BY ANDY TAYLOR
Montgomery County Chronicle

Montgomery County commissioners on Monday discussed the merits of researching whether a county manager position can function properly in the county’s central government.

The discussion on a county manager position was first broached last Friday at a meeting of the Independence Rotary Club, where Rotarians heard a presentation from Butler County officials about that county’s manager position. County commissioners Tony Fowler and Larry McManus were present at that Rotary meeting.

To follow up on Friday’s presentation, commissioners on Monday discussed how best to investigate and research the county manager position for Montgomery County and whether that position can function properly.

Fowler said he was impressed to hear that the Butler County manager was able to cite ways he saved money for the county, thereby justifying the salary of that administrative position.

“If they could produce the proof that a county manager can somehow conduct county business and allows his operations day to day while also justifying his salary, I would be interested in hearing more about it,” said Fowler.

Commissioner Fred Brown of Coffeyville said he was also interested to know how a county manager would be able to interact in a county government setting, where most of the department chiefs are elected by the people.

Fowler said there were pros and cons to having a county manager position but that he was willing to have further research done on that subject.

“I think we need to nip this issue one way or another,” he said. “If we need to have a blue-ribbon committee organized to look at the issue, then I would be interested in having that committee.” Fowler also said he was interested in reading a letter to the editor written several years ago by Independence attorney Jeff Chubb, who, Fowler said, detailed the advantages of a county manager form of government.

In other business transacted at Monday’s meeting, commissioners:

• approved to spend $5,170 from the county’s 911 communication fund to relocate the sheriff’s department tower system from atop the Montgomery County Courthouse to the KIND radio transmitter near Elk City Lake. KIND will charge Montgomery County a $75 monthly fee to allow the sheriff’s department repeater device to be located on its tower. In return, Montgomery County will mow the one-half acre area where the KIND radio transmitter is located.

Hall Communications of Fredonia was chosen to remove the repeater to the KIND tower site. Hall Communications will be paid $5,170 for the service.

• agreed to have the public works director and county sheriff jointly recommend whether the county courthouse should be closed during inclement weather. The recommendation will be forwarded to county commissioner Larry McManus, who will then contact county clerk Charlotte Scott-Schmidt to contact the media and county department chiefs about the courthouse’s closure.

• awarded a bid for extermination services for the county courthouse and judicial center to CPR Pest Management of Independence, which submitted the lowest bid among a total of three vendors.

• were informed by the county treasurer that a sale of delinquent tax properties will be held later in the fall 2009. Delinquent tax sales are held every other year. Properties that qualify for the sale are those whose property owners have not paid property taxes for three years.

Clubine said 700 parcels of property were sold in previous countywide sales, however she said she anticipated a lower number of parcels in 2009.

In action taken by the commission at last Thursday’s meeting, commissioners:

• agreed to retain the official county newspaper for legal notice designation on a rotational basis between the Independence Daily Reporter, Coffeyville Journal and Montgomery County Chronicle. The Coffeyville Journal will be the official county newspaper for legal notices in 2009.

• agreed to join the Southeast Kansas Regional Planning Commission, a consortium of southeast Kansas counties, with yearly dues of $7,837. The commission also voted unanimously to join the Kansas Association of Counties with yearly dues of $7,304. Randall Allen, executive director of the Kansas Association of Counties, made a presentation to the commission about the benefits of joining the organization.