ed the low bid of $258,367 for three dump trucks for the Road and Bridge Department at the Nov. 23, county commission meeting.
Cameron Lawrence, representing Joplin Freightliner of Joplin, Mo., was in attendance. Others attending the bid opening were Mark Perith of Diamond International, Joplin, Mo., and Dustin Sneed of Mack Trucks, Joplin. Peterbilt of Joplin was the other bidder. Read more

Tom Bringle and Terry Edwards of the Labette Correctional Consevation Camp were given permission at Monday’s county commission meeting, to seek a two-year grant from the Kansas Criminal Justice Coordinating Council.
The President signed into law the Federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
The Federal Recovery Act Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant funds will be used to hire and retain criminal justice personnel, as well as supporting other strategies that create and preserve jobs and promote economic growth by improving the effectiveness and efficiency of criminal justice systems, processes and procedures.
Read more

Sheriff William Blundell will have four new patrol cars since Labette County Commissioners approved the $111,422.47 purchase.
Columbus Ford received the low bid for four 2009 Crown Victoria cars at a cost of $23,385.64 each. The equipment, including light bars, pro-guard cage, console, patrol car video and vehicle striping, totals another $17,879.91.
The county pays one-third down ($37,140.82) out of jail housing funds, Blundell said. He was given approval to seek lease bids for the remaining two-thirds of the cost from local banking institutions. They would be financed for a two year term.
Current income for January was $27,915 and February $21,555 for jail housing, Blundell said.
Recently a van was sold on the Purple Wave Auction for $2,900. This money was put back into the general fund, Blundell said.
The patrol cars should take four to six weeks for delivery. The department is replacing two 2005’s, a 1999 and a 2003 patrol cars.
Commissioner Lonie Addis told Blundell to be aware that the general fund is hurting due to loss of interest and idle funds and they may need to work with him and the other departments accordingly.
IN OTHER ACTION at Monday’s meeting:
• The burn ban is still in effect; the situation has not changed. Written permission is needed for ag burning through the area fire chiefs.
• Approved a request from Dave Loiselle, appraiser, for field staff overtime while working on final reviews.
• Sandy Krider, road and bridge supervisor, received a signature on a request for a construction project using recovery funds 2009 (stimulus package). This is ranked with south on Pratt to the ammunition plant road first at a cost of $332,000 with a county match of $100,000. Rank #2 would be on 24,000 Road east of Meade Road to 37th St., City of Parsons, for $542,000 with the county match of $100,000. Letters of support were given from Great Plains Industrial Park and the City of Parsons. The commissioners also drafted letters of support for these two projects. The roads would be milled and have a two inch overlay.
Krider said there are 17 counties included in this stimulus package.
• Laura Moore, grant administrator, was given pay request #8 approval for $6,977 for cash on hand on the Osage Township project in Dennis.
Moore gave an update on the Fire Department/Community Hall project at Dennis. She said the storm shelter has been completed and the red iron work will begin this week.
• Jim Cook, emergency coordinator, reminded commissioners that the Mitigation Plan will be posted on the county website Wednesday.
• Approved the amended contract with the City of Edna to patrol within the city limits at a cost of $20,400 per year. This was established in 1998, Sheriff Blundell said. It requires approximately 650 hours a year, or 54 hours a month safety protection.
• Monday, commissioner Brian Kinzie and counselor Fred Johnson were meeting with Cherokee and Crawford counties to discuss the coroner’s fee. “We will be able to present our concerns and questions. The coroner is appointed by the largest populated county (Crawford) and the other two counties set up the expense and we pay,” Johnson said.  There has been a very dramatic increase in the coroner’s fee, Commissioner Addis added.
• A Class B liquor license was granted to Parsons Golf and Restaurant.
• The next commission meeting will be March 9 at 9 a.m.

PUBLIC NOTICE
(First published in the Labette Avenue, Wednesday, February 4, 2009)

