WHAT’S AHEAD FOR LYON COUNTY

B y s h AylA G Auldin G shayla@emporia.com

With the dawn of the new year, the Lyon County Commission is prioritizing new ideas, new building projects and a renewed focus on the county’s finances and infrastructure.

In 2023, Commission Chair Rollie Martin said the focus will be on keeping a strong budget, while also funding much needed projects.

One such project: the new Lyon County Road and Bridge shops.

In December, county commissioners approved a $4.8 million bid to build two new shops for the Road and Bridge department. The construction will be handled by NF Construction out of Marion, Kansas, with the project funded through the American Rescue Plan.

Commissioner Doug Peck said the new shops are necessary, as the conditions of the current Road and Bridge shops are derelict.

“They are operating out of some very antiquated buildings, very antiquated,” Peck said. “They can’t work on a tractortrailer without keeping the doors open and when it’s four degrees and 29 below wind chill it makes it kind of hard.”

“A lot of their equipment out there is just like with any agriculture or anything else, it’s bigger and it’s more technical and it will give them a much safer place to work and to store all of this equipment and different things that we try to do as a county,” Martin added.

Martin said the new construction will serve as maintenance shops to allow county employees to work on larger equipment — such as semis or road graders — inside.

“Currently, we cannot close the doors when we work on those machines,” Martin said.

The new county shop facility will be 17,222 square feet and have a four-bay maintenance area with a 15-ton bridge crane to safely move materials within the shop. The shop will have mezzanine storage, offices, a parts room, a restroom/storm shelter, and more. The bridge facility will be 4,426 square feet with a 7.5-ton bridge crane and will also feature storage, offices, and a restroom/ shelter.

Martin said construction should begin in spring and be largely complete by the end of the year or early next year, pending delays from the supply chain.

“We’re finding that there are a lot longer delays,” Martin said. “We start in March but some of the equipment and supplies won’t come in until June.”

In addition to the supply chain, Martin said another obstacle of the new year will be finding additional staffing. He estimates the county needed as many as 30 employees at times in the past year.

“Last year at one time we did not have enough help to maintain an asphalt crew and a bridge crew so we had to alternate working on that,” Martin said.

Martin also attributed that shared workforce to the delays on the road and bridge work on the Olpe-Hartford Road, which he said should be completed in the near future.

“It is a challenge. We have had to change many wage structures to attract, generally, level one workers. We’ve been able to maintain our department heads, keep pace with them, but it is a challenge, finding a workforce that is ready to go to work and be interested in working for Lyon County,” Martin said.

However, one bright point as the county heads into the new year is the budget.

“We are financially strong,” Martin said. “That’s kind of been the history of the county. We pay for things as we go.

For the county itself we have no bonds, we pay no bonds in interest, so we’re trying to maintain that status.”

Additionally, Martin added, increases in sales tax last year allowed the county to transfer $800,000, or 2.3 mills, to the general fund to maintain a flat mill levy.

“Which helps everybody that has property and things that are taxed with property tax, so we are in a good, strong financial position,” he added.

Peck said the budget is always the biggest priority.

“That was quite a task last year, to keep the budget mill levy even across the board,” Peck said. “... Taxpayers, they need to know where their money is going, being spent.”

Commissioners had to look at each budget carefully, he said, making adjustments and allowances where they could.

“We wanted to give everybody a 3% COLA (Cost-Of-Living Adjustment), which we were able to do,” Peck said. “But again we are looking at the price of gas, diesel, rock, concrete, steel, health insurance, which was a real struggle this year because it went up and we were able to keep the same insurance rate for our employees.”

Peck said the adjustments are also a part of continued efforts to be competitive amid staffing shortages.

“We are short in several areas,” he said. “Road and Bridge, jail, county sheriff’s department. There are areas that we just need more help. And it’s hard to find help right now. I think our unemployment rate here is very low from what I understand, so that makes it a little harder for us to draw people in.”

Another new aspect for the county this year is incoming Commissioner Ken Duft. Duft said his goal is “to protect the county taxpayers dollar” while also learning the ropes as a new member — including getting acquainted with the many departments throughout the county.

“I made a list yesterday of all the county department heads that I still haven’t set down with and talked with,” Duft said. “ … I’m here for them. I want to work together with them.”

In addition to the county employees, Duft said he feels it’s important to hear from the county taxpayer, especially about what their money will be used for.