COMMISSIONERS’ PROCEEDINGS
April 9, 2024
The Rooks County Board of Commissioners met with the following present: Chairman, John Ruder, and Members Tim Berland and Jake Prockish. Laura Montgomery, County Clerk, was present to record the minutes. Virgie Laska was present to write a report for Stockton Sentinel. Tonia Goetz was present to write a report for Plainville Times. Ruder called the meeting to order and asked all to stand and recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
The agenda was accepted as presented.
Lori Eichman, County Health Nurse, was in to discuss IT Services. She has Trend Micro through Nex-Tech and it is no longer being supported. Eichman presented three quotes: from CK Tech, 539.50 per month, Tree Top out of Hays 789.00 estimated per month and a quote from Nex-Tech. She is currently paying $200 per year for Trend Micro.
Eichman presented a quote for firewall with CK Tech in the amount of $2,425.00. Commissioners decided to table both the IT Services and firewall until next-week after the county clerk gets them the quotes for IT Services from last September.
The commissioners reviewed April 2nd minutes. Ruder made a motion to approve with corrections. Berland second the motion and Prockish agreed.
Ruder made a motion to go into executive session with the three commissioners and Eric Biggs, Road Supervisor from 9:25 am to 9:35 am to discuss non-elected personnel. Prockish second the motion and Berland agreed. Upon returning to open session there was no further discussion.
Biggs presented April fuel bids. Berland announced the bid from Farmers Union in Stockton with a bid of 3.049 per gallon on diesel and 2.7193 per gallon on unleaded.
Eric Biggs, Road & Bridge Supervisor, the road crew is still hauling on AA Road and working in rock pits. They have been busy working on dirt roads and pulling ditches.
Biggs has been working on road equipment. The truck at I-70 Truck Repair was not struck by lightning, the main computer board shorted out.
They have finished the tree project by Codell and are now at Niblock’s to take out trees and dig a ditch.
Biggs said he is having someone work on Fridays so the road crew has enough rock. Biggs and Colburn have been working on Fridays also.
Biggs and the commissioners discussed the meeting in Colby on Wednesday and the local road safety meeting.
Montgomery, Biggs and the commissioners discussed the new time clock system. Montgomery thinks it might be in place for the June payroll. Biggs has concerns about some of his employees having trouble using the phone app. He thinks there are at least 3 employees that have a flip phone. He feels if they are required to download an app then the county should have to pay a stipend. Montgomery said there is no cost to the employees to use the app.
Aaron Brinkerhoff, with Washington National Benefit Adviser was in to request visiting with the employees and offering them supplemental benefits such as life insurance and living benefits. He provided samples of the benefits offered as well as letters from other counties.
Berland made a motion to permit Brinkerhoff to visit with the employees and offer them the chance to enroll with Washington National. Prockish second the motion and Ruder agreed.
Danny Knoll, Sanitation Supervisor, was in to discuss the fencing. They worked on the fence Saturday morning. Knoll and the commissioners discussed the trash blowing into the fields and along Hwy 183. A KDOC crew was out this morning to pick up the trash. Berland spoke with Bret Bedore, his company has a scraper if it is needed to assist opening a new pit.
Ruder made a motion to endorse the check from Dreiling Company, LLC and sign the utility agreement for Section 36/31 Twp 9 Ranges 18/17.
Ruder made a motion to endorse the check from Capital One to the Landfill for a refund of $3.61. Prockish second the motion and Berland agreed.
Prockish made a motion to sign the minutes for March 26, March 29th and April 2nd. Ruder second the motion and Berland agreed.
Ruder made a motion to sign the Notice to Township #11 for cereal malt beverage application for a special event at the Golf Course for the Plainville Fire Department. Prockish second the motion and Berland agreed.
Ruder made a motion to sign the Bond Agreement for Denise Murchie, Treasurer. Berland second the motion and Prockish agreed.
