Chase County commissioners approved a road maintenance agreement with the city of Cottonwood Falls and reviewed several public-safety equipment items during their Nov. 10 meeting.

Speaker 1 introduced a road maintenance agreement with Cottonwood Falls and noted the agreement’s original signature dates (county's copy shows signatures dated 06/22/2023 and the city-signed copy dated 07/05/2023, transcript: SEG 735–736; SEG 736). The commission moved to approve and sign the agreement; the motion was seconded and carried. Staff were instructed to provide the signed copy for attestation and record.

On emergency services, Speaker 6 (emergency-services leadership) asked for approval to purchase battery-powered hydraulic rescue spreaders/cutters to replace older hydraulic units and said the cost is covered in the department’s budget. Commissioners discussed certification, training (five staff had recently attended training), and the possibility of acquiring a used engine/truck to replace an older tender; Speaker 6 said he will ‘‘go look at it’’ and that the department has budget capacity to proceed if the vehicle condition and certification look acceptable.

Commissioners also discussed sharing equipment across departments when appropriate, and possible donated radios and paint to outfit a replacement truck. No formal purchase motion for vehicle acquisition was recorded in open session, but departments were directed to continue due diligence and report back.

What’s next: Clerk and department heads will process the signed road agreement for recordation; emergency services will pursue specifications, pricing and training requirements for the battery rescue tools and report cost/benefit details at a future meeting.