Karen Vines, the county’s health insurance advisor, addresses the Stevens County Commissioners Monday morning with bad news. Looking over the figures, from left to right, are County Attorney Paul Kitzke, Commissioner Tron Stegman, Commissioner Pat Hall, Commissioner Joe D. Thompson, County Clerk Amy Jo Tharp and Karen Vines.

The Board of Stevens County Commissioners met in regular session Monday, October 23. All members, Tron Stegman, Pat Hall and Joe D. Thompson were present. Also present were, County Clerk Amy Jo Tharp, County Attorney Paul Kitzke and RoGlenda Coulter from The Hugoton Hermes.

Agenda: 8:30 – Bills; 8:45 – Tony Martin; 9:00 – Karen Vines; 10:15 – David Geist – SWKAA; 10:30 – Nex-Tech discussion; 11:00 – Cammie Heaton; 11:10 – Ross Sullivan.

The meeting was called to order. Bills were gone over. A few questions were asked and discussed. Motion was made and passed to approve the county vouchers and the minutes.

Tony Martin came in for Public Works. Tony and the Commissioners discussed the matter of tires at the Landfill. Tony said Waste Managementpicks up the tires approximately every three months. They are loaded into a semi, weighed and hauled off. The landfill is then billed for them.

They discussed the future wind/solar farms. Tony is to meet with the Ford County Attorney Tuesday, October 24. He will then share the meeting details with the Stevens County Zoning Board. Tony told the Commissioners they were doing random drug testing at the county departments. They talked about a complaint of various trucks pulling out of intersections.

Karen Vines was next on the agenda. She represents HUB and is the health insurance advisor for the county. She brought all the details for Blue Cross and Blue Shield for the county employees. It was not good news. There will be an increase in the cost per employee. There is an option of raising the deductible to keep the price down. This created a complicated dilemma for the Commissioners. Also Ms. Vines advised that all Blue Cross users will be getting a letter in the mail concerning drug details. Do Not Throw Away These Letters!!! They require a form to be filled out and sent back! It’s very important that these letters be addressed and will possibly be to the customers’ benefit.

After Ms. Vines left, the Commissioners continued to discuss the changes in health insurance. The options may include: deduct the difference between the single coverage and the family coverage from salary each month (approximately $150 to $200); drop all family coverage and pay just the single coverage for each employee; take the option of the much higher deductible; or take the high price and not give a cost of living raise later. These were just a few of the ideas the Commissioners were discussing. It’s a very hard decision.

David Geist from the Southwest Kansas Area Agency on Aging (SWKAAA) came in to update the Commissioners. His department covers 28 area counties. They offer: help with keeping elderly in their home as long as possible; health counseling; legal services; and possible employment prospects, just to name a few. Mr. Geist advised that they need representatives from Stevens County. This is a voluntary three year term. They meet every three months and pay for the road trip. Stevens County also is in need of a Silver Hair representative. Rusty Tuman was asked to come in and offer advice on the county’s Nex-Tech programs. Amy Jo also had a representative from Nex-Tech on speaker phone. Rusty had some good advice for the Commissioners. He also had advice of how to save a lot of money and still keep the security in check. Cammie Heaton came in with some updates for the Health Department. Courthouse Facilities Supervisor Ross Sullivan stopped in with updates and requests. Meeting adjourned.

The Stevens County Fire Department personnel from left to right are Rafael Maldonado, Phil Gooch, Tom Torrey, Rodney Kelling, Phillip Thompson, Hayden Harris, Kayla Harris, Bailey Esarey and Jacob Bell. We thank each and every one of you for keeping our community safe.

The Stevens County Fire Department is teaming up with the National Fire Protection Association® (NFPA®) — the official sponsor of Fire Prevention WeekTM (FPW) for more than 100 years — to promote this year’s FPW campaign, “Cooking safety starts with YOU. Pay attention to fire preventionTM.” The campaign works to educate everyone about simple but important actions they can take when cooking to keep themselves and those around them safe.

According to NFPA, cooking is the leading cause of home fires and home fire injuries in the United States. Unattended cooking is the leading cause of cooking fires and deaths.

“Year after year, cooking remains the leading cause of home fires by far, accounting for half (49 percent) of all U.S. home fires,” said Lorraine Carli, vice president of outreach and advocacy at NFPA. “These numbers tell us that there is still much work to do when it comes to better educating the public about ways to stay safe when cooking.”

The Stevens County Fire Department encourages all residents to embrace the 2023 Fire Prevention Week theme, “Cooking safety starts with YOU,” said Rodney Kelling, Fire Chief. “A cooking fire can grow quickly. I have seen many homes damaged and people injured by fires that could easily have been prevented.”

Stevens County Fire Department offers these key safety tips to help reduce the risk of a cooking fire.

1. Watch what you heat. Always keep a close eye on what you are cooking. Set a timer to remind you that you are cooking.

2. Turn pot handles toward the back of the stove. Always keep a lid nearby when cooking. If a small grease fire starts, slide the lid over the pan and turn off the burner.

3. Have a “kid- and pet-free zone” of at least 3 feet (1 meter) around the stove or grill and anywhere else hot food or drink is prepared or carried.

For more general information about Fire Prevention Week and cooking safety, visit www.fpw.org. For fire safety fun for kids, visit sparky.org.