By Charlene Sims, info@linncountyjournal.com
MOUND CITY – At the end of the Linn County Commission meeting on Monday, April 15, the commissioners went into three separate executive sessions to interview candidates for the county counselor position. Candidates interviewed were Burton Harding, Conrad Miller, and Mark Hagen. No action was taken following the interviews.
In other business, the commissioners:
• Approved scheduling a special meeting so that all three commissioners could attend a workshop for the planning and zoning commission presented by James Kaup. Kaup worked with the planning commission to draft the zoning regulations approved last year. No action will be taken at the meeting.
• Discussed gathering more information before canceling the county’s membership in the Southeast Kansas Juvenile Detention Center. Commissioner Danny McCullough will check with other facilities to make sure they will take juveniles from Linn County.
• Approved a park hay purchase agreement with Cole Davis for 92 acres at the Linn County Park from April 1, 2024 to March 31, 2026 for $4,140.
• Agreed that only the county could apply calcium to the roadways for dust control. Public Works Director Shaun West reported that 46 people had applied for dust control with the county.
West said that he had received several calls asking about landowners applying their own calcium. The commissioners decided that would not be a good idea for several reasons.
The county would not know about the individuals’s application to the roadways and would continue road maintenance, ruining the application. There was also concern about whether the chemical being used was approved.
• Approved hiring seasonal mowers for the south district at the pay of $12.74 per hour. They are Walter Hardy and Devon Rhodes.
• Agreed to allow West to spend up to $8,000 if necessary for piping at the lagoons at the Linn County Park.
• Approved an assistance agreement for delivering rock and spreading it at Woodlawn Cemetery with the Mound City Township cemetery board. The cemetery district will pay for the rock.
• Linn County Noxious Weed Director Johnny Taylor met with the commissioners to discuss purchasing a utility task vehicle (UTV), spray rig and trailer so that his department could get to areas where its truck could not go.
Commissioner Jim Johnson said that the wasn’t for the purchase because he thought that, while the staff had been doing a good job, he thought that they could still do a better job with the equipment they have before purchasing new equipment.
Johnson was also interested in finding out the price of leasing the UTV as compared to buying one.
Taylor said that the department does not have all of the equipment they need to reach some areas infested with noxious weeds.
The consensus of the commissioners was that Taylor bring back information about leasing a UTV and also a second bid on the trailer next week.