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	Franklin County, Kansas, USA

2009-07-03

2009-07-01

2009-06-30

Agriculture

Lifestyles

County picks low bid over local one

By CLEON RICKEL, Herald Senior Writer

It was a bid that involved low versus local.

County commissioners voted 4-1 to accept the low bid of $39,900 from Kan Equip, Topeka, for a tractor mower Wednesday.

However, Commissioner Ed Taylor, who cast the dissenting vote, said although the bid of $41,900 by McConnell Machinery, Ottawa, was slightly higher, the county should have picked it.

The county should buy from local vendors if they come within five percent of the low bid, Taylor said.

“For that $2,000, they pay a lot of taxes and employ a lot of people,” Taylor said of McConnell’s bid.

However, the commission has no formal policy concerning the five-percent exception, Commissioner Don Stottlemire said.

“I agree with Mr. Taylor but we need to have something in writing,” Stottlemire said.

Stottlemire asked for a session to discuss it.

In other matters, the commissioners:

• Agreed to buy a new safe for the treasurer’s office for about $8,500.

Because of the new safe’s weight, about 3,000 pounds, getting it into the courthouse will be tricky, Lisa Johnson, interim county administrator, said.

All of the other safes in the courthouse are original and were built into the building.

• Set a public hearing for 8:45 a.m. June 11 for county’s five-year plan for federal transportation funds.

The hearing will likely be short.

The county has been saving federal money to replace the Vermont Road bridge over the Marais des Cygnes River near Rantoul and plans to save new money to replace the West Wilson Street bridge over the Burlington Northern Santa Fe mainline west of Ottawa.

• Established a Local Environmental Protection Plan Committee and named Lloyd McClure, Franklin County planning commissioner; Guy Crabill, county sanitarian; Rick Sawin, county solid waste manager; Rick Porter, director of the Lake Region Resource Conservation and Development; Keri Harris, director of the Franklin County Natural Resource Conservation Service; and Darren Hibdon, county Extension agent; to it.

Forming the the new group was a condition of the county continuing to receive state environment protection grants, Larry Walrod, county planning director, said.

• Accepted a subdivision improvement agreement and a letter of credit from John Thompson for the proposed Prairie Lakes Estates No. 2.

• Approved the Noxious Weed Annual Control Plan for 2009.

The plan is the same as this year’s, minus the expected higher prices for weed-killing chemicals, Sawin, who is also noxious weed director, said.

• Heard from Johnson, who is planning the first of several county budget meetings for today and Tuesday in the commission room at the county annex.

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