Commission to consider airplane fuel credit sales

The Fort Scott City Commission will decide Tuesday whether to support a recommendation by the Fort Scott Airport Advisory Board to discontinue credit sales for airplane fuel at the airport.

The commission meeting will start at 6 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 1 E. Third St.

The issue of extending credit for fuel purchases came up at the Dec. 18 commission meeting when interim City Manager Bob Farmer put the topic on that meeting's agenda. The city reviewed its finances and Farmer asked why the city was extending credit, which he says tax dollars shouldn't be used for such purposes.

At the airport advisory board meeting Jan. 24, members voted unanimously to have customers pay for all their fuel purchases at the pumps, doing away with credit purchases.

Commissioners will also consider approving a request to allocate $7,500 toward the Bourbon County Chapter of the American Red Cross. The money will go toward many expenses that have recently hit the chapter. In the last year, the chapter has helped 12 families that have suffered damages from floods and fires to their properties. The number was well above the yearly average and well about the amount budgeted for.

City staff recommends the commission approve the first step the process of replacing a major water line under Wall Street by entering into an agreement with Professional Engineering Consultants to provide engineering services.

The city and Bronson are working on an agreement that would enable Bronson Police Department to use Fort Scott Police Department's dispatching services. There's been friction between officials from the two cities when, last year, Fort Scott said Bronson would have to pay for dispatching services as they have in the past but Bronson wanted a discounted rate because of financial hardships.

Bronson officials were forced to seek dispatching services elsewhere. They got it from Iola Police Department, which allowed them to use their dispatching center for free.

The two sides have recently been hashing out an agreement, which has been drafted but not passed by the commission.