County prepares to host district meeting

The Bourbon County Commissioners are playing hosts this year to a meeting of 17 counties in the Southeast Kansas District of counties on March 21at the Danny and Willa Ellis Family Fine Arts Center on the Fort Scott Community College campus.

Commissioners met with department heads Friday during the commission's regular meeting to discuss the plans for the biannual meeting, which will include Bourbon County leaders and representatives of each county in the region. This is the first time in four years that Bourbon County has played host to the meeting.

"The purpose is to have regional discussion and brainstorming," said Second District Commissioner Barbara Albright.

"We all have the same problems and issues," said County Commissioner Chairman Allen Warren.

Of the counties that have been invited, six had not committed to coming as of Friday, and 100 people representing various county departments are expected so far.

The meeting, which will include roundtable discussion, will be from 10 to 11:30 a.m. with an hour-and-a-half luncheon. The program speaker, yet to be announced, will be featured in the afternoon. Registration will take place from 9 to 10 a.m.

Some of the speakers during departmental sessions will include a representative from the Kansas Secretary of State's Office, according to County Clerk Kendell Mason. County Aprraiser Judy Wallis said she has invited a speaker from the Property Evaluation Division of the Kansas Department of Revenue.

Bourbon County employees not attending the meeting are expected to take their regular lunch, Warren said.

Attendees will receive a welcome bag filled with information about Bourbon County and Fort Scott. Commissioners and department heads also are collecting door prizes from around the community.

Bourbon County department heads agreed to meet to finalize plans at 9:30 a.m. Friday, March 15 in the commissioners' meeting room.

Member counties in the Southeast District are Allen, Anderson, Bourbon, Chautauqua, Cherokee, Coffey, Crawford, Elk, Franklin, Greenwood, Labette, Linn, Miami, Mongomery, Neosho, Wilson and Woodson.