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The VOTER
June 2007 Online Edition - Voter Editor, Hilary K. Esry

ELECTRONIC VOTER STELLA HARRISS SCHOLARSHIP NET NEUTRALITY
LWVK CONVENTION NEWS LUNCH WITH LEAGUE NEWS BOARD AT WORK
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE OBSERVER REPORTS BACK ISSUES

"Whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government."
- Thomas Jefferson

League Calendar for June 2007
June 12 LUNCH WITH LEAGUE (Open to the Public)
Topic: Riley County Health Department -- Update Regarding Child and Adult Care Health Insurance Mandates and Other Healthcare Issues
Presenter: Susan Hatfield, Early Childhood Program Supervisor
Location: Manhattan Public Library, Auditorium (second floor), 629 Poyntz Ave.
Time: 11:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
June 23 MONTHLY BOARD MEETING
Location: Bluestem Bistro, 1219 Moro
Time: 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Members always welcome!
June 26 BROWN BAG LUNCH
Topic: To be determined by those in attendance
Location: Riley County Office Building, Second Floor Meeting Room, 110 Courthouse Plaza
Time: 11:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
League Calendar for July 2007
July 10 LUNCH WITH LEAGUE (Open to the Public)
Topic: Indoor Air Quality/Clean Air
Presenter: Kansas Representative Tom Hawk
Location: Manhattan Public Library, Auditorium (second floor), 629 Poyntz Ave.
Time: 11:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
To be announced MONTHLY BOARD MEETING
Members always welcome!
July 24 BROWN BAG LUNCH
Topic: Independent Radio Station
Presenters: Debbie Nuss/Chris Renner
Location: Riley County Office Building, Second Floor Meeting Room, 110 Courthouse Plaza
Time: 11:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

President's Message
by Karen Mayse

Second VP Jurina Watts, Voter Editor Hilary Esry and I represented our League at the LWVK convention April 28 in Wichita. Please see additional reports about the convention in this Voter. Among the more significant items of business on the agenda were the adoption of a new state position on mental health, beginning a new two-year study on water management as related to power production and alternative energy sources, electing officers (see box), changes to the bylaws and governing documents on our board of trustees, and passage of several action resolutions including the following resolution regarding voter-verified paper audit trails for voting machines in Kansas:

"Be it resolved at convention 2007 that the League of Women Voters of Kansas will educate the public and ask government officials to support and enact legislation that requires voter verified paper ballots/records that are accurate, randomly audited and used for legal recount when needed; furthermore be it resolved that the League urge the local, state and national governments to provide adequate funding."

It was my pleasure to serve on the action resolution committee with Ernestine Krehbiel, Wichita, and Dolores Furtado, Johnson County. Convention delegates had lots of questions about V-VPAT, particularly in regard to cost, but League members supported the resolution for two reasons. They agree that accurately recording each voter's intended vote is key to democratic elections, and they agree that there must be a way to conduct reliable recounts in close elections. Both of these issues surfaced in Manhattan in our April 2007 election when a software glitch materialized in an election that resulted in a tie. Voting machines in our last election failed to display a summary screen listing all the candidates the voter had voted for, instead simply recording how many votes were being cast.

New LWVK Officers 2007-2009
President: Diane Kuhn, Johnson County
1st VP: Sharon Ailslieger, Wichita
Secretary: Betsy Rohleder, Topeka

Directors 2007-2009
Kay Calvert, Emporia
Gwen Elliott, Topeka
Kay Hale, Lawrence
Bob Kruh, Manhattan

Terms expiring in 2008
2nd VP: Cathy Hoy, Emporia
Treasurer: Leonore Rowe, Johnson County
Director: Janis Norlin, Salina
Director: Nona Ponder, Wichita

To contact LWVK
E-mail: lwvk@sbcglobal.net
Telephone: 785-234-5152

In May, the League obtained an official e-mail address - lwv.manhattanks@gmail.com - and League members will begin receiving official LWV MRC announcements from that address. There are several advantages to having an official e-mail account including the ability to keep all announcements, automatic back up of all e-mail records, and the ability to have more than one administrator so we aren't dependent on only one person. Along with this change the board adopted updates to our electronic communications policies.

DOWNLOAD ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS POLICY (PDF)

We believe that most of our members appreciate receiving announcements about League activities and other meetings that correspond with our mission and positions. All non-League announcements will require approval by the League president or board prior to distribution. Anyone who wishes to be removed from our distribution list need simply reply to a message and request removal or send an e-mail to lwv.manhattanks@gmail.com.

