Bob Fredrickson of Ellsworth had several comments for Ellsworth County commissioners Monday as a follow-up to the discussion he had with them at an earlier commission meeting.

He started with the idea of a county administrator. “I sure hope sometime you guys have a good discussion on that issue and do some research on it,” Fredrickson said.

Fredrickson said people he has talked to have been in favor of the idea, especially with the variety of things coming in the future at the state level which, in turn, will flow down to counties and cities in Kansas.

He suggested having a county/ city administrator combination. However, that might be opposed by Wilson, Holyrood and Kanopolis.

“But that’s a political issue,” Fredrickson said.

He also contacted Kansas 108th District Rep. Steven Johnson, R-Assaria, about the matter.

Fredrickson learned that Russell County has a county administrator, former sheriff John Fletcher.

Fredrickson suggested Ellsworth and Russell counties might share a county administrator.

“It might help doing the daily functions of a lot of the inquiries you get and the research I think you are going to have to do in the future,” he said.

The commissioners, as always, would have the final decision on any matter brought before them.

Commissioner Dennis Rolfs said he would be interested in the county have Fletcher come to a future commission meeting to tell them what he does and how he operates.

Fredrickson then turned to a post he saw Stacie Schmidt, the county’s economic development director, made on continuing to find ways local providers can partner with those on the state and federal level to make it cost effective to develop our rural broadband infrastructure.

“Now that’s some job a county administrator could jump right on,” he said.

Fredrickson said Johnson is going to contact the office of broadband at the state commerc department in Topeka to work on the continuing issue of AT&T having certain access to service area here in the county.

“They aren’t doing anything as far as broadband,” Fredrickson added. “That is where a county administrator would be helpful.” In other business:

In other business:

• Emily Benedict of the North Central Regional Planning Commission in Beloit, gave commissioners a brief update to clarify some specifics of the Ellsworth County Comprehensive Plan.

First, she noted Kansas statutes note a county cannot have a comprehensive plan unless it has an appointed zoning and planning commission. Ellsworth County does not have a dedicated commission. As such, Benedict said the Ellsworth County commissioners won’t adopt the completed plan; rather it will be used as an informational guide.

“Contrary to what was presented, it will be the most recent data on everything,” she said. “And at the end of the document there will be some loose recommendations of some things the county might consider moving forward.”

Rolfs said there has been some concern amongst property owners in the county that the plan was connected in some way with the proposed National Heritage areas.

“That was unfortunate timing,” Benedict said.

“This was stressed at the meeting that this (the county comprehensive plan) wasn’t to establish zones in the county for this purpose or that purpose,” Rolfs said. “So I think that relieved some of the tension.”

Benedick said the goal is to have a substantial completed document by Feb. 1, with a final document presented to the commissioners and the public by the beginning of March.

She said one more public meeting is planned when the document is ready.