Commissioners to view fence in dispute south of Mound Valley

State law allows property owners to share the costs of installing and maintaining partition fencing. Gudde said his neighbor has refused to do so and has offered to pay for materials only, no labor, for the installation.

Commissioners Vince Schibi and Terry Weidert will view the fence on Wednesday morning. Commissioner Cole Proehl will attempt to contact the neighbor. If the fence viewing board has to make a decision, it becomes final and could be attached to the property tax bill as a special assessment if it’s not paid, commissioners heard.

In other matters, commissioners:

— Agreed to purchase a new motor for an Altos commercial mower the county purchased in 2015 and uses to mow the courthouse and an adjacent property. The cost will be $3,900 for the 27.5 horsepower engine. A repair shop in Nevada, Missouri, is doing the work. 

— Heard that a relay was installed on the refurbished elevator in the courthouse in Oswego. The elevator has also passed inspection.

— Agreed to pay $534 for the commissioners’ membership in the Kansas County Commissioners Association.

— Met in closed session with County Counselor Brian Johnson to discuss attorney-client privileged information. No action followed.

— Commissioner Weidert raised the issue of the food sales tax in Kansas and legislation that would eliminate that over time. The concern is the impact the reduced sales tax collections would have on the county’s budget, which receives about $1 million annually from sales taxes collected in the county. In 2022, Labette County sales taxes generated $3.3 million, according to the Kansas Department of Revenue.