Commissioners require county sanitarian to handle septic inspections

The Ottawa County Board of Commissioners voted to require that sanitary inspections in the county be performed by the county sanitarian (North Central Kansas LAPG) following a complaint about a private septic contractor performing inspections.

Commissioner Carla moved the measure, saying the county should “only use sanitation… inspection should be by the North Central Kansas local environmental planning group.” The motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. The county sanitarian told the board that permit records, Google Earth maps and inspection photos are kept in the sanitarian’s files and that the office had confirmed compliance with Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) rules for the property at issue.

The sanitarian described visiting the property, issuing a permit to the homeowner and later documenting the installation with photos; the contractor called to proceed and the sanitarian said the county retains copies of permits and a drawn map for the record. Commissioners asked the sanitarian to bring the full contract and a detailed report of the incident back to the commission.

Why it matters: commissioners framed the vote as a consumer-protection step to prevent potential conflicts of interest or biased inspections during real-estate transactions. The vote also clarifies enforcement authority and who may fine or otherwise act under local sanitary rules.

What’s next: the sanitarian will provide the commission a written report and the requested contract documents; staff said they would coordinate with the register of deeds and the county clerk to confirm property address and parcel details noted in inspection records.