Roger Butler grew up in Claflin and worked in law enforcement between schooling at Barton Community College and Fort Hays State University. After serving as Police Chief in Claflin and as a member of the Great Bend Police Department, Butler decided to go to polygraph school near Los Angeles, California.

Barton instructor Gary Pedigo encouraged Butler to take polygraph training, and 38 years later it has turned into a good decision and career with the Kansas Bureau of Investigation for the Great Bend resident.

Roger Butler Audio

The modern polygraph, or lie detector, was invented in 1921 and Butler says the technology in his more than three decades with the KBI has taken the original analog systems to more detailed computerized charts.

Butler was recognized with the 2018 William J. Taylor Life Membership Award at the recent American Association of Police Polygraphists convention June 3 – 8 in Louisville, Kentucky. The award is for “outstanding and extraordinary service to the AAPP.”

Roger Butler Audio

The Life Membership Award is given to one member annually that is nominated by a two-thirds majority of the Board of Directors and approved by a majority vote of the memberships at the annual meeting.

The AAPP was created in 1977 to promote ethics, training, and professionalism in the area of law enforcement polygraphs. Polygraphs are used heavily in preliminary investigations to help investigators determine who good suspects are and helps resolve the case if a good polygraph can result in a confession to a crime.

Inside the budget for the Barton County Sheriff’s Office is an expense line for inmate medication. Jails are required to provide medication to inmates that are prescribed by contracted physicians while the subjects are incarcerated.

Sheriff Brian Bellendir says as of June 15, the Sheriff’s Office was at 95 percent of its allotted $19,000 budget for medication for the year.

Brian Bellendir Audio

Bellendir says the Sheriff’s Office is at the mercy of whatever the price is for inmates’ medication and that many of the prisons in Kansas are dealing with this issue. The Barton County Jail has averaged 105 to 108 inmates per day, and Bellendir says his department is currently only holding one out-of-county inmate. The Sheriff’s Office tries to use generic medication and prescribe the minimum required, but not properly providing inmates with medication can bring a series of lawsuits.

Brian Bellendir Audio

Barton County Commissioner Alicia Straub commented that law-abiding citizens that cannot afford medication, simply go without. Bellendir followed that statement up with many of the inmates do not use the medication once they are released.

The Sheriff estimated the medication expense would go over budget by roughly $20,000 this year. The Sheriff’s Office did address the issue with the Commissioners in current budget talks for the 2019 fiscal year.

There was no discussion of change at Monday’s Barton County Commission meeting regarding the intersection of North Washington Avenue and Northeast 30 Road. There was question whether or not there would be following another accident last Monday at the intersection north of Great Bend. Barton County made changes to stop signs and speed limits following the fatal accident involving a teenager in April at the intersection.

Barton County Sheriff Brian Bellendir says his department is conducting selective enforcement in the area.

Brian Bellendir Audio

Bellendir says the Sheriff’s Office has written 10-to-12 tickets since the changes that included larger signage for east and west traffic and a slower speed limit for north and south traffic.

Last Monday, a 91-year old was injured after a garbage truck pulled into the path of the southbound vehicle.

On April 17, an 18-year old from Olmitz died after a cement truck struck her vehicle.

Barton County Commissioners voted to not install a four-way stop at Washington and Juco Road, instead make improvements to the awareness of the existing signage.

6/15

BOOKED: Andrew Tucker of Ellinwood on Barton County District Court warrant for probation violation with no bond. Rush County District Court warrant for probation violation, no bond. Great Bend Municipal Court case for obstruction and ITOL with bond set at $1,000 C/S or 48-hour OR bond.

BOOKED: Joe Depiesse of Hoisington on Barton County District Court case for possession of a controlled substance, possession of hallucinogenic, and possession of drug paraphernalia, bond set in lieu of $10,000 C/S.

BOOKED: David Williams on Barton County District Court warrant for failure to appear, bond at $500 cash.

BOOKED: Johnny L. Wallace on Great Bend Municipal Court case for DWS with a $500 surety bond or a 48-hour OR.

BOOKED: Tyler Bittel of La Crosse on GBMC warrant for contempt of court.

BOOKED: Brenda Graves of Great Bend on BTDC warrant for failure to appear, no bond.