The direction to our board proposed during our annual meeting was to seek opportunities to increase diversity among our membership. Your board certainly intends to work on that goal. While we were reviewing our non-partisan policy, we also agreed that it is important to recruit members with diverse opinions. Our discussions on political issues are enriched when we are presented with all sides. Better yet, since we are respectful of all opinions, we can be an example of civil discourse within our community.

By the time you read this, we will have celebrated a new honoree with the Edith Stunkel Good Government Award. We received several excellent nominations, and I hope that those who didn't receive the award this year will be nominated again. The honoree is elected by secret ballot, and this year it was a very difficult choice indeed.

Last but certainly not least, I'm pleased to report that the LWV MRC board appointed Ann Smith to serve us as Secretary for the next year. We now have a full board and we're looking forward to a great year!

Electronic Voter

Following the example of the LWVUS, and in an effort to live up to our own environmental position statement, the local League board voted to change how we send The Voter to readers. Beginning with the September 2007 issue, The Voter will be sent to readers by e-mail in PDF format. We request that those readers who do not currently receive e-mail from the LWV Manhattan/Riley County contact Voter Editor Hilary Esry and provide her with their current e-mail address. Those readers who prefer to receive a paper copy should contact Voter Editor Hilary Esry and request to receive a printed version.

To contact the Voter Editor:

Viewing PDF Files

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Click to get Adobe Reader Click button to go to the Adobe web site, then download and install the FREE Acrobat Reader software needed to view PDF files.

If at any time you wish to be removed from the Voter mailing list, please send an e-mail to lwv.manhattanks@gmail.com or contact the current Voter editor. Current and back issues of The Voter will continue to be posted on our web site (see the bottom of this page).

Members: if you do not currently receive League e-mails and would like to, or if your e-mail address changes, please notify us at:

lwv.manhattanks@gmail.com

Please be sure to update your spam filter if needed to receive our e-mails.

Stella Harriss Scholarship Recipient
By Karen Mayse, President

The League is pleased to announce that Mindy Chmiel has been chosen to receive the Stella Harriss Scholarship for the 2007-2008 school year. Mindy is 43 and a senior at K-State who hopes to graduate in December 2007 after student teaching this fall at Rock Creek High School. Her degree will be in secondary education with an emphasis on English. The Department of Educational Counseling has asked her to consider seeking a master's degree through their department GTA program after graduation, and she is strongly considering this option.

Mindy is a mother of two teens. Her oldest daughter graduated from high school this spring. Her son will be a junior in high school next year. Through the years, she volunteered extensively at their schools and other activities, and decided early on that she wanted to be a teacher. She began attending Highland Community College in Wamego in 2000. She planned to be an elementary teacher by the time her son graduated from high school. At first she attended part time so she could be a mom first, work part time in the schools and work on her degree. She graduated on the dean's list in 2004, and then began classes at K-State. A year later, she experienced a divorce and was suddenly a single mom.

"I knew I needed to increase the pace of my previous goal," said Mindy. "I began attending KSU full time in January of 2006."

With over 60 hours of college classes under her belt, she began to substitute teach and discovered a love for teaching in the high schools. She soon switched her major from elementary education to secondary education.

Mindy was notified that she was being awarded the Stella Harriss Scholarship on the same day her daughter graduated from high school. She said she had applied for several scholarships without success.

"I was starting to get discouraged, so when you called, I was thrilled," said Mindy. "I am looking forward to student teaching in the fall and am so excited for my future."

Net Neutrality

Net Neutrality was adopted as a program item at the LWVUS convention last year as follows: The LWVUS supports the concept of Internet neutrality by calling upon Congress to protect equal access to the Internet. The FCC is accepting public comments on Net Neutrality until June 15th. To comment, go to www.fcc.gov and click on the "Filing Public Comments" link that appears midway down the left column of that page.

