In other business Monday morning, the Barton County Commission:
• Approved the renewal of cereal malt beverage licenses for 2015 as presented by County Clerk Donna Zimmerman. According to state law, no retailer shall sell any cereal malt beverage without having secured a license for that business. When a business is located in the unincorporated portion of the county, that application shall be made to the Board of County Commissioners. These expire on Dec. 31 of each year.
• Approved a bid from Steel Builders Construction of Great Bend for $39,675 to enclose the south side of the north shop at the Barton County Landfill. The work includes pouring a concrete floor and installing two roll up doors, two walk through doors and a partition wall. Suchy Construction and Kansas Door will act as sub-contractors.
This will allow landfill staff to do more of their own maintenance work since it will be heated. The project should be done by March of next year, Solid Waste Manager Phil Hathcock said.
The building was built in 2005 and the intent all along was to enclose it, it was noted.
• Approved the purchase of a 2015 Dodge 5500 4x4 truck for the Noxious Weed Department from Marmie Motors of Great bend for $43,472.
The current vehicle, a 1999 Ford F-550, was then transferred to the landfill at a cost of $5,000 to the Solid Waste Department.
Following these actions, the commission approved the landfill’s selling a 1998 Chevy K-2550 2WD.
• Approved the purchase of a 2015 Kawasaki Mule Utility Task Vehicle for the Noxious Weed Department from Superior Outdoor Power of Superior, Neb. for $22,189.
After the purchase, the commission approved the transfer of the landfill’s current 1999 Mule to the Memorial Parks Department at no cost.
• Approved the replacement of two garage doors at the Noxious Weed Department’s main shop in Great Bend. Kansas Door will handle the job for $7,350. These are the west doors to the shop and existing doors date back to when the structure was built in 1986.
• Ratified the purchase of a programmable table-top folding machine at the request of County Treasurer Kevin Wondra. The MBM 307A was purchased from OPI for $3,420. The machine was needed to fold approximately 35,000 tax statements. It replaces a 13-year old Pitney Bowes model which the company no longer supports and was continually breaking down.
The machine will be available for use to other county departments.
• Heard an update from County Administrator Richard Boeckman on departmental activities.
Following a budget hearing Monday morning, the Barton County Commission approved amendments totally $805,000 to the 2014 operated budget. The changes were needed for the Road and Bridge, Noxious Weed and Special Bridge funds which do not fall under the General Fund.
The Road and Bridge Fund amendment was for $375,000 due to additional revenue from Federal Emergency Management Agency, state funds and the sales of property, said County Financial Officer Jessica Wilson. Some money will be used for assorted year-end purchases and the rest will be transferred into the department’s reserves.
The Noxious Weed Fund amendment is due to additional revenue from chemical sales received during 2014 in the amount of $95,000. This money will allow for additional budget authority to replenish the chemical inventory and make some end-of-the-year transfers, Wilson said.
There was $335,000 extra for the Special Bridge Fund due to additional revenue from federal funds received and reimbursement on the 10th Street bridge repairs, Wilson said. This money will go towards bridge repairs, supplies and transfers.
“It’s always nice to have more money coming in,” Commissioner Jennifer Schartz said. However, not all of the funds are a windfall for the county as some of them are reimbursements for what has already been spent.
The amendments don’t mean there was originally anything wrong with the budgeting, she said. Despite the efforts of elected officials and department heads, budget estimates must be adjusted so that funds fall within budgetary laws.
