Commission Board Meeting on Wed, Oct 2 2019 at 4:00 PM and 5:30 PM


Meeting Information

BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF DOUGLAS COUNTY, KANSAS

 

Public comment will be taken for each regular agenda item as each item is discussed. Individuals will be limited to one comment per agenda item. Individuals are asked to come to the microphone, sign in, and state their name. Speakers are asked to sign in so that the spelling of names is correct in the minutes of the meeting. Speakers should address all comments/questions to the Commission.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2019

4:00 p.m. WORK SESSION

-Cemeteries in the Unincorporated Area and County responsibilities (Jan Shupert-Arick, John Nichols, Cammy Owens and Amy Roust)

5:30 p.m. BUSINESS MEETING   

-Proclamation for 4-H Week (Kaitlyn Peine)

 

CONSENT AGENDA   

(1) (a)  Consider approval of Commission Orders;

(b) Consider approval of the 2019-2029 membership for the Douglas County Emergency Management Board, and nominate the members to the State Emergency Response Commission as the Local Emergency Planning Committee for Douglas County (Robert Bieniecki)

(c) Consider approval of County Resolution appointing Robert Bieniecki as Emergency Management Director for Douglas County, Kansas; (Robert Bieniecki)

(d) Consent Agenda approval of KDOT Cancellation of Agreement No. 183-05 (Keith Browning);

(e) Consider approval of contracts for highway purposes for Projects No. 2018-53 (Structure No. 09.00N-19.19E)-(Keith Browning); 

(f) Consider approval of the minutes for August 28, September 4, September 11 and  September 18, 2019; and

(g) Consider approval of accounts payable.

REGULAR AGENDA

 (2) General Public Comment

General Public Comment will be at the end of each meeting with a limit of one comment per person and keep their comments brief. Individuals may not give unused time to other speakers. As a general practice, the Commission will not discuss/debate these items, nor will the Commission make decisions on items presented during this time, rather they will refer the items to staff for follow up, if necessary.

(3) Committee Reports

(4) Commissioner and/or Administrator Miscellaneous

(5) Adjourn

October 2, 2019

Derusseau called the Work Session to order at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 2, 2019 with all Commissioners present.

WORK SESSION 10-02-19

The Board received a presentation on cemeteries in the unincorporated area of Douglas County.

Attendees: Commissioners Derusseau, Thellman and Kelly; Jan Shupert-Arick, Heritage Coordinator; John Nichols, County Clerk’s Office; Cammy Owens, Budget Director; Amy Roust, GIS; and  Sarah Plinsky, County Administrator.

Staff provided background information on what constitutes a cemetery. According to State Statute 19-3106, a cemetery is made up of three or more human bodies that have been interred. An abandoned cemetery is one not cared for, for a period of at least five years.

Highlights included:

• Districts are established to care for any non-profit cemetery within its boundaries that has conveyed all property to the cemetery district.

• A cemetery board may choose to care for other abandoned cemeteries inside its district.

• Douglas County has eight cemetery districts.

• The Douglas County Budget Office assists cemetery districts with the annual budget submission to levy taxes in compliance with state budget laws.

• There was discussion on how to set up a Cemetery District.

• There are 57 cemeteries in Douglas County; 11 that are tax supported and 19 considered lost cemeteries.

• Care of abandoned cemeteries go to the township.

• Abandoned private burying grounds go to the County Clerk, who in turn will file a lawsuit against the property owner. 

• Five cemeteries of concern include: Franklin Town Cemetery, Lewis Crowder African American Cemetery, Kennedy Cemetery, Adams Cemetery USD 497, and Blue Mound Cemetery.

• The County GIS Mapping Department has created a GIS data-layer map for Zoning & Planning and Public Works showing the location of all cemeteries.

• The National Park Service is offering Cemetery Conservation Workshops to owners, property managers, administrators, in-house maintenance staff, and volunteers on how to preserve grave markers.

 

RECESS 10-02-19

 At 5:08 p.m., the Board recessed until the 5:30 p.m. Business Meeting.

BUSINESS MEETING 10-02-19

 The Board reconvened at 5:30 p.m. for their regular Business Meeting.

PROCLAMATION 10-02-19

The following 4-H Members: Reid Plinsky, Lone Star 4-H Club; Kimber Reusch and Erik Dallman, Clinton Eagles 4-H Club; Justin Leonard, 4-H Ambassador Leader; and Kaitlyn Peine, K-State Research and Extension for Douglas County, discussed their 4-H achievements.

Thellman read a proclamation declaring October 6-12, 2019 as National 4-H Week in Douglas County.

CONSENT AGENDA10-02-19

Kelly moved approval of the following Consent Agenda:

►  Membership of the 2019-2020 Douglas County Emergency Management Board, and nominated the members to the State Emergency Response Commission as the Local Emergency Committee for Douglas County follows:

Functional Groups

Member

 

GOVERNING BODIES

Appointed by Governing Bodies

 

 

Bob Newton, appointee of Douglas County Commission

 

 

Rob Culley, appointee of Baldwin City Council

 

 

Truman Waugh, appointee of Lawrence City Commission

 

 

Ken Keiter, appointee of Eudora City Council

 

 

Wayne Riley, appointee of Lecompton City Council

 

 

 

 

EMERGENCY SUPPORT FUNCTIONS

Agency Head and/or Appointee

 

Transportation ESF#1

Richard Haig, Lawrence Municipal Airport Advisory Board

 

 

