Barton County Commission meeting at a glance
Here is a quick look at what Barton County Commission did Wednesday morning:
• Approved the inventory of county property.
Per state statute, each county officer and head of a department shall make an inventory of the personal property owned by the county and located in such office or department, said Information Technology Director Dereck Hollingshead. The inventory, which shall be taken during the month of December of each year, shall be filed with the county clerk on or before Dec. 31 of each year.
The inventory shall not include books, records, files, stationery, writing materials and blank legal papers. The information will be presented to the commission during February of each year.
According to a county resolution, these duties have been assigned to the Information Technology Department. It works jointly with the County Clerk’s Office, Hollingshead said.
“It does take a lot of work,” said District 2 Commissioner Barb Esfeld. “But, it is very important.”
• Approved the 2023 cold mix asphalt contract, awarding it to Venture Corporation of Great Bend. The company provided the only bid at $8.90 per ton.
• Approved the 2023 county highway stripping project contract, awarding it to Straight-Line Striping Inc., Grand Island, Neb for $131,854.20.
• Approved the 2023 Kansas Natural Resource Coalition membership at a cost of $5,000.
With some reservations, the Barton County Commission Wednesday morning approved the 2023 Kansas Natural Resource Coalition membership at a cost of $5,000.
The KNRC serves as a conduit between local, state and federal governments to promote balanced, necessary and effective administrative policymaking initiatives that materially affect the natural or human systems governed by individual member counties, said County Administrator Matt Patzner.
“It is an association of counties that maintains collective and participatory involvement in administrative government on behalf of the citizenry,” he said. “Their mission is to monitor, analyze, understand, communicate and participate in those initiatives that materially affect natural human systems governed by members member counties.”
Further KNRC members have joined together for collective coordination on natural resource and environmental policy initiatives as well as to respond to federal government actions, he said. “Each KNRC county has adopted by resolution a natural resource land-use plan codifying its authority to expect coordination with federal government agencies, either independently or as part of the coalition,” he said.
“I did have some reservations about this,” said District 5 Commissioner Donna Zimmerman. “But knowing that they’re also focusing on things like the lesser prairie chicken, 30 by 30 (the federal initiative to conserve 30% of America’s lands and waters by the year 2030), issues that are really important to our community, I think it’s beneficial to continue.”
“I was concerned to that maybe we weren’t spending our money very wisely,” said District 2 Commissioner Barb Esfeld. But then she attended a meeting in Dodge City recently and her mind changed.
“I think there are only directly to the federal government,” she said. She was in favor of signing up for at least one more year to see what happens.
