Franklin County commissioners approve consent agenda, neighborhood property transfers; hear EMS quarterly report and jail capacity update

The Franklin County Commission on April 16 unanimously approved its consent agenda, moved a set of City of Ottawa properties toward placement on the tax rolls pending program criteria, and heard a third-quarter 2024 operational report from the county ambulance service.

Christie, representing AMS, told the commission the service ran 1,067 calls during the third quarter of 2024—an average of almost 12 calls per day—and generated a little more than $100,000 in revenue. Adjustments tied to contractual insurance agreements totaled $39,842.33, Christie said. She reported the busiest day was Friday, more calls were at the advanced life support level, and Ottawa South was the busiest district. Christie said average run mileage to scenes was about 26 miles and from scene to hospital nearly 19 miles; the longest trip from a scene to a hospital was 63.7 miles and the longest total run was 118.7 miles. She said crews spent an average of 33 minutes on scene in 2024 compared with 27.2 minutes previously.

"During this time we ran a total of 1,067 calls, that put our average at almost 12 calls a day," Christie said.

The commission voted to accept the report. Commissioners did not adopt policy changes at the meeting; the presentation was accepted as the third-quarter operations summary.

In other business, the board approved a consent agenda that included minutes from the April 9 meeting and claim vouchers totaling $851,432.79. The commission also approved a set of properties submitted by the City of Ottawa for the Neighborhood Road revitalization program to move to the tax rolls once they meet the program's criteria.

During public comment, Norman Lougheed, a longtime county resident, criticized the growth of large-scale renewable installations on agricultural land and said he opposed solar farms in the county. "This is against the solar farms," Lougheed said, describing concerns about farmland conversion.

Sheriff's staff reported the jail population had increased to 89 inmates with 21 currently farmed out to other facilities; the speaker said the population peaked near 97 earlier in the week, a surge that required placing inmates in outside facilities and increases in transportation and food costs.

Road and facilities staff briefed the commission on several operational items: two new trucks were ready for pickup, two leased John Deere mowers have arrived, recent patchwork and ditch work were completed, a collapsed concrete box culvert on Nevada Road was replaced with plastic and the road reopened, and crews were installing a pipe to reopen a closed segment of Jackson Road. Officials said dust-control requests exceeded 200 this season. Staff asked the public to drive cautiously near road crews.

The commission voted to enter an executive session for a legally privileged attorney–client matter and to consult with counsel; after the closed session the board reported that no decisions had been made. The meeting adjourned after the return to open session.

Votes at a glance - Consent agenda (minutes of April 9; claim vouchers $851,432.79): approved unanimously. - Acceptance of AMS third-quarter 2024 report: approved unanimously. - Neighborhood Road revitalization properties (City of Ottawa submissions): approved unanimously to move to tax rolls when program criteria are met. - Motion to enter executive session for a privileged legal discussion: approved; board later reported no decisions were made.

Minor items and staff reports included a reminder that the county will host about 20 Fort Riley guests for industry tours and recruitment events, community dumpster/free-dump scheduling discussions, and brief mentions of local outreach events including a Chamber coffee for Angel Care Home Health.

The commission did not adopt ordinances or budget changes at this meeting; the recorded formal actions were the approvals and the executive session authorization.