Lane Sekavec, Union Pacific Railroad

 

 

 

 

Emergency Communications ESF#2

Tony Foster, Emergency Communications Center

 

 

Kevin Oneslager, ARRL Emergency Coordinator

 

 

 

 

Public Works & Engineering ESF#3

Keith Browning, Douglas County Public Works

 

 

Tina Rakes, Douglas County Zoning and Codes

 

 

 

 

Fire ESF#4

Mike Baxter, Fire Chiefs Association

 

 

 

 

Emergency Management ESF#5

Andrew Foster, University of Kansas Public Safety

 

 

 

 

Human Services/Mass Care ESF#6

Sarah Wickham, American Red Cross

 

 

 

 

Resource Management ESF#7

TBD

 

 

 

 

Health & Medical ESF#8

Sonia Jordan, Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department

 

 

Teri Smith, Lawrence Memorial Hospital

 

 

Pat Deaver, Visiting Nurses

 

 

Amy Lurken, Heartland Community Health Center

 

 

 

 

Search & Rescue ESF#9

Shaun Coffey, Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical

 

 

 

 

HazMat ESF#10

Shaun Coffey, Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical

 

 

 

 

Agriculture/Natural Resources ESF#11

Midge Grinstead, State Animal Response Team

 

 

 

 

Utility/Energy ESF#12

David Bellinder, Black Hills Energy

 

 

Vince Avila, Westar Energy

 

 

 

 

Law Enforcement ESF#13

Ken McGovern, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office

 

 

Trent McKinley, Lawrence Kansas Police  Department

 

 

Mike Pattrick, Baldwin City Police Department

 

 

Chris Keary, University of Kansas Public Safety

 

 

Public Information ESF#15

Porter Arneill, Lawrence Communications Manager

 

Bob Newton, Douglas County Emergency Management

 

 

Chemical Preparedness

Joseph Baranski, Hallmark Cards

 

Cary Mans, Chemtrade

 

Kay Johnson, PROSOCO

 

Alfred Lugo, United States Public Health Service

 

 

Community Group/Social Service

Steve Devore, Headquarters Counseling Center

 

Nicole Rials, Bert Nash CMHC

 

Kim Murphree, LDS Church

 

Mathew Faulk, Bert Nash CMHC

 

 

Education

Ron May, Lawrence Public Schools

 

Mike Russell, University of Kansas

 

Steve Splichal, Eudora Public Schools

 

Derek Bland, Baldwin Public Schools

 

Josh Woodward, Perry Lecompton Schools

 

Gary Goombi, Haskell Indian Nations University

 

 

Facility / Industry

Chris Lesser, PROSCO

 

Gordon Leong, ICL

 

Russell Epperson, API Foils

 

 

 

2019-2020 Officers & Executive Committee Members

 

Mike Russell, Chair

 

Kay Johnson, Vice Chair

 

Trent McKinley

 

Nicole Rials

 

Joseph Baranski

►  Resolution No. 19-30 appointing Robert Bieniecki to serve as Emergency Management Director for Douglas County, Kansas;

►  A Cancellation of Agreement with the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) for Project No. 59-23 K-7888-03 for grading, surfacing and seeding, dated June 1, 2006;

►  Approval of acquisitions of easements for culvert replacement for Project No. 2018-53 with the following landowners: Larry E and Deborah L. Morgan, 1920 N 900 Road, Eudora for Tract No. 1; and Charles L. and Marcia J. Sansom, 866 E 1900 Road, Eudora, for Tract No. 2;

►  Approval of the minutes for August 28, September 4, September 11 and September 18, 2019; and

►  Accounts payable in the amount of $585,575.36 paid on 09/19/19.

Motion was seconded by Thellman and carried 3-0.

APPOINTMENTS 10-02-19- None.

GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT 10-02-19- None.

COMMITTEE REPORTS 10-02-19 – None,

COMMISSIONERS AND/OR ADMINISTRATIVE MISCELLANEOUS 10-02-19

Introductions:

· Sarah Plinsky, County Administrator, introduced Jay Zimmerschied, as the new Director of Capital Projects. He will be an advocate for the County construction projects.

Information Items

· The Register of Deeds reports for September 2019 are available online in the 10/02/19 agenda packet.

· Senior Resource Center (SRC) notes and minutes for July/August 2019 are available online in the 10/02/19 agenda packet.

· On August 28, 2019, the Board of County Commissioners approved   a Disaster Relief Tax Abatement Program, under KSA 79-16-13,         as recommended by the County Appraiser. Since August, the County Appraiser has received an additional 13 applications. The Appraiser has recommended approval of 12 of the applications. In accordance with the Board’s action on August 28, the 12 applications will be approved as recommended. All applications are available in the Office of the Appraiser.

Open Board Appointments

· Douglas County Food Policy Council (Local food system/Ag Producer) - (2) positions open

· JAAA Advisory Council - (1) position open

· JAAA Board of Directors - (1) position open

· Lawrence-Douglas County Advocacy Council on Aging - (10) open positions

· Joint Economic Development Council – (2) positions open

· Public Building Commission – (1) position open

Derusseau adjourned the meeting at 5:42 p.m.

 

____________________________     ____________________________

 Michelle Derusseau, Chair                  Patrick Kelly, Vice-Chair

 

ATTEST:

 __________________________         ____________________________  

Jamie Shew, County Clerk                    Nancy Thellman, Member

Location

County Courthouse
1100 Massachusetts Street, Lawrence, Kansas 66044