ROBERT PIERCE
• Leader & Times
The Seward County Commission welcomed three new members to its board and voted on its leadership Monday.
Prior to the commission’s regular meeting, County Clerk Stacia Long swore in the three newest commissioners, Jairo Vazquez, Clay Louderback and John Mettlen.
The three commissioners were chosen by the Seward County Republican Party to replace former Chair Scott Carr, former Vice Chair Tammy Sutherland-Abbott and former Commissioner Presephoni Fuller, all of whom resigned at the commission’s Dec. 15 meeting, exactly three months after the trio voted for a 14-mill increase over the Revenue Neutral Rate for the county’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget.
At the meeting itself, the commission chose its leadership for 2026. For chairman, Commissioner Todd Stanton, who along with Commissioner Steve Helm, remained from the current commission, made the motion to make Helm the chairman. Vazquez seconded the motion, and the commission voted unanimously to make Helm the chairman.
As for vice chairman, Louderback made a motion to choose Stanton for the position. Mettlen seconded the motion, and again, the vote was unanimous for Stanton.
The rest of the meeting was mainly routine items, the first of which saw Juvenile Corrections and Prevention Services Director Chelsea Droste introduce three new employees to her agency. Those employees were Immediate Intervention Program Juvenile Supervisors Carl Silva and Ivan Lamas and Financial Administrative Assistant Rocio Munoz.
Commissioners tabled two items on Monday’s agenda, including a waiver request for the Seward County Activity Center and an appointment to the county’s Planning and Zoning board. The latter was tabled to consider an application that had been submitted after the deadline.
Commissioners voted unanimously to accept an increase of $6,157 for a total of $20,522 for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s Public Health Emergency Preparedness grant and to allow Seward County Health Department Director Brie Greeson the amended paperwork.
The commission likewise voted unanimously to approve Resolution 2026-01 designating the county’s bank depositories as Equity Bank, Sunflower Bank, Community Bank, Bank of Beaver City and Bank of the Plains for 2026.
Resolution 2026-02, designating the Leader & Times as the county’s official newspaper, was also approved unanimously, as was Resolution 2026-03 to complete the necessary paperwork for workers compensation coverage, notice, resolution and bylaws for the county.
“On Dec. 15, the Board of County Commissioners accepted the bid and improved for Seward County workers compensation coverage through (Kansas Workers Risk Cooperative for Counties),” agenda information said.
The financial impact of that item was $222,889, and as part of the motion, the resolution would be signed by Helm, with the bylaws returned to KWORC and filed in the Register of Deeds office.
“We also received the W-9, premium statement and certification of coverage for 2026,” agenda information stated.
Finally, commissioners updated their 2026 portfolio assignments, as Administrator April Warden went through the list of boards commissioners serve as liaisons for as part of their duties.
Commissioners did have two legal executive sessions totaling just more than an hour concerning the ongoing Board of Tax Appeals case with Arkalon Energy. However, no action was taken as a result of the sessions.
