By SALINA POST
Road projects, bid awards, and new vehicles for the sheriff's office are among the items on the Saline County Commission agenda for Tuesday.
About the meeting
Saline County Commission is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Tuesday in room 107 of the City-County Building, 300 W. Ash Street. The meetings also can be viewed on Saline County’s YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwwZp_cTSJ3Nepp_5rOGevA.
To participate in the meetings, citizens will need to use the Zoom link. Use the following link and put in the Meeting ID and passcode:
https://zoom.us/j/96835819901?pwd=bUEvaExUb2ppMEFaUnd6cUd6MmNMUT09
Meeting ID: 968 3581 9901
Passcode: 144636
For further information, contact the County Commission’s Office at (785) 309-5825.
Agenda items
Commissioners are being asked to approve the purchase of additional permanent easements along N. Cunningham Road near the Saline River.
During flooding in 2019, the river eroded the bank to the edge of the roadway south of E. Stimmel Road. According to information from the Road and Bridge Department, in order for N. Cunningham Road to be realigned farther away from the riverbank, additional road right-of-way easements are needed.
"All landowners have been directly contacted to discuss the scope of the project and explain the need for the additional easement. Each landowner has agreed to sell their crop land for roadway easements at $5,000 per acre," the information from the Road and Bridge Department noted.
Some FEMA funding will be available for the project, the meeting packet information noted.
The Saline County Sheriff's Office is asking the commissioners to approve the purchase of two patrol pickups and three SUVs from Superior Emergency Response Vehicles, an upfitter in Andover. The requested vehicles would fill a void created when five SUVs that were approved a year ago never materialized.
In spring of 2021, commissioners approved the purchase of five SUVs, however, the dealer wasn't able to deliver the vehicles and the order was finally canceled by the Chrysler Corporation as it did not manufacture Durano Pursuit SUVs in a 2022 model, according to information in the commission meeting packet.
The sheriff's office put out a new call for bids for five vehicles, however, no bids were submitted by the bid opening date of March 14. A follow-up with auto dealers revealed that bids were not submitted as the dealers were unable to place orders for fleet vehicles.
Superior Emergency Response Vehicles, the company that was scheduled to upfit the original five SUVs, currently has two patrol pickups and three SUVs in stock, according to information from the sheriff's office.
Commissioners also are scheduled to consider approving matching funds in the amount of $96,000 in order for the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) to award a bid on a High Risk Rural Road project located on Simpson Road between E. Magnolia Road and E. Crawford Street. The project would add shoulders to the existing roadway and regrade the ditch slopes. Additionally, all drainage structures would be extended or replaced, according to information in the county commission meeting packet.
If the matching funds from Saline County are approved, KDOT is expected to award the project to Malm Construction Compay, which had the low bid of $858,148.
Other items on the Saline County Commission agenda for Tuesday include the following.
●Consider proclaiming Child Abuse Prevention Month
●Consider proclaiming National County Government Month
●Consider updating the county's financial policies to reflect best practices for investments as recommended by the county's auditor
●Consider awarding a bid for bituminous chip sealing
●Consider adjusting the grant budget for funds received by the county as a part of the American Rescue Plan Act
●Hear County Administrator Phillip Smith-Hanes' update
Additionally, commissioners are scheduled to meet in executive session to discuss non-elected personnel.
To see the full Saline County Commission meeting packet for Tuesday (127-page pdf), click here.