League of Women Voters of Kansas -- State Convention 2007
By Jurina Watts, 2nd Vice President

First and foremost, I would like to than the League of Women Voters of Manhattan Riley for sending me as a delegate to represent our local League at the state convention. The state convention was held Saturday, April 28, 2007 at the Holiday Inn, in Wichita, Kansas. The convention was well attended and conducted in a professional and efficient manner. In keeping with tradition, one of the delegates' tasks was to discuss and vote on proposed program positions. The Mental HealthCare System in Kansas was one program on the floor for discussion and adoption of the proposed position statement. In 2005, the League of Women Voters of Kansas (LWVK) adopted a study of mental health care in Kansas to evaluate the significant shifting of care from state mental hospitals to community-based mental health centers. This study confirms that the inadequacy of the current system has contributed to an increase in the population of the homeless mentally ill, to the incarceration of adult and juvenile offenders with mental illness, to preventable deaths among individuals with mental illness, and to the inability of service providers both to deal appropriately with individuals in crisis and to treat the physical and mental problems of individuals with severe and persistent mental illness. Delegates adopted the following statement of position with a few minor changes at Convention 2007. Please note the changes in parentheses.

Statement of Position
The LWVK endorses a mental health system, which decreases dependence on costly emergency services, reduces poverty and homelessness among people with mental illness, reduces rates of incarceration, supports healthy recovery, and strengthens families.

To address the inadequacies found by this study the LWVK recommends the following improvements in the existing continuum of care:

  1. Services provided along this continuum should be based on consumers' needs.
  2. The number of hospitals with psychiatric units and the overall number of (voluntary and involuntary) beds for acute psychiatric care must keep pace with needs statewide. (The total bed count must include the budgeted capacity of the state mental health hospitals).
  3. Stable funding should be ensured for providers in the public mental health care system.
  4. CMHCs should provide services that are more accessible and available by:
    1. allowing multiple points of entry,
    2. increasing preventive and early intervention services to the general and target populations,
    3. strengthening crisis intervention,
    4. collaborating with other agencies,
    5. using technology creatively, and
    6. offering treatments which demonstrate a measurable outcome.
  5. A seamless transition must be provided for the consumer from primary care in CMHCs to intermediate care in state-operated regional inpatient units, and on to more acute care in State Mental Health Hospitals that also function as centers of excellence for research and education.

To fund these programs, the League recommends that Kansas should:

  1. maximize use of state and federal dollars,
  2. implement full insurance parity for mental health care,
  3. distribute funds in a manner that more directly links money with services provided,
  4. develop new and innovative sources of revenue from both public and private sectors, and
  5. develop a public awareness campaign to educate citizens about the critical needs of the mentally ill and the obligation of all citizens to respond.

To improve mental heal care services, consumers must have:

  1. a wide range of transitional and long-term housing options, from fully structured to fully independent,
  2. wrap-around services including physical health care, dual diagnosis treatment, geriatric treatment and employment/education assistance,
  3. an outreach program for individuals experiencing homelessness and individuals resistant to treatment,
  4. effective crisis intervention,
  5. humane and quality mental health policies/services within law enforcement and justice systems, and
  6. quality mental health services offered in correctional systems at every level.

Finally, the League supports the goals and recommendations of the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health (New Freedom Commission on Mental Health, Achieving the Promise: Transforming Mental Health Care in America. Final Report; DHHS Pub. NO. SMA-03-3832 Rockville, MD: 2003).

League of Women Voters of Kansas -- State Convention 2007
By Hilary Esry, Voter Editor

"The League: A Legacy of Leadership" was the theme chosen for this year's state Convention. I was privileged to serve as one of our voting delegates. I truly enjoyed the opportunity to spend a day with such an engaged, thinking, articulate group of people. Items of interest not already detailed by Karen and Jurina include changes to the endowment fund articles and the other four action resolutions passed.

Along with a few minor wording changes to the endowment fund articles, we voted to change the investment strategy of the fund to include investment in a "lifestyle or life-cycle index mutual fund with no load and no costs that is highly diversified among stocks and bonds", a companion money market fund and an interest bearing checking account. The trustees are specifically considering Vanguard's LifeStrategy fund which "contains about 3750 different stocks including those that consider social and environmental issues as part of their investment strategies."

We discussed and passed a total of five action resolutions, including the action resolution on voter-verified paper audit trails that Karen mentioned. The others include directing the LWVK to 1) distribute our newly adopted position statement on mental health to Kansas Legislators; 2) ask Governor Sebelius to veto the so-called "Alexas law" (the law that makes killing a morula, blastocyst, zygote, embryo or fetus a separate crime from harming the pregnant woman); 3) commend the Legislature for funding the second year of K-12 education and ask that they fully fund the third year; and 4) urge the Kansas League of Municipalities and its members to challenge the recently enacted concealed weapons law and seek coalition partners to restore home rule on this topic.

