McPHERSON COUNTY, Kan. — Changes to cell tower fees mandated by recent changes in state law were discussed by McPherson County commissioners Monday.
Basically, the law states application, consulting or other fees can’t be charged to cell providers if they don’t require it for other wireline or wireless broadband communications providers in their jurisdiction. Those fees have to be based on actual costs related to granting or processing of applications directly incurred by the authority involved and not on market or value-based charges.
It also imposes a cap on fees, varying on whether it’s new tower or collocating on an existing structure. Commissioners agreed to set the fees at a maximum of $500 for collocation and $2,000 for new towers, which will include the building permit fee which it can still impose. Kinsey said property owners within 1,000 feet of a site will still be notified of these projects.
Commissioners approved a $7,380 contract with Eagle View to run their Change Finder program on aerial mapping done in 2018 and 2024 to provide data on building changes made in that period. Kinsey said the aerial photos involved are compared to establish any new construction might have been done based on changes to square footage of structures. This data is also used by the County Appraiser and Emergency Communications. Eagle View will be doing another flyover next year, and going forward they will be doing this comparison every three years.
Commissioners accepted a $7,455.76 quote from Schindler Elevator Corporation of Wichita to replace door detectors and starter contacts on the elevator at the Law Enforcement Center. Maintenance supervisor Josh Pimentel told Commissioners that elevator, which leads to secured areas in the facility, failed last week.
In his report Sheriff Jerry Montagne said the jail count as of Monday morning was at 58, up one from last week and two below their absolute maximum capacity, with 23 arrests for the past week. There is still one juvenile housed in out of county detention.
The Commission also asked about a horse feed and boarding bill in their claims this week, and it was explained this is connected with a pending animal cruelty case involving four horses. The county will be paying out the $20 a day cost until the case is resolved, and it’s possible they will recoup this expense through the case.
Commissioners authorized the hiring of two temporary part-time mower operators for the 2026 season, and advertising for an engineering tech positions, one to replace Ron Unruh who retired last week and the other to replace a person who is relocating to western Kansas in the near future. These persons will be hired individually with Unruh’s position to be filled first.
Commissioners also approved the hiring of a new 911 dispatcher, coming from Marion County, and end of introductory periods for two emergency communications employees who six months ago took on new duties. It also approved an end of introductory raise for an employee in the County Treasurer’s office.
Replacement of another dump trailer for public works was approved. The 28-foot half round quarter frame steel belly end trailer is being purchased through Bruckner’s Truck and Trailer in Salina, which it purchased another trailer from last week, with a total cost of $36,000 including trade-in, same as for the other. These are used for hauling of a variety of materials and would be more versatile to Public Works operations. They are also not easy to locate, and the price includes new tarps and arms.
Commissioners also accepted a quite from Foley Tractor to replace a forward hydraulic drive motor on one of their loaders, which was damaged when a branch went into the transmission area and knocked off a motor solenoid. When the existing motor was sent in for examination, internal damage was discovered to the motor, and a replacement was recommended. The total cost of a re-manufactured mower came to just over $10,944. A transmission belly plate is also being added to ensure this doesn’t happen again.
