COUNTY COMMISSION
Monday, September 16, 2013 6:45 PM Ellis County Courthouse
Order of Business
A. Call to Order
B. Pledge of Allegiance
C. Clerk Calls the Roll
D. Approval of Agenda
II. Approval of Prior Minutes
Regular Meeting September 3, 2013 Regular Meeting September 9, 2013
III. Consent Agenda
A. Approval of Employee Status Changes as presented
B. Approval of Refunding Warrants as presented
C. Approval of Tax Roll Adjustments as presented
D. Approval of Escape Tax Orders as presented
E. Approval of Accounts Payable and Payroll as presented
F. Approval of Payment Request #8 for RWD 1C KANSTEP Project Enclosure
IV. Regular Agenda
A. Carpet Replacement 2nd Floor of Administrative Center
Discussion
B. Public Works
1. East Highway 40 Project
Discussion of Bid Letting Schedule
2. 2013 Equipment CIP Enclosure Discussion of advertising for bids
3. Equipment Disposal Enclosure Discussion
C. County Administrator
1. Boardman Fence Viewing Request Enclosure
Discussion/Consideration of Appointing Fence Viewers
2. Resolution No. 2013-23 – Kansas Natural Resource Coalition Coordination Plan Enclosure
Consideration of Resolution
3. Resolution No. 2013-24 – Kansas Natural Resource Coalition Conservation Plan Enclosure
Consideration of Resolution
4. County Counselor Attendance at Commission
Meetings
Report
D. Other
1. Cereal Malt Beverage Licenses Enclosure
Consideration of Pamela and Gorden Burgardt Application
E. County Commission
1. Commissioner Reports
V. Adjournment
(AP) — Job vacancies in Kansas rose 5.5 percent in the second quarter of 2013 from the same period last year, and state officials say the increase is a sign of an improving economy.
The state Department of Labor reports nearly 38,000 jobs remained vacant during April, May and June, compared with about 36,000 during the second quarter of 2012.
The state had 2.8 vacancies for every 100 jobs in the second quarter this year, compared with 2.7 percent during the same period last year. Labor Secretary Lana Gordon says the slight uptick shows that employers are confident enough to add workers.
The report also says the number of unemployed Kansans for each vacancy was 2.2 in the second quarter, down slightly from 2.5 a year earlier.
(AP) — The University of Kansas says the co-creator of Google Earth will serve next month as the grand marshal for school’s annual homecoming parade.
Brian McLendon
The university says the honor for Brian McClendon is in keeping with the homecoming theme, “Jayhawks Around the World.” The parade is scheduled for Oct. 3 in downtown Lawrence.
McClendon is a Lawrence native who earned his engineering degree from the University of Kansas in 1986.
He joined Google in 2004 and now leads the Google Maps team, which includes Google Maps for Mobile and Google Earth. He holds 10 patents for advanced computer graphics hardware and software.
McClendon serves on the advisory boards for the university’s School of Engineering and its Department of Electrical Engineering and computer science. He lives in Portola Valley, Calif.
AP) — Topeka police are looking for two suspects who forced employees at a fast food restaurant into the bathroom and then robbed the business.
The robbery was reported Sunday night at a Dairy Queen.
Police say the robbers entered the business through a back door, displayed a hand gun and forced employees into the bathroom. They escaped with an unknown amount of money. No one was injured.
Both of the suspects covered their faces during the robbery.
(AP) — The Kansas State Board of Education is reopening a discussion of how to prod prosecutors into doing a better job of reporting felony convictions to help the board weed out problem teachers.
Board members plan to take up the issue Tuesday in discussing their agenda for the Kansas Legislature’s 2014 session.
The issue arose in August as the board revoked the licenses of six teachers, including four convicted of sex offenses against minors.
Kansas law requires prosecutors to regularly report all felony convictions to the Department of Education so it can check them against employment rosters. But there are no penalties for not complying.
Only 14 of the state’s 105 county prosecutors have filed any such reports during the past two years.
As part of September’s Kansas Emergency Preparedness Month, the Kansas Division of Emergency Management is hosting two free emergency preparedness webinars.