It's always refreshing to work with rational people capable of civil discourse. Thank you for allowing me to represent our League at State Convention.

Lunch with League Program for May 2007
Speaker Mayor Tom Phillips

By Jurina Watts, 2nd Vice President

Mayor Tom Phillips was the speaker for the League of Women Voters of Manhattan Riley County's (LWVMRC) Lunch with League program on May 8. The program was well attended with twenty-three (23) present. Mayor Phillips was asked to talk about his plans for the city of Manhattan, Kansas for the upcoming year. He narrowed his discussion down to six goals given that the luncheon was only an hour. The goals he discussed are as follows:

  1. Continue the Downtown Redevelopment effort
    • Develop for the 21century
    • Opportunity for affordable housing
    • Create an attractive environment with pedestrian and civic space
    • Create an added shopping experience
  2. Adopt Redevelopment Plan for Core Area
    • Historic downtown as a core Area
    • Anticipate market support in the core area
    • Keep core area viable and connected
  3. Quality of Life Bond Issue/Indoor Aquatic Facility
  4. Improve Communications in the Community (Beginning with meet the Mayor forums)
  5. Government Efficiency
    • Strive for ways to improve operational efficiencies
    • Performance standards
    • Monitor overall performance of agencies
  6. Look at the ('06) Building Code for downtown
    • New urban construction
    • Restoration of older buildings

The audience participated with questions, comments and advice. Some issues raised included affordable housing, green space in commercial developments, maintaining current infrastructure, performance standards for contract workers, and performance based building codes. The League of Women Voters of Manhattan Riley County enjoyed having Mayor Phillips as our guest speaker and wish him well in his term as Mayor.

Your Board at Work – Highlights of the May 19, 2007 Meeting
Debbie Nuss, 1st Vice President

Board members met on Saturday, May 19 and discussed or took action as follows:

  • Reviewed our local League's non-partisan policy* and approved it with minor changes.
    DOWNLOAD REVISED NON-PARTISAN POLICY (PDF)
  • Appointed Jurina Watts as the League's representative to the Community Health Council.
  • Appointed Ann Smith as board secretary.
  • Discussed the League's continued affiliation with the Flint Hills Living Wage Coalition.
  • Reconfirmed the appointment of Karen McCulloh as the League's representative to the Peine Foundation.

Received committee or portfolio reports and took action as needed on the following:

  • Finance Drive
  • Electronic voting and voter verifiable paper ballots.
  • Good Government Award - nominations have been received. Award will be presented to the recipient on May 31, 2007 at the Manhattan Arts Center following Dale Goter's 7:00 p.m. presentation.
  • Reviewed our local League's Email Communications Policy and approved it with changes as recommended by the committee.
    DOWNLOAD ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS POLICY (PDF)
  • Study committee chairs provided an update on the status of the various studies - Growth, Planning & Development; Immigration; and County Government.

Directed our local League president to take the following action:

  • Urge the Riley County Commission to allocate funds during this budget cycle for the purchase of the printers which would provide for voter verified ballots.
  • Express concern to the Manhattan City Commission about how appointments of City Commissioners to the Law Board are now made in light of the Commission's policy enacted in November 2006.

Observer Reports
League members report on various community boards

Riley County Law Board
Bob Kruh, Observer

May 21, 2007 -- Present: Johnson, Hatesohl, Kearns (presiding), Phillips, Snead, Strawn, Wilkerson City Commissioners Phillips and Snead were introduced as new board members. Then, Assistant RCPD Director Luftman announced that five officers had been dispatched for a week to help with public safety in Greensburg.

In public comment, Patrick Tiedy, Public Information Officer of the FOP, extended good wishes to Director Watson on his retirement and praised his leadership. He reminded the board that salary negotiations continue and that the timing of the RCPD's 2008 budget publication might be affected. The commissions must receive the proposed budget by July 2, with prior public notice having been given.

Commissioner Snead was named as vice-chair, replacing Ed Klimek, with a term ending in 2008.

The board approved a contract with Dr. Victoria McGrath, McGrath Consulting Group, Wonder Lake, IL, as a consultant who will complete a study comparing police salaries with those in similar units. Dr. McGrath has made similar studies for local units and is to complete the latest effort in five months at a cost of $16,800.

