Resigning 2nd District Atchison Co Commissioner Eric Noll/Credit: Atchison County

 

(KAIR)--Atchison County's 2nd District Commissioner has resigned, effective January 28. 

Eric Noll made the announcement during Tuesday's regular weekly meeting of the Atchison County Commission. 

Noll cited the need for "new eyes" for County leadership as a reason behind his departure, saying, he doesn't think he has the "drive...to effectively do this job," adding he wants to see "somebody with new eyes and help the County and my district."

Noll has served in the seat for nearly 11 years, first appointed to fill an unexpired vacancy and then elected by county voters. 

His fellow Commissioners, Casey Quinn and James Campbell, thanked him for his service, saying they enjoyed serving along with him. 

Also present during the meeting was former County Commissioner Bill Pohl who previously served with Noll. He presented the outgoing Commissioner with a cake, wishing him the best, saying "now you can relax, the stress is gone." 

Prior to the start of the new year, County Treasurer Connie Ellerman resigned. Her interim replacement was publicly named Tuesday by Quinn, who said Paige Schmidt will occupy that role until a formal replacement is appointed, along with another to occupy the vacancy created by Noll, January 29. 

Following Quinn's announcement, she turned to the matter of contracting for County Counselor services, following last year's resignation of Patrick Henderson who was appointed as District Court Judge. The Commission unanimously approved the services of David Van Parys to fill the role at $150 per hour with a 60-hour monthly cap. 

The Commission then turned to what Quinn called "a disengagement letter" from the County's auditing firm, Varney & Associates, CPAs, LLC. Quinn read aloud the letter, which called December's resignation of County Finance Director Mark Zeltner "the deciding factor" because "he was the staff member that pulled everything together for us," with the letter also citing discussion following the completion of the County's 2024 audit due to "concerns centered around the Treasurer's office," with the firm saying, "those issues still exist." 

The firm had conducted the County's audits for the past two years, with Quinn saying a replacement will be discussed at the Commission's meeting next week.  

Also Tuesday, Quinn acknowledged the weekend UTV crash that left Road & Bridge Superintendent, Joe Snyder, hospitalized, saying the County has him in their thoughts and they look forward to his return.