Serious road discussions opened up the first September Cloud County Commission meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 2, with Cloud County resident Ryan McMillan visiting with just two commissioners, Ron Copple and Dannie Kearn, due to chairman Mike Cleveland’s absence.
County clerk Shella Thoman and appraiser Kim Winsett joined this conversation, which mostly centered around Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) regulations. The main point of conversation was some recent communication that McMillan shared with commissioners about Trail Road, but didn’t divulge much further.
According to Copple, he would prefer to wait until Cleveland’s return to continue conversations with McMillan, so most of the conversation ended there.
“At the end of the day — I want to get a road built,” McMillan said.
Cloud County Highway and Weed Administrator Rod Michaud then joined the meeting after McMillan exited, and began discussing a little more than the routine.
Michaud first brought forward a proposal from Cloud County Community College for its commercial driver’s license (CDL) program, which is about $100 more expensive than the previous program through Fort Hays Tech North Central, which was about $2,300.
Commissioners stated that they didn’t mind the higher price because it also supports the local college, and so the county will enroll two new CDL candidates for the eight-week fall program. In other updates, Michaud said that Republic County road staff will help begin Cloud County’s yearly sealing project this week.
“Usually you get 3 miles a day — that’s how it used to be anyway,” Michaud said. “So 10 miles, we should be done Friday afternoon. That’s with everything going good.”
Michaud asked the commission to delay drone trainings for two of his employees due to missing the initial start of the semester at CCCC, but would like to enroll them in the spring.
After Michaud finished his report, commissioners then moved into handling routine business. This included approving the previous meeting’s minutes, a permit for some broadband infrastructure work on Camp Road and a class change for a county employee.
Cloud County Maintenance Manager Jeff Thoman then attended the meeting, and provided a quick update on some recent courthouse work he’s completed, alongside a new card program for wheelchair users to easily contact the courthouse when they plan to visit.
Thoman also announced that the District Court Offices are now closed over the lunch hour, and that part of the courthouse will be inaccessible until staff return.
Cloud County Health Department Administrator Tonya Sulanka arrived at the meeting for the commission’s next appointment with health department updates.
Sulanka first notified commissioners of her current investigation into 11 cases of high levels of lead contamination to the blood of a few residents, and what might cause it. Sulanka also mentioned that her department saw an increase in tuberculosis cases, and that tests for international students at CCCC cause no concern for her department.
Sulanka also stated that more Medicare funding cuts are likely coming from the state. Sulanka said that usually her department expects a 2% cut to their funding each year, but with some new policy discussions, it may be larger.
Commissioners also announced sheriff’s office employee Roger Garrett as Employee of the Month, highlighting his work for the courthouse’s security.
The total sales tax for August 2025 totaled to $94,367.62, which is around $3,000 more than last year’s August sales tax total.
With a few more discussions about the upcoming Kansas Association of Counties (KAC) conference in December and the county staff’s logistics, the meeting concluded for the day.
The next Cloud County Commission meeting will occur at 9 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 8, at the Cloud County Courthouse, 811 Washington Street in Concordia.