There was considerable discussion of the process to be used in seeking an appointee to fill Director Watson's position as director of the RCPD. Several commented on the desirability of looking first at local candidates, noting that there might be an implied lack of confidence in current staff were the search to begin on a national level. The last search relied on the International Association of Chiefs of Police, which helped in developing a profile of needs and desired qualifications. The board will have the benefit of Bruce Snead's experience as chair of the earlier search committee, and it looks to updating the previous profile as a starting point in an early work session.

After an executive session to consider further salary and benefit negotiations with the FOP, the board reconvened and named Steve French, recently retired assistant director, as interim Director of the RCPD.

Manhattan Urban Area Planning Board
Barbara Withee, Observer

April 16, 2007 -- Members Present: George Ham, Acting Chairperson; Stephanie Rolley; Mike Kratochvil; Jerry Reynard, Mike Toy, Bill Meredith. Member Absent: Harry Watts

CONSENT AGENDA:
Approval of final development plan for a proposed Pizza Hut on the northwest corner of Hostetler Drive and McCall Road (Applicant: Pizza Hut, Inc - Bernie Butler/ Owner: dial McCall Road). Motion passed 6-0.

GENERAL AGENDA:
A public hearing was held to consider the City of Manhattan proposal for a new Disinfection/Electrical building, future clearwell and high service pump station, future filter building expansion and new parking, all at the present water department location at the corner of Tuttle Creek Boulevard and North 3rd Street.

Commissioners asked several questions about the proposal. Staff responded with these facts: For economic reasons the city is opting to increase the capacity of the existing plant instead of building a second water plant on the west side of town as had been proposed. One of the reasons that the City is looking to increase capacity is to service outlying communities who may want/need to purchase water from the city. There are currently no issues with meeting EPA regulations. Staff explained how they are modernizing and expanding the Disinfection/Electrical Building. There will still be room to increase the footprint of the plant after present improvements are made. Construction of a new plant within the next 10 years would most probably NOT happen.

A motion to approve the proposed improvements, including the statement that the present improvements shall be limited to a new Disinfection/Electrical Building and new off street parking, passed 6-0.

Harry Watts has stepped down from the board and three other terms are up this month. One of those whose terms ends is Mike Toy who announced that he is stepping down from the board and this is his last meeting.

May 7, 2007- Members present: George Ham, Acting Chairperson; Stephanie Rolley; Mike Kratochvil; Jerry Reynard, Mike Hill, Bill Meredith. Member Absent: none (one vacancy)

GENERAL AGENDA:
Proposed zoning change brought by Tillman Partners for an area on the northwest corner of Houston and Third Street was tabled, to be considered at the May 21 meeting.

Public hearing was held to consider rezoning of an area located at 2729 Casement Road, at the corner of Marlatt Avenue to allow a self-storage PUD for 84 commercial self-storage units. Owner/Applicant: Chapel Hill, Inc.-Zack Burton.

Questions were raised by Board members and Northview residents regarding compatibility of storage units with the surrounding neighborhood of family homes: the amount of hard surface that absorbs no water; is the Northview area reaching the threshold where there is too much development to handle storm water runoff?; impacts of this proposal on flooding; is the planned screening adequate?.

Reynard stated that the project will be a plus for the neighborhood, particularly for military families needing extra space for storage of goods. Kratochvil said that residential uses are not desirable for this area because of flooding concerns and that ideally the site would be left as green space.

The motion to approve passed 5-1, with 13 conditions attached. (Kratochvil voted against).

Land in the Miller Ranch area, Villas at Liberty Park Addition, was rezoned from single family to two family residential for town homes to be built by Wildcat Land Co., and Malinda Odle. The area is west of the intersection of Amherst Avenue and Bradford Terrace. The project will consist of upper end, high quality town homes selling in the $200,000 to $250,000 market. Motion to approve passed 6-0.

After a public hearing the Purple Wave Addition was rezoned from Industrial Park District to Highway Service Commercial District. This property is located at the northwest Corner of US Highway 24 (East Poyntz Avenue and Levee Drive). The applicant's representative, Attorney Jerod Westfahl, stated that the business has outgrown its current location at 701 Enoch Lane. It includes a combination of internet based and live auctions. He stated that traffic at the property is minimal except occasionally on Thursday nights and weekends. (Owner: Controlled Environmental Warehousing, LLC/Applicant: Purple Wave Holdings-Aaron McKee.) Motion passed 6-0.

