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A star spangled third of July
Council OKs holding city fireworks display on day before the fourth
fireworks pic
Pictured is a past Great Bend fireworks display. This years Fourth of July show will actually be on July 3, the City Council voted Monday night. - photo by Tribune file photo

 The Great Bend City Council meeting at a glance

Here is a quick look at what the Great Bend City Council did Monday night:

• Approved holding the city Fourth of July fireworks display on the evening of July 3.

• Approved revisions to the city’s policy on the Employee Assistance Program through the Center for Counseling and Consultation. Currently, the city pays $2,700 annually for one free visit for each employee with any additional visits being paid for by the employee. But these can be submitted to their insurance, Human Resource Director Randy Keasling said. Under the change, employees are allowed up to three free visits that will be paid by the city at a cost of $100 per visit. Last year, the city only had one employee utilize the EAP and years prior we have had up to three employees use it, Keasling said. 

Councilman Brock McPherson was the only council member to vote against the change.

• Authorized the city to change its retirement plan documents to allow employees to invest the city’s contribution to the fund(s) of their choice immediately at time of enrollment.

As it is now, the city’s 401 (a) retirement plan is set up with an investment restriction on all city-match funds, specifying that those funds must be placed in a “safe” fund that the city has chosen, Keasling said. But, “employees have come to us asking to have the right to invest those City match dollars in a fund of their choosing and not have the restriction of those dollars being placed in the current fund.”

In researching this, the city learned from ICMA that the firm manges very few accounts that place this kind of investment restriction, Keasling said. Most offer employees access to invest match dollars as soon as they join the plan and start receiving match dollars.

Thus his recommendation to revise the our current match fund investment restriction and allow City employees the right to invest their match funds as they see fit immediately upon enrollment in the plan. This will become effective April 1. 

Again, McPherson was the only council member to vote against the change.

• Authorized the mayor to sign the amendment to the interim city administrators contract. The extension will be on a month-to-month basis.

• Authorized the mayor to sign the agreement with the Barton County Sheriff’s Office, exchanging the city’s police dog Kia for a new patrol car provided by the BCSO.

The agreement is to trade one of the city’s police dogs, Kia, along with the police dog vehicle, 2016 Ford Interceptor with all equipment and the equipment for the dog for $38,000 to purchase a 2018 Ford Interceptor with a five-year/100,000-mile extended warranty as well as the cost and installation of equipment, City Attorney Bob Suelter said.  

• Authorized the Mayor Joe Adnrasek to sign the agreement relative to the construction and maintenance of highway crossing signals on 17th St. Terrace between McKinley and White Sands Drive across from Veterans Memorial Park.

The deal is between the Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad Company, the City of Great Bend, and the State of Kansas. It involves a crossing signal, flashing light and cantilever type gates, city engineering technician Karl Otter said.

The only cost to the city would be to maintain the pavement markings and signage, which it already does.

• Authorized the mayor to sign the notice of award to the low bidder, Unruh Excavating, for $229,592.25 to do grading work at Amber Meadows. The total is a little higher than original estimates, but there are funds available to cover the difference.

This work involves, among other things, the deepening of one of the storage water ponds to help in drainage of the area. This is for phase one of the total regrading of the subdivision. Phase two is in the beginning stages.

• Approved a pawnbrokers License for James and Helen Hanks, the new owners of J&L Coin & Jewelry.

• Approved abatements at: 231 Fruit St., accumulation of refuse, owned by Manuel Tavarez Valdez; and 301 Cedar St., accumulation of refuse, owned by Mike Schroeder.

 The City of Great Bend’s 2018 Fourth of July fireworks display will actually take place on July 3, the city council decided unanimously Monday night.

“This is a really great option,” Community Coordinator Christina Hayes said. The Fireworks Committee met on Feb. 22 to discuss different possibilities for the display, and “the committee reached a recommendation which possibly could be a great option for this year’s display, due to it falling in the middle of the week.”  

As always, the show will be performed at the Great Bend Expo Complex due to the ease of parking and overall space for the display, she said. But, the change would be having the show on Tuesday, July 3, rather than Wednesday, July 4.   

Why? Hayes offered several advantages, including:

• It would kick off the holiday, allowing families to be together and enjoy the fourth at their homes.

• It will lessen the pressure on our local fire and police departments on the fourth, allowing them to focus on the big display on the third, and keep staff open for other emergency calls on the fourth.

• It will be easier to find volunteers, and receive help from city staff on the third verses the fourth since the third isn’t a holiday.

• Families can enjoy the display on the third and stay out late, not have to wake up early the next day to get to work. It would also be easier on school children.

