ette and Don Weiss, Jr. wasted little time moving through the agenda of the Mar. 14 commissioners’ meeting, which included visits from Chase County Community Hospital CEO Steve Lewis and Chase County Sheriff Kevin Mueller.
    Sheriff Mueller, with help from Chase County Attorney Arlan Wine, discussed the county jail’s policy on accepting inmates with medical issues.
    As the county and the City of Imperial continue to dispute who is responsible for a $436 bill to Chase County Community Hospital, lawyers for the county and city believe now may be the time to settle the issue once and for all.
    The problem stems from a disturbing the peace arrest a City of Imperial officer made in December. The individual appeared intoxicated and the dispatcher at the county jail would not accept the prisoner until he had been medically cleared. The prisoner was taken to the hospital for an examination.
    According to Mueller, there is a list of medical questions, per Jail Standards, that must be answered before a prisoner is accepted.
    City of Imperial Attorney Josh Wendell and Wine have exchanged correspondence with neither side backing down. Both are open to moving on to the district court for a ruling.
    Weiss agreed, saying it needs to be clarified either way for in the future. He added that now, when the bill is only a matter of hundreds of dollars, would be better than waiting until a larger bill comes in.
     Wine expects an answer in a matter of weeks.
 

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