Both presentations may be accessed on the appropriate day from the home page of KSReady.gov (www.ksready.gov). The call-in number is (866) 620-7326, conference code 8551008957. Participants will need to call in to the number and will then be asked to enter the code to be connected.
“Prepared Pet” webinar will be presented from 12:15-12:45 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 17. This webinar will feature information on how to make sure your pet is prepared in the event of an emergency.
The presenter is Midge Grinstead, Kansas state director, Humane Society of the United States. Grinstead is currently a board member of Lawrence and Douglas County Local Emergency Planning Committee, the Kansas State Animal Response Team, acting director for Northeast Kansas Animal Response Team and current board member for Kansas Animal Control Association. She has been the executive director at Lawrence Humane Society for more than 14 years and is a co-founder of the Humane Kansas Legislative Network.
The second webinar, “Family Preparedness Food Storage,” will be presented Tuesday, Sept. 24 from 10-11 a.m. and again from 6:30-7:30 p.m. During this presentation, participants can learn good choices for foods to put in their home emergency kit and techniques for storing them to insure long shelf life.
The presenter is Renee Aldrich, Regional Emergency Services coordinator for the American Red Cross. She has deployed to seven national disasters including Greensburg and Reading. She was a Red Cross volunteer for 25 years until hired in August 2011. She is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and oversees all women in the congregation, teaching self-reliance principles and classes in food storage, canning and preparedness planning for families. Aldrich received her Cannery Supervisor Certification from University of Wisconsin. She is a Boy Scout emergency preparedness counselor for scouts seeking the badge.
(AP) — Heavy rain and lightning brought an early end to this year’s Kansas State Fair.
Fair officials closed the midway early Sunday, the last day of the fair, because of flooding and lightning. However, the Toby Keith concert went on as scheduled Sunday night when the rain subsided.
Many fairgoers waded through a foot of water on the midway while leaving on Sunday.
Fair Manager Denny Stoecklein says those who could not use the ride tickets they bought Sunday could use them next year. And anyone who bought a wristband for rides on Sunday can exchange them for new ones next year.
United Way of Ellis County is kicking off the 2013 Rising Up to the Challenge Campaign with many community events, including the popular Dine Out Days.
Freddy’s, Golden Q, and Taco Shop will donate a portion of their proceeds during their Dine Out Days this month.
Freddy’s participation is Monday, September 16 from 5-8p.m. Wednesday, September 18, you can enjoy the Golden Q fare, and get to the Taco Shop menu Wednesday, September 25.
Last year, United Way donors last year made a difference for more than 8,000 people in Ellis County with the help of 15 Partner Agencies.
(AP) — A former member of the Kansas State Board of Education is opposing a school finance suit, saying school districts don’t need more money.
Walt Chappell
Wichita Republican Walt Chappell submitted an amicus brief to the Kansas Supreme Court this month. He says school districts could save nearly a billion dollars by consolidating, making teachers work longer hours and cutting funding for low-income students.
The school finance lawsuit accuses the state and Legislature of underfunding schools by hundreds of millions of dollars. In January, a Shawnee County District Court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, an alliance of about 50 school districts.
The case since has proceeded to the Kansas Supreme Court.
Ed Surga | AP Photo Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (9) is sacked by Kansas City Chiefs nose tackle Dontari Poi (92) during the first half of an NFL football game at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., September 15, 2013.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Led by a new quarterback in Alex Smith and a new coach in Andy Reid, the Kansas City Chiefs so far have looked nothing like the team that had the worst record in the NFL last season.
The all-red outfits they donned for the first time Sunday drove home the point.
Playing nearly mistake-free for the second straight week, Smith threw for 223 yards and two touchdowns against the ball-hawking Dallas Cowboys, and the Chiefs defense held when it needed to in the fourth quarter to preserve a 17-16 victory.
“When you’re trying to build something, you need to win games like this,” said Smith, who also had a game-high 57 yards rushing. “These are the games you look at in November and December. You need these types of wins, not only the caliber of the win but the style of win.
“It’s not always going to be pretty,” he said, “but you have to find a way to bear down.”
The Chiefs did that marvelously in the fourth quarter.
