December 15, 2005

Kansas Association of Counties                                                

Governing Board Meeting Minutes

Thursday, December 15, 2005

3rd floor Conference Room, 300 SW 8th Ave.

Topeka, Kansas

 

 

President Gene Merry called the meeting to order at 3:05 p.m. Board members present were as follows:

 

Gary Post, Lyon County Appraiser

Steve Garten, Barber County Commissioner

Ted Ensley, Shawnee County Commissioner

Eileen Filbert, Jefferson County Health Department Administrator

Tom Winters, Sedgwick County Commissioner

Gene Merry, Coffey County Commissioner

John Miller, Norton County Commissioner

Dennis Peterson, Riley County Noxious Weed Director

Florence Whitebread, Geary County Commissioner

Nicholas Saldan, Deputy Johnson County Counselor

 

KAC Board Member Not Present:

 

Shannon Francis, Seward County Commissioner

 

Incoming Board Members, KAC staff, and others present:

 

Michele Abbott-Becker, Marian County Emergency Preparedness Director/Homeland

Security Director

Joe Connor, Unified Government of Wyandotte/KCK Health Department Administrator

Terry David, Rice County Emergency Management and Emergency Medical Services Director

George Pogge, Jefferson County Road Superintendent

Randall Allen, KAC Executive Director

Judy Moler, KAC Legislative Services Director/General Counsel

Mary Messamore, City of Hutchinson 911 Director (former KAC board member)

ADDITIONS/DELETIONS TO AGENDA

 

Florence Whitebread moved, seconded by Eileen Filbert, to approve the meeting agenda

as presented. Motion carried.

 

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

 

Steve Garten moved, seconded by Dennis Peterson, to approve the November 20, 2005 meeting minutes. Motion carried.  

 

APPROVAL OF BILLS AND PAYROLL

 

John Miller moved, seconded by Florence Whitebread, to approve the bills and payrolls dated December 15, 2005. Motion carried.

 

 

MONTHLY FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

Financial reports for the months of August, September, and October, 2005 were presented. Finance Committee Chairman John Miller expressed frustration that the monthly financial reports were not provided sooner after the end of the month, and urged the Executive Director to give this situation his full attention. The Executive Director indicated that he was developing a Request for Proposals (RFP) for financial services, which he would place on the board’s next meeting agenda. Executive Director Allen reviewed a one-page handout with the total amount of the seven bank deposits made in November and December, 2005 ($107,881.21), indicating that the KAC would finish close to the projection for year-end cash balances as indicated when the 2006 budget was considered and adopted in November. John Miller moved, seconded by Tom Winter, to receive and place on file the monthly financial reports for August, September, and October, 2005. Motion carried.

 

PRESENTATION OF AUDIT REPORT FOR WIRELESS ENHANCED 9-1-1

 

Brenda Flanagan of Summers, Spencer and Callison, CPAs presented to the Board the statutorily required audit of the E9-1-1 funds, as administered jointly by the Association and the League of Kansas Municipalities. She also presented a management letter with seven separate recommenda-

tions to management.  Tom Winters moved, seconded by Gary Post, to accept the audit report and direct KAC staff to bring back responses and follow-up actions to recommenda-

tions in the management letter, as appropriate, to the KAC Board within sixty days. Motion carried.  

 

30th ANNUAL CONFERENCE REVIEW

 

Randall reviewed a statistical summary of the 30th Annual Conference, held November 20-22, 2005 in Topeka/Shawnee County. Conference registration was as follows:

 

Registration Category                            # Registered                 (Revenue @ Base Price)

 

Full Conference                                     437                               $ 85,215

Pre-Conference Workshop                    106                               $   8,480

Tuesday-Only                                       19                               $   2,375

Spouse/Guest Tour                                72                               $   6,840

Sunday Gala Event                                16                             $       400

Awards Banquet                                   40                               $   1,040          

 

Tom Winters complimented the staff and said he was very pleased with the conference. The dilemma was often in what workshop or roundtable to attend as there were so many outstanding ones. He said that the hotel and the exhibitors were outstanding.

 

Gary Post indicated that he had spoken to many of the vendors. He said that the absence of the other affiliates was not a problem for them.

 

Dennis Peterson commented that the roundtable sessions were better this year as they were not so crowded.

 

Florence Whitebread requested that those making comments during the annual business meeting should be directed to the microphone in the front of the room. She said that Judy should present the legislative policy statement but that the President should handle the motions and the voting. She also indicated that something needs to be done about cell phones. Steve Garten commented that at the recent NACo business meeting, a fine was assessed ($10) from those whose cell phones went off during the meeting.

 

Ted Ensley liked the keynote speaker (Chris Gates, National Civic League) and felt that he connected with the audience.

 

METHODOLOGY FOR ALLOCATING 2006 DUES

 

The Executive Director reviewed a handout which was included in agenda packets, which explained the methodology for allocating member dues to KAC member counties. He told the board that the 2006 budget as adopted by the KAC Board in November, 2005 was predicated on no increases in the aggregate amount of dues to counties, nor any increases for affiliate or associate dues. He said that the 2006 budget is funded, in part, by $355,300 in membership dues from member counties. The methodology for allocating county membership dues is unchanged from 2005, as follows:

 

            1) All member counties pay a base fee of $470, generating $49,350 if all counties join;

            2) The remaining balance of $305,950 is split equally ($152,975 each) and allocated to

counties based on population (50%) and assessed valuation (50%), provided that

           3) No county pays more than $12,760 in dues.

