Minutes 08/25/2009

 The Morris County Commissioners met in regular session on Tuesday, August 25, 2009, at 9:00 a.m., all members present.

Celeste Wempe, a drug and alcohol therapist with the Mental Health Center, discussed issues relating to addiction and asked the county to join with other communities in the nation and proclaim September, 2009 as National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month.   A Proclamation was adopted (Revere, Hay) inviting residents in the county to participate in this year’s Recovery Month. 

Monty Wedel, Director of Planning for Riley County,  Bruce McMillan,  Steering Committee Chairman, David Proctor, project consultant, and Kristina Hyland, Region Growth Coordinator, discussed a proposed Regional Planning Organization Project for Riley, Geary and Pottawatomie Counties.  They invited Morris County to participate in the organization.   No decision was made at this time.

The minutes of the August 18 meeting were approved (Hay, Revere) as corrected.  Motion carried.

The county’s proposed 2010 budget hearing was held at 10:30 a.m.  No one appeared to offer comments, and it was approved (Revere, Hay) as published.  Motion carried.

County Resolution No. 2009-11 was passed and adopted (Hay, Revere) setting 911 telephone rates for calendar year, 2010.  The rates will remain at 0.75 cents per line.  Motion carried. 

Commissioners sent a letter to ECKAN (Hay, Revere) supporting the agency’s application to the Kansas Housing Resources Corp. for a Homelessness and Rapid Re-Housing program (HPRP) grant.   Motion carried.   The grant, if awarded, will assist families and individuals who are at risk of being homeless in a seven county service area that includes Morris County.

Mark Leydig, Farmers & Drovers Bank, presented revised lease agreement documents for a wheel loader.

Geneva Mason, District Court Clerk, reported that an Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant through the Federal Recovery Act has been awarded to the Kansas Judicial Branch.   Commissioners approved (Hay, Revere) the use of the funds which will help pay non-judicial salaries in Kansas Counties during the month of January, 2010. 

Jeff Blosser, road engineer, gave the weekly report of his department.  He gave an update of the mowing, ditch cleaning and pipe installations done around the county.

The county will allow USGS (Revere, Hay) to continue to operate a water level gauge on a bridge located south of Dunlap.  Motion carried.

A monthly department head meeting was held with the following topics discussed:

            __supervisors were asked to closely monitor their budget balances each month

            __annual department inventory listing is due by the end of October

__Commissioner Hay relayed favorable comments to the road department

      on its fast response in cleaning up after the August 10 storm

            __the emergency management coordinator has a generator that may be used by

                 another county department in the event of a power outage.

It does not appear that there was enough damage in the state due to the August 10^th storm to quality for a Presidential Declaration.  Therefore, the county will not receive recovery funds from FEMA.

Sheriff Coover presented new vehicle quotes from GSA as follows:

            Ford Crown Vic             $23,882

            Dodge Charger               21,734

            Chevy Impala                  20,149

No decision was made to order a vehicle at this time.

County Resolution No. 2009-12 to designate minimum roads located in Township 14 was approved (Hay, Revere) with a public hearing set for September 15^th.  Motion carried.

James P. Mckenzie called to thank the county for cleaning up tree limbs after the last storm.