Chad Bunger was introduced as the new Planner. Rolley asked if there will be discussions about revisiting the storm water management techniques included in the Storm Water Management Plan. Zilkie responded that her comments will be passed on to the City engineer.

Manhattan City Commission
Mary Beth Reese and Mary Westfall, Observers

May 1, 2007

PUBLIC COMMENT:
League President Karen Mayse presented each City Commissioner a LWV mug in appreciation of their service. She explained the League's Observer Program and procedure for studying issues before formulating our policy statements.

During the Citizen Comments portion of the agenda Dee Ross asked questions about the 3rd Street development project: are proper safeguards being taken in the removal of asbestos? Why is there no oversight? Why are the trees being removed on 3rd street? Jason Hilgers answered for the city that the asbestos removal has been properly supervised and removed in compliance with federal guidelines. The City Forester evaluated the trees on 3rd street and determined that they could not be saved.

CONSENT AGENDA:
Three items were questioned by Commissioner Strawn. The first regarded the increase of the franchise tax paid by WESTAR from 3% TO 4% and asked Commissioners Snead and Sherow to vote against it as he believes this to be a regressive tax. Commissioner Hatesohl considers the tax to be an opportunity to decrease the mill levy for the general operating budget. The increase was approved 4-1 (Strawn casting the NO vote).

Commissioner Strawn questioned the hiring of HWS as a consultant since they are not a local firm. Staff responded that the firm hires 15 people who live in this area and 90% of the work will be done by them. Commissioner Snead mentioned that the policy on local firms doing consulting work for the City was reviewed about 4 years ago and was revised. When local firms submit proposals extra points are awarded in the bid consideration. Motion to approve passed 5-0.

The third issue was a question about the funding of the airport Master Plan. Ninety-five percent of the cost will be covered by the Federal Aviation Administration. Motion to approve passed 5-0.

GENERAL AGENDA:
First reading of authorization of improvements at the City of Manhattan's water treatment plant. The cost is $26.2 million dollars. It includes improvements to the treatment plant, a new building for a disinfection/electrical building and off street parking.

Commissioners Sherow and Strawn asked questions about the need for the project. Response from staff was that an engineering study recommended the need for infrastructure improvements to be able to supply the projected increased water needs of the city in a safer and more efficient plant. Motion to approve passed 5-0.

First reading of ordinance designating "no parking" along a portion of Vista Lane. This street is slightly narrower than most and fire and other emergency vehicles can not get around the corner and into the area because of the sharp turn and a narrow street with parking on both sides. Motion passed 5-0.

May 15, 2007

The commission addressed the issue of Kansas Entrepreneurial Center (KEC) building which is in need of repairs. Commissioners voted 4-1 to invest $100,000 for repairs in the hopes that bioscience and manufacturing companies will be attracted to its wet labs and office space. The chamber of commerce presented testimony that it has formed a partnership with Pottawatomie County and with the National Institute for Strategic Technology Acquisition and Commercialization. Under this arrangement the city would retain ownership of the building and the Chamber would market and lease it to start-up companies.

USD 383 Board of Education
Kathy Dzewaltowski, Observer

April 18, 2007 -- Regular meeting

Newly elected board members Curt Herrman and Susan Marshall were sworn into office, along with incumbents Dave Colburn and Nancy Knopp.

Dr. Bob Shannon, Superintendent, reported that 70 new students with connections to the military have enrolled since February 20th.

The board was presented with information for a change order for mechanical work at Bluemont to place the computer lab in the basement rather than in its former location on the second floor. Bluemont's principal and staff felt that the lab's second floor location would be a better location for a classroom. Moving the computer lab to the basement will require additional electrical work. The board approved 7-0 the change order in the amount of $32,525 for the additional electrical work.

The board approved 7-0 a bid for $17,500 to purchase 20 window A/C units for Bluemont and Northview. These particular window A/C units are supposed to be quieter and will not interfere with classroom instruction.

The board discussed the nutrition education portion of the wellness policy. (The Child Nutrition Act requires districts which receive federal funds to have a local wellness policy.) The policy would require at least five hours of classroom nutrition education and would include items such as reading labels on food, basic food safety, and healthy body image. Board members Pete Paukstelis and Beth Tatarko wanted to know how the program would be assessed to determine whether it was successful. Penny Sturr, Director of Elementary Education, said that the program's success would be determined, at least initially, largely through observation, i.e. students bringing healthy snacks to school, making healthy choices in the cafeteria, etc. The upper grades could be more formally assessed, and the process is expected to evolve over time. The board approved 7-0 the first reading of the nutrition education portion of the wellness policy.