RESOLUTION NO. 2009-06-L   

A RESOULTUTION EXTENDING A ONE PERCENT (1%) COUNTY WIDE RETAILER‘S SALES TAX IN LABETTE COUNTY, KANSAS
WHEREAS, the qualified electors of Labette County previously authorized a one percent (1%) County Wide Retailer’s Sales Tax for a period of five (5) years which took effect on July 1, 2006; and
WHEREAS, said one percent (1%) County Wide Retailer’s Sales Tax will expire on the 30th day of June, 2011; and
WHEREAS, revenue derived from the sales tax is divided between Labette County and its incorporated cities and is used for reduction of property taxes.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF LABETTE COUNTY, KANSAS:
1.) That a special question election be held in the manner prescribed by law on April 7, 2009 for the purpose of submitting to the qualified electors of Labette County the question of extending for an additional five (5) years the levying of the County Wide Retailer’s Sales Tax in the amount of one percent (1%).
2.) Such extension of said tax, if approved, to take effect on July 1, 2011 and end on June 30, 2016.
3.) This resolution shall become effective upon passage and its publication in the official county newspaper.
Adopted this 26th day of January, 2009.
BOARD OF COUNTY
COMMISSIONERS OF LABETTE COUNTY, KS
Lonie R. Addis, Chairman
Brian C. Kinzie, Commissioner
Jack W. Martin, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Linda Schreppel, County Clerk

__________________________________________________________________________________

PUBLIC NOTICE
(First published in the Labette Avenue, Wednesday, February 4 and 11, 2009)
NOTICE OF SPECIAL
QUESTION ELECTION
LABETTE COUNTY, KANSAS

The Board of County Commissioners, Labette County, Kansas, has heretobefore, pursuant to resolution duly adopted, declared it advisable to extend (retain) the current one percent (1%) County Wide Retailer’s Sales Tax for a period of five (5) years from July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2016.
NOTICE is hereby given to the qualified electors of the County that a special question will be submitted at the general election held on April 7, 2009 as follows:
Shall the following be adopted?
Shall a County Wide one percent (1%) Retailer’s Sales Tax be extended (retained) for a period of five (5) years from July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2016, all pursuant to the provisions of K.S.A. 12-187 et seq.?
To vote in favor of the question darken the oval to the left of the word “Yes”.  To vote in opposition of the question darken the oval to the left of the word “No”.

O    YES
O     NO

The polls will be open at 7:00 o’clock A.M. and will close at 7:00 o’clock P.M., on April 7, 2009, the Election Day.  The voting places in the County, and the area each voting place will serve, will be as follows:
Voters Residing In    Will Vote At
Canada/Howard Township – Angola Community Center, Angola
Elm Grove Township – Edna Community Senior Center, Edna
Fairview/Hackberry Township – Christian Church, 100 W 3rd, Bartlett
Labette Township – Meadow View School, 1377 21000 Rd, Parsons
Liberty Township – Center Bethel Church, 1699 18000 Rd, Parsons
Montana/Neosho Township – Neosho Twp Fire Station, 25001 Wallace Rd, Parsons
Mound Valley Township – Mound Valley Community Center, Mound Valley
Mount Pleasant Township – 1st Baptist Church, 400 S Wabash, Altamont
North Township – Foursquare Church, Hwy 400 (E Main), Parsons
Osage Township – United Methodist Church, Dennis
Walton Township – Westside Christian Church – 5100 W Main, Parsons
Chetopa City/Richland Township – Masonic Lodge, 4th & Locust, Chetopa
Oswego City/Township – Community Bldg, 5th & Merchant, Oswego
Parsons – 1st Ward – First Baptist Church (Lobby New Bldg) 1621 Main, Parsons
Parsons– 2nd Ward  – Municipal Building (Basement), 112 S 17th, Parsons
Parsons – 3rd Ward  – First Christian Church, 1500 S 29th, Parsons
Parsons – 4th Ward  – Parsons Middle School Community Rm, 2710 Main, Parsons
The election will be conducted by the county election officer being the County Clerk as provided by law for holding elections, and the method of voting will be by ballot.  Registered voters are eligible to vote by advance voting ballot upon application to the County Clerk of Labette County whose address is Labette County Courthouse, 501 Merchant, Oswego, Kansas 67356 pursuant to K.S.A. 25-1117 et seq.
DATED: January 26, 2009.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A group of community leaders from Labette County made a trip to Topeka on Dec. 19 in a lobbying effort toward keeping the Labette Women’s Correctional Camp open.
The camp is set to close at the end of business today, Dec. 31, by the Kansas Department of Corrections.
Lonie Addis, chairman of the Labette County Commission, said a total of six people representing Labette County attended the meeting with Sec. of Corrections Roger Werholtz and Chuck Simmons, deputy secretary for facilities management for the KDOC.
“I think it went well,” said Addis. “But at this point, it looks like the women’s camp will close at the end of December, then the men’s camp will close by June. We are still seeking alternatives and seeking assistance and will try our best to keep the camps open, but we will also entertain other options.”
Those options might include converting the correctional camps into regular prison housing. Specific interest has been shown by officials of the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Department in Wichita which is needing more cell space for inmates.
But Addis said he and other community leaders are still hoping to keep the men’s portion of the local camp open. Although LCCC administrator Tom Bringle has not been officially notified of the men’s camp closing, he fully expects to receive that notice after Jan. 1, with a six-month notice.
That gap in timing will give the local leaders some time to lobby lawmakers in Topeka and other officials of the KDOC. In the case of the women’s camp closure, there was scarcely any time since its closing happened within 45 days of the first notice from the KDOC.  Since the Kansas Legislature would not reconvene until January, it left few options for local leaders to consider.
Those attending the Dec. 19 meeting in Topeka were: Commissioner Addis,  LCC President Dr. George Knox and LCCC Board Member; Stacey Green, former inmate at LCWC and current LWCC board member; Tom Bringle, LWCC Administrator; Sen. Dwayne Umbarger and Rep. Rich Proehl.
Addis said the presentations by local officials to the KDOC officials were well received, however he granted that those in Topeka have a difficult job ahead of them making necessary cuts in state spending to offset a nearly $1 billion deficit from the past year.
The group had hoped to meet with Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius but she was out of town. Her chief of staff, Troy Finley, and three other aides met with the local delegation.

