Commissioners Court - Regular Meeting

All right, I'd like to welcome everyone to our regular Commissioner's Court meeting. The last day of the month, and this half the year is gone. It's amazing how fast it's going. We're going to begin this morning with our invocation and our pledges. If you'd join me, stand please. Father, we're grateful for today. We're grateful for this year and the country in which we live. We're thankful for those who protect us in whatever job that they have, and we're grateful for that. But we're mindful this week of the loss of a life one of our own that was killed. We ask that you be with this family. They've got a lot to go through over the years yet to come. Be with us as we make decisions today that we do the right thing. Forgive us all. In your son's name, amen. All right. I have a couple of routine correspondence items. The Maybank Rodeo is going on this week. And then let's see. The red, white, and blue kaboom here in Kauffman is happening. Big fireworks show. So make yourself available for that. Anyone have anything else? All right. So we will move on to our routine correspondence. We only have two items. A is to discuss and accept the Commissioner's Court regular minutes meeting for June the 23rd of 26, and discuss and accept the Commissioner's Court workshop meeting minutes for June the 23rd of 2026. Any changes, comments? No, I'll make a motion. Mr. Phillips makes the motion. Do I have a second? I'll second. Mr. Crow makes a second. All in favor say aye. Aye. Motion carried. Ms. Shannon, number three. Discussed considering an appeal of subdivision variance decision made by Development Support Committee for Parcel ID 246893 per Section 130111 of the subdivision regulations. Good morning, Ms. Shannon.

Good morning.

Yes, ma'am.

So Ms. Sandy Ray purchased some property from a neighbor on County Road 345 earlier this year, and when she applied for an address, the addressing team was unable to assign an address because there was a frontage issue. Based on the survey, there's 20 feet of frontage, and it doesn't meet the requirements per the frontage order. And they also determined that it didn't appear that that was properly subdivided. It didn't go through a platting process. So they referred her to Land Division, and I began working with her. I met with her on April 8th, and we discussed the variance process, that she could apply for that, and the committee would review that request. We also discussed the potential need for a variance for the driveway spacing because, again, based on the information that we had, it seemed that the driveways did not meet the minimum 20-foot requirement also on the frontage order. We did explain that we would not have her apply for that until we spoke to Precinct 3 to determine if the culverts that were out there were properly permitted. Because if that was the case, then there may not be a need for that variance if that had gone through them for approval. So I can let Commissioner Lane speak more to that. We ended up getting the variance application for frontage. The committee did review that request. And during that review, it was also noted that the lot did not meet the usable space calculations because of a pond at the back of the property. So again, we didn't want to place any undue burdens on her. We had her apply for the one variance that was the major obstacle, which was the frontage. We started there. But the committee found that they could not approve that in good conscience because of the other variances that would be required. And they denied the variance. So according to our regulations, Ms. Ray can appeal that decision. And Ms. Amy Ledoux is here to speak on her behalf today. Ms. Ray is also here. And if they can come up now and speak to you.

Yeah, come up.

Hello, Commissioners.

Good morning, good morning.

Judge Allen.

Yes, ma'am.

This is the first time I've ever come to this meeting. Yes, it is.

You can state your name, please.

Amy Ledoux. I work with John Burt. I'm his sister, too, so I have that privilege. Do you mind if I hand out a map? No, no. So you can kind of get a good picture of this. So I've worked with Shannon and Monique and all the folks at Coffman County Development Services off and on throughout the years, and I know they have their hands full, you all do, with the Wild West that is Coffman County and some of the things that have to be managed. We come across these cases every once in a while, and they're so upsetting because Ms. Ray purchased this property from the Cox family and purchased was given no information about these county regulations, has no way of knowing about any of this. And it's not as if there's a speed limit sign somewhere. You know, there's just not. She had the property surveyed, and the surveyor did not mention this. The surveyor's out of business now, is that correct?

Yes, for health reasons.

For health reasons. So no recourse there. Went through Ranger Title. Nobody said a word. And I know that they don't all have that obligation to do so, but you would kind of think somebody would say something like, hey, you're not going to be able to get permitted for this. So she has spent quite a bit of savings. It is not money that, you know, is going to be recouped. This property, if you deny this, it's not going to have any value. And she's going to have to go another pathway. So we are just hoping that you all will consider that this is a small ask and for this 911 variance, and hopefully you'd approve the other ones too, because it is a small house that you're looking at building.

Small cabin.

Yep. To be next to her daughter, who is here. Yes. So basically her retirement home. So what do you want to add to that, Sandra?

Well, my health is failing, and that's why I want to be closer to my only daughter. It's just easier if I'm that close, rather than in Richardson, where I am now.

And we just feel like these are, she's truly a victim. And if you had known, you would have.

No, I feel like I've been scammed somehow.

Right, right. So we're just appealing that you all would consider giving her that variance so she can set up her little home and be near her daughter. So anything else we need to add?

I understand. And like I said, there are other aspects to this that aren't meeting the criteria of the regulations either that they've run into. Mm-hmm. I can't recommend to give you a variance myself, really, because I just, like I say, there's probably two or three more items that are on there that still wouldn't meet it.

Well, it's frustrating because, you know, right down the road, we've got the neighbor with the piles of junk. And, you know, we see so many other county violations.

Oh, sure.