Show me the money

It was at the Feb. 19 council meeting that Hayes brought up the display. At that point, fundraising efforts for the show (which costs in the neighborhood of $20,000) were $6,000 short.

As of Monday night, Hayes said she was still lacking $5,000. She has some big sponsors willing to step up, but is hoping the public which complained there was no show last year will “put their money where their mouths are.”

She is inviting the public to offer what they can. There are several sponsorship tiers, and all donors will be recognized in some fashion.

Now, Hayes has her eyes on a $15,000 display. “It will still be a good show,” she said.

The committee is also hitting the bricks seeking contributions.

The city took over the fireworks display last year after it had been spearheaded by Sunflower Diversified Services for several years. Sunflower bowed out due to difficulties in raising funds.

The city has always had a hand in the display. Every year, the city kicked in $5,000 for fireworks, Hayes said, adding the $5,000 shortfall takes the city’s contribution into account. 

But, when Sunflower announced it wasn’t going to raise funds for the display, the council decided last February to put its $5,000 towards the Party in the Park show last year.

Hayes said the Party in the Park has had a $5,000 display built into its budget since the beginning. But, with the additional $5,000, the size of the show doubled.

As for there being no Independence Day show last year, Hayes said she caught a lot of grief from local residents. Nonetheless, she is confident she can get raise the money for the show this year.

However, should the weather force a cancelation, the show will be postponed to be held in conjunction with the Airfest in September.

 

In other business, here is a quick look at what the Great Bend City Council did Monday night:
• Approved revisions to the city’s policy on the Employee Assistance Program through the Center for Counseling and Consultation. Currently, the city pays $2,700 annually for one free visit for each employee with any additional visits being paid for by the employee. But these can be submitted to their insurance, Human Resource Director Randy Keasling said. Under the change, employees are allowed up to three free visits that will be paid by the city at a cost of $100 per visit. Last year, the city only had one employee utilize the EAP and years prior we have had up to three employees use it, Keasling said.
Councilman Brock McPherson was the only council member to vote against the change.
• Authorized the city to change its retirement plan documents to allow employees to invest the city’s contribution to the fund(s) of their choice immediately at time of enrollment.
As it is now, the city’s 401 (a) retirement plan is set up with an investment restriction on all city-match funds, specifying that those funds must be placed in a “safe” fund that the city has chosen, Keasling said. But, “employees have come to us asking to have the right to invest those City match dollars in a fund of their choosing and not have the restriction of those dollars being placed in the current fund.”
In researching this, the city learned from ICMA that the firm manges very few accounts that place this kind of investment restriction, Keasling said. Most offer employees access to invest match dollars as soon as they join the plan and start receiving match dollars.
Thus his recommendation to revise the our current match fund investment restriction and allow City employees the right to invest their match funds as they see fit immediately upon enrollment in the plan. This will become effective April 1.
Again, McPherson was the only council member to vote against the change.
• Authorized the mayor to sign the amendment to the interim city administrators contract. The extension will be on a month-to-month basis.
• Authorized the mayor to sign the agreement with the Barton County Sheriff’s Office, exchanging the city’s police dog Kia for a new patrol car provided by the BCSO.
The agreement is to trade one of the city’s police dogs, Kia, along with the police dog vehicle, 2016 Ford Interceptor with all equipment and the equipment for the dog for $38,000 to purchase a 2018 Ford Interceptor with a five-year/100,000-mile extended warranty as well as the cost and installation of equipment, City Attorney Bob Suelter said.
• Authorized the Mayor Joe Adnrasek to sign the agreement relative to the construction and maintenance of highway crossing signals on 17th St. Terrace between McKinley and White Sands Drive across from Veterans Memorial Park.
The deal is between the Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad Company, the City of Great Bend, and the State of Kansas. It involves a crossing signal, flashing light and cantilever type gates, city engineering technician Karl Otter said.
The only cost to the city would be to maintain the pavement markings and signage, which it already does.
• Authorized the mayor to sign the notice of award to the low bidder, Unruh Excavating, for $229,592.25 to do grading work at Amber Meadows. The total is a little higher than original estimates, but there are funds available to cover the difference.
This work involves, among other things, the deepening of one of the storage water ponds to help in drainage of the area. This is for phase one of the total regrading of the subdivision. Phase two is in the beginning stages.
• Approved a pawnbrokers License for James and Helen Hanks, the new owners of J&L Coin & Jewelry.
• Approved abatements at: 231 Fruit St., accumulation of refuse, owned by Manuel Tavarez Valdez; and 301 Cedar St., accumulation of refuse, owned by Mike Schroeder.