HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Board of County Commissioners at their meeting on Tuesday will look at a policy document prepared by County Counselor Patrick Hoffman that formalizes the change they already approved to move meetings to the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month beginning in July.
This change will allow Hoffman to continue to serve part time with both Reno and Barton County as County Counselor.
The proposed language is copied below.
PURPOSE
This Statement of Policy has been developed to assure that meetings of the Reno County Board of County Commissioners are conducted in compliance with K.S.A. 75-4317 et seq., the Kansas Open Meetings Act (KOMA). This statement outlines Board policy on the schedule of regular and workshop meetings and on the procedure to be followed during scheduled meetings. This Statement of Policy will be reviewed annually in January. Board meetings should follow the Roberts Rules of Order, as appropriate for local government.
POLICY
BUSINESS MEETINGS
Effective July 2023, the board of County Commissioners will hold regular business meetings dedicated to the transaction of regular governmental business and the conduct of governmental affairs on the days indicated below.
SECOND AND FOURTH WEDNESDAYS
Effective July 2023, the Board of County Commissioners will only hold a regular meeting on the Second and Fourth Wednesday of each month, if needed. When there is a Fifth Wednesday in any month, a regular meeting will be scheduled for the purpose of transacting regular business. Any cancellation of the Fifth Wednesday meeting will be announced the week prior to a Fifth Wednesday. All Second, Fourth and Fifth Wednesday meetings will be convened pursuant to K.S.A. 75-4317 et seq,.
SPECIAL MEETINGS/WORK SESSIONS
Special meetings and work sessions may be called by the Chairman of the Board, a majority of the County Commissioners or when required by state statute. When a special meeting or work session is called, the Chair shall notify the County Administrator who in turn shall notify the other County Commissioners. All special meetings will be convened pursuant to K.S.A. 75-4317 et seq.
PROCEDURE
MEETING AGENDA
An agenda for all meetings of the Board of County Commissioners shall be prepared by the County Administrator’s Office in conjunction with the Chair. Agencies, organizations, county departments and citizens desiring to meet with the Board of County Commissioners may be placed on the agenda by contacting the County Administrator’s Office. The County Administrator may at his/her discretion or after a request from the Commission Chair establish an agenda date and time for the requesting party in accordance with this Statement of Policy.
The deadline for being placed on a business meeting is 12:00 p.m. on the Wednesday preceding the business meeting, unless permitted by the Chair of the Board.
AGENDA BACKGROUND INFORMATION
To facilitate informed discussion and timely action agenda items, the Board of County Commissioners requires adequate background information from the requesting party. A template provided by the County Administrator’s Office outlines required information for parties and/or persons who request time on the agenda.
Departments, officers, agencies, organizations, and boards which are funded and/or created by or through the Board of County Commissioners will be required to submit background information in a professional memo format.
The information that must be included in the memo is Agenda Subject, Background Information, Legal Considerations (if any), Alternatives, Recommendation, and Financial Considerations. Digital copies of the background information must be submitted to the County Administrator’s Office by the deadline stated above for the agenda request to be scheduled.
Any organization, board, agency, or citizen different from those listed above shall submit similar background information in a memo or email format. The information that must be included is the same as above, if applicable. Digital copies of the background information must be submitted to the County Administrator by the deadline stated above for the agenda request to be scheduled.
AGENDA SCHEDULE
Meetings of the Board of County Commissioners will be scheduled at 9:00 A.M. on the meeting day unless otherwise provided. The County Administrator will maintain a rotating report schedule with county Department Directors to provide directors the opportunity to meet with and present updates to the commissioners on a periodic basis.
MEETING PROTOCOL
Meetings of the Board of County Commissioners will be convened by the Chairman at the time stated on the meeting agenda or as soon thereafter as circumstances allow. The agenda may be amended at the beginning of each meeting by approval of the Board. Agenda items will be reviewed as follows, with changes to the order of items made at the discretion of the Commission Chair.
A. Call to Order
B. Pledge of Allegiance and Prayer
C. Welcome and Announcements
D. Public Comment
E. Additions or Revisions to the Agenda
F. Consent Agenda
G. Business Items
H. County Administrator Report
I. County Commission Reports
J. Executive Sessions
Generally, the Agenda shall contain all items to be acted upon during the meeting, however the Board of County Commissioners may take action on any item regardless of whether it is on the Agenda or is introduced during the meeting.
Persons attending meetings of the Board of County Commissioners are allowed to address the Board on agenda items only when they have been recognized by the Chair. Discussion by those in attendance regarding an agenda item is at the discretion of the Board Chair. No person has a right to be disruptive and such action will not be tolerated.
Meetings shall be conducted following Rules as described in the National Association of Counties (NACO) document “The Right Way to Run a Meeting: A Guide for County Officials.” The Chair shall make a determination regarding any procedural questions, and a majority of the Board may overrule the chair as allowed by the NACO Rules.
PUBLIC COMMMENT
The Board of County Commissioners has chosen to allow for public comment from Reno County citizens under certain circumstances. Public comment will be limited to 5 minutes. The public comment period is for individuals to make short and concise comments to the governing body on items not on the agenda. The commission or a commissioner may, but is not required or expected to respond, to any public comment made during the public comment section of the agenda.
Registration to speak during public comment is required at the beginning of the meeting on a provided sign-up sheet. If there is a meeting that has large amounts of public comment requests, the county commission may limit each speaker to 3 minutes or less to comment. Additional restrictions may be made by persons who speak on a routine basis. The Commission Chair may also limit the number of speakers that are repeating the same comments as prior speakers in order to expedite the meeting while also allowing for reasonable public comment.
EXECUTIVE SESSIONS
The Board of County Commissioners may hold executive sessions pursuant to K.S.A. 75-4319. To go into executive session, the provisions of K.S.A. 75-4319(a) shall be followed.
ADJOURNMENT
Meetings of the Board of County Commissioners will be adjourned by the Chair upon completion of discussion and/or action on agenda items.
The Board of County Commissioners meets at 9 a.m. Tuesday in the Veterans Room at the Reno County Courthouse.
CLICK HERE to download the Hutch Post mobile app.
CLICK HERE to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.