Today's county commission meeting

Patriot · September 10, 2012, 06:41:50 PM

Well.......

Let's start with working up a 5 year plan for the future of Elk County. This idea was suggested by the county auditor during budget discussions as he had never seen any long term planning for our little corner of the world. WOW, what a concept Martha Stewart! Ships without rudders don't steer very well.

Please note that only one commissioner even mentioned the idea of reducing property taxes for our citizens as part of this planning. That would be Ritz.

The others were all about (in no particular order):

1 A new county shop
2 Courthouse repairs/upgrades
3 A county manager
4 Courthouse repairs/upgrades
3 Extension building work
4 Courthouse repairs/upgrades
5 Cemetery road repairs in Howard
6 Courthouse repairs/upgrades
7 Sheriff building & jail repairs
8 Courthouse repairs/upgrades

Looks like more and ongoing repairs to the county courthouse in Howard are pulling into first (and only) place. After tossing some really big numbers around, the realization hit home that the wind farm money for next year wasn't near enough... even if we don't continue with the RS/FAS road plan previously approved & underway. As a matter of fact, Commissioner Hendricks suggested the road plan we approved, reviewed & re-approved and started about 4 months ago be revisited to determine if it should be continued or changed in some way. Well, at least we got part of the first phase underway.

Not mentioned were future impacts of increasing employee benefit costs (health ins. etc.), stagnant wage issues, rising fuel costs, etc. on our 5 year planning.

In fairness, this 5 year plan for Elk County will be an ongoing discussion. To Be Continued...

Varmit · September 10, 2012, 07:32:11 PM

Anyone ever bother telling the commissioners that THERES MORE TO THIS COUNTY THEN THE FREAKIN TOWN OF HOWARD!!!

Because near as I can tell every single one of those "suggestions" has to do with improving howard in some way. Frankly in my opinion the first step should be getting rid of two of the three commissioners, then regroup and come up with a new plan!!

Patriot · September 10, 2012, 08:12:19 PM

V...

Unless you're talking about the cemetery road issues (Howard 3 fixes - Grenola 0 fixes), I appreciate your perspective, but this time it's less about Howard than it is about the county courthouse... which happens to be located in Howard. IMO the bigger issue is the massive amount of money already put into that 100 yr old facility, the massive amount that is still needed to make it safe & sound, and the ongoing cost of maintaining & operating it. Yes, it's a fascinating piece of history, but aren't there other pressing needs that exist to consume tens (if not hundreds) of thousands of dollars? And in this economy, should historical preservation be such a high priority with limited funds? How much do window air conditioners cost to run & regularly replace?

proelkco · September 11, 2012, 07:25:46 AM

I was told that Longton and Grenola cemetery roads are going to be fixed. They were definitely on the the 5 year plan.

Patriot · September 11, 2012, 09:31:10 AM

Quote from: proelkco on September 11, 2012, 07:25:46 AM
I was told that Longton and Grenola cemetery roads are going to be fixed. They were definitely on the the 5 year plan.

"You were told...". By a little birdie? In a dream? In a note on the outhouse wall? In line at Toots? Over the fence at the feeding trough? Sheesh! More washroom rumors.

How about some facts... As discussions about the Howard cemetery road advanced, Commissioner Liebau quietly complained, at least twice, that if the Grenola cemetery road didn't get fixed people would "tar & feather" him. The Grenola cemetery road wasn't much more than an afterthought. The Howard cemetery road was discussed at length, to include trading use of some county/city equipment to get the job done. I don't believe the Longton cemetery road was even mentioned. How the heck would I know? I was there. If you need further proof, get the audio recording from the Clerk (if it hasn't been erased already).

Further, that road can't even be on the 5 year plan... because the 5 year plan doesn't even exist yet... the commission is only discussing a 5 year plan, and they tabled the matter for future study & discussion.

Were you also told that delinquent taxes are up to over $119,000 this year... up from about $93,000 last year at this time & up from $75,000 this time in years past? No, you probably weren't.... because those facts don't fit the positive "all is well" narrative that some incumbents want you to believe.

In case you missed it, even the long term 'road plan' that we agonized over a few months back is in jeopardy going forward. So even if we get a 5 year plan for the whole county, how can you trust that it will be fully implemented? You can't.

If your source wasn't at the meeting yesterday, they are misinformed & spreading rumors. If they were present, they weren't paying attention or you are being lied to. Simple as that.

I'm amazed to see how easily duped some folks are and how easily they believe every coffee shop BS rumor that comes down the pike. No wonder Elk has the money & management messes it has. Nobody seems to care much about fact... as long as the positive Hope n Change rumors are alive. If you & the rest of the taxpaying public choose to remain ignorant of the facts... so be it. Don't be disappointed when the reality hits.

proelkco · September 11, 2012, 12:56:36 PM

You are quite rude. I got my information from a person at the meeting. The people in this county are not ignorant. If you are so concerned and have all the answers why did you not run for office? You could also talk to all the commissioners with your ideas, none are as stupid as you seem to believe.

Patriot · September 11, 2012, 02:14:38 PM

Quote from: proelkco on September 11, 2012, 12:56:36 PM
You are quite rude. I got my information from a person at the meeting. The people in this county are not ignorant. If you are so concerned and have all the answers why did you not run for office? You could also talk to all the commissioners with your ideas, none are as stupid as you seem to believe.

If you think presentation of fact without some kind of sugar coating is rude, then so be it. You're entitled to your opinion.

As I said, perhaps your source misunderstood what ultimately took place. That's evidenced by your claim that those roads are already included in some unfinished master plan. Your assurances didn't come from an elected officer by chance, did they

I said nothing about anyone being stupid. There's a lot of inaccurate information on the street. After months of careful review, I've come to an opinion that a couple of our commissioners are capable of being misleading, less than transparent and operating in the art of omission. I've also concluded that they don't care enough about the law to operate within it as it relates to Kansas open meetings laws. That may make them politicians, or even enamored with power, but not stupid.

As for any answers I have... no, I don't have all the answers, but I try darned hard to deal in fact as opposed to conjecture or the latest gossip. If that makes my observations & reports accurate and therefore offensive to you, then that's too bad. You have every right to feel offended.

Concerned? You bet! Concerned enough as a voter & taxpayer to study, review & present information here for those who are open minded enough to review, verify and come to their own conclusions.

Run for office? You can't seriously believe that would be a solution to your complaints. Besides, I'm quite happy with the representation in my district, there were no openings here & I would never change parties or relocate for some political advantage... now that would be disingenuous and rude.

proelkco · September 11, 2012, 02:23:02 PM

Perhaps you misunderstood.

Patriot · September 11, 2012, 02:28:35 PM

Quote from: proelkco on September 11, 2012, 02:23:02 PM
Perhaps you misunderstood.

I misunderstood nothing. Like I said earlier, listen to the audio.

Diane Amberg · September 11, 2012, 02:47:15 PM

Hey, Patriot. I just read your reply #4...There are 10 lines that add nothing to your "facts". What you call "lack of sugar coating" isn't, it's just poor composition. Taking the sugar off doesn't mean you can put the snarls on. As an educated person who wants your opinions to be respected, you should know that.
How about going back and trying to find out what you wrote that might seem rude to some. It adds nothing to what you write and is totally unnecessary to your "facts."
I notice you then back peddled and rewrote most of it. HMMM?