And I know you all are dealing with that. I know you guys are hands full. It's not really a criticism. But we just feel like this is such a tiny ask for a single person in a tiny house. to have this space made available so she doesn't lose her investment or get hung up in a big lawsuit, which is another thing you might have to do, but you can't afford it. And so she's just out.

Now, may I ask you the Cox next door, is that your family?

No.

Is it a stranger to you, you don't know them?

Friends for many years.

Okay. Would they not be willing to give you, sell you a little bit more to get you that frontage?

They don't have it to give.

Okay. I know we have certain, one of the biggest things, I was just looking at the layout here, is usable sewer, that's going to be, like today, if we say, yeah, oh yeah, we're going to help you on the frontage, next it's going to be, hey, we have one more problem, which is going to be the usable sewage space, which all the people we deny, we deny every week, no, you can't do that because you don't have one acre of usable space, and it's like, Once we open this, it becomes Pandora box where you did it for her. So it's not that we don't. We have to kind of view that across the board. That's another issue. I say that if we granted this, we'd be creating a second problem and then maybe a third problem. You know what I'm saying? So that's why it's not that we're not being compassionate about your needs and wants. It's just we have to view ourselves.

Well, I don't know what recourse people have like this. Because this isn't the first time this has happened. And I don't know what people are supposed to do when they're trying to make an investment. Obviously, if they had a realtor, it would be on the realtor. But this was just a really simple transaction. It didn't require a realtor. And people are just getting stuck. And we feel like there are these relatively small adjustments. It's not as if it's three houses or three mobile homes going in. It's one little house, one little person. But I understand that we have the septic problem, but hopefully there would be a solution to that.

Okay. I'd just like to say, how about the neighbor on the other side of you?

She's not willing to sell right now, but I don't know what she would need to sell me.

Because I think you'd almost have to be able to do that to be able to pick up the amount so your septic would handle, too, if you could get just a little bit more of her. Or one of them from one side to the other.

Then that would take care of the other variants too. If you get that done, then come back. Yeah. But then if you do that, then it would probably meet the regulations. You wouldn't have to come back. You wouldn't have to come back.

Yeah.

You know, so.

What's the land size? It's 1.5. 1.5.

It's got a floodplain. Is that a floodplain?

It's a pond. It's a wetland pond at the back of the property. I don't think it's a floodplain, though. It's not a floodplain. It's just a pond.

You can't spray sewage. You can't spray in the wetland.

Because of the easement requirement off of the pond, the rough calculations that were provided indicate that it's going to fall just below the usable space. And, again, that's not something that I would have been able to see. I'm not a designated representative, so I don't do those calculations. It was discovered during the discussion with the committee.

Okay. I'm sorry, but I'm recommending not to deny the variance.

Do we have a motion to have a second? I'll second. Commissioner Wormick, second. All in favor say aye. Aye. Motion carries. I'm hoping you can get something done on one neighbor or the other, so you won't have to come back.

Thank you, sir. Yes, ma'am. Well, thank you all for your time. Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you.

Number four, Commissioner Crowe, discuss, consider, and approve interlocal agreement between Kauffman County Precinct 1 and the City of Oak Grove for road work on County Roads 158, 159, Crest Lane, Lois Lane, Palmer, and Highland Drive. Yes, we're just going to go out there and patch all the holes. They've got a bunch of holes. Standard? Yes, standard. Okay. You make that in form of a motion? Yes. Yeah, I'll make a motion. Do you have a second? I'll second. Mr. Phillips makes a second. All in favor say aye. Aye. Motion carries. Mr. Moore discussed considering to approve a worksite release temporary construction easement agreement with Indian Oaks Golf Course to facilitate proper drainage along County Road 4067.

Yes, this is going to be... This culvert was put in like 40 years ago, the original culvert. Our culvert that was put in, their culvert run inside of our culvert. It was a smaller culvert. It went under the fence. I attached some pictures under the little golf course trail. But for us to be able to get that water off that road, we have to put in a larger culvert system, but it just needs to put two culverts in there so that the water will flow to get that access off the road. So being it's partially on private property, just under that fence, I wanted to get approval for you guys to make sure we're good at doing that.

And Ken's already agreed to that.

Yeah, Ken's already signed the form agreeing to allowing us to do that. So I'll make a motion to approve the temporary.

So we have a motion to approve. Do I have a second? I'll second. Commissioner Lane makes a second. All in favor say aye. Aye. Motion carried. Ms. Auditor, budget transfers, line item.

Yes, sir. So this week we do have a few routine line item transfers and budget amendments, and we ask for the court's approval.

Y'all saw those last week. Any questions? Need a motion to approve? I'll make a motion. Ms. Phelps makes the motion. Do I have a second? I'll second. Mr. Crow makes a second. All in favor say aye. Aye. Motion carries. Ms. Archer, once again, claims for payment.

This week we have accounts payable invoices, mostly made up of county road expenditures and community outreach, and we also have a few juror payments, and we ask for the court's approval to pay those.

Again, y'all have had those since last week. Any questions? Any motion to approve? I'll make a motion. Commissioner Lane makes the motion. Do I have a second? I'll second. Commissioner Cole makes a second. All in favor say aye. Aye. Motion carries. I'll make a motion to adjourn the meeting, please. Commissioner Phelps makes the motion to adjourn. Do I have a second? Aye. Commissioner Moore makes a second. All in favor say aye. Aye. Motion carries. Thank you.