Photo Courtesy of Ryan Duey
Topics discussed during the Clay County Commissioners’ weekly meeting on July 13th included: Clay County Park, 2026 Budgets, Shooting Range, Small Business Loan, Awards, and more.
Commissioner Thurlow reported that he had attended the Clay County Park Board meeting last week. Thurlow reported that the finances, including the revenue and expenses of the park, were reviewed, and the possibility of laying asphalt on the roads going through the park. The Corps of Engineers has completed the annual inspection of the park. There were only a couple of items that needed to be corrected, and it was a good inspection. The Campers Appreciation Dinner will be held on August 9th at 6:30 p.m.
Randy Gassman, Pottberg, Gassman & Hoffman, held a workshop for the County 2026 budget. Several Department budget requests were reviewed. Revenues and expenses for the County were reviewed. Gassman will return next week with changes and a draft budget for the Board until the final budget is complete.
Bobby Shomper, Highway Administrator, reported that they rented a broom, finished chip sealing on 9th Rd., took one of the new dump trucks to Salina MHC for repairs that were partially covered under warranty, transferred equipment to Clifton to chip seal streets, and moved leftover chips to 2 locations. Shomper stated that next time, if the City of Clifton has not done the prep work that was requested, the County will not be doing the chip sealing for them. Shomper also reported that Utah Rd. between 23rd & 24th Rd. will be closed starting on July 28th to replace a box with a new concrete box. Shomper then presented the 2026 proposed budgets for the Road & Bridge Fund, Special Bridge Fund, and the Township Fund to be reviewed.
Jim Bogart, Emergency Manager, and Ryan West, County Maintenance, met with the Board. Bogart stated West had gone and looked at each of the pickups that were tabled at last week’s meeting and had found an additional one that would work better. It had 4 doors, and it would be easier to haul items and tools around. The additional pickup from Glavan Ford is a 2015 Ford F-150 4X4. After much discussion, a motion was made to purchase the truck, passing unanimously. West reported that they have been working on the clock in the tower. A new motor has been ordered, and they will install it when received. They are also trying to fix the bells that ring every hour. Bogart reported that he is working on the EMPG Grant and will report more on it next week, and the solar-powered message board is being loaned to Mike Argo to be used at the Clay County Fair.
Alec Trembath, EMS Director, presented the Board with the EMS 2026 proposed budget for them to consider when working on the County budget. The EMT Class that is going to be taught at the station soon has 11 people signed up to take the class. Trembath stated that this is a nice-sized class. The Paramedic program that starts in August has 20 applications, and one of the applicants from Clay County has been accepted. The storage container has arrived at the EMS location. It will need to be painted. Trembath reported that employee Angela Parsell has been nominated for the Kansas EMS Association BLS Provider of the Year award. Parsell has been with Clay County EMS for 5 years, and in that time, she has grown a lot as a provider and a leader. Parsell is also the Supply Sergeant, ordering and maintaining the station’s medical and household supplies. She has the ability to adapt and work with anyone and is extremely efficient on calls, always thinking of the patient and the family. The Department is extremely proud of Parsell for being nominated for this award. Clay County also won the Lexipol Connect Silver Award for online training management. This is for maintaining and organizing a training program and the completion of the training goals.
After much discussion, the Board made the decision not to fund the purchase of the History Deck of Cards for the 150th Clay Center Celebration that Ryan Wilson, Clay Center Dispatch, and Jeff Gaiser, Museum Curator, requested funding for at last week’s meeting.
Dana Rickley, County Health Director, stated that she has an employee who will not have enough vacation hours accumulated to use for time off this week. Commissioner Carlson made the motion for the employee to use all of the vacation hours that she has accrued, and then the County will keep the Health Insurance at a Full-time employee rate for the 2-week pay period, passing unanimously. The Community Garden area has all been cleaned up and looks good.
Alan Benninga, Sheriff, met with the Board to give the weekly report. Wade Reh, River Valley Extension District Agent, Josh Brownell, Clayton Presley, Shooting Instructors, and Weston Presley, 4-H Member, joined the meeting. Benninga reported that the Clay County 4-H and The Rusty Trigger have each provided their insurance policies for Benninga to send to KCAMP for review to use the county’s shooting range. Brownell and Presley are certified shooting instructors who are with the kids at the range at all times. Presley stated that the 4-H has their first qualifier match on August 2, and if they are not able to practice, they will not be able to participate in the competition. Reh stated that the River Valley Extension District carries 4 different insurance policies on this type of 4-H activity. The Commissioners granted permission for the 4-H to use the range for training and will need to provide a schedule as to when they will be at the range. After the training, they will need to see what the County’s Insurance carrier says about the use of the range for other activities. Benninga stated that the Courthouse and the Law Enforcement Center are required to have a Fire Alarm Test done annually, and the Company that had provided the service had sold. He provided estimates for the annual inspection from National Fire Suppression for both locations. A multiple-year contract would be available with an increase in cost for each year following. The Board instructed Sheriff Benninga to research additional companies that provide this service and to return with estimates. The proposed 2026 Sheriff’s Department budget was presented and left with the Board for review.
Natalie Muruato, Kathryn Doster-Tipsword, and Tracy Myers, Grow Clay County, met with the Board. Doster-Tipsword asked permission to use the Courthouse Square for the 150th year of Clay Center City and Piotique Celebration on September 27th. The Board granted permission for the events. Muruato then presented a small business grant application for the Subway pickup window. Keith Hoffman, Owner, joined the meeting. Hoffman presented an explanation of the remodel project that is being done at the Clay Center Subway. He is also very thankful for the opportunity to apply for this grant. A motion was made to approve the small business grant application for Subway for $5,000, passing unanimously. Myers presented the Kansas Travel Guide and the Highway 24 Inspiration magazine to view the ads for Clay County that have been placed in each one. The 2026 proposed Travel & Tourism budget was presented and left with the Board for review.
Mike Argo, Fair Board President, Brian Girrens, and Robert Knitter, Fair Board Members, met with the Board to discuss the laying of 2” or 3” asphalt on the new parking lot at the Event Center located at the Fairgrounds. Bobby Shomper, Highway Administrator, joined the meeting, and the different options were reviewed with what types of vehicles would be driving on the asphalt. Shomper will contact Schilling Construction to discuss the different concerns.
