In other business Monday morning, the Barton County Commission:
• Adopted resolutions exempting the county from the generally accepted accounting principals (GAAP) for 2014 and 2015. This allows the county to operate on a cash basis which is in line with how the county handles its budget and how the state government operates, said Financial Officer Jessica Wilson.
This is done every year and is a standard practice for municipal governments, Wilson said.
• Adopted the Great Bend Tribune was as the official county newspaper.
• Ratified the purchase and installation of an overhead heater in the shop that houses the Barton County Landfill daily cover truck which holds approximately 300 gallons of water, chemicals and other items that could not be allowed to freeze. After several repairs this winter, the heater failed, said Solid Waste Manager Phil Hathcock.
Several local heating and air conditioning vendors were contacted to provide quotes and a time frame in which a new heater could be installed. Werth Plumbing Heating and Air provided the quote best meeting the needs of the County. On Jan. 5, Werth installed a 200,000 BTU overhead heater for $2,676.
In order to keep the Barton County Sheriff’s Office fleet of vehicles up to date, the Barton County Commission Monday morning approved the purchase of three new patrol cars for the department.
Bought were three new Dodge Chargers from Marmie Chrysler in Great Bend at a total cost of $56,010. This includes a government discount.
Sheriff Brian Bellendir said the cars being replaced are a 2008 Dodge Charger and two 2011 Dodge Chargers. All three vehicles have high mileage and the 2011 Chargers are experiencing electrical problems, Bellendir said.
Bellendir said they try to run their cars as long as feasible and “mile them out” until maintenance starts becoming an issue. All three of these had over 100,000 miles.
The three vehicles will be traded as part of the deal.
In addition, the commission OKed the purchase of specialized equipment for the new BCSO patrol vehicles at a cost of $11,198 for all three combined. This includes passenger cages, push bumpers, computer equipment, signage and installation, Bellendir said.
The items are coming from Chief Supply of Wichita, 10-39 Communications and Mark’s Custom Signs of Great Bend.
Bellendir said they will try to use as much of the old equipment as they can, but not all of it will work. Automobile companies redesign their vehicle interiors, rendering items such as the cages obsolete.
The installation will be done locally.
Requests for proposals to for the cars were sent to all dealerships in Barton County. However, the only bids came from Marmie Ford and Marmie Chrysler, the latter of which had the low bid.
Besides, Bellendir said, the Dodge Charger is the standard in law enforcement vehicles. Previous Chargers have been very reliable for the department.