Dwayne Bowe’s go-ahead touchdown catch and Ryan Succop’s field goal had staked them to a 17-13 lead, but the Cowboys were on the move in the closing minutes. After Tony Romo threw three straight incompletions, though, Dan Bailey had to kick a 53-yard field goal.
The Chiefs regained possession with 3:55 left. Jamaal Charles helped them grind out a couple first downs, and a pass interference call on Morris Claiborne on third-and-10 gave Kansas City another set of downs. That kept Romo from having any time to orchestrate some late-game magic.
“We ask a lot of certain players on this team and they showed up,” Chiefs cornerback Brandon Flowers said. “We did a great job of holding them down.”
Romo, who was playing with bruised ribs, finished 30 of 42 for 298 yards. His favorite target was Dez Bryant, who had nine catches for 141 yards and the Cowboys’ only touchdown.
“You got to realize, you can’t forget all the work that you put in to go out and be a good football team,” Bryant said.
The Cowboys (1-1) forced the New York Giants into six turnovers in their opener, but couldn’t turn the same trick against Kansas City. After preaching ball security all week, the Chiefs got through their second straight game without throwing an interception or losing a fumble.
“Takeaways and points, man, on both sides of the ball. We try to eliminate the turnovers and we try to score points,” Reid said. “It’s as simple as that.”
The Chiefs, coming off an uplifting win at Jacksonville, were amped for his first game as their coach at Arrowhead Stadium. A capacity crowd roared when they rolled onto the field in all-red uniforms, departing from traditional white pants to signify the start of a new era.
They kept on rolling, too. Kansas City marched 77 yards on the opening series, the highlight coming when Smith scrambled 17 yards on third-and-15 and executed a Fosbury Flop over a defender for a first down. Smith capped the drive with a short TD toss to Charles.
That’s when the Romo-to-Bryant connection got on track.
Bryant outwrestled cornerback Brandon Flowers for a 53-yard catch that helped set up Bailey’s first field goal. He then hauled in a short TD catch to give Dallas a 10-7 lead.
The Cowboys blocked Ryan Succop’s 57-yard try to carry their lead into halftime, and then Bryant caught three more passes to set up another field goal in the third quarter. But the Chiefs answered when Smith hit Bowe on a 12-yard slant for a 14-13 lead later in the quarter.
Dallas fumbled on its next two possessions — Lance Dunbar coughed it up first and then Romo was strip-sacked by Ron Parker. But its defense stiffened each time, first forcing a field goal and then getting a sack from Bruce Carter to push the Chiefs out of Succop’s range.
The Cowboys marched deep into Chiefs territory one last time, but again couldn’t find the end zone. And when Romo got the ball back, there was hardly any time left.
“We had a good plan and did some things that gave us a chance to win this football game. We put ourselves in position, but we didn’t,” Romo said. “Ultimately, that’s all that matters.”
Notes: Cowboys TE Jason Witten had three catches to pass Shannon Sharpe for second-most among tight ends. Witten has 817 in his career. … Chiefs LT Branden Albert hurt his left shoulder but returned to the game. … Cowboys DE DeMarcus Ware and Chiefs DT Dontari Poe each had two sacks.
The Tiger men’s soccer team scored early and held on late for a 1-0 victory over Adams State in Alamosa, Colo., on Sunday.
Ricardo Yeverino scored just 14:46 into the game on an assist by Diego Cabral, and Fort Hays State University (3-1) shook off 11 second half shots from ASU (2-1) to clinch the win.
Yeverino had four shots in the contest, while Cabral added four attempts (two of which were on goal). Jaccob Rangel was the other Tiger to have multiple shot attempts, as he finished with two.
Jason Babyak started his third consecutive match at goalie for the Tigers, playing all 90 minutes and saving seven shot attempts from ASU.
FHSU out-shot ASU 9-4 in the opening 45 minutes, but would slow down on offense as the game wore on, attempting just four shots in the second frame. ASU awoke in the final 45 minutes, but five saves by Babyak would crush any hopes of an ASU comeback.
The Tigers will return home next weekend for a conference matchup with Southern Nazarene on Friday, Sept. 20, and a non-conference matchup with Newman on Sunday, Sept. 22.
