Meeting Information
Conservation Board meeting. No County Commission Meeting will be called to order, but more than one Commissioner may attend. Meeting will be held at the Douglas County Fairgrounds.
Jones called the regular session meeting to order at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, February 9, 2009 with all members present.
CONSENT AGENDA 02-09-09
Jones moved approval of the following Consent Agenda:
► Approval to solicit bids for supply of asphaltic concrete mix for the 2009 maintenance season; and
► Approval of the 2008 Noxious Weed Eradication Progress Report.
Motion was seconded by Flory and carried unanimously.
PLANNING 02-09-09
The Board considered the approval of CPA-2008-3 to amend Chapter 6-Commercial Land Use - Inner Neighborhood Commercial Uses, to correct inconsistencies between the description in the comprehensive plan and the Land Development Code including location and an update as to where existing neighborhood commercial centers are located. Dan Warner, Lawrence-Douglas County Metropolitan Planning Commission, presented the item. The Planning Commission approved the item with a 10-0 vote on November 17, 2008. Warner made a short presentation to the Board outlining the corrections in language and asked the Board to approve the amendments and the joint City Ordinance/County Resolution adopting those amendments.
Jones asked why a difference is made between neighborhood and inner-neighborhood commercial. Warner stated Horizon 2020 states the neighborhood commercial centers should be on nodes. Larger grocery stores, up to 125,000 square feet in size like Hy-Vee, are considered neighborhood commercial and considerably larger than inner-neighborhood commercial sites. The policy assures that new development is planned properly and fits within the existing neighborhood.
Jones moved to approve the amendment CPA-2008-3. Motion was seconded by Thellman and carried unanimously.
Jones moved to approve the Joint Ordinance No. 8357 of the City of Lawrence, Kansas, and Resolution No. 09-03 of the Board of County Commissioners of Douglas County, Kansas approving amendments to the Comprehensive Land Use Plan "Horizon 2020" by amending Chapter Six - Commercial Land Use, Inner-Neighborhood Commercial Center. Motion was seconded by Thellman and carried unanimously.
EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS 02-09-09
Jones moved to approve Resolution No. 09-04 providing for the imposition of restrictions on certain outdoor burning practices in the unincorporated areas of Douglas County, as issued on Friday February 6, 2009. Motion was seconded by Flory and carried unanimously.
[It was noted that the ban will remain in effect until February 13, 2009.]
REGISTER OF DEEDS 02-09-09
Kay Pesnell, Register of Deeds, presented to the Board a report of activity for the Register of Deeds Technology Fund for 2008 as follows:
Total Collected in 2008 = $130,082.00
Expenditures incurred by Register of Deeds Office in 2008 =$14,345.18
Funds available as of December 2008 = $231,455.00
Pesnell requested the Board approve a transfer of $88,000.00, per Statute No. 28-115a, to the Reserve Technology Fund to be used by other Douglas County departments for equipment or technology services relating to the land or property records filed or maintained by the County.
Flory moved to approve the transfer of $88,000.00 from the Register of Deeds Technology Fund to the Reserve Technology Fund. Motion was seconded by Jones and carried unanimously.
PUBLIC WORKS 02-09-09
The Board considered the approval of a home rule resolution amending the Douglas County Code and providing construction specifications and standards for entrance installations. This item is a continuation of a discussion held at the September 22, 2008 where the Board asked for further review of the procedures for driveway entrances. Keith Browning, Director of Public Works, lead the discussion.
Following the September 2008 discussion, Browning proposed to continue having the property owner responsible for the cost of installing new entrances. The Public Works department has developed specifications for entrance construction including the following requirements: the contractor must be pre-approved by the Public Works department, use of proper traffic control, and the contractor must be insured for liability.
Other recommendations include:
- Revising the current standards to require 6:1 (horizontal: vertical) entrance side slopes on all county maintained roads except those classified as local roads;
- Entrances on local roads would require 3:1 side slopes, which is the current standard for entrances on all roads.