BOOKED: Kirk Sander of Great Bend for Barton County District Court warrant for probation violation, bond is $60,000 C/S.

BOOKED: Douglas Thomas of Mansfield, LA for State of Louisiana warrant for parole violation, no bond.

BOOKED: Vanessa Thiel on RCDC warrant for probation violation, bond set at $1,003 cash only and SNDC warrant for probation violation, bond set at $2,000 C/S.

BOOKED: Michael Foos of Roeland Park on GBMC case for serve sentence.

BOOKED: Marcus Bryant of Great Bend on BTDC case for serve sentence.

BOOKED: Gavin Farlow on BTDC warrant for FTA, no bond.

BOOKED: Charles Kreutzer on BTDC warrant for FTA, bond is set at $2,500 C/S. Norton Municipal Court warrant for FTA, no bond.

BOOKED: Jaime Velazquez Vallez on Barton County Court case for failure to appear, bond in lieu of $200 cash.

RELEASED: Courtney Veitenheimer of Great Bend to Jennifer Glover to be transported directly to treatment in Salina per order of the court.

RELEASED: Jaime Velazquez Vallez on BCDC case for failure to appear after posting a $200 cash bond.

6/16

BOOKED: Joshua Tyree of Great Bend on Great Bend Municipal Court case for driving under the influence with bond set at $1,000 C/S or 48-hour OR bond.

BOOKED: Derrick Buess of Great Bend on Barton County District Court serve sentence.

BOOKED: Brandon Maxwell on BTDC case for reckless driving and no proof of insurance, bond is set at $1,000 C/S.

RELEASED: Joshua Tyree of Great Bend on GBMC case for driving under the influence after posting a $1,000 surety bond through Ace Bail Bonding.

RELEASED: Vanessa Thiel of Great Bend on revoked bond on BTDC case for probation violation. BTDC case for possession of controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia after bond being reinstated. RCDC warrant for probation violation and SNDC warrant for probation violation after being released to Rice County Sheriff’s Office.

RELEASED: Charles Kreutzer of Great Bend on BCDC warrant for failure to appear after posting a $2,500 surety bond. Norton Municipal Court warrant for failure to appear after posting a $500 cash bond.

RELEASED: Brandon Maxwell of Hoisington on BCDC case for reckless driving an no proof of insurance after posting a $1,000 surety bond through Dyn-O-Mite Bail Bonding.

6/17

BOOKED: Trenton Schlotthauer of Ellinwood on Ellinwood Municipal Court case for battery DV with bond set at $1,000 C/S or 18-hour OR bond.

BOOKED: Joshua Pettijohn on Barton County District Court warrant for failure to appear with no bond.

BOOKED: Cody Helsel of Great Bend on Great Bend Municipal Court case for driving under the influence, no insurance and failure to maintain lane with bond set at $1,000 C/S or 48-hour OR bond.

BOOKED: Jamie Moore of Great Bend on Barton County District Court warrant for probation violation, bond set at $538 cash only. Great Bend Municipal Court case for battery LEO and batter DV, bond set at $1,000 C/S.

BOOKED: Jordan Daniels of Great Bend on District Court of Geary County on burglary and theft, bond set at $1,500 C/S.

BOOKED: Peter Zamarripa of Great Bend on BTDC case for possession of methamphetamine, no DL, bond set at $10,000 C/S. GBMC warrant for FTA, bond is set at $1,000 C/S. GBMC warrant for FTA, bond set at $1,000 C/S.

BOOKED: Sterling Mills of Great Bend on GBMC case for domestic battery, bond is set at $1,000 C/S or 48-hour OR bond.

RELEASED: Trenton Schlotthauer of Ellinwood on Ellinwood Municipal Court case for battery DV after posting a $1,000 surety bond through A-1 Bail Bonding.

RELEASED: Johnny Wallace of Great Bend on Great Bend Municipal Court case for DWS after he received a 48-hour OR through the GBMC.

RELEASED: Jordan Daniels of Great Bend on Geary County District Court warrant for burglary and theft after he posted a $1,500 surety bond.

RELEASED: Cody Helsel on GBMC case for DUI, no insurance, failure to maintain lane after posting $1,000 surety bond through Ace Bail Bonding.

RELEASED: Marcus Bryant of Great Bend on BTDC case for serve sentence.

