Here’s a quick look at what happened when the Claflin City Council met Monday night:
• Approved payment of the December bills.
• Heard a report from the Police Department concerning new Interpol software and upcoming Taser training.
• Discussed continuing illegal dumping at the tree pile.
• Approved a cereal malt beverage permits for Squeegy’s Bar & Grill and Bailey’s Food Bin.
• Approved raises for city staff to begin the first payday in January.
• Approved a speed limit change on 9th Street to 20 MPH. The City Attorney will prepare a resolution in time for the January 2018 meeting.
• Approved expenditure of $1,450.00 towards the county’s proposed upgrade of digital aerial imagery to 3-inch resolution. Payment will come from the Street, Water and Sewer funds.
• Agreed to pay $1,215.25 for half the cost of a repairs to the generator that is co-owned by the city and the fire department.
• Approved the following end-of-year transfers: General Fund to Capitol Improvement Fund $30,000; General Fund to Equipment Reserve Fund $10,500; General Fund to Street Fund $10,000.
• Heard a report on the Claflin Area Pride Christmas Market event. The CAP donated a 100-cup coffee maker and a large serving cart to the City Community Center.
• Adopted Ordinance # 17-1211, moving appointments to January.
CLAFLIN — Parents and students traveling to Central Plains High School may want to give themselves more time in the morning, now that the Claflin City Council agreed to lower the speed limit on Ninth Street to 20 mph from W. Front Street to Albro Street. The decision was precipitated by complaints both from area residents and bus drivers of excessive speeding on a regular basis. Police Chief Gary Vaughan brought the complaint to the attention of the council at the November meeting, and the discussion was revisited Monday night.
According to Claflin Mayor Michael Urban, the council had considered lowering the speed limit for only one block between Houston and Albro Streets, but because 9th Street fronts the football, track and tee-ball fields there, it was decided the lower speeds were preferable along the entire two-block stretch.
“With summertime traffic for baseball and tee-ball practice there, it made sense for this to be a year-round speed limit,” Urban said. “There haven’t been any accidents, but the council wanted to take extra precautions to keep from having any incidents there.”
Currently, the speed limit is 30 mph on 9th Street. Police Chief Gary Vaughan monitored the street over a period of several days, and reported speeders traveling up to 40 mph regularly. The city attorney was instructed to draw up a formal resolution to be presented at the January meeting.
Lumber not allowed at tree dump
Claflin provides its residents the convenience of a local tree dump where residents can dispose of grass clippings, branches and limbs at no cost. One thing many residents may not realize, however, is the dump is periodically inspected by representatives from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. Disposing of items like lumber and landscaping timbers and other non-