Franklin County commissioners approve $185,748 road repairs, IT and equipment contracts; staff to compile event sponsorship recommendations

FRANKLIN COUNTY, Kan. — The Franklin County Board of Commissioners on March 26 approved a slate of contracts and payments addressing road repairs, county technology and equipment needs, and directed staff to assemble a package of proposed community-event sponsorships for a future consent agenda.

The most expensive single approval was a $185,748 proposal from Kilo Construction to repair about 15 locations county staff identified as suffering frost- and winter-related failures. Public Works staff described the work as digging out and rebuilding road sections where simple patching has repeatedly failed. Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the proposal.

The board also approved a motion to authorize payment of $21,743.58 to reimburse Kilo for an AT&T utility relocation charge that arose when a contractor cut a line during construction on Old U.S. 50. County staff said the cut and subsequent relocation produced an AT&T bill Kilo paid initially; commissioners voted to authorize county reimbursement.

Information technology and communications items approved included: - A two-year AT&T voice-services contract with an estimated monthly service charge of $677, which county staff said reflects a reduction in concurrent-call capacity and reduces the prior monthly charge by about $118. "We are lowering it a little over a hundred dollars a month and getting more in line," Dustin Gordon told the board. The contract was approved unanimously. - Annual maintenance and services payments to Tyler Technologies totaling $107,609 for the county's assessment/tax and financial-management products. Staff said these are budgeted operating costs; the payment was approved unanimously.

The board approved a one-year rental arrangement for two 2025 John Deere tractors from Heritage Tractor at $20.72 per hour to support mowing and related public-works operations.

Routine facility and supplies actions approved included: - A bid award to DH Pace for $18,361 to replace the east door on the transfer building after inspectors found corroded springs and rails. - Authorization to purchase chemicals identified in the procurement attachment (staff said they solicited seven vendors and received four bids).

Community-event funding: commissioners spent more than an hour reviewing 25 guest-tax or tourism-sponsorship requests from Main Street groups, chambers of commerce and event organizers. Staff led commissioners through each request and commissioners reached tentative dollar allocations for many events (examples: $1,500 for a children's literature festival request; $4,000 or a smaller, previously awarded amount discussed for a growing "Moonrise" bike event; various $500 or $1,000 allocations for recurring local festivals). County staff said they would compile the commissioners' penciled-in amounts and return them next week on the consent agenda for formal approval.

Public-works discussion: Jeff, public works director, told commissioners the Kilo work is intended as more than surface patching. "When they get done with it, it will look like it's been patched," he said, "but the long-term effect and the drivability of it is definitely not what we can do with blade patching." Commissioners and staff said they plan to follow the repairs with a broader chip-seal program later in the season.

Process and funding notes: County staff said several of the approvals come from operating budgets or reserves and are within the county's planned expenditures. Christina and other staff repeatedly noted that proposed event sponsorships are paid from guest-tax or tourism funds and are not property-tax dollars; staff said those funds are governed by statute but did not cite a specific code section during the meeting.

Votes at a glance (formal votes recorded in the transcript): - Consent agenda (tax changes of -$13,436; minutes for March 12 and March 17; assorted bids including tires): approved, unanimous (Chair Harris; Commissioners Soudemire, Wehmeyer, Meador, Dickinson recorded as voting yes). - DH Pace bid, $18,361 to replace east transfer-building door: approved, unanimous. - Chemical purchases (per attachment): approved, unanimous. - AT&T two-year voice-services contract at $677/month: approved, unanimous. - Tyler Technologies annual services, $107,609: approved, unanimous. - One-year rental of two 2025 John Deere tractors at $20.72/hour: approved, unanimous. - Kilo Construction proposal for emergent road repairs, $185,748: approved, unanimous. - Authorization to reimburse Kilo $21,743.58 for AT&T utility relocation charges: approved, unanimous.

What commissioners said: Chair Harris thanked staff for preparing funding plans and for the First Responder Wellness Week proclamation earlier in the meeting. Commissioners repeatedly emphasized preserving contractor relationships and using reserves for time-sensitive road work while protecting fund thresholds.

Next steps: County staff will compile the event-sponsorship allocations discussed and bring them back on next week's consent agenda for formal action. Public Works said it expects some Kilo work to begin immediately if approved and that chip-seal scheduling will follow once repairs are complete.

(For transparency: the board held additional ceremonial items, public comments and department reports during the March 26 meeting that are not the focus of this summary.)