- The flatter slopes will require longer entrance culverts;
- The use of granular bedding material for all entrance pipe installations.
After discussion, Flory moved to approve Home Rule Resolution 09-2-2 of the Board of County Commissioners of Douglas County, Kansas amending Section 9-202 of the Code of Douglas County, Kansas; providing construction standards and specifications for entrances on county routes; requiring a permit and inspection from the County Engineer therefore; and repealing Section 9-202 of the Douglas County Code and Resolution No. 02-12-08. Motion was seconded by Thellman and carried unanimously. [HR Res 09-2-2 will be published in the County newspaper and further notification will be given at the time a building permit is issued.]
PUBLIC WORKS 02-09-09
The Board considered the approval of Project No. 2007-15, the truss replacement for Bridge No. 09.03N-09.03E, located on N 900 Road over Washington Creek. Keith Browning, Director of Public Works, brought the item before the Board and also discussed the possibility of the project being eligible for federal funding under the stimulus package.
It was the consensus of the Board to move forward with the project because this is not typically the type of project the County would seek federal funding for. In addition, the Board was concerned with safety issues related to this infrastructure and the wait for funding would create a delay in the replacement.
Flory moved approval to proceed with Project No. 2007-15, truss replacement for Bridge No. 09.03N-09.03E, and authorized the following actions: 1) Purchase a replacement truss for $167,114, from Contech Bridge Solutions; 2) Include an add-alternate to the project's contract to relocate the bridge to private property on the east side of Washington Creek; and 3)Solicit bids for installation of the replacement truss and other construction needed for Project No. 2007-15 following final plan approval and acquisition of easements. Motion was seconded by Thellman and carried unanimously.
STIMULUS PACKAGE UPDATE 02-09-09
Pam Madl, Assistant County Administrator, gave a short presentation to the Board regarding the status of the Stimulus Package. She stated the department heads will meet this week to discuss their plans on how the stimulus package may impact their departments. There are several projects that have been identified by Public Works that might be eligible for stimulus funding. She also listed the energy project as a possible use for stimulus money. No action was taken.
ACCOUNTS PAYABLE 02-09-09
Jones moved to approve accounts payable in the amount of $858,698.29 for 2008 to be paid on 02/09/09; and $117,131.83 for 2009 to be paid on 02/09/09; and a manual check in the amount of $262,500.00 to be paid on 02/09/09. Motion was seconded by Flory and carried unanimously.
MISCELLANEOUS - WATKINS MUSEUM 02-09-09
Jones stated he is concerned with the declining state of the Watkins Community Museum of History. The visitation numbers are down along with fundraising efforts. He will be meeting with the board this week to discuss efforts for improvement. No action was taken.
MISCELLANEOUS - SOCIAL SERVICES 02-09-09
Jones stated he would like to see an organized discussion among all the social service agencies in the area to review services and discuss overall efficiencies. He is predicting that due to the plummeting economy there will be an increase in demand for area services with an impact on our budget. He is concerned agencies may not be working efficiently and there may be overlap in services. No action was taken.
MISCELLANEOUS - BUDGET 02-09-09
It was the consensus of the Board that they would like staff to put together a summary, weekly if needed, to update them on the status of the budget. Some cost-saving options that staff would like to explore are paperless operations, the possibility of hiring an in-house legal counselor on a full-time basis, or to consider proposals from other firms. The Board is interested in seeing what other counties are doing for legal representation.
It was the consensus of the Board for staff to explore the option of hiring an
in-house attorney and to come back to the Board in two weeks with a recommendation.
Jones moved to adjourn; Flory seconded and the motion carried.
____________________________ ____________________________
Charles Jones, Chairman Nancy Thellman, Vice-Chair
ATTEST:
_____________________________ _____________________________
Jamie Shew, County Clerk Jim Flory, Member
Time and Date