Saline County commissioners took care of a variety of business during Tuesday's regular meeting.
During the meeting, the commissioners heard from County Health Officer Jason Tiller that the COVID-19 testing rate in Saline County is 13.15 people per 1,000. Additionally, Tiller told commissioners that 98 people were tested for COVID-19 at the recent mobile testing lab conducted in the Kansas Highway Patrol Training Center parking lot. Tiller said that all 98 tests had a negative outcome, according to meeting information from Saline County.
Other commission business conducted Tuesday includes the following, according to the county meeting information.
Commissioners approved to accept a $58,008 grant for Coronavirus Emergency Supplemental Funding for the sheriff’s office. This money will be used to purchase medical supplies and protective equipment for staff and inmates.
•Commissioners approved the purchase of a 2020 transport van that will be equipped with a wheelchair lift from Kansas Truck Equipment Company for a total of $63,131. This new van will replace a 2014 Dodge Caravan. It will be able to seat six inmates and one inmate who may be in a wheelchair. It is estimated that it will take 180 days to have this vehicle delivered.
•Commissioners also approved the purchase of a new 2020 SUV to be used for civil process. This will replace a Ford Crown Victoria. The cost of this vehicle is $51,939. Both the purchase of the van for corrections and the SUV for civil process were already planned purchases through the county’s Equipment Improvement Program.
•Commissioners approved the health department to participate in a mosquito surveillance pilot project. By participating, the health department will receive $1,000 from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) to assist with covering the time and mileage that will be associated with collecting the mosquito specimens and sending them to KDHE. This pilot project will run from May 31 to Sept. 19.
•Kathy Mosher with Central Kansas Mental Health provided a presentation on the organization's 2021 budget request. Mosher presented a great deal of information about the services the organization provides. Central Kansas Mental Health is requesting $301,177 from Saline County in the 2021 budget year.
Commissioner will continue to hear funding requests from the other allocation agencies for the next two Tuesdays before they make decisions on how much to allocate to the different agencies for 2021.
•County Administrator Phillip Smith-Hanes reported briefly on the budget situation. He told commissioners that more unencumbered cash was moved into 2020 than was expected. This still leaves the county’s financial situation in good shape, he noted. Smith-Hanes also reported that the legislature will be back in session starting on May 21. Additionally, Smith-Hanes mentioned that the 2019 financial audit is complete and if commissioners wish, the auditor can provide a presentation.
•Commissioners had a good discussion regarding the potential movement into Phase 2 of Governor Laura Kelly’s reopening plan, which is expected to occur next week. It was the general consensus that the commissioners do not intend to impose any further restrictions on what has already been set forth and to engage in conversation with the health officer if for some reason that changes.
•Commissioners also conducted two executive sessions. One was for attorney/client privilege regarding the expo center lease and the second was for employer/employee negotiations.