Shawnee County commissioners approve multiple contracts, vouchers and budget items

The Shawnee County Board of County Commissioners on March 20 approved the consent agenda and a slate of contracts and budget items, including $4,788,369.15 in vouchers and multiple capital and operating purchases across county departments.

The actions included payments to construction contractors, a sole-source equipment purchase for park police, replacement of courthouse doors, a new playground at Tin Man Circle, design work for tennis courts, and purchases from the Register of Deeds technology fund. Most measures passed by recorded motions of the commissioners present; several votes were recorded 2 to 0 because not all commissioners were in attendance.

Votes at a glance - Consent agenda: approved (motion by Commissioner Mays; second by Commissioner Rippon). Vote recorded 3 to 0. - Vouchers: approved; total $4,788,369.15. Notable line items read into the record included $523,439.07 to KBS Contractors Inc. (state grant portion for Department of Corrections mental health facility), $712,231.11 to King Construction, Inc. (road improvements on Southwest Auburn Road), $170,293,045.70 [transcript formatting unclear; reported in packet as $170,293.45?] to Consolidated Rural Water District No. 1 for a waterline relocation related to road work, $98,037.05 to King Construction for a bridge/bridal project on Northwest 305th Street and $324,429.55 to Cine and Company for courthouse renovations (project 96.75% complete). Motion to approve vouchers carried (motion recorded as passing 2 to 0). - Facilities contracts: C1172025 to Green Care Lawn and Landscape for courthouse landscaping, irrigation and equipment screening at $43,300 from the capital outlay landscape project — passed 2 to 0. C1182025 to D.H. Pace to replace west exterior exit doors (not to exceed $41,140) using capital outlay funds — passed 2 to 0. - Parks and recreation: C1192025 with Aspire to Play LLC to purchase playground equipment for Tin Man Circle at $195,291 funded from 3R funds — passed 2 to 0. C1202025 with Mammoth Sports Construction LLC for design of four new tennis courts at Casover Tennis Center, design phase $25,200 from bond funding — passed 2 to 0. C1212025 awarded to Motor Controls, Inc. for replacement of an irrigation pump at Cypress Ridge Golf Course at $99,998.75 from the golf revolving fund — passed 2 to 0. - Equipment and evidence systems: C1222025 (sole-source) with Axon for Taser 10 docking stations, Evidence.com storage and related licenses, five‑year cost $53,996, to be paid from the park police operating budget — passed 2 to 0. - Register of Deeds transfers: approval of various technology and equipment items totaling $143,835 to be paid from the land record technology fund and distributed to multiple county offices (items include sketching software, Adobe Cloud, GIS and scanning software, aerial photography and leased vehicles for the appraiser’s office) — passed 2 to 0. - Public works: approval of a project budget of $307,032 and authorization to solicit construction bids for a culvert replacement on Southeast 30 Seventh Street over the West Branch of Whetstone Creek, to be paid from public works special bridge funds — passed 2 to 0. - Commission calendar: Resolution No. 2025-21 (amending Resolution No. 2025-2) to move action meetings to Mondays and work sessions to Thursdays, effective April 21 — passed 2 to 0.

Several presenters summarized rationale for the purchases during the meeting. Parks Director Tim Laurent said the Tin Man Circle playground structure had reached a point where replacement parts were no longer available and the early‑bird pricing with the vendor reduced the county’s cost by roughly $48,000. Facilities Director Melba Henning described the courthouse landscaping as a full replacement of irrigation (reusing the backflow where possible) and said the door replacement will increase security while remaining releasable by the fire alarm system in emergencies. Register of Deeds Becky Neosy told the board the land records technology statute allows excess technology funds to be used for equipment or services related to property records and that multiple offices participated in the Land Records Committee review.

The board took each item in the consent and new-business sections without extended public comment; most measures were recommended by staff and by prior review from relevant committees or the planning commission.