Resident nixes official attending convention
Anthony Epp of Goessel told Marion County Commission Monday he was not in favor of county treasurer Jeannine Bateman attending a conference in Hawaii.
"If she wants to go to Hawaii, that's her business," Epp said. "I don't think we should authorize her to go as a representative of Marion County."
Commission vice chairman Dan Holub told Epp the commission does not have control of the fund that Bateman could use for convention expenses.
Commissioner Randy Dallke said Bateman had turned in $40,000 of unused funds from her department to the county in 2004, indicating Bateman was a good steward of county funds.
Dallke also said he was grateful to the county employees who voiced their concerns about the Hawaiian convention.
Epp said Marion County was at a crossroads.
"We don't know who we are," Epp said. He said the county had many positive attributes and needed to dwell on those instead of negativity.
Holub said he didn't think trying to improve the condition of the county was dwelling on the negative.
In other business from Monday's meeting:
— The commission approved vouchers and payroll in the amount of $565,205 for the month of February.
— County clerk Carol Maggard reported December sales tax revenue was slightly lower than the same time in 2004 at $41,965.
— A copy of a letter was distributed from county attorney Susan Robson to Warren Kreutziger regarding Sunday beer sales being illegal in Kansas.
— An area fuel bid of $10,281 for 6,550 gallons of diesel fuel from Cooperative Grain & Supply of Hillsboro was approved. Cardie Oil Company of Tampa presented a bid total of $10,514 for the same amount of fuel.
— Acting county road and bridge superintendent Jim Herzet requested and received a 15-minute executive session to discuss personnel. The meeting reconvened with no decisions.
— County sheriff Lee Becker will check the feasibility of installing a clothes washer and dryer in the jail. Currently the department spends $150 per month for cleaning of prison uniforms and bedding.
— The commission approved repairs of $2,050 to an overhead crane in the transfer station.
County environmental officer David Brazil reported landfill consultant Jack Chappell will attend a future commission meeting to provide an update for the landfill closure.
Closing construction will begin by the end of March, Brazil said.
— The purchase of computer for the ambulance department was approved. Cost of the computer is $1,629 from Great Plains Computers & Networking of Marion.
The new computer will replace the billing computer. The current billing computer will replace an old computer used by the department's secretary.
— Darryl Thiesen, emergency medical services director, reported Lacy-Regehr of McPherson recently became a certified dealer for the ambulance manufacturer.
Thiesen has made contact with the dealer regarding the repair of a circuit board in the Hillsboro ambulance. He told the commission he will report options for repair at the next meeting.
— Dallke reported a contact has been sent to Florence City Council and Florence EMS. He planned to attend the Florence City Council meeting on Monday.
— Ambulance department write-offs for $16,568 were approved. Thiesen will explore options for collecting ambulance costs from patients through a state collection program.
— Thiesen and ambulance department employee Woody Crawshaw reported the department's billing will be current by May.
Dallke asked the reason for the delay in processing billing statements.
Thiesen said with the purchase of an additional computer and expansion of hours allowed for a part-time employee, the billing statement process could be expedited.
More than $61,000 has been collected for the department, Thiesen said.
— Thiesen requested and received a five-minute executive session to discuss personnel. The meeting reconvened with no decisions.
