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Officials from 17 counties arriving for today's district meeting
It's been almost nine years since Bourbon County has hosted the semi-annual 17-county SEK District Meeting, but today county workers will put months of preparation behind them as they roll out the welcome mat for department heads from all over Southeast Kansas.
The district meeting, taking place at Fort Scott Community College, will include discussions on a plethora of issues involving county governance.
"These are good deals, they really are," Commissioner Harold Coleman said. "Anytime you exchange information it's good. We basically all have the same problems."
Bourbon County Commission Chairman Allen Warren agrees that a meeting of the minds is beneficial to all counties attending.
"It's an opportunity for county department heads and commissioners to talk about issues in their county to try to get ideas from other counties on how they have addressed that same thing," Warren said.
He continued to say most counties deal with similar issues, such as shortfalls of money and how to attract and keep quality employees.
The semi-annual meeting also provides an opportunity for valuable networking.
"Forming relationships with your peers is very important and that comes out of meetings like this," Warren said.
Of special note during the meeting, Warren said Coffey County Commissioner Kimberly Skillman-Robrahn, who is highly involved in keeping up with the legislature, will be presenting a legislative update for all county commissioners during the commissioners' session.
"We are looking forward to that," Warren said. "That's something that's important to all commissioners."
Today's meeting not only presents an opportunity for sharing ideas, it's also a chance for Bourbon County officials to showcase local events and attractions.
Welcome bags containing a variety of brochures highlighting Fort Scott and Bourbon County events, accommodations and activities, will be handed out to all attendees and door prizes, including tickets to county events that will be awarded to participants.
Warren said they will be drawing for prizes that bring attendees back to Bourbon County, such as two sets of four tickets to the Missouri State Tractor Pull, which will be at the Bourbon County Fair on July 20 and two sets of four tickets to the Pioneer Harvest Fiesta, which will be the last weekend in September.
"That was the theme when we talked to the Chamber (Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce) - to try to bring these people back to Bourbon County," Warren said. "It's an opportunity for us to show off Bourbon County and the Fort Scott community."
Registration will take place from 9 to 10 a.m. today, with group discussions following until 11:30 a.m. Groups will be broken into the individual county departments, including clerks, appraisers, treasurers, registers of deeds, public works, Geological Information Systems, noxious weed and emergency management.
County workers attending the meeting are from the following counties: Allen, Anderson, Bourbon, Chataqua, Cherokee, Coffey, Crawford, Elk, Franklin, Greenwood, Labette, Linn, Miami, Montgomery, Neosho, Wilson and Woodson.
Warren is more than pleased with attendance results for this meeting and with the help they have received from local merchants, including Berry Tractor and Equipment, which is picking up the lunch tab for 215 guests at the luncheon program that will feature a presentation by the Lowell Milken Center.
Computer Information Concepts, which provides most of the software for county departments, will be providing pastries and coffee for the event.
"This is the fourth one I have attended, and this is the largest turnout I have seen," Warren said. "I attribute that to the hard work of our county employees."
Warren also said this meeting would not have been possible without the help of numerous county employees.
"It's coming together and we are looking forward to it," he said.