The 2008 budget season is approaching full swing as Lyon County commissioners start to hear individual requests for 2008 appropriations.
During Wednesday’s county commission meeting, commissioners heard requests from Kansas Legal Services and the Lyon County Health Department.
Ty Wheeler of Kansas Legal Services asked commissioners for $7,000 for the 2008 budget year. Wheeler said they have asked for that amount the past few years. The organization received about $6,800 last year from the county.
Wheeler said 877 people were represented in Lyon County in 2006. Among the cases that Kansas Legal Services did in 2006, there were 96 divorce cases involving domestic violence; 21 paternity cases and 42 disability cases.
Lougene Marsh, executive director of Flint Hills Community Health Center, requested $770, 424 for the 2008 budget year. This is $100,000 more than the county appropriated to FHCHC in 2006, but represents a restoration in funding to the levels appropriated in 2004 and 2005.
“As your costs in the county have increased so have ours in the health department,” Marsh said.
Marsh said the cost of vaccines has gone up significantly. In 2001, FHCHC budgeted $30,000 a year for vaccines. This year, they budged $150,000.
“That is not an inflated number,” Marsh said.
The number of individuals coming through the doors of Lyon County Health Department for 2006 services included 4, 773 patients in public health; 525 patients for family planning (this amount reflects a 25 percent decrease over 2005 due to reduced funding from county); and 1, 542 clients for WIC.
Other items discussed:
F Gary Post, Lyon County appraiser gave a department update. Post said two cell phone towers have been approved in Lyon County by the Lyon County Planning and Appeals Board. One tower was approved by county commissioners and one more will come before commissioners at 10 a.m. on July 5. Post said the formal Provisionally Accredited Levee agreement letter was received. This officially gives the US Army Corps of Engineers two years to get the levee certified.
F Chip Woods, Lyon County engineer, brought commissioners a request from the Kansas Department of Environment to clean up an illegal dumpsite in the 3300 block of Road R7. KDHE’s request is for Lyon County to clean up the site, which is an old silo pit where people are dumping. In return, KDHE will reimburse the county clean up costs. The maximum KDHE will pay is $10,000.
F Commissioners also considered a request for “no jake brake” signs. Commissioners declined to schedule action on the request.
F Tammy Vopat of the Lyon County Appraiser Office asked commissioners to approve the purchase of an online filing system for personal property tax. The company is waiving the software cost and the only cost associated with the system will be a one-year maintenance fee of $2,399 and a one-time set up fee of $400. Vopat said the advantages of allowing people to file their personal property online is the elimination of forms lost in the mail; the system is accessible online 24/7 and it will be available to all personal property owners; individual and commercial.