Items Discussed During Clay County Commissions Weekly Meeting on January 13th

Topics discussed during the Clay County Commissioners’ regular weekly meeting included: snow removal, Elected officials, staffing, disaster preparedness, 2025 Agriculture Values, and more.

Commissioner Thurlow made a motion to nominate Commissioner Mayo as Chairman and Commissioner Thurlow as Vice-Chairman for 2025, passing unanimously.

The Commissioners then made motions to adopt Resolution 2025-002, setting salaries for elected officials, Resolution 2025-003, setting reimbursement mileage, and Resolution 2025-004, setting financial statements and financial reports for the county for 2025, all passing unanimously.

Bobby Shomper, Highway Administrator, stated that the Department has worked hard on removing snow and ice on all roads in the county. Four mailboxes were damaged during snow removal and will need to be replaced. Shomper then presented bids for a new 330 Excavator. He feels it would be better to purchase a 340 Excavator for use in the County. The Board asked Shomper to get bids for a 340 Excavator, and they will compare prices and go from there.

Alec Trembath, EMS Director, reported that they are on run 38 in the new year, compared to 19 last year at this time. He also informed the Board that he was contacted by the Miltonvale City Council about staffing issues with volunteer EMS Departments. They all plan to get together to discuss this matter. A Stryker representative visited the Department to show how to adjust the heights of cots for the medical units. It was determined to keep all the cots at the same height so they could be used in all units.

Dana Rickley, County Health Director, discussed the use of Shelters in a disaster situation and stated that individuals need to prepare to be able to care for themselves for at least the first 72 hours of a disaster. This includes having food, water, batteries, cell phones, heat, and lights. She stated that people need to check in on family, elderly individuals, and neighbors. She also informed the Board that they hired a Home Health Aide for the Department. The new hire will help provide services for lab draws and foot care.

Alan Benninga, Sheriff, asked the Board how to handle employees time that were not able to make it to work due to the winter storm. The Board agreed to give employees one Snow Day that they were scheduled to work. The Board then signed two event approvals for training in Topeka and Yoder.

Rhonda Carroll, Landfill Director, and Whitney Baer, Noxious Weed Director, asked to go into executive session to discuss the job performance of non-elected personnel. No action was taken after the executive session. Baer then presented two bids for a new truck for the Landfill/Noxious Weed Department. The Board contacted Glavan Ford to see if the pickup for bid would be able to pull the gooseneck recycling trailer, but it isn’t. The Board asked Baer to look for pickups that can pull the gooseneck trailer.

Danny Mesalles, County Appraiser, presented a residential NRP for a residence in Wakefield, the application was approved and signed. Mesalles then presented information on the 2025 Agriculture Values as follows: