Commission cancels credit cards it didn't approve

By Charlene Sims, info@linncountyjournal.com

MOUND CITY – Linn County Commissioners Jason Hightower and Jim Johnson voted to cancel the credit cards that had been issued to Planning and Zoning Director Ben Souza and Maintenance Manager Mike Shapel.

Public Works Administrator Jesse Walton, supervisor of both departments, asked that the cards be cancelled after going into executive session with the two commissioners and county counselor Jacklyn Paletta. 

Credit cards issued to Souza or Shapel were never by the commission, which is required under county policy. The most recent credit card approved by the commissioners was January 16, 2024. The card was for Assistant Fire Chief Brian Shroyer.

The “2021 Linn County Employee Handbook” has a policy about credit cards being issued to employees. It says that the “authorization of a county credit card account will be granted by the county commission on a case-by-case basis when the needs of a specific department demonstrate to the commissioners that a credit card or charge account will improve the efficiency of the department.”

Other rules about credit cards in the employee handbook state:

• That the department head of the department applying for the card will make a presentation to the commissioners outlining the need for a credit card or charge account and the specific plans within the department to manage the care – physical location of the card, employees who will be authorized to make use of the card, the types of items or services to be purchased.

• Application will go through the county clerk’s office. It says NO application for a credit card or charge account may be filed without commission approval on record.

• Commissioners must specifically approve the opening of a credit card or charge account in the name of a department rather than in the name of the county.

• Other rules include that employees who make unauthorized purchases may be subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination. 

In other business, the commissioners:

• Heard a presentation from Joey McLiney, Linn County’s bond representative, about his work with financing projects for economic development. He said that his work in Linn County is often pro bono and if anyone was interested in obtaining financing for business projects, he would be happy to help them. He said that the could put together a list of United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) economic development financing.

• Hired Daniel Parsons as the north shop road foreman and Rodney Honn as Mound City shop road foreman at the request of Public Works Administrator Jesse Walton. Both will start at $23.78 per hour effective Tuesday, Sept. 2.

• Approved the Evergy structure replacement project ,at the request of Walton, on 2400 Road where Evergy would do ditching at their own cost. Last week, Walton had explained that Evergy was going in and replacing their large wooden poles with metal ones for the high-voltage lines along that road. 

He had explained there were approximately 10 areas where they would cross ditches to enter property to replace the poles and he proposed that the county charge Evergy $1,000 for all entrances instead of the the $250 per entrance, or $2,500, and Evergy would pay for the culverts if they were needed.    

• Approved hiring Hi-Tech Interiors to do the labor of soundproofing the jury room in the district  court for $3,200. The company will use the materials already purchased by the county. County Counselor Jacklyn Paletta said that the funding will come out of the courthouse building fund.

• Approved the purchased of a F-450 truck for the fire department from Federal Surplus at the cost of $15,000. The truck will be used as a brush truck at the La Cygne fire station. 

• Agreed that Walton should go out for bids again on two trucks for the landfill.

• Learned from Walton that he would be checking with the roofing company representative to make sure that he had received the paperwork on the courthouse roof from the adjusters and he will bring that in next week.

• Learned from Walton the the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) had contacted him and asked that the county do some minor revisions on the drainage for the berm that the county is putting in for the vertical expansion of the county’s construction-demolition landfill. The engineer is working on that and will notify Walton when that is turned in to KDHE. He said they were worried about water sitting stagnant or getting into the waterway that is there.

• Heard from Walton that the U.S.Army Corps of Engineers that the county will be able to fill in the old coal strip pit and use it in the future for landfill expansion. He said they were waiting for that paperwork to go through and give the county approval.

• Learned from Walton that the bids for the landfill berm should be coming in during the next few weeks so the county can get going with the cost on that. 

• Were told by Walton that he had turned away one contractor that had several hundred tons of construction debris in order to keep the landfill from filling up too quickly. Despite that, he said that as of right now the landfill had space.

• Heard from Walton that he had spent time with the engineer about the Baskerville Road culvert project and the engineer was going to go ahead and do his H & H (hydrologic and hydraulic, study of water movement) study on that.