Fort Scott, KS - The Bourbon County Commission approved weekly financials and adjourned in under six minutes on Monday, with three members absent or attending by phone.
With several commissioners unable to attend the meeting in person, the board trimmed its agenda and confined itself to routine business — accounts payable, monthly financials, and approval of prior meeting minutes.
Commission Chairman Samuel Tran and Commissioner Joe Allen participated via telephone due to out-of-town travel, while Commissioner David Beerbower was absent. Commissioner Mika Milburn-Kee (acting as Chairwoman) and Commissioner Gregg Motley were present in person.
Because of the limited physical attendance of commissioners, the commission voted unanimously to remove a planned discussion regarding telecommunications firm TUSA Consultants with Sheriff Bill Martin from the agenda at Martin's request.
The commission acted on five additional items before adjourning:
- Approval of Meeting Minutes: The commission voted to sign and approve the May 18 minutes, while approving amendments to the May 11 minutes to correct passages that had been misattributed to Commissioner Milburn-Kee. The motion passed unanimously with all voting members in favor.
- Approval of April 2026 Financials: The commission voted unanimously to approve the county's financial report for April 2026.
- Approval of Tax Corrections: The commission voted unanimously to approve county tax corrections.
- Approval of Accounts Payable: The commission voted to approve the accounts payable for May 22 ($139,611.15) and May 29 ($456,069.00). The motion passed with a 3–0 vote, with Tran abstaining because his remote attendance prevented him from visually reviewing the documents.
- Authorization for Check Signing: The commission voted unanimously to officially authorize Commissioner Gregg Motley to sign accounts payable checks on behalf of Commissioner Joe Allen during his absence.
Primary Field Set as Candidate Deadline Passes
Hours earlier, the noon candidate filing deadline closed, leaving multiple Bourbon County Commission races contested in the August primary.
In District 1, three candidates filed for the Republican primary: Lyle K. (Pete) Owenby, Mike Hueston and Lisa Dillon. The winner will face Democrat Clinton L. Walker in the November general election.
In District 3, incumbent Republican Joe Allen faces a primary challenge from fellow Republican Josh Jones.
In District 4, incumbent Republican Gregg Motley filed for re-election and currently runs unopposed.
Independent candidates can file via petition for the November general election until noon on Monday, August 3rd. To qualify, the candidates must collect valid signatures from at least 4% of the registered voters living within their district.
