by the state fire marshal and was in violation because of the leaking gaskets. The inspector told West that the county could file an extension to get the work done when heating was not required in the building.
• Heard from West that that Johnny Taylor and Carl Wieberg from the noxious weed department had started spraying the county buildings. West said they would be in to meet with the commissioners later this month to have them sign off on the noxious weed plan.
• Discussed scheduling Kenny Boone from Maple Ranch Farm to come to meeting to discuss the maintenance agreement on State Line Road.
• Learned that West and Wilson will be going for continuing education on waste water licensing on March 28-30.
• Heard from West that he was checking with the Kansas State Historical Society about requirement for installing heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) in the court house.