Board members discussed informally plans for a special meeting on April 25 to discuss purchasing an additional mobile unit to house two classrooms at Ogden Elementary. The additional classroom space is needed because of the board's decision to keep Ogden's 6th graders in Ogden, rather than bus them to Bergman, beginning with the 2007-08 school year.

Riley County -- Manhattan Board of Health
Mary Ann Fleming, Observer

April 27, 2007

The Department has sent out 650 post cards to local medical professionals asking if they would volunteer help in case of a local medical emergency. So far there have been 157 positive responses. Mr. Murphy has passed all courses required under the federal funding for emergency preparedness; other staff are also "pretty much current" with these requirements.

All staff participated in poverty training to improve their intervention techniques with poor clients. Many interventions simply do not work in a culture of poverty. "People in generational poverty often have very different family structures, view time commitments differently, have little or no support system, doubt their ability to change, have limited vocabulary, and rely upon non-verbal communication cues much more than middle class."

A surge in WIC (a supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children) temporarily put pressure on meeting the processing requirements. Efforts continue to strengthen and increase child care programs through collaboration and training.

Mr. Murphy gave a power point presentation on the crisis in the family planning clinics. Major goals of family planning are to facilitate spacing, decrease unintended pregnancies, and to prevent and treat sexually transmitted diseases. State cuts in Medicare and cuts in Title X funding have left funding 60 percent lower after inflation adjustment. At the same time costs for supplies have risen, sliding scales have reduced costs to clients, and new methods, technologies, and training have increased costs to health departments. Kansas funding for family planning is almost the lowest in the nation. KDHE does not take the initiative to secure grants and funding because family planning is a controversial issue in a conservative state.

May 22, 2007

The Board raised the eligibility limit for primary care to 250 percent of poverty. Access at Primary Care is open to those who are city or county residents, do not have insurance or access to Lafene or Ft. Riley, and who meet the 250 percent income limit. This limit is consistent with limits in other department clinics. Mr. Murphy does not expect a surge of new patients since at that income level services would be billed at 100 percent.

The Board approved the use of two rooms at the FCRC for Parents as Teachers.

Following a power point presentation on the local child care situation, discussion centered on the role of the Health Department. The Board voted to consider being the lead agency should a child care pilot project be proposed; however, at this time, such a project and role is only conceptual. The Board tabled a proposal to urge the city to require regular inspections of child care facilities, both registered and licensed. Currently registered facilities undergo an initial inspection with no further inspections unless a complaint is filed.

Licensed facilities are inspected regularly. The Board requested more information regarding the cost to providers and the extent of the inspection. Presently several cities and counties, e.g., Shawnee and Marshall, require regular inspection of all child care facilities.

Riley County Commission
Jan Kruh, Julie Merklin, Lyndal Nyberg, Joan Strickler, Observers

April 23 - Present: Mike Kearns (presiding), Alvan Johnson, Bob Newsome

Leon Hobson, County Engineer, described the need to expand the Law Enforcement Center. The prison population keeps going up as courts order more jail sentences. Sentences used to be six months maximum and now go to one year and even to 18 months.

Part of the difficulty is the need for more single-occupant cells for maximum security and for special needs prisoners. There are also more female prisoners, and they need more space. The need for immediate action is supported by inflation in building costs, which have gone from recent rates of 4% and then 8.5% in 2006 to a current 12%.

Jeff Hooper, RCPD, reported that the original design estimates were for the average daily jail population to reach about 36 in 2007. Current population, however, averages 75 inmates. He referred to problems handling 1) total inmate population, 2) female inmates, 3) maximum security cells and B-pod, 4) minimum security units that are often full, and 5) special needs inmates.

Commissioners asked about farming out inmates, but Shawnee County has nearly saturated nearby facilities, and the cost of host cells, gas, transportation, etc, becomes a problem.

April 26 - All commissioners present

Lisa Hafflinger made a presentation on the Youth Court. Recently, there has been a decline in the number of cases because of the changing definition of what is considered proper for the court; the most frequent crime is mall shoplifting. Offenders must complete public service hours, give an oral apology to their parents or guardians in court, serve on the Youth Court jury, and tour the LEC. They also meet regularly with Hafflinger.

Becky Topliff, Court Administrator, announced that there will be a new district magistrate judge by July 1. This prospect led to a discussion of where to find sufficient space for the law library.

