Shawnee County commissioners approve multiple contracts, leases and equipment purchases; Kubota decision deferred

Shawnee County commissioners on Jan. 30 approved a batch of vendor payments and authorized several contracts, bid awards and leases covering road materials, courthouse renovations, vehicle procurement and parks planning. The board also voted to solicit bids for herbicides and for on-call parks consultants; a separate request to buy a Kubota utility vehicle for the Department of Corrections was deferred for one week.

The actions came during a regularly scheduled meeting of the Shawnee County Board of County Commissioners chaired by Commissioner Aaron Mays. Mays opened the session and led votes on the consent agenda and multiple procurement items.

Why it matters: The approvals fund county operations, maintenance and capital projects across multiple departments. Several purchases use restricted funding sources (for example ARPA and 9-1-1 funds) or cooperative purchasing agreements, and one equipment purchase will be partly funded from a risk reserve account.

What the board approved

- Voucher approvals: Commissioners recorded a total of $3,800,856.79 in vouchers. Major line items the board identified included $490,000 to Bettis Asphalt for Sherwood Improvement District street projects; $364,232.04 to Foley Industries for Public Works equipment (paid from the Public Works Special Machinery Fund and the Capital Outlay Fund); $154,629.75 to CDW Government for renewal of county cybersecurity monitoring and security awareness software; $449,828.67 to Cine Companies for courthouse renovations (paid with ARPA funds); and $207,760.61 to Motorola Solutions for the Sheriff epartment nnual system upgrade agreement (funded with 9-1-1 funds). Commissioner Aaron Mays moved the voucher approval; Commissioner Bill Rippon seconded. The vote was 3-0 in favor.

- Traffic paint bid: The board awarded a bid for traffic-line paint to Diamond Vogel, Inc. after Public Works Director Courtney House said the vendor submitted the lowest qualified bid. The award covers purchasing between 6,000 and 9,000 gallons of white and/or yellow traffic paint for county use. The motion passed 3-0.

- Dump truck procurement (contract C31-2025): Commissioners approved contract C31-2025 to purchase a replacement dump truck from Rush Truck Center of Kansas City using a governmental purchasing cooperative. The purchase will be funded with $200,000 from the risk management reserve fund and $18,412 from the Public Works Special Machinery Fund. The motion passed 3-0.

- Noxious weed herbicide bids: John Landon, director of the Noxious Weed Department, told the board the department sells about 90% of its herbicides to the public and uses the remainder in-house. The board authorized staff to solicit bids for 2025 herbicide supplies. The motion passed 3-0.

- Fleet lease (contract C36-2025): The board approved contract C36-2025 with Enterprise Fleet Management to lease one Ford F-350 truck equipped with a plow and sander, using the county—leet master lease agreement. Director Landon said the county plans to transfer an existing 2015 truck to the Health Department and use the leased truck for deliveries and snow response. The motion passed 3-0.

- Parks and Recreation on-call consultants: Parks Director John Bell received approval to solicit proposals for on-call consultant services (architects, engineers and field professionals) for projects below the county—ontract threshold; county financial staff noted the on-call arrangement would generally apply to projects under $25,000. The board approved the RFP; vote 3-0.

- Casaubon Tennis Center design: Parks staff reported two proposals for the design phase to add four tennis courts at the Casaubon Tennis Center and recommended Mammoth Sports Construction LLC for design services. The board authorized Parks to negotiate a design agreement with Mammoth Sports Construction; vote 3-0.

Votes at a glance

- Consent agenda: approved (motion by Commissioner Kevin Cook; second Commissioner Bill Rippon) — outcome: approved, 3-0. - Voucher payments (total $3,800,856.79): approved (motion by Commissioner Aaron Mays; second Bill Rippon) — outcome: approved, 3-0. - Correction orders: approved (motion by Commissioner Aaron Mays; second Bill Rippon) — outcome: approved, 3-0. - Traffic paint award to Diamond Vogel, Inc.: approved (motion by Commissioner Aaron Mays; second Commissioner Kevin Cook) — outcome: approved, 3-0. - Contract C31-2025 (dump truck purchase from Rush Truck Center): approved (mover recorded as Commissioner Bill Rippon; second Commissioner Kevin Cook) — outcome: approved, 3-0. - Solicit bids for 2025 herbicides (Noxious Weed): approved (motion by Commissioner Kevin Cook; second Bill Rippon) — outcome: approved, 3-0. - Contract C36-2025 (Enterprise Fleet Management lease of Ford F-350): approved (motion by Commissioner Bill Rippon; second Commissioner Aaron Mays) — outcome: approved, 3-0. - Parks on-call consultant RFP: approved (motion by Commissioner Kevin Cook; second Commissioner Bill Rippon) — outcome: approved, 3-0. - Award negotiation with Mammoth Sports Construction for Casaubon Tennis Center design: approved (motion by Commissioner Aaron Mays; second Commissioner Bill Rippon) — outcome: approved, 3-0.

Funding and purchasing notes

County staff identified funding sources on the record for several items (Sherwood Improvement District funds for the Bettis Asphalt payment; Public Works Special Machinery and Capital Outlay funds for Foley Industries; ARPA funds for courthouse renovations; and 9-1-1 funds for Motorola Solutions). Public Works staff said the dump-truck purchase used a Sourcewell cooperative purchase and that salvaged parts from the damaged truck (plow and sander) would be reused on the replacement. The lease with Enterprise uses the master equity lease agreement in place with the vendor.

What was deferred

A request to purchase a Kubota utility vehicle for the Department of Corrections was discussed, but the board voted to defer that purchase for one week so staff could consult with Facilities, Public Works and Finance and consider alternatives, including an RFP for contracted snow removal. Commissioner Kevin Cook moved the deferal; Commissioner Bill Rippon seconded. The motion passed 3-0.

Staff contacts and next steps

Departments with approved solicitations or contracts were directed to proceed with procurement or negotiation steps outlined in the meeting. The deferred Kubota purchase will return to the agenda after staff follow-up.