 

Allen indicated that individual county dues can vary from year to year, based on changes in population and assessed valuation among all counties. He said that 2006 dues for affiliates would remain at $5,000 for commissioners and $2,000 for all remaining affiliates, and $800 for associate members.

 

Ted Ensley moved, seconded by Tom Winters, to use the methodology for allocating 2006

dues as outlined by the Executive Director, reflecting no changes from 2005. Motion carried.

 

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF COUNTIES REPORT

 

Steve Garten attended the recent NACo business meeting in San Diego. The meeting was chaired by NACo President Bill Hansell, who was at the KAC Annual Conference in November. Steve reported on the goals of the various NACo steering committees and their 2005 accomplishments and 2006 goals. He encouraged awareness of the NACo 2008 Presidential Election Project, which is an attempt by NACo to make presidential candidates more aware of issues important to counties so that they will speak to these issues during their campaigns.

 

THANK YOUs TO DEPARTING BOARD MEMBERS AND SEATING OF 2006 BOARD

 

Fond farewells were bid to retiring board members, Eileen Filbert and Nick Saldan.

 

New members of the Board were introduced and seated. New members are: Michele Abbott-Becker, Marion County Emergency Management Director; Joe Connor, Unified Government Health Department Administrator; Larry McAulay, Johnson County Director of Legal Services (not in attendance); George Pogge, Jefferson County Road Superintendent; and Terry David, Rice County EMS Director.

 

REPORT OF NOMINATING COMMITTEE/ELECTION OF 2006 OFFICERS

 

Ted Ensley, Chair of the KAC Nominating Committee, presented a report to the board with recommendations for officers in 2006. He said that the nominating committee included Shannon Francis, John Miller, Eileen Filbert, and himself. Ensley indicated that the committee recommended the following officers for 2006:

 

            President                      Gene Merry, Coffey County Commissioner

            Vice President              Dennis Peterson, Riley County Weed Director

            Secretary                      Florence Whitebread, Geary County Commissioner

            Treasurer                      John Miller, Norton County Commissioner

 

He indicated that the committee felt that continuity in leadership was important to the KAC’s future and directed the full board to the committee’s memorandum. It said:

 

“The KAC has undergone tremendous changes in the past 18 months. The committee felt that with the changes that have taken place in the KAC and the ongoing discussions surrounding these changes, it would be in the best interest of all concerned to maintain some continuity surrounding the discussion and processing of these changes; the long-term relationships between the KAC and its affiliates and associates; as well as the relationships between the KAC and our new peer organization, the Kansas County Officials Association.”

Ted Ensley moved the slate of officers, and Steve Garten seconded. Motion carried.

 

KAC BOARD MEETING DATES FOR 2006

 

Following brief discussion, the board adopted the following schedule for meeting dates in 2006:

 

Friday, January 20, 2006           Topeka            10:00 am

Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2006              Topeka             1:00 pm, following County Government Day

Friday, March 17, 2006             Topeka            10:00 am

Friday, April 21, 2006                Topeka             10:00 am

Friday, June 16, 2006                 Wyandotte Co. 9:00 am

Friday, July 21, 2006                 Topeka             10:00 am

Friday, Sept. 22, 2006                Seward Co.       9:00 am

Friday, October 27, 2006            Topeka             9:00 am

Sunday, Nov. 19, 2006               Topeka             9:00 am (Annual Conference)

Thursday and Friday, Dec.14

and 15, 2006:                            Topeka             (Reorganizational and joint meeting with LKM

Board. Time to be announced).

 

APPOINTMENT TO FINANCE COMMITTEE

 

As prescribed by the KAC Bylaws, President Gene Merry appointed 3 members of the KAC Board to the Finance Committee. They are: Ted Ensley, Shawnee County Commissioner; Tom Winters, Sedgwick County Commissioner; and Michele Abbott-Becker, Marion County Emer-

gency Management and Homeland Security Director (Abbott-Becker serving in her first term, as required by the bylaws), with John Miller, Board Treasurer, serving as chair of the Finance Committee.

 

 

OTHER APPOINTMENTS

 

President Merry also made appointments to other committees as follows:

 

Conference Review Committee:   Florence Whitebread, Chair; Gary Post, Tom Winters, George

                                                   Pogge.

Affiliate Relations Committee:       Dennis Peterson, Chair; George Pogge, Terry David, Gary

   Post, Joe Connor, Michele Abbott-Becker.  

Legal Issues Committee:               Larry MacAulay, Chair. Judy Moler.

 

 

STAFF REPORTS:

 

Judy Moler reported on legislative items and the progress of preparing the 2006 Policy Priorities document. She distributed a pre-print copy of the policy priorities document, which has undergone changes from prior years. It is much shorter and much smaller, and the full policy statement will be published at our website: www.kansascounties.org. Randall 1) briefed the board on the status of The Kansas Collaborative; 2) listed 2005 highlights in retrospect, inviting the board members to also identify significant KAC accomplishments in 2005; and 3) reviewed the outcome of the most recent meeting with officials from the Kansas County Officials Association (KCOA) and county commissioners, concerning adoption of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and a Peer Review Process to manage conflicts when they arise.

 

The meeting was adjourned at 5:10 p.m.

 

                                                                        Respectfully submitted,

 

 

 

                                                                        _____________________________

Judith A. Moler

General Counsel and Legislative

Services Director

 

 

 

 

Approved:         _______________________________

Florence Whitebread

Board Secretary

January 20, 2006