RELEASED: Sterling Mills of Great Bend on GBMC case for domestic battery, posted bond of $1,000 through Ace Bail Bonding.

Water drainage was not a huge concern when land at the Amber Meadows subdivision was first developed. There simply were not many houses built on the land north of Veterans Memorial Park in Great Bend at the time, so large pools of water throughout the lot were not pressing issues.

As more houses popped up and the addition of housing along Prairie Rose Drive off of McKinley Street, the drainage issue became more noticeable.

Great Bend City Attorney Bob Suelter says recent ground work on the area dug out two drainage ponds to alleviate some of the issues.

Bob Suelter Audio

The addition of the ponds and the replat project performed by Unruh Excavating cost over $229,000 and eliminated 15 to 20 lots. Water will be led to the drainage ponds before outfall pipes lower the water to Veterans Lake.

Wheat harvest is here and the weather certainly helped speed harvest along and not in a good way.  You will hear plenty of sources willing to speak to the harvest so let’s skip that here and simply hope for a safe, speedy harvest.  The Drought Monitor as of Tuesday, June 12, showed a little improvement in spots with drought conditions at least temporarily eliminated in portions of NW and SE Kansas.  Most of our area is in the moderate to severe drought category with extreme drought in extreme SW Kansas and much of the Flint Hills region from just south of Manhattan towards Wichita.  With the projected temperatures and the wind, expect drought conditions to intensify with only a slight chance of significant precipitation early this week.

Instead of discussing the harvest today, let’s discuss what we are harvesting, kernels of wheat.  The focus here is on hard red winter wheat (HRWW).  Hard white winter wheat (HWWW) would be the same except for the lack of tannins.  Other wheats such as spring wheats and soft wheats are similar but vary regarding items such as protein, test weight, and gluten.  Before tackling the seed, let’s discuss test weight and protein.  You will hear and see sixty pounds as the standard for HRWW.  Simply it describes the weight of a bushel of HRWW.  Sixty or greater is considered good and is one measure of quality.  Fifty-nine or fifty-eight isn’t terrible but may indicate potential problems. As you approach the mid-fifties, a variety of potential problems such as poor grain fill or wheat that has been rained on significantly which affects milling and baking quality.   What about HWWW protein.

The benchmark that millers want for HRWW is 12% or higher.  Lower protein wheat is less desirable and may result from poor or inadequate soil fertility, other stresses, or repeated rains after maturity.  Lower protein wheat may be used to “cut” protein to desired levels.  Protein (gluten – the main protein in wheat) is necessary for the stickiness/elasticity of flour and is what makes HRWW good for making baked goods like bread.  Now what makes up the seed?

There are three main parts of the seed in simple terms: the bran, the germ, and the endosperm.  The bran, which is eliminated unless using whole wheat flour, is the hard outer covering of the kernel and is high in fiber and nutrients.  The fiber here is primarily water insoluble.  In HRWW it contains tannins which help suppress head sprouting in the field.  These are similar to the tannins found in red wines and   many don’t like the “bitter” taste.  Since most of the world we can sell wheat to uses whole wheat flour, this taste is less desirable and makes HRWW harder to sell in many places.  That is why K-State has focused a great deal of energy into viable HWWW for Western Kanas.

The germ, or embryo, is what will become a wheat plant.  It is nutrient rich and where some very high quality protein is located.  Due to the presence of some fats, it is often eliminated when making flour to increase shelf life.

The endosperm is what makes up much of the wheat kernel and is comprised primarily of starch and protein, serving as the food source for the embryo and then seedling until it can develop an adequate root and leaf system for photosynthesis to take over.  The fiber here is mostly water soluble.

When Barton County removed the expense of funding the Barton County Extension last year, there were thoughts that the Barton County Commissioners would lower the mill levy to drop property taxes for residents. As the Extension Office formed their own taxing entity in a combined effort with Ellis County, Barton chose to use the savings to help balance the 2017 budget.

Barton County Administrator Phil Hathcock says with uncontrolled costs like health care and retirement contributions going up and the state’s mandated tax lid, it is a good thing the County did not lower the mill levy.

Phil Hathcock Audio

The “property tax lid” law requires cities and counties to seek voter approval before they can adopt a budget that increases the spending of property tax revenues beyond a five-year average rate of inflation.

