By Charlene Sims, info@linncountyjournal.com
MOUND CITY – Commissioners Jim Johnson and Danny McCullough questioned the application by Evergy for a burial permit at 2200 and Young roads on Monday, Nov. 20, and decided to not vote on it until they learned more.
The discussion about the application arose before the commission later in the meeting voted to enact a one-year moratorium on applications for solar utility installations in Linn County. The commissioners were apparently concerned the burial would be for a line to a solar installation.
“What is it running to?” asked McCullough.
Public Works Director Shaun West, who was on vacation, called in and said it was a line to one of Evergy’s substations in Amsterdam, Mo.
Both Johnson and McCullough said they wanted to hold off to get more details from West before they approved it.
Burial permits are routinely approved without question, especially if they are from a company like Evergy.
In other business, the commissioners:
• Approved a burial permit for a water line requested by Page Enterprises at 1900 and Keitel roads for Linn County Rural Water District No. 3.
• Asked for more information before approving a request from Assistant Public Works Director Jessica Hightower for providing a van for transportation for the Linn County Rural Water District No. 2 and Public Wholesale Water District No.13 board members to go to an end-of-the-year banquet in Louisburg.
Jessica Hightower said that the county usually supplied a bus for this event as eight of the people were seniors.
• Learned that West and Jessica Hightower had met with Tony Mellini from Terracon, the company that will work on the cells at the county construction/demolition landfill. Hightower said Mellini now had the information he needed to meet with the commissioners on Dec. 11. She said that he would discuss raising the levels of the present cells and possible changes to the transfer station.
• Approved replacing a roof of a shelter house at the Linn County Park with metal roofing at the recommendation of Randy Page, the county construction manager.
• Also learned from Hightower that Page had said that he thought the remodeling at both the Pleasanton Senior Center and the former district court building would be completed by the end of the year.
• Opened salt bids that Jessica Hightower will take back and qualify with the road foremen. The bids were:
Kunshek, Chat and Coal, Pittsburg, Kans. 26.5 tons of regular road salt, $50 per ton for salt, $48 per ton for hauling, $98 per ton to load;
Central Salt, Lyons, Kan., $69.79 per ton delivered;
Kansas Salt, for 25 tons at $91 per ton for a total of $2,275; and
CB Trucking, Prescott, $120 per ton.
• Approved clearing a corner for line of site at 850 Ungeheuer Road, at the curve after the railroad tracks. The county received a signed consent form and learned that the owner of the property said not to worry if the fence was damaged.
• Learned from Jessica Hightower that the applications for the fiscal year 2026 High Risk Road Grant has been issued and she asked if the commissioners would like to apply for it. She said the funding is 90%-10% split with the county paying for the funding and the preliminary engineering.
The grant would be for County Road 1095 between 1150 and 1650 roads. To find out the cost of the project, she will need to work with the county engineering firm, Pfefferkorn Engineering and Environmental to get an estimate. The commissioners agreed for her to work with Pfefferkorn.
At present, the county has received the fiscal year 2025 High Risk Road Grant and is repairing County Road 1095 from 1650 Road to Kansas Highway 152. The cost of the current grant that has been received is $453,000 total. The state is paying $351,000 and Linn County is paying $102,000. This does not include the asphalt overlay the county is providing.
• Learned that the custom sign truck with the bucket is in for repairs, which will be turned into the county’s insurance provider. The cost of the repair is $5,506. While the truck is in the shop, the annual inspection will also be completed.
• As the Board of Canvassers, the commissioners approved the audit results.
• Approved a motion to not count 20 provisional ballots that were not registered and to approve the remaining 20 ballots with a partial count on one ballot that is not the correct ballot style.
• Approved the election abstract with the results of provisional ballots.
• Approved two applications from Chason Attie in Prescott to allow relief from dumping fees for buildings at 334 W. Elm and 554 W. Front.
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