Ruder made a motion to sign the reimbursement request from the County Election Officer to the State of Kansas for the Presidential Preference Primary Election. Berland second the motion and Prockish agreed.
Ruder made a motion to endorse the check from K-WORC for a refund of workmen’s comp insurance in the amount of $8,419.00. Prockish second the motion and Berland agreed.
The commissioners received a check from City of Stockton for Law Enforcement in the amount of $117,204.35.
Ruder made a motion to sign Resolution #2024-R3 to be put on the General Election Ballot in November as follows: Berland second the motion and Prockish agreed.
RESOLUTION NO. 2024-R3
A RESOLUTION PERMITTING SALE OF ALCOHOLIC LIQUOR BY THE INDIVIDUAL DRINK WITHOUT
30% FOOD REQUIREMENT IN ROOKS COUNTY, KANSAS TO BE A SPECIAL QUESTION ON THE 2024
NOVEMBER BALLOT.
WHEREAS, Rooks County does permit sale of liquor by the individual drink where at least 30% of the gross receipts are from sale of food for consumption on the premises and prohibited in all other public places,
And
WHEREAS, pursuant to Kansas Statutes Annotated, Section 41-2646 the issue of liquor by the drink may be placed upon the ballot by resolution of the county commissioners,
IT IS THEREFORE, by the Rooks County Commissioners resolved that the following YES/NO question be placed on the ballot in the next general election, to wit:
“Shall the sale of alcoholic liquor by the individual drink in Rooks County be allowed in public places without a requirement that any portion of their gross receipts be from sales of food?”
Adopted this 9th day of April, 2024
By the Board of Rooks County Commissioners, Rooks County Kansas
John Ruder, Chairman Tim Berland, Member
Jake Prockish, Member ATTEST: Laura Montgomery, Certified County Clerk
The commissioners were invited to the Historical Society Annual meeting on April 21st at 2:00 pm. William K Skinner’s grandson will do the presentation.
Prockish announced the commissioners received the High Plains Mental Health minutes.
The commissioners received from K-Camp a letter informing the sheriff he received the Risk Avoidance Grant for grill guards in the amount of $1.940.00. There is still $60 left of the grant.
Prockish weekly report: He has been working at the golf course getting ready for the property sale and cleaning up the grounds. The new bridge looks good. He received calls about the trash blowing from the landfill. The new fence will improve this.
Berland went to the road safety meeting at the fairgrounds.
Ruder weekly report: He visited with Rusty Hrabe, Chairman of the Senior Services Board, and they made a profit of Thirty-One Thousand dollars in February. There are eleven units in the assisted living and thirty-three beds in the long-term care. They are still waiting on USDA for the loan.
All of the commissioners received the updated finance rates for ambulance from Adam Comeau. The financing will be through Republic First National.
Ruder said headway has been made with the ROW issue on the bridge.
Ruder made a motion to go into executive session from 11:01 am to 11:11 am with the three commissioner and Montgomery to discuss confidential data. Upon returning to open session, there was no further discussion.
Ruder made a motion to review and sign the weekly vouchers as follows. Berland second the motion and Prockish agreed.
WEEKLY VOUCHERS AND PAYROLL
FUND Warrant # TOTAL
General 82795-82820 18,198.67
Road & Bridge 82821-82831 15,126.10
Noxious Weed 82832-82837 6,838.74
Treasurer Equip 82838 1058.00
Health Depart 82839-82844 1,173.84
Sanitation 82845-82848 1,434.32
Golf Course 82849-82853 6,127.78
RCED 82854-82855 164.39
GRAND TOTALS 50,121.84
With no further business to transact, Ruder made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Berland second the motion and Prockish agreed.
Adopted this 16th day of April, 2024
ROOKS COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
__________________________
John Ruder, Chairman
__________________________
Jake Prockish, Member
__________________________
Tim Berland, Member
ATTEST:
_________________________________________
Laura Montgomery, Certified County Clerk