ALLEN COUNTY, Kan. — Allen County Commissioners Tuesday authorized signing of the petition that starts the process that could lead to a delinquent tax sale later this year. County Counselor Bob Johnson said as of now there are 105 parcels on which three or more years of property taxes are delinquent which would be eligible for a tax sale. The tax foreclosure petition will now be filed in Allen County District Court to begin the required legal proceedings.
During the meeting Public Works Director Mitch Garner provided information on the new policy closing the landfill anytime Allen County is in a wind advisory or high wind warning and reported they haven’t been able to do any noxious weed spraying due to the very wet conditions.
Recent heavy rains have led to washout of a large culvert along 400 Road in the northwest corner of Allen County. Road and Bridge Supervisor Jeremy Hopkins said this involved a ten foot diameter pipe. Crews have also been working on other washouts as they come up. Hopkins also reported a contract has been awarded for a bridge project on Nebraska Road west of Moran, and contracts for that will be forthcoming.
The Commission accepted a $7,226 bid from Caldwell Floor Covering for new tile carpeting at the Humboldt Senior Center. Caldwell submitted the lowest of three quotes received. Director of Buildings and Grounds Ron Holman also provided an update on the roof situation over the District Court area of the courthouse.
It also approved allowing Emergency Management Director Jason Trego to attend a free training opportunity in Oklahoma related to communication unit leadership.
Planning and Zoning Administrator Terry Call said The Allen County Planning Board last week finalized recommended regulations for large scale battery storage systems. Call said one question that is yet to be resolved is the tax status of such facilities and whether the state might seek to make them tax exempt and potential payment in lieu of tax agreements for such a project, as Labette County has authorized. Action on the regulations will be taken at the Commission meeting June 10. Call also provided updates on three nuisance issues which landowners are in the process of addressing. In one case there is a squatter situation involved and that is in the process of being resolved, at which point the owner plans to proceed with demolition.
Commissioners engaged in a lengthy discussion on bulk fuel arrangements, A representative of Hampel Oil brought to the Commission a proposal for a fuel management system, that would enable more detailed tracking of fuel usage for various vehicles and equipment, along with setting of limits on fuel dispensing as required. This system would also provide flexibility in reporting of data. It would utilize a PIN system and is similar to what the City of Iola is now doing.
Monthly fuel consumption for the county averages around 3,240 gallons of gasoline and 3,500 gallons of diesel fuel excluding the landfill, whose monthly fuel use significantly exceeds that of all other uses combined. The Commission will discuss this in further detail at their meeting June 10, 2025, as Commission John Brocker will be out of town next week.
Commissioners were also informed by Iola resident Arlyn Briggs he is starting the process to call a grand jury to investigate various issues on the city and county level that he said have been going on for the past couple of years. Under Kansas law, a grand jury can be summoned in three ways, including by petition or at the request of the County Attorney or the chief judge of the local judicial district.
