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Miami County Commission approves bridge funding, MDT purchase, personnel rule updates and routine bids
Summary
The Miami County Commission on March 26 unanimously approved a package of procurement and policy actions, including a KDOT bridge agreement that encumbers up to $2,000,000 and a $72,040.20 contract for mobile data terminals for rural fire apparatus.
The Miami County Commission on March 26 unanimously approved a package of routine procurement and policy actions, including a KDOT bridge agreement that encumbers up to $2,000,000, awarding a $72,040.20 bid for mobile data terminals for rural fire apparatus, authorizing solicitations for road oil and snow plows and adopting updates to county personnel rules on workers' compensation and temporary light duty.
The actions were taken during the commission's regular meeting in Paola and were approved by voice vote with no recorded objections.
The commission awarded a Turnkey Mobile bid of $72,040.20 to equip 11 rural fire apparatus with Panasonic Toughbooks, associated mounts and a five-year warranty. Mark Whelan, Miami County fire coordinator, recommended the award and said the quote included the Toughbook model and the required mounting and wiring components. Whelan also described the monthly connectivity option: “For connectivity to the network, we'll go with FirstNet AT&T air cards ... $30 a month per unit,” which he put at $3,960 per year for the 11 units.
Matt Aldert, engineering project manager, briefed the commission on a bridge replacement project (project number noted in the staff packet as 2402 and related to structure 3.5-2.1 on 370 Ninth Street, about 0.2 mile east of Somerset Road). Aldert said the agreement with the Kansas Department of Transportation will “solidify and encumber those funds to Miami County up to $2,000,000” and described the county's responsibility for preliminary engineering, right-of-way, utility adjustments and nonparticipating costs; staff reported an existing geotechnical agreement with Kaw Valley Engineering for $83,986.
Other routine actions approved by unanimous voice vote included: - A $200 county donation to the Kansas Silver Haired Legislature (moved and seconded on the floor) to help cover that volunteer group's annual expenses. - Authorization to solicit bids for road oil for the 2025 construction season (for chip seal and asphalt programs). - Authorization to solicit bids for two 9-foot snow plows and two 2-cubic-yard salt spreaders for two 1-ton vehicles purchased in 2024. - Adoption of amendments to the personnel rules and regulations to update injury leave language, add a workers' compensation processes policy and add a temporary light-duty assignment policy.
Motions were moved and seconded on the record: the $72,040.20 Turnkey Mobile award was moved with a request to use the 9-1-1 fund where permitted and to draw remaining funds from Rural Fire District 1 if needed; the KDOT bridge agreement was accepted and the chair signed the agreement to encumber KDOT off-system bridge funding. County staff said they have requested clarification from the regional 9-1-1 coordinating council on whether antennas, power supplies and installation are eligible for reimbursement from the 9-1-1 fund.
The meeting also approved the consent agenda at the start of the session and later voted to go into a 15-minute executive session for attorney-client matters before adjourning at 1:50 p.m.
Votes at a glance: all recorded motions in the public portion of the meeting passed by unanimous voice vote; individual roll-call tallies were not read into the record.
