Bettis Asphalt regularly wins competitive low-bid Shawnee County public works contracts. There is no public evidence of improper funneling by Rich Eckert.

Bettis Asphalt & Construction (Topeka-based, family-owned, major local paving/road contractor) is a frequent low bidder on Shawnee County road, culvert, pavement, and parking-lot projects. Awards go through the normal process: Public Works staff (Director Curt Niehaus) recommend acceptance of the low bid, and the Board of County Commissioners approves them (typically 3-0).

Examples of recent Shawnee County awards to Bettis

  • March 2025: ~$10+ million low bid for NW 46th Street improvements (Fielding to Rochester). Engineer's estimate was higher (~$13M); funded from half-cent sales tax. Staff recommended; 3-0 vote.
  • 2025: $1.82 million multi-culvert replacement on SE Barrington Road.
  • 2025: $432k pavement replacement on SE Croco Road; $70k courthouse parking lot sealcoat/curb work.
  • 2025: Low bid (~$423k) for SW Westport Drive / SW 55th Terrace street improvements; low bid (~$2.3M) for SE Berryton Road culvert replacement (rebid).
  • Earlier: Multiple smaller jobs (parking lots, overlays, Nottingham Road reconstruction ~$800k in 2023, etc.). They also win substantial KDOT and Kansas Turnpike work in the region.

Public Works staff present the low bid and recommend award. Commissioners vote to accept. This is standard competitive bidding for asphalt and road work in a market where Bettis is one of the dominant local firms (along with others like King Construction, Schmidtlein, etc.).

Eckert connection

Eckert left the County Counselor role at the end of November 2016 and became general counsel at Bettis Asphalt. He returned as County Counselor in late 2023 (approved by the commissioners, including Cook). In 2019, while at Bettis, he appeared before the Douglas County Commission seeking a temporary permit for a portable asphalt plant.

No public records or news reports show Eckert personally steering or influencing specific Shawnee County bid awards to Bettis. Awards are documented as low-bid recommendations from Public Works. Kansas local procurement generally requires competitive bidding for construction projects above certain thresholds; staff and the commission handle the process.

Budget and further digging

Shawnee County’s overall budget is publicly reported (2026 adopted ~$151.7M; 2027 ~$163.7M). Public Works operating budget is a portion of that (around $10M range in recent years per news summaries). Full detailed budget documents and capital improvement plans are typically available via the county website (snco.gov), clerk’s office, or Kansas Department of Administration municipal budgets portal. Detailed vendor payment histories, bid tabulations, and contract files are public records.

A Kansas Open Records Act (KORA) request is the practical next step for deeper detail. You (or anyone) can request from the County Clerk or Public Works:

  • All contracts, change orders, and payments to Bettis Asphalt & Construction (or related entities) for a defined period (e.g., 2017–present).
  • Bid tabulations, engineer’s estimates, and staff recommendations for those projects.
  • Any correspondence or conflict-of-interest disclosures involving Eckert and Bettis contracts.

The county has an online portal or email process for KORA requests. Response times are set by statute (generally a few business days for acknowledgment, then a reasonable time for production).

Bottom line from public sources: Bettis wins a lot of Shawnee County paving and road work because it submits competitive low bids on the kinds of projects it specializes in. That is visible in commission minutes and bid results. There is no publicly documented evidence that Eckert is improperly directing or funneling those awards. A KORA request is the clean way to get the full payment and bid history if you want to examine it further.



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