An issue over a policy matter that erupted into a heated verbal exchange between Barton County Sheriff Brian Bellendir and County Administrator Richard Boeckman at the County Commission meeting Monday morning has been settled, both men said.
Despite the tension, the two sat down at lunch and hashed out the differences that lead to demands for an executive session by Bellendir and sharp words in response from Boeckman. The agreement rendered obsolete the call for a closed-door meeting.
“County government is going to continue to work,” Bellendir said. “The issues between Mr. Boeckman and myself are resolved.”
“We both have strong personalities,” Boeckman said. Both are passionate and want what’s best for the county, and sometimes those ideas run cross ways.
“This morning was not productive,” Boeckman said of the dust up.
“Historically, there have been disagreements between elected officials and county government,” Bellendir said in a meeting with Boeckman and local media in his office Monday afternoon. “In the past, we’ve always worked out our problems.”
However, “I felt we’d reached an impasse,” Bellendir said. “I felt all lines of communication had been closed.”
At issue is a county policy governing credit card receipts. Bellendir and Boeckman differed on how it should be interpreted.
Then, an email from Boeckman to Bellendir was the last straw. The sheriff thought the message abusive to his department, and his led him to stand up during the meeting and request an executive session to discuss his problems with Boeckman.
A surprised and stunned commission debated what to do in regards to the request, trying to interpret the Kansas Open Meetings Law on the fly. Instead of making a snap decision, the matter was tabled until next week’s meeting so information could be gathered.
Now, that session is not necessary, Bellendir said. He plans to withdraw that request and just ask that the policy be discussed during the study session.
With tempers still running hot at noon Monday, the two found themselves sitting together during a luncheon department head planning session. “It was tense,” Boeckman said.
But, the two who have worked together since the 1990s eventually began talking.
“I have a lot of respect for him as sheriff,” Boeckman said, apologizing for the misunderstood email. “We have a history of working together.”
That relationship has not always been peaceful, Boeckman said. But, in the past, they’ve resolved their differences without incident.
This time around, however, Bellendir who vowed to be a strong sheriff said he felt he had no recourse. But, “it’s over. It’s settled.”