The Labette County Commissioners worked on pay scale at Monday’s meeting. They went to an eight year range scale from a 12 year range scale with a three percent increase.
They also reviewed Sheriff William Blundell’s inmate housing fund income and expense.The commissioners voted to allow Blundell to pay off the lease on his vehicles and authorized up to $20,000 to purchase a transport unit.
Commissioners approved to allow Sheriff Blundell to take on the camps dog.  They will be  transferring the Correctional Camp dog to the Sheriff’s Office to be used here in the department for drug/tracking as the existing K-9, Blundell said.
“This is a transfer that will allow my office to have two K-9 available to use once again and at no purchase cost of the dog. We already have the equipment needed for the dog, Blundell said. The dog will be housed with the handler assigned,
Blundell said he is in the process of establishing what will be needed to get the dog certified along with the handler assigned.

Sen. Dwayne Umbarger and State Rep. Richard Proehl are trying to set up a meeting with Gov. Kathleen Sebelius in the near future to discuss the future of the Labette County Correctional Conservation Camps located at Oswego.
The two lawmakers told a group of local and area community leaders last Thursday that the fight to keep the women’s camp would be difficult at best. The women’s portion of the LCCC is set for closing by the Kansas Department of Corrections on Dec. 31.
“The legislature won’t convene until a full week after the closing of the women’s camp,” said Umbarger. “I will make a call to see if we can take a group of local citizens to Topeka to meet with the governor and the secretary of corrections.”
The Oswego Economic Development Committee called Thursday’s meeting which included city, county, school, community college, church and chamber of commerce leaders from several area towns.
Umbarger expressed concern that Oswego would not only lose its women’s camp but that the men’s camp also could close in early 2009.
“It is my understanding that the men’s camp could close as early as March,” Umbarger said.
Tom Bringle, who serves as mayor of Oswego and administrator of the correctional camps, said he fully expects to receive official notification about the men’s camp closing shortly after Jan. 1. “It requires a six-month notice,” he said, “so that would take it to July.”
While several community leaders spoke impassionately about the camps and their impact upon the local economy, their greatest points of emphasis were the positive ways the camps have impacted those who have gone through the program as inmates.
While Umbarger remained strong in his support for the camps, he said current state finances were at a crisis level. “Cuts are being made in all areas except for K-12 schools,” he said. “The Kansas Department of Corrections has already made significant reductions in their overall budget that includes three other prison facilities. So getting anyone in the KDOC to change their minds will be difficult, at best.”
Umbarger, Proehl and Bringle said their greatest hope at this point is to get a “stay” for the women’s camp to remain open until its contract runs out. “This would give us a few months to get organized and talk to some people in Topeka,” said Umbarger. “But this thing happened at the wrong time — right before the holidays when nobody is in Topeka, and a month before the start of the 2009 legislative session.”
Lonie Addis, chairman of the Labette County Commission, said he will fight to keep the camp “until there is no fight left in me.” Addis has been a commissioner during all the years the camp has been in operation.
Blair said the OEDC will work with Umbarger and Proehl in an effort to set up a meeting with the governor and secretary of corrections.
The potential loss of 62 jobs is at stake if both the men’s and women’s camps are closed.

