Sedgwick will no longer conduct autopsies for Marion County
Staff writer
A 0.5 percent sales tax increase implemented in July to fund construction of a new jail generated $44,978 in its first month, Marion County Commission learned Friday.
That was in addition to the $50,650 the county received from its previously existing tax, up about 6.5 percent from the same time in 2010. Sales tax receipts for the year to date, not including the jail tax, are $486,242, up about 4.6 percent for the year.
A contract with Lloyd Builders for construction of the facility was approved for $3,057,600, which includes an alternate bid for improved drainage of the site.
Commissioner Dan Holub said he had seen a schedule projection for jail construction. If everything goes right, the contractor can be finished by mid-July 2012, he said.
County must find new morgue for autopsies
County Attorney Susan Robson told the commission that Sedgwick County is cutting back the number of autopsies it will perform to include only those counties that are in its judicial district, which doesn’t include Marion County.
“I was very surprised when I got the letter,” she said.
Autopsies are required for any juvenile who dies, as well as any death the county coroner deems suspicious. Robson said the number of autopsies in a year can vary quite a bit. Some years require only one or two. This year has been above average, she said.
Beginning Nov. 1, the nearest places to send bodies for autopsies will be Kansas City and Liberal. Either way, transporting the body will be basically a full day’s work.
Robson said that will cause problems for local funeral homes, who generally provide the transportation to the morgue.
The commission asked her to talk with nearby counties about their plans.
In other business:
- The county’s new recycling program with Waste Connections is growing every week, Transfer Station Director Rollin Schmidt said. Despite that, commissioner Randy Dallke reported that Waste Connections removed one of the two recycling bins it had in Goessel, which was consistently full for pickup. Schmidt is planning a meeting with Waste Connections to resolve some issues with the new program.
- Dallke asked County Clerk Carol Maggard to send a memo to employees reminding them to minimize use of county purchasing cards for meals after he noticed several meals purchased in Marion and Hillsboro on a monthly report. Although use is authorized for meals while conducting county business, he doesn’t think it is appropriate while working in the county and able to eat at home.
- Immunization nurse Anita Hooper is resigning from the Health Department, effective Nov. 29.
- The commission approved spending $211 to replace an electric window motor and $44 to repair the headliner in a county vehicle.
- South Central Kansas Economic Development District intends to turn over the Holiday Motel in Florence to the county rather than auctioning it for back taxes. The commission wants to know what will happen if the county doesn’t want the motel, so they plan to ask SCKEDD.
- Cooperative Grain and Supply of Hillsboro will provide 6,550 gallons of fuel to Road and Bridge Department for $19,716. Cardie Oil Company of Tampa bid $20,053.
- Road and Bridge Superintendent Randy Crawford said he has received four applications for a road grader operator position in the Goessel area.
- Maggard will purchase a 36-inch, three-drawer filing cabinet and a 42-inch, four-drawer filing cabinet for a total of $983 from low bidder Office Plus.
The next scheduled commission meeting will be Monday.