Commission approves Hesston Road improvement project
The Commission awarded the project to Pearson Construction with a total bid cost of $3,613,019.41, pending engineer's review. Pearson's bid was the lowest of three bids submitted. The proposed design was completed by MKEC, the engineering firm for the County.
The project is anticipated to begin in the spring of 2022.
The project includes road resurfacing of Hesston Road from the Newton city limit to the Harvey County line at Northwest 108th Street. Also included is the addition of paved three-foot-wide shoulders. At 22 feet, Hesston Road is currently the narrowest pavement maintained by the County while also the most heavily traveled.
"Our expectation is this project will result in greater safety for the traveling public, and also reduce the current level of necessary maintenance," said Harvey County Road and Bridge Superintendent Jim Meier. "The inclusion of full-depth expansion joints will go a long way in eliminating the dangerous pavement buckling experienced in the summer months, and the addition of shoulders will eliminate pavement edge drop-offs."
Previously, the most recent pavement surfacing on the road was an aggregate seal completed in 2011, with general maintenance continuing since.
Hesston Road is anticipated to be closed in increments during the resurfacing project. Residents along Hesston Road will have continued access to their property throughout the process.
The County will finance the project through multiple funding sources. The Road and Bridge budget includes $2,005,000 earmarked for Hesston Road. Remaining costs may be paid through American Rescue Plan Act funding, the County's general fund reserves, and the issuance of bonds, if needed.
The awarding of the bid was the culmination of a multi-year effort. Design work for the road improvement project began in 2018. The project was released for bid on Oct. 26, 2021. Bids were opened and received by the Commission on Nov. 23, 2021.
(Updated Nov. 23, 2021)
Comprehensive plan public meetings coming in January
Harvey County residents are encouraged to attend any of a set of three public meetings scheduled in January to provide feedback and discuss information to go toward the creation of the County's comprehensive plan.
The comprehensive plan is a guiding document used as a decision-making tool by the Harvey County Planning and Zoning Advisory Board and the Harvey County Commission for determinations on land development for the next several years.
The public meetings will be set in different locations throughout the county:
- Jan. 11, 2022: Harvey County West Park community building, 2733 West Park Rd., Burrton, KS
- Jan. 12, 2022: Meridian Center, 1420 E. Broadway Ct., Newton, KS
- Jan. 13, 2022: Harvey County Camp Hawk shelter, 1801 SW. 36th St., Newton, KS
Each meeting will be held from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., and residents can come and go throughout the meeting. Residents are invited to attend any meeting of their choosing. Each meeting will generally follow the same format and discussion topics.
Those not able to attend a meeting can still provide feedback. Residents can complete an online survey for the comprehensive plan. Physical copies of the survey are also available in the Planning, Zoning and Environmental office at the Harvey County Courthouse, as well as local city offices.
"It is crucial that the public gets involved in this process and makes their suggestions heard," said Harvey County Planning, Zoning and Environmental Director Gina Bell. "Each comprehensive plan is intended and expected to last several years, so the opportunity to contribute to the plan only comes around every so often."
The County's current comprehensive plan was completed in 2001, and previous to that, 1975.
The comprehensive plan is being compiled by Marvin Planning Consultants.
(Published Nov. 22, 2021)
Commission sets public holiday schedule for 2022
The Harvey County Commission set the slate of public holidays for county government facilities at its Nov. 2 meeting.
The Commission approved 10-1/2 days of holiday for county employees for 2022, the same as the previous year. County facilities will generally be closed on those days, with the exception of some emergency and essential services.
The holidays include:
- New Year's Day, Dec. 31, 2021 (observed)
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Jan. 17
- Presidents Day, Feb. 21
- Memorial Day, May 30
- Independence Day, July 4
- Labor Day, Sept. 5
- Veterans Day, Nov. 11
- Thanksgiving holiday break, Nov. 24-25
- Christmas Eve, the afternoon of Dec. 23 (observed)
- Christmas, Dec. 26 (observed)
County government facilities will also be closed Oct. 10 for an annual employee in-service day.
County adds online property tax payment system
Residents can log into iKan and search for their property by their property address, parcel ID number or taxpayer ID number.
Residents can set up and manage payment plans for current and delinquent tax years, as well as payment reminders and notifications. The system also allows for multiple properties to be paid at the same time, instead of individually.
The iKan payment system is an additional way for residents to pay property taxes. Residents can continue to make payments in person at the Harvey County Courthouse, by returning the payment by mail, or by placing their transaction in the secure dropbox on the south side of the Courthouse.
The iKan platform, developed by PayIt, was first released in Kansas in 2018. It is also used for vehicle registration and driver's license renewals.
(Updated Nov. 19, 2021)
County Commission certifies 2021 general election results
This election included city and school board seats. Of the 24,555 registered voters, there were 5,052 ballots cast, or a 20.6 percent voter turnout. Complete election results can be found here.
The Commission, serving as the county board of canvassers, canvassed 46 provisional ballots, of which 42 were counted toward the final vote total and four were not included.
Among the counted provisional ballots, 19 were ballots cast by voters that moved residences within the county but had not updated their registration address, 10 were voters that requested a mail ballot but did not vote the mail ballot and instead voted at their polling place, six were voters that changed their name and six were technical errors. The four ballots not counted were ballots cast by voters not registered in Harvey County.
There were four challenged ballots. These four ballots were voters that voted in advance but did not provide their signature. The signature deficiency was not corrected by the voter before the vote canvass, and therefore the ballots were not counted.
One ballot was submitted by a voter that voted at the incorrect polling place. This ballot was partially counted to include their votes that matched their precinct.
Election Day for the 2021 general election was Nov. 2, with early and advance-by-mail voting available prior to Election Day.
The three-person board of canvassers is typically comprised of the elected Harvey County commissioners.
(Nov. 9, 2021)
