McPHERSON COUNTY, Kan. — McPherson County Commissioners Monday accepted a $1.554 million bid from Ergon for asphalt oils for 2025 projects. This covers chip seal, tack and general asphalt oil, and Public Works Director David Bohnenblust noted the per unit cost of this oil is somewhat less than for last year.
Commissioners signed the project agreement with KDOT for a bridge project on Arapaho Road west of 8th Avenue south of Inman. KDOT is providing up to $950,000 which will cover most of the construction cost of the project planned for KDOT’s 2026 fiscal year, and. It also approved up to $50,000 for some maintenance work on a road into Maxwell Wildlife Refuge off 27th Avenue.
A request for just over $312,000 in biennial grant funding in support of evidence-based programs for juvenile offenders for Harvey/McPherson County Community Corrections was signed. This funding from the Kansas Department of Corrections can be used for such things as intake and assessment services, interventions, and training on such things as cognitive behavioral and family centered therapies, substance abuse, sex offender therapy, and other services addressing juvenile risks and needs.
Locally the funds would be used to implement a Project Yes program that would provide more resources targeting juvenile offenders involved in minor offenses such as theft, property damage and minor in consumption cases.
Commissioners approved an updated Chief Elected Official Board Agreement for Local Workforce Area 1, which takes in a 62 county area covering all of western and portions of central and northeast Kansas. This reflects a merger of two existing workforce areas into one. Commissioners approved the hiring of a field appraiser in training for the County Appraiser’s Office.
The Commission approved hiring of a new employee for the appraiser’s office, increase in hours for a current employee from 24 to 30 hours a week and transfer of another employee to a new position and a related step increase, authorized advertising for two Public Works maintenance workers, one of whom would also run the county’s sign shop, and conducted interviews to fill the Noxious Weed Director position.
