Raleigh County commissioners approve KDHE MOU renewal, OK IT/GIS design amendment and hear jail mental-health update

Raleigh County commissioners on April 6 voted to allow the county health director to sign a memorandum of understanding with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to continue providing presumptive‑eligibility (PE) assistance, approved an amendment to IT/GIS remodel design services and received updates on jail mental‑health coverage and emergency services operations.

The health department’s supervisor, Caitlin Spethwick, told the board the MOU would extend KDHE support for PE and KanCare application assistance through May 31, 2029, and that KDHE supplies training and ongoing support at no cost. “Since we started in 2022, we’ve completed 647 applications, which have increased access to health care for Raleigh County,” Spethwick said. She recommended that the board allow the health director to sign the agreement.

The commission moved and seconded the measure and approved it by voice vote. The MOU, Spethwick said, poses no direct fiscal impact because services will be provided by existing health‑department staff while KDHE provides training and support.

In public works business, John Ellerman, the county’s public works director, described extra design work for the IT/GIS remodel to accommodate a backup generator, a revised server room layout and additional HVAC zoning and site visits. Ellerman presented an increase for design services that appears in the record in two ways: an itemized figure of $53,007.53 on top of an earlier $78,008.50 estimate (for total design fees of $132,006.03) and a later motion text that referred to a $53,753 increase. Ellerman said the additional fee represents roughly 8% of an approximately $1,650,000 construction estimate.

The board moved, seconded and approved the addendum to the design contract; staff said the change covers sizing and supports for the rooftop generator, electrical hookups for the server room, and extra owner‑architect‑contractor coordination during construction.

Raleigh County Police Department representative Mark French briefed the commission on jail services and mental‑health supports. French said a grant that funded mental‑health services in the jail had run out and the department is using stopgap measures to continue treatment. He said the county is working with counsel and hopes, within about 30 days, to present an agreement with Pawnee for roughly 8 to 10 hours per week of mental‑health treatment in the jail.

The commission also handled routine business: it approved a $5,500 change order for a county tipping‑floor project, approved the April 2 meeting minutes (with a letterhead/address correction noted), recessed into and returned from an attorney‑client executive session, and heard regular updates from emergency services and the county counselor. The emergency services director reported a disaster declaration for multiple concurrent fires in March, annual hose testing of about 18,000 feet of large‑diameter hose, ladder testing (two‑thirds completed), and 91 runs recorded in the monthly report.

The meeting ended after commissioners voted to adjourn and reminded attendees that public meetings will move to the newly remodeled commission chambers later in the week.

What’s next: The county said it expects to present a proposed jail mental‑health agreement to the commission within 30 days; no additional hearings or votes on the items discussed were scheduled at the meeting’s close.