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City Commission breaks in new digs
The Fort Scott Tribune
The Fort Scott City Commission broke in its new meeting room Tuesday by discussing a host of issues regarding the future of the town.
The bulk the items up for consideration were passage of resolutions and ordinances allowing for the issuance of general obligation bonds and general obligation temporary notes for several much needed repairs around the city. Among the repairs are improvements to the Mill Creek Lift Station and the city's water towers, cleaning of sludge from the city's sewer disposal site, Marmaton River Bridge, and the city's annual street and sidewalk improvement program.
Assistant City Manager Susan Brown told the commission that the southeast water tower needed repairs as recommended by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. One of the improvements needed is a coat of paint on the inside and the outside.
She also said that all of the city's water towers would be equipped with a mixer which would keep the water moving to eliminate development of bacteria. Brown added the towers should be inspected every five years, but it has been 15 since any of them have been looked at.
Bids for the bonds and the temporary notes will be reviewed on Feb. 15, at which time the city commission will choose which bids to accept. Fort Scott City Commissioner Gary Bukowski asked Brown if he would be able to look at a summary of the city's debt.
While all commissioners and stated their pleasure with the new City Hall, one issue was pointed out by Fort Scott City Commissioner Jim Adams. He said the main reason he voted to approve the move was to save money and now that the codes department is not moving, the city will not be saving money. After a brief discussion, Fort Scott City Manager Dave Martin informed commissioners that city staff will look into ways to address the issue and hope to find a solution that would benefit the Fort Scott Police and Fire departments, as well as the codes office.
In other business, the commission:
* Approved a payment of $92,834 to Rogers & Sons Concrete for repairs to the retaining wall near the intersection of National Avenue and Seventh Street.
* Approved a payment of $14,914 as the final payment to Buildet LLC for improvements done to the new City Hall, located at 123 S. Main.
* Approved a bid of $2,685 from Cutler Services of Fort Scott for the demolition of structures located at 115 S. Little. Fort Scott Codes Administrator Kent Hamlin said only one bid was returned, despite 11 contractors being directly contacted. He said the one bid returned was reasonable.
* Approved a committee recommendation to select Professional Engineering Consultants P.A. of Pittsburg to do the preliminary engineering, along with the construction engineering for the resurfacing project which would repave National Avenue from Sixth Street to 13th Street. Fort Scott Director of Public Works Eric Bailey said the city submitted a five-year plan in 2008 that was chosen by the Kansas Department of Transportation for funding. The committee that made the recommendation consisted of four city employees and one commissioner. Four firms were interviewed by the committee.
* Martin announced that the contract for a country show to return to Memorial Hall was finalized Tuesday. He said the Classic Country Show will have its opening night performance at 8 p.m., March 4. The two parties came to an agreement on a six-month contract and show organizers will take care of concessions.
* Approved the change of speed limit between the 1200 and 1500 blocks of Clark Street from 20 mph to 30 mph. Fort Scott Police Chief Ron Puterbaugh said he has no problem with the change and did not know why it was 20 mph to begin with. Fort Scott City Commissioner Sam Mason said a resident in the area had decided he wanted that section to be 20 mph, so he installed the signs and it went unchanged by the city. There was no announcement as to when the change will take place.
* Accepted a Kansas Wireless Enhanced 911 Grant in the amount of $70,360. Puterbaugh said the grant, which does not require a match by the city, will be used to update the aerial photographs of the city and the county which will be used along with the upgraded equipment, which was also funded by the same grant program.
* Passed a resolution regarding the citizenship of candidates filing for Fort Scott City Commission seats. Fort Scott City Attorney Robert Farmer said there had been no prior guidelines regarding a local resident who was going through the process of voluntary annexation and wished to file as a candidate for the panel. He said the individual wishing to file has begun the voluntary annexation process, however, the process will not be completed prior to the Jan. 25 filing deadline.
The commission passed a resolution stating that a candidate must be a resident of the city at the time he or she is sworn into office. A revision to the resolution will be presented at the next meeting which will not allow individuals to back out of the annexation process if he or she is not elected to office. The resolution passed by a vote of 4-1, Adams voted against it, while Commissioner Sam Mason abstained at first then changed his vote to yes.
* Changed the date of the meeting which was scheduled for 6 p.m., Feb. 1. The meeting will be held at 6 p.m., Jan. 31. The change was made because several members of the city staff and commission will be attending City Hall Day at the Capitol in Topeka.