Hathcock says the County has no say on how much the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System (KPERS) costs. Hathcock estimated the state is requiring the County to increase their KPERS contribution by $100,000 in 2019.

Phil Hathcock Audio

The 2018 mill levy for Barton County was 43.567 with the total mill levy requiring $11,228,064 in property tax.

As the City of Great Bend gets set to embark on street construction work on a portion of 8^th Street, there is hope that more economic development could occur because of the improvement.

The currently unfinished portion of 8^th Street between Grant Street and McKinley Street is set to be paved with three lanes.

Great Bend City Attorney Bob Suelter says once the pavement project is complete there might be more interest in building businesses along that area because of the extra traffic the street will see.

Bob Suelter Audio

Once finished, the short stretch of street will connect two of the biggest retailer businesses in town, Walmart and Dillons.

Suelter says most of the legal paperwork has been obtained from the landowners affected by the 8^th Street Construction. Walmart owns land just west of Grant, Lifehouse Investments owns the land south of 8^th, and The Reserves at Trail Ridge apartment complex owns most of the property north of 8^th.

Suelter notes once all the land is gathered up, the project itself should not take too long.

Bob Suelter Audio

Great Bend has to buy land near McKinley because the plan is to curve 8^th Street to the south as it approaches McKinley to match up with the street on the west side. Suelter hoped to have a contractor start on the project sometime this summer.

Great Bend City Council Meeting
June 18, 2018
7:30 p.m. at City Hall

A. Consent Agenda

a) Minutes: Minutes of the Regular Session on June, 2018 and the Budget Workshop on June 6, 2018.
b) Claim’s Warrant Register #6-18-18: Covering 2018 bills to date
c) Payroll Register P/R 6-8-18: Covering payroll ending June 2, 2018 in the amount of $312,931.50.
d) Appointments: Mayor Andrasek will make appointments as appropriate.
e) Annual Business Licenses Renewal: Attached is a listing of the renewal business licenses has been submitted for approval. All applications has been received along with payment and copy of their insurance.
f) Agenda: Approval of agenda as submitted or amended.

B. Old Business

C. Recognition of Visitors and Announcements

1. Rotary Club: Attached is a letter from Great Bend Rotarian Pat Cale. He would like to address the council about the historic ginkgo tree.

D. New Business

1. Councilmember Reports: Councilmembers will report on the board and commissions that they serve on.

Recommendation: Informational item.

  2. CVB / Community Coordinator Report: Community Coordinator Christina Hayes will present her monthly report.

Recommendation: Informational item.

3. Abatement Requests: Sanitarian Austin LaViolette will present abatements.

Recommendation: Take action on abatements.

4. 2017 Annual Audit Report: Attached is a copy of the 2017 annual audit report. Vickie Dreiling of Adams, Brown, Beran & Ball will present the audit report.

Recommendation: Motion to accept the 2017 annual audit report as presented by Adams, Brown, Beran & Ball.

5. Dangerous Structure at 819 Adams: At the May 7, 2018 meeting the Governing Body passed Resolution Number 050718-D scheduling a hearing for the structure at 819 Adams. Notices were mailed out to the necessary parties and were published as required by Kansas Statute. In order to take action on the real estate the Governing Body should conduct a public hearing. Once the public hearing is conducted the hearing should be closed and appropriate action taken. Code Enforcement Officer Stuart Baker and City Attorney Robert Suelter will report.

Recommendation: Conduct a public hearing. Motion to close the public hearing. Motion to adopt the proposed resolution determining the structure to be unsafe and dangerous, directing the owner of the real estate repair or raze the structure and, in the event the owner fails to do so, directing the city staff to raze or remove the structure.

6. Waterline Project Change Order #1: Attached is a memo from Josh Golka, our on-call engineer. The Public Works Department is requesting additional waterline improvements. The waterline improvement project has a total budget of $6,452,196, of the total $5,171,625 has been allocated to the project and well improvements. The remaining budget of $1,280,571 is available for additional improvements. City staff has identified additional improvements and modifications for change order #1 not to exceed $294,597. On-call engineer Josh Golka will report.

Recommendation: Motion to approve change order #1 in an amount not to exceed $294,597.

Adjournment