Shawnee County commissioners approve series of contracts, renewals and procurements in unanimous votes

The Shawnee County Board of County Commissioners on Jan. 2 unanimously approved a series of contracts, renewals and procurement actions affecting parks, information technology, solid waste operations and the health department.

Key votes at the meeting included an exclusive beverage contract for county parks and recreation, IT security renewals, requests for quotations for solid-waste containers, approval of vouchers totaling $400,259.31, and a collaborative agreement between the Shawnee County Health Department and United Way of Kaw Valley connected to a state early childhood block grant.

Parks and Recreation: The board approved awarding and executing contract C451-2024 with Heartland Coca-Cola Bottling Company to serve as the exclusive beverage supplier for Shawnee County Parks and Recreation. The agreement runs from January 2025 through December 2027 and directs rebate and sponsorship proceeds into the Shawnee County Parks and Recreation building maintenance fund. Tim Lorette, director of Parks and Recreation, told commissioners staff reviewed the proposals and expected roughly $30,000 in product-cost savings compared with alternate proposals. Lorette also said the county expects a $20,000 annual payment under the contract for each year of the three-year term; he noted the previous contract covered four years but produced that payment in only three of those years. Commissioner Aaron Mayes moved approval; Commissioner Rippon seconded. The motion passed, 3-0.

Vouchers: County staff presented vouchers totaling $400,259.31. Two items highlighted during the presentation were $81,267 to AFCO LLC charged to the Gage Park sales-tax fund for playground equipment, and $105,729 to Miles Automotive charged to the sheriff's budget for the purchase of three new SUVs. A motion to approve the vouchers passed, 3-0.

Information technology: The board approved renewal of KnowBe4 security training under contract C1-2025 (renewal) for $22,568, paid from the 2025 IT budget. Mark Price, information technology director, described the training as countywide employee security awareness tests and training. Commissioners also approved renewal of a security monitoring platform at state-of-Kansas contract pricing for $132,061.75; Price said the platform provides 24/7 monitoring and can isolate infected machines to limit spread during off-hours.

Solid waste: The board approved two requests to issue requests for quotations (RFQs) for solid-waste containers. One RFQ covers commercial containers (dumpsters); the other covers industrial roll-off boxes ranging from 10-yard to 40-yard sizes. Bill Sutton, Shawnee County Solid Waste, said the county maintains inventory but sought to pre-position contracts should additional containers be needed.

Health department: Commissioners approved entering a collaborative agreement between United Way of Kaw Valley and the Shawnee County Health Department's Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) program to apply for the state early childhood block grant for state fiscal year 2026. Theresa Fisher, health department director, said the agreement is a new state requirement for the grant application; the NFP portion of the grant requires a 15% local match. The grant term would run July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026; staff said they will return to the commission should the county receive the grant award.

County commission procedure: The board also approved Resolution 2025-1 to convert the Jan. 13 work session into an action meeting beginning at 10 a.m. The change was requested so the county can hold swearing-in ceremonies and an action meeting on the same day.

Public comment and advisories: During public comment Henry McClure of Shawnee County criticized the county's economic development expenditures, arguing some recent proposals represented poor use of tax dollars. Emergency Management Director Nelson Castell warned of an approaching winter storm with 3 to 7 inches of snow and gusty winds and urged residents to avoid travel if possible; Solid Waste staff noted landfill closures could change collection schedules. Administrative staff reminded county employees to check pay stubs and W-2 information for the new year.

All listed motions were approved unanimously, 3-0.