The Fort Scott City Commission voted 4-1 during their normal meeting on June 2 to approve a one-year funding request of $30,000 for Core Community Bourbon County following a lengthy discussion about the program's progress, staffing, and financial sustainability.
Deana Betts, the community liaison for Core Community, presented the request and explained the program's foundational mission to the commission.
"The mission of core community really is to engage a community to lift people out of poverty," Betts said. "We create an environment that educates, empowers, and equips our members to move up and out of poverty successfully."
Betts said that the program has successfully graduated 29 people, helping participants collectively decrease their debt by nearly $40,000 and increase their income by $160,000.
Commissioner Tim Van Hoecke questioned why the current request was double the city's initial 2023 contribution of $15,000 and asked about a $19,000 allocation for a coach's salary. He recalled the 2023 agreement, saying the program originally aimed for self-sufficiency.
"The goal was I think $75,000 to kick it off total and then trying to get it to $100,000, which would make it a self-sustaining program after that," Van Hoecke said.
Betts said the coach's role requires a dedicated, paid professional because of the direct work the position involves with participants.
"Our coach is the person who directly works with the people in the program. She does the recruiting. She helps them out of crisis. Partnering with the Redemption House has increased the need for her services," Betts said. "There's just more need there to navigate and with two houses coming on board, it's been a lot to navigate those needs and that has been one of the reasons to come back to you."
Betts also told the Commission that the requested $30,000 from the city would go towards a total annual budget of roughly $87,000, with the rest provided by area faith-based and private organizations, as well as some area businesses.
Van Hoecke also asked whether the organization planned to approach the county - who contributed $50,000 in initial funding in 2023 - for future contributions.
"The county is challenging at this time, so I'm not sure how to answer that," Betts said, drawing laughter from some of the commissioners and city officials present.
Wells described Betts' answer as "very diplomatic."
"I don't understand why everybody's laughing," Van Hoecke said in response, drawing another round of scattered laughter.
Mayor Kathryn Salsbury supported the funding, noting the program aligns with recent commission discussions regarding preventative measures for local homelessness. Dancer, however, shared Van Hoecke's initial reservations regarding the salary portion and the program's long-term self-sustainment.
Dancer initially motioned to table the funding discussion until the next meeting in June, but the motion died without a second. When the roll call vote was taken on a modified one-year funding approval, Dancer explained his opposition.
"If only because we have seven months left in this year and I have not heard anybody come to the podium or from the city with recommendations on other programs for use of this money. No," Dancer said.
Wells moved to approve the funding cycle under the condition that the organization return for a progress review in one year, which ultimately passed 4-1.
"I have personally seen the success of this particular program and with where the funds are coming from, I'm a little bit more at peace with giving those funds," Wells said.
Action Taken on Multiple Alleged Unsafe Structures
Codes Officer Leroy Kruger presented several resolutions regarding allegedly dangerous and unsafe local properties, separating those requiring immediate action from those needing public hearings to spur potential action.
Demolition and Removal Orders
The commission voted on final resolutions directing the immediate repair or removal of two properties alleged to be unsafe and dangerous, and removed discussion of a third property that had already been taken down.
- 1403 E. Oak St. (Resolution No. 6-2026): Approved unanimously 5-0. Kruger said there had been no movement on the property for six months and that it was barely standing.
- 18 S. Holbrook St. (Resolution No. 11-2026): Approved in a 4–1 vote, with Commissioner Wells casting the lone dissenting vote. Kruger said the property had drawn frequent neighbor complaints regarding vermin, squatters, and overgrowth.
- 406 S. Horton St. (Resolution No. 24-2026): The commission voted unanimously to remove this item from the agenda after being informed the structure had already been approved for removal and successfully taken down.
Notices of Public Hearings
The commission unanimously approved four separate resolutions to establish official public hearing dates for properties alleged to be dangerous. These notices serve as an initial step to motivate owners to present a repair plan before the city orders demolition.
- 1701 E. Wall St. (Resolution No. 20-2026): Passed unanimously in a 5–0 vote. Kruger said that the roof is collapsing, the windows are missing, and that it has open front and back doors.
- 723 W. 5th St. (Resolution No. 21-2026): Passed unanimously in a 5-0 vote. Kruger said that there has been no movement on the house for over a year, and that the city has repeatedly mowed the property, and that the collapsing privacy fence is falling into the yards of neighbors.
- 123 S. Wilson St. (Resolution No. 22-2026): Passed unanimously in a 5–0 vote. Kruger said the structure features a large hole in the tarped-over roof and is past the point of repair.
- 414 W. 4th St. (Resolution No. 23-2026): Passed unanimously in a 5–0 vote. Kruger said the owner began independent demolition but halted work, requiring city intervention to finalize the removal.
Other Action
- Consent Agenda: The commission unanimously approved the full consent agenda, which passed $487,980.60 in standard city expenditures, a $13,000.00 progress billing to JCM Restoration for Gunn Park wall repairs, and $57,500.00 in airport design fees to Olsson.
- Airport Lighting Contract Awarded Unanimously: The commission voted unanimously to award a $398,158.40 infrastructure contract to low-bidder Strukel Electric to replace the taxiway edge lighting system at Fort Scott Municipal Airport.
- Airport Construction Engineering Agreement Approved Unanimously: A subsequent unanimous vote approved Letter Agreement Amendment No. 1 with Olsson Aviation to oversee full-time construction engineering, materials testing, and project closeout operations.
- Tabled Appearance By Fort Scott Barbershop Owner:The commission voted unanimously to table a scheduled update from property owner Jose Montanez regarding 118 E. Wall St. until the next meeting in June.
- Gunn Park Camping Restrictions Passed 4-1: The commission voted 4-1 to direct the drafting of an amendment to Ordinance No. 3606, enforcing a mandatory 30-day vacancy period for campers after a 14-day stay. Commissioner Wells cast the dissenting vote. City Manager Brad Matkin told the commission that this would address a “tremendous problem” of campers being able to stay at the park indefinitely under the current version of the ordinance.
- City Engineering and Infrastructure Updates: City Engineer Jason Dittman gave an update on multiple city projects to the commission
- Moody Building Update: City Attorney Bob Farmer reported difficulty reaching the appropriate IRS office about the federal tax lien on the historic Moody Building, saying repeated calls to different offices and numbers had yielded no answers.
- Fireworks Discharge Deliberation Request: Mayor Kathryn Salsbury requested that a review of the city's permanent fireworks discharge timeframe be placed on the next agenda, noting she intends to deliver a short presentation explaining her position.
- Traffic Ordinance Discrepancies: Commissioner Wells highlighted that several downtown commercial loading practices and local parking habits directly violate the standard traffic ordinance passed late last year. The commission agreed to review these guidelines alongside the police chief to evaluate potential updates or enforcement resolutions.
- Closed Executive Session Conducted: The commission voted unanimously to recess into a 30-minute private executive session to conduct preliminary discussions regarding the acquisition of real property under state exception KSA 75-4319(b)(6). No action was taken when they returned to normal session.
