Commission Board Meeting on Mon, March 31, 2008 - 8:30 AM


Meeting Information

-Convene
-Consider the approval of minutes for March 3, 2008
-Consider the approval of a proclamation for County Government Day (Jamie Shew)-No backup

CONSENT AGENDA
(1) (a) Consider approval of Commission Orders; and
     (b) Consider approval of Outdoor Warning Siren System Lease Agreements (Teri Smith)

REGULAR AGENDA
(2) Consider approval of the Farmland Industries Redevelopment Plan. (Dan Warner)

(3) Consider adopting joint City Ordinance No. 8218/County Resolution regarding the Farmland Industries Redevelopment Plan and CPA-2007-05, amending Horizon 2020, Chapter 14 Specific Plans. (Dan Warner, Planner)

(4) Consider awarding contract for repainting the Route 1029 bridge over the Kansas River at Lecompton (Keith Browning)

(5) Code of Ethics discussion (Jenny Hesseltine)

(6) Other Business
     (a) Consider approval of Accounts Payable (if necessary)
     (b) Appointments
     (c) Miscellaneous
     (d) Public Comment

(7) Adjourn


Johnson called the meeting to order at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, March 31, 2008 with all members present. 

McElhaney moved to approve the minutes for March 3, 2008. Motion was seconded by Jones and carried unanimously. 

PROCLAMATION 03-31-08
Jamie Shew, County Clerk, read a proclamation proclaiming April 7, 2008 as "Douglas County Government Day." Jones moved to approve the proclamation; McElhaney seconded and the item carried unanimously.

CONSENT AGENDA 03-31-08
Jones moved approval of the following Consent Agenda:
 
  ► Outdoor Warning Sirens System Lease Agreements with Kanwaka Township and Lawrence Unitarian Fellowship.
  
The motion was seconded by McElhaney and carried unanimously.

PLANNING 03-31-08
The Board considered approval of the Farmland Industries Redevelopment Plan as presented by Dan Warner, Lawrence-Douglas County Metropolitan Planning Department. The plan was unanimously approved by the City Commission on March 11, 2008, with two minor changes. Those changes are as follows: 1) The adding of a table to page 15 of the plan, which calls out classifications of future roads for the Farmland property; and 2) Staff has determined it would be appropriate to allow large industrial users access to arterial roads in appropriate situations. New language was added beginning on page 14 of the plan. Staff asked that the plan be updated every five years.

Jones stated he would like to see a system that moves traffic from Farmland and the East Hills Business Park to Noria Road with an improved intersection that allows traffic to get on and off K-10.

Jones also stated he feels the plan is very specific. Johnson agreed and commented the plan is a bit too specific, which makes it more likely that the plan will need to be changed frequently. However, it was the consensus of the Board to move the plan forward at this time.

Jones moved to approve the Farmland Industries Redevelopment Plan with the two minor changes listed above as outlined in the plan. Motion was seconded by McElhaney and carried unanimously.
 

PLANNING 03-31-08
The Board considered the adoption of joint City Ordinance No. 8218/County Resolution 08-10, regarding the Farmland Industries Redevelopment Plan and    CPA-2007-05, amending Horizon 2020, Chapter 14 Specific Plans. Dan Warner, Lawrence-Douglas County Metropolitan Planning Department, was present for the discussion. 

McElhaney stated that this is an onerous plan and an initial step, and that the Board will be receptive to any private interest or private development request. The Board is approving the plan, but that d sn't mean it won't be reviewed. The Board will entertain any ideas or suggestions from interested parties that could enhance the improvement or progression of the Farmland property.

McElhaney moved to approve the joint City Ordinance No. 8218/Resolution No. 08-10. Motion was seconded by Jones and carried unanimously.

McElhaney went on to state he wants the City Commission and Planning Commission to know the County Commission had this discussion, because he d s not believe they did. "It is important that this governing body let the other governing bodies know that this is a plan that is in place. We discussed it a little bit further, and that we are receptive to other ideas that may not be of our own." Johnson stated he would go beyond receptive and use the word "encourage." Jones commented that one step should be to open the door to private developers and then pick the best option. 

PUBLIC WORKS 03-31-08
The Board considered awarding a contract for repainting the Route 1029 Bridge over the Kansas River at Lecompton. Keith Browning, Director of Public Works, was present for the discussion. Bids were opened on March 18, 2008 for removing the existing lead-based paint and repainting the steel superstructure. Seven bids were received. The low bidder is Vimas Painting of Campbell, Ohio with a total bid of $836,000. The Engineer's Estimate was $1,110.000. Vimas' low bid includes an Alternate A traffic control, the use of temporary traffic signals to allow northbound and southbound traffic to alternately cross the bridge. Douglas County and Jefferson County are sharing the cost for this project with share proportion of 88.74% DOCO and 11.26% Jefferson County.

McElhaney moved to approve the low bid of $836,000.00 and to award the contract to Vimas Painting Company, Inc. for Project No. 2007-14, repainting the steel superstructure of the Kansas River Bridge at Lecompton and accepts staffs recommendation of Alternate A. Motion was seconded by Jones and carried unanimously.

CODE OF ETHICS 03-31-08
Jenny Hesseltine, Administrative Intern, made a presentation to the Board regarding her research and recommendation for a Code of Ethics Policy for Douglas County board members and elected officials, as requested by the Board in January 2008.

  Based on her findings, Hesseltine recommended two ways to enhance the current County ethics policy: 1) The policy should apply to elected officials and appointed Board members, and 2) The policy should exist in one comprehensive document. Hesseltine recommended three Codes for the Board to review: The Mesa, AZ Handbook for Elected Officials, Chapel Hill Ethics Guidelines and the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and KCK Code of Ethics. She recommended the Board appoint a committee, representing the departments of the County, to modify one of the documents to fit the needs of Douglas County. Jones commented that he preferred the Mesa example.

It was the consensus of the Board that Hesseltine be responsible for setting up an  Ethic Policy Committee to draft a policy to recommend for the Board's approval by mid June 2008, and for Hesseltine to Chair that committee.

ACCOUNTS PAYABLE 03-31-08
Jones moved approval of accounts payable in the amount of $171,258.39 to be paid on 03/31/08; payroll in the amount of $748,023.08 paid on 03/28/08; FICA in the amount of $55,176.48 paid on 03/29/08; and KPERS in the amount of $65,166.20 paid on 03/29/08. Motion was seconded by McElhaney and carried unanimously.
 
Jones moved to adjourn the meeting; Johnson seconded and the motion carried. 

 

____________________________     ____________________________
Bob Johnson, Chairman                         Jere McElhaney, Vice Chair

ATTEST:

_____________________________   ____________________________
Jamie Shew, County Clerk                      Charles Jones, Member
   

Location

County Courthouse
1100 Massachusetts St, Lawrence, KS 66044, USA