April 30 - Present: Mike Kearns (presiding), Bob Newsome

Counselor Clancy Holeman reported that the Rocky Ford issue is proceeding slowly, but it appears that the court may be ready to move.

Discussion followed regarding the law library. Holeman said the county's responsibility is, by statute, to establish and maintain the library. This does not include books or computers. While the law library trustees could relieve the county of its duty to provide space, the county still would be responsible for paying up to $5,000 a year for a location. The trustees, however, have the power to revoke their decision and force the county to provide space at any time.

Eileen King, Treasurer, announced that the National Association of Counties has appointed her to serve on the Steering Committee on Finance and Intergovernmental Affairs.

May 3 - Present: Mike Kearns (presiding), Bob Newsome (at the Riley County Museum)

Frank McCoy, Director of Community Corrections, gave a legislative update for community corrections.

Greg McHenry, Appraiser, presented an overview. There have been over 1,200 scheduled assessment appeals this year - double the number in recent years, with residential property in the majority.

Cheryl Collins, Museum Curator, gave an update on staffing needs for a second county museum building. There is a continuing increase in historical items brought to the museum. Collins gave the commissioners a tour of the building.

May 7 - Present: Mike Kearns (presiding), Bob Newsome

Jayme Morris-Hardeman, CASA Director, reported on the current need for assistants to handle 30 children's cases.

Carroll Hess, Pawnee Mental Health Advisory Board member, and Mike Kearns presented a proclamation for the month of May - Mental Health Month.

May 14 - All commissioners present

In an update, John Cowan, GIS Coordinator, reported that some private roads in the county have no up-keep, as townships have not accepted responsibility for the developers' roads even though some have dangerous features. He also said the department probably has the best web site in the state, as it is updated daily and has many features beyond mapping.

Charlotte Shawver, Register of Deeds, said records in her office are electronically backed up every day and that they not only have secure storage but also a continuity-of-operations plan.

Doug Messer, Assistant Fire Chief, summarized findings about the school bus fire on Highway 177 and expressed satisfaction with the effective procedures for protecting people and property. With an $83,000 loss, no one was injured in a speedy evacuation.

Pat Collins, Director of Emergency Services, reported on several emergencies that were resolved satisfactorily. He also indicated that flood damage to roads and bridges in Riley County amounted to over $100,000 - and $150,000 in the city parks. At these levels there may be some funding assistance from FEMA. Also, although Tuttle Creek Lake is high, about two-thirds of its storage capacity is available.

Mr. Kearns reported on several items discussed at the Kansas Conference of County Commissions. Fran Jabara, from a Wichita innovation company, discussed the need to establish a state climate for innovation. GIS technology is very useful for all counties. Some rural counties are struggling with high mill levies because of low their population. Health care is also a concern. And there is some interest in increasing the counties' bargaining power with collective purchasing.

Leon Hobson, Director of Public Works, reported on construction at the new county shops. He also said his department has a negative balance for 2007 because they have borrowed ahead for immediate projects. By 2012 it will even out, with enough money to finish all planned projects. The commissioners approved the priority list of projects 3-0.

Mr. Kearns mediated a lively discussion between Riley County Community Corrections officials and a representative of North Central Regional Juvenile Detention Center. The problem is that the state's Juvenile Justice Authority will not pay for last-day incarceration, and the NCRJDC always charges for last day. It was agreed that Riley County has no viable choice for housing juvenile offenders and in-need-of care children. Besides other factors, transport of people to Topeka or Wichita is not practical.

Leon Hobson conducted a bid opening for a Marlatt Avenue project, which was referred to staff for study and recommendation.

Lyle Butler, Chamber of Commerce, handed out a brochure saying CNN Money.com 2007 has listed Manhattan ninth among the ten best places for early retirement. And Men's Journal, March 2002, had listed Manhattan as one of the 50 best places to live.

Brad Thomas presented an alternative plan for the K-18 project between Manhattan and Ogden. The main objection to the KDOT plan is that it cuts off all businesses in the area and restricts the possibility of future development. It is highly unfavorable to Ogden, particularly with regard to drainage, and it has no exit to the airport. The KDOT plan also requires moving the railroad, which the railroad has not agreed to. Commissioners favored the "Thomas" plan, which would develop the road as an urban extension of Fort Riley Boulevard rather than as a freeway with a 70-mph limit.

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