There is all kinds of information available at the finger tips of the Barton County Records Management Department, as woman from Orem, Utah, found out recently.
The department reported to the Barton County Commission Monday morning that she called the office requesting information about her great-grandfather and great-grandmother who lived in Independent Township. The staff found a probate of her great-grandfather Charles.
The probate was filed in 1903 and in it, the inventory was very detailed. It listed each item separately that he owned such as 1 red cow and calf, 1 white cow and calf, 1 hay rake, 1 sod cutter, 1 chest of tools, etc. Also found was their marriage license as well as five other marriage licenses of various other members of her family. The great-grandparents are buried in the Pleasant View Cemetery.
This was just one example of requests mad of the department. During December, it had 176 visitors call, write, e-mail or walk in from Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Nebraska, Indiana, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Utah. There were 241 requests for probates, birth records, criminal, civil, domestic, death and cemetery records, limited actions, marriage licenses, traffic, small claims, state tax and naturalization records.
During January, the department had 194 visitors call, write, e-mail or walk in from Kansas, Iowa, Louisiana, Colorado, South Dakota, Texas, Oklahoma and Missouri. These individuals made 299 requests for Probates, marriage licenses, birth records, civil, traffic, criminal, domestic, death and cemetery records, limited, small claims, naturalization papers and census records.
This activity was part of County Administrator Richard Boeckman’s biweekly summary of the goings on for county departments. Other highlights were:

Road and Bridge\Noxious Weed\Memorial
Parks Director Dale Phillips
Over the reporting period, both Road and Bridge and Noxious Weed spent two thirds of the time plowing snow on County blacktops and cleaning snow around County-owned or operated buildings and lots. Other work included:
• Repaired equipment as needed.
• Mixed salt /sand supplies for the next storm.

County Engineer Clark Rusco
• Met with a contractor to discuss asphalt recycle projects.
• Met at several sites to develop plans for various drainage structure repairs or replacement projects.
• Met with a surveyor for a subdivision plat in Hoisington.
• Completed surveys and prepared roadway and channel exhibits required for the Division of Water Resources permits.
• Completed and signed a survey review for a subdivision plat in Hoisington.
• Finalized requirements with DWR concerning roadway changes to the Barton Lake Road.
• Met with a landowner to the south of the Barton Lake Road to discuss the roadway project and to determine easement requirements for the proposed improvements. The engineering firm Kirkham Michael of Ellsworth will submit a proposal to modify the plans prepared earlier.
• Prepared plan markups for Barton Lake Road improvements for review by adjacent landowner, Kirkham Michael and DWR.

Emergency Management\Records Director Amy Miller
Emergency Management – On Jan. 28, the Barton County Local Emergency Planning Committee, sponsored by Barton County Emergency Management, held its quarterly meeting. The agenda included a presentation by Steve Harsha, Public Assistance Officer, Kansas Division of Emergency Management, on the Federal Emergency Management Agency Public Assistance Grant Program and what assistance is provided to local units of government and certain types of Private Nonprofit organizations. In addition, Chairman Amy Miller informed the committee that Severe Weather Awareness Week will be observed this week. She also informed the members that the annual storm spotter meeting, Storm Fury on the Plains, will be presented today at the Crest Theater.

Other Records Department services:
• Department personnel updated the records of burials, quit claims, lot deeds and markers for Hillcrest and Golden Belt for the months of December and January.
• Records from the County Appraiser’s Office were registered and moved into the North Records Storage Room.
• Records staff scanned the 2005 closed files from Barton County Court Services. There were 716 files which contained 34,317 documents.
• Records boxed up the 2000 probate and domestic case files for shipment to Underground Vaults and Storage.
• Entered responder information into the Kansas Division of Emergency Management web site for accountability and resource management.
• The oil companies continue to request information from probates. There were the usual number of requests for marriage licenses for social security and insurance purposes.

County Appraiser Barb Konrade
The Barton County Appraiser’s Office is establishing values for all real estate in the County. Values will be mailed out March 25, 2013. Personal property renditions were mailed out and are due back March 15 and April 1 for Oil and Gas renditions. The Appraiser’s Office personnel would be happy to help with any questions regarding renditions. The office number is 620-793-1821.

Health Director Lily Akings
Total clinic contacts -150
 Immunizations - 54
Family planning - 48
Tuberculosis -16
Sexual transmitted infections -16
Maternal and infant - 9
Healthy Start home visits - 7
Child care licensing visits - 5