For the second time in about five months, the Barton County Commission Tuesday changed the day of the week they meet. Last Aug. 9, the day moved to Tuesdays from Mondays where it had been for decades, and now it will be on Wednesdays, starting Jan. 19.
They will still meet at 9 a.m. in their courthouse chambers, 1400 Main in Great Bend.
“It was decided that we would move the meetings from Monday to Tuesday, Tuesday being a better day for our department heads and for the general public if they wanted to come and attend the meeting,” commission Chairman Jim Daily, District 4, said. The change is being made to accommodate a conflict County Counselor Patrick Hoffman will have on Tuesdays going forward.
“Thank you, commissioners, for considering this at all,” Hoffman said. “I don’t like asking you guys to change anything on my behalf.”
However, “I have an opportunity to do something that I think would benefit Barton County if I were to be able to do it,” he said. Hoffman will likely take the job as county counselor for Reno County and that commission meets on Tuesday mornings.
“I would change my focus in my practice and just delve deeper into county counseling,” said Hoffman, who is an attorney with the Ellsworth firm Sherman and Hoffman. Now, 99% of his time will be spent working for the two counties.
“There are only so many counties in the area, and they generally don’t have counselor openings,” he said. “So this was kind of a unique opportunity for me, but I think it might also be a unique opportunity for these two counties to have someone who’s completely devoted to county government law.”
He is restructuring his client load to just the two counties, for the most part, he said. That will make it easier for him to work with Barton County, and the county will benefit from his work with Reno County.
He will also be available two days per week to work with Barton County, he said.
“We value Patrick enough that to simply make a day change for us was just not a hardship on anyone,” District 5 Commissioner Jennifer Schartz said. “And I really am appreciative that he didn’t take the other opportunity and say, ‘I can’t work with you guys.’ So I think being able to do this is going to be beneficial for everybody.”
“I’m part of a team here,” Hoffman said. “I’m just one team member and I hate things having to be moved around for me, but if we can still work as a team. I think it would be great.”
A week of transition
Hoffman will likely begin his work for Reno County this coming Tuesday.
But, District 3 Commissioner Shawn Hutchinson’s wife wants to attend when the commission picks a new chairman next week. She has a work conflict next Wednesday, so the switch will come the following week.
Before making the switch last August, commissioners noted the idea has been considered on an off for quite a while.
Schartz said four-fifths of the commission were retired and can set their own schedule. The exception was Hutchinson, who still operates his own business.
Hutchinson had indicated Monday is sort of the day he gets his week started and said Wednesday would work better. Hutchinson said there may be others who might be able to run for commission if the meeting were moved to Wednesday, and it might be easier for the public to attend meetings.
However, it was noted that the weekly Hoisington Dispatch and Ellinwood Leader newspapers go to print on Tuesday, so Wednesdays will make it difficult for them to get commission news printed in a timely manner.
Barton County Commission meeting at a glance
Here is a quick look at what the Barton County Commission did Tuesday morning:
• Held a public hearing on the Barton County Solid Waste Management Plan.
A hearing to evaluate the plan was held Nov. 30, 2021. Due to a clerical error, the statutory requirements for the hearing were not met since a public notice was not published in the Great Bend Tribune, Solid Waste Director Phil Hathcock said. A notice was placed on Dec. 17, 2021, and by holding the new hearing, all requirements are now met and the process can move forward.
There were no public comments on the plan. The plan, by state law, has to be re-evaluated every five years.
• Approved a resolution establishing a regular meeting schedule for the County Commission at 9 a.m. on Wednesdays, rescinding the Aug. 9, 2021, resolution setting the meetings on Tuesdays (a change from Mondays, which had been the meeting days for many years).
• Approved amendments to two Barton County Facade Grant awards. The scope and development of both projects will remain intact but the legal name of the properties have changed for tax and financial purposes, said Grant and Compliance Manager Sue Cooper.
The project approved on Sept. 7, 2021, for Andrew D. Mingenback at 2105 Forest Ave. was reapproved with the name The Landing LLC. The project approved on Oct. 5 for Beugelsdijk Chiropractic, PA, at 1309 Williams St., was reapproved with the name SJLMJ LLC. Both were $20,000 grants.
• Approved the designation of official depositories for county funds.
These institutions must meet the 100% pledged securities requirement for all funds. According to a county resolution, all depositories must provide to the County Treasurer’s Office and the financial officer proof of security for these funds whenever such information is requested, County Treasurer Jim Jordan said.
These include: Bank of the West, Great Bend; Central National Bank, Great Bend; Equity Bank, Great Bend; Farmers Bank and Trust, Albert/Great Bend; First Kansas Bank, Great Bend/Hoisington/Claflin; Landmark National Bank, Hoisington/Great Bend; Peoples Bank & Trust, Great Bend/Ellinwood; Plains State Bank, Great Bend; Sunflower Bank, Ellinwood/Great Bend; Wilson State Bank, Hoisington; and the Kansas Municipal Investment Pool.
• Approved the Kansas Association Of Counties 2022 membership.
The KAC has submitted a renewal notice for the 2022 membership. Based on a calculation that includes a base fee, population and valuation, the dues are $6,103.30.
The association sponsors the annual KAC Conference, various educational meetings throughout the year and lobbies the state and federal legislature on behalf of Kansas counties, Operations Director Matt Patzner said.
• Approved the Kansas Legislative Policy Group 2022 membership.
The KLPG is a bipartisan coalition of western Kansas counties with the common interest in the preservation of the counties’ tax base and retention of local control, Operations Director Matt Patzner said. It serves as a policy and decision-making body establishing legislative priorities, The renewal cost was $5,112.13.