Sen. Dwayne Umbarger will meet Thursday afternoon with community leaders in Oswego and surrounding towns and counties, Phil Blair said today.
Blair is chairman of the Oswego Economic Development Committee which is spearheading a lobbying effort to keep the Labette County Women’s Correctional Conservation Camp open. The Kansas Sec. of Corrections, Roger Werholtz, announced on Nov. 17 that the local boot camp would close at the end of December.
“We’re inviting as many community leaders as we can get to attend this meeting and provide input to Sen. Umbarger,” said Blair who is a former Oswego mayor.
Umbarger is chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committe in Topeka and Blair hopes he can convince the governor’s office and Department of Corrections officials to change their minds.
Invitations have been extended to community leaders in Oswego, Parsons, Chetopa, Altamont, Labette County, Cherokee, Montgomery County and others.
The meeting will be held at 4 p.m. Thursday at the new Oswego Community Building at the fairgrounds.
“This camp has benefitted a large area of communities and has always been considered a successful and beneficial operation,” he said.
Blair is urging everyone to sign a petition in opposition to the closing of the LWCCC. The petition has been placed inside the Oswego city office.
He reiterated that the Oswego community can’t just stand idly by and let the state close a facility that has been such a great community asset.”
Blair said he was mayor of Oswego when the men’s camp first opened in 1991.
Both Sen. Umbarger and State Rep. Richard Proehl have been in contact with Werholtz and they will continue to argue for state officials to reconsider their action.
Both Umbarger and Proehl have emphasized that the boot camp concept is unique in the punishment of those convicted of crimes in Kansas and it has been quite successful. The recidivism rate has been lower for repeat offenders among those inmates who completed the programs at Oswego.
The women’s camp currently employs 14 workers and houses 27 inmates.The closing was again discussed at Monday’s meeting of the Labette County Commission.
Chairman Lonie Addis has been in constant contact with state and local leaders in an effort to show the county’s opposition to the camp closing. Addis also fears the men’s camp might close in the near future, too, which would put another 46 employees out of work. The camps are operated by Labette County under a contract with the Kansas State Department of Corrections.
A group of sheriff’s department officials from Sedgwick County were scheduled to tour the women’s facility on Tuesday as various proposals are being discussed for the camp’s continued use. A possible idea would be to house prisoners from Sedgwick and other counties since there is a shortage of cell space in most county jails.
However, Addis, Blair and a host of area community leaders are hoping they can change minds in Topeka before any such concepts are considered.
Sec. Werholtz said the state of Kansas will save more than $1 million annual by closing the women’s camp. No estimate was given on savings if the men’s camp is closed.
A delegation headed by Charles E. Simmons, Deputy Secretary for Facilities Management for the KDOC, was scheduled to tour the women’s facility today (Wednesday) to take inventory of personal property at the site.

By Rena Russell
Labette Avenue
Jason Piercefield of Chetopa and Rick Tucker, Attorney at Law, representing him, were told to attend the next Solid Waste Management Committee meeting, by the commissioners at Monday’s meeting.
Labette County Commissioners Lonie Addis, Brian Kinzie and Jack Martin discussed the process needed before anything can properly be discussed concerning a permit for a wood chipping recycling business in the Chetopa area.
Prior to Monday’s meeting, Piercefield had met with the commission on July 14 of this year, discussing the possible chipping operation. The commission told him then to get a business plan in order and go talk to the solid waste management committee.
Since then, Piercefield did have a business plan in place.
The County has a nuisance lawsuit with pending action on the property on 166 and 59 highways at Chetopa, concerning large wooden boxes, etc., that are on Piercefield’s property.
Attorney Tucker explain his business plan and the need to get commissioners approval for the sorting center. They also presented the commission with a USDA study on such wood chipping operations, etc. on recycled products.
The next solid waste management committee meeting will be held on Sept. 18 at 6 p.m. They are making plans to attend this meeting.
IN OTHER ACTION at Monday’s meeting:
• KSAAP-LRPA Executive Board meet prior to the county commission meeting with members, Brian Kinzie, Bill Wheat, Lonie Addis, Jack Martin and Marti Morris, office manager. Following an executive session, no action was taken.
• Larry Cupit, county sanitation officer, discussed with the commission building inspection guidelines that FEMA uses for homeowners building in floodplain areas.
• Reported that Jim Cook, Emergency Operations Manager, has been called to Baton Rouge, La., to assist others in strategic planning of the Hurricane Gustov and preparing for the next one, Hurricane Ike. He will be assisting a maximum of two weeks.
• Commissioners reviewed noxious weed applications.
• Defined that the end of the month meetings are regular scheduled meetings, not special meetings held.
• Approved the Aug. 29 minutes and approved the accounts payables.