For the first time in many years, the average sale price of Lyon County homes is coming in below the assessed value of those homes, the Lyon County Commission learned during Wednesday’s action session.
Gary Post, Lyon County appraiser, provided commissioners with a snapshot of the past several months. The snapshots gave a comparison between 2007 and 2008 home sales month-by-month.
In July 2007, 48 homes sold with an average sale price of $92,600. In July 2008, 42 homes sold with 14 of those homes selling at or more than the county value and 28 sold less than the county’s Jan. 1 value estimate. The average sale price in July 2008 was $82,800 with an average county value of $86,300.
In August 2007, 25 homes sold with an average sale price of $81,600. In August 2008, 34 homes sold with 15 selling either at or more than the county value and 19 sold for less than the county’s value estimate. In Aug. 2008, the average sale price was $90,700 and average county value was $98,100.
In 2007, 25 homes sold with an average sale price of $113,100. In 2008, 21 homes sold with six sold either at or for more than the county value and 15 sold for less than the county’s value estimate. The average sale price in 2008 was $99,700 and the average county value was $100,500.
In other business, Lougene Marsh, executive director of the Flint Hills Community Health Center, talked to commissioners about the center’s quarterly report. Several conversations arose from the discussion of the report. Marsh said there is a rapid HIV test available that will yield results in 20 minutes. She said this is especially important if an employee has an accidental needle stick.
“With that patient’s agreement we can draw blood and send it over for rapid HIV test and see if there’s a potential HIV exposure for the staff person.” Marsh also talked about the future of Lyon County’s Project TEEN. She said the Kansas Department of Health and Environment does not plan on continuing to request federal funding to abstinence education programs.
“That is about $30,000 of our funding for Project TEEN,” Marsh said.
The reduction in funding would put the program, which has been implemented in Lyon County since the late 1990s, at risk.
“It’s not a program that we’ve ever come to the county commission and asked you to provide the funds to support,” Marsh said. “I certainly think it’s an important program for us to continue.”
In other matters:
• Rick Frevert, of Lyon County Emergency Management, talked about the city and county’s employees’ new identification and accountability cards. He said the cost to produce a card is $1.06. The cost to replace supplies to print 300 cards is $670. All city and county employees, including fire personnel, will get new cards. Employees who respond to disasters will need to carry two cards, Frevert said. The second card is kept on disaster scenes on a command board.
• Commissioners approved the purchase of 16 truck tires for $4,052.80 from Mel’s Tire.
• Commissioners approved a $2,000-purchase of replacement of radar units for the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office.
• Commissioners voted to authorize the chairman to sign the Kansas Department of Transportation/Lyon County Sheriff’s Office agreement to participate in the STEP grant program.
• In a written summary, Post said there were no reports of residential loss or claims in the September floods. He also stated that an application for recertification of the class 9 rating in the Community Rating System was submitted in October.