OTTAWA – Franklin County Commissioner Ed Taylor said the county should dust off the county’s public building commission to buy the Neosho County Community College campus at Second and Beech for the new county juvenile detention center site. Issuing bonds through the public building commission, which is currently made up of county commissioners, would be faster and not necessarily subject to an election, he said. The county public building commission has been on the books for four years but has been little used. Taylor has asked for a study session on it. The county began negotiating for the Neosho campus because the county couldn’t immediately get utilities to a proposed site next to the Elizabeth Layton Center southwest of Ottawa. County administrator Lisa Johnson said the county could save $500,000 with the Neosho site because the county wouldn’t have to pay for electrical service or roads, nor have to build and maintain a rural septic system. Neosho County is building a new campus on K-68 and will leave its present campus.
Thursday, Aug. 19, 3:30 p.m.
