Shawnee County commissioners approve series of contracts, grants and budget items; set plans for bridge and culvert work

The Shawnee County Board of County Commissioners on Aug. 25 approved a slate of contracts, grant agreements and budget items covering county roads, parks, solid waste technology, jail food services and employee benefits.

The actions, taken in a series of unanimous 3-0 votes, include authorization for the Kansas Department of Transportation to solicit bids for two bridge replacements with KDOT participation, award of a $1,820,642 contract to replace culverts on Southeast Barrington Road, acceptance of a 50/50 Land and Water Conservation Fund grant for two cabins at Lake Shawnee Campground, and an increase to employer and employee health-plan contributions for 2026.

Why it matters: the approvals advance several capital maintenance and safety projects that county staff said are time‑sensitive (bridges and culverts), commit matching funds for a parks grant using user-fee revenue, modernize the solid-waste billing and routing system, and modestly raise county and employee health-plan contributions for next year’s budget.

Votes at a glance:

- Consent agenda: Approved (motion: Commissioner Aaron Mays; second: Commissioner Kevin Cook). Vote 3-0.

- Voucher reports (Aug. 15 and Aug. 22): Approved. Aug. 15 report total cited $4,840,107.41 including payments to Bettis Asphalt and Meridian Roofing Solutions; Aug. 22 report total cited $1,940,466.36 including final payment on the courthouse renovation funded by ARPA/SLFRF. (Motion: Commissioner Bill Rippon; second: Commissioner Kevin Cook). Vote 3-0.

- Correction orders: Approved (Motion: Commissioner Aaron Mays; second: Commissioner Kevin Cook). Vote 3-0.

- Approve project budget and authorize KDOT to solicit construction bids for two bridge replacements (Northwest Valencia Road over Silver Lake drainage ditch and a tributary): Approved. County staff said KDOT will pay up to $500,000 per participating structure and the county will pay the remainder. (Motion: Commissioner Aaron Mays; second: Commissioner Bill Rippon). Vote 3-0.

- Contract C310-2025 with SBB Engineering LLC for construction engineering on a developer-funded earthwork and storm-sewer project in Timber Ridge subdivision (developer to pay 100%): Approved (Motion: Commissioner Kevin Cook; second: Commissioner Aaron Mays). Vote 3-0.

- Contract C311-2025 with SBB Engineering LLC for design and construction engineering of a Timber Ridge street benefit district project (18 lots; paid via benefit district): Approved (Motion: Commissioner Kevin Cook; second: Commissioner Bill Rippon). Vote 3-0.

- Reject single bid for culvert replacement on Southeast 30th over a tributary to Whetstone Creek/Lake Jabara and resolicit at a later date: Approved (Motion: Commissioner Aaron Mays; second: Commissioner Bill Rippon). Staff said the lone bid was nearly four times the engineer’s estimate and exceeded the 10% variance allowed under KSA. Vote 3-0.

- Acknowledge change order No. 1 (CC315-2025) to contract C190-2025 with Bettis Asphalt & Construction Inc. for pavement replacement on Southeast Rocco Road: Approved; change order increases construction cost by $2,699 and keeps the project below the approved budget (Motion: Commissioner Bill Rippon; second: Commissioner Kevin Cook). Vote 3-0.

- Award construction contract C320-2025 to Bettis Asphalt Construction Inc. for multi-culvert replacement on Southeast Barrington Road at a cost of $1,820,642: Approved. County staff said work would begin early next year and aim to finish before the 2026 school year. (Motion: Commissioner Aaron Mays; second: Commissioner Bill Rippon). Vote 3-0.

- Contract C314-2025: Accept Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) 50/50 grant for construction of two cabins at Lake Shawnee Campground. Total project—$297,990.79; county match $148,989.50 from the campground revolving fund; construction required to be complete by July 2028. Approved (Motion: Commissioner Bill Rippon; second: Commissioner Aaron Mays). Vote 3-0.

- Award bids for grass seed and execute contracts C316-2025 (Site 1 Landscape Supply, perennial ryegrass) and C317-2025 (Helena Agra Enterprises LLC, turf-type tall fescue): Approved (Motion: Commissioner Kevin Cook; second: Commissioner Aaron Mays). Vote 3-0.

- Contract C321-2025 (sixth amendment) with Aramark Correctional Food Services for adult and juvenile food services—extends vendor term by four years with two optional one-year renewals in exchange for a $100,000 food-service equipment investment: Approved (Motion: Commissioner Bill Rippon; second: Commissioner Kevin Cook). Vote 3-0.

- Award contract C326-2025 to Waste Innovation Systems Inc. for a solid-waste management technology system to replace dispatching and billing software: Approved (Motion: Commissioner Aaron Mays; second: Commissioner Kevin Cook). Vote 3-0.

- Approval of 2026 employer/employee benefit cost changes: The insurance committee recommended a 9% increase in employer contribution and approximately a 5% increase in employee contribution; the employer contribution increase was shown as $75.80 per month in the 2026 budget. Commissioners approved the change (Motion: Commissioner Aaron Mays; second: Commissioner Kevin Cook). Vote 3-0.

What commissioners and staff said (selected items):

Kurt Nehauser, director of public works, summarized the bridge proposal with KDOT and said the county will receive “two structures for a little over the price of one,” describing the KDOT participation and the timeline for letting in January 2026. Courtney House, also identified as a public works director, told commissioners the single bid for the Southeast 30th culvert replacement was nearly four times the engineer’s estimate and suggested high local water levels and contractor availability contributed to the high price and earlier no-bid outcome.

On the Barrington Road culvert project, commissioners noted the work has been discussed for several years. Commissioner Aaron Mays said the existing culverts are old and “it is time to maybe fix that, for safety purposes, if nothing else.” Public-works staff said the bid was reasonable compared with prior estimates and the county has the project fully funded.

Parks and recreation staff said the KDWP LWCF grant will fund half the cost of two 800-square-foot, two-bedroom cabins at Lake Shawnee Campground; Jess Rakestra, Parks and Recreation, said the sites are “already leveled with utilities pulled to them” and construction must be complete by July 2028. Commissioners confirmed the county match will come from the campground revolving fund (user fees).

Solid-waste staff described the chosen software package as the best of eight bids, saying it incorporates routing optimization, real-time tracking, automated photo capture and contamination detection and will replace the county’s patched commercial billing system. Staff said the system can also track container inventory and support scheduling for container pick-up.

On the county’s employee health plans, Angela Lewis, director of administrative services, said the employer contribution increase was calculated into the 2026 budget and gave plan‑level examples (employer contribution up $75.80 per month; employee-only high-deductible plan increases from $5.00 to $5.26 per month). Lewis said the county had not increased contributions since 2021.

Other administrative updates: Susan Duffy, county treasurer, noted Aug. 25 marked Shawnee County’s 170th anniversary; Brian Cole of the Department of Corrections described the department’s “honor module” program and said the program has drawn interest from other counties and will host a guest speaker (the grandson of country music star Waylon Jennings) to talk about recovery and mentoring.

A note on procedure: commissioners repeatedly distinguished discussion items from formal actions. For example, staff said the rejected Southeastern culvert bid would be revisited with alternatives and potentially a different alignment; the rejection itself was the formal action recorded by the commission.

What’s next: county staff said KDOT expects to let the two bridge structures in January 2026, construction on the Barrington Road culvert will start early next year with completion aimed before the 2026 school year, and Parks and Recreation expects to begin cabin work well before the July 2028 grant completion deadline. The commission set no executive session and adjourned at the end of the meeting.

Ending: The board took its votes in a single regular meeting on Aug. 25, advancing multiple capital and operating items that county staff said are needed to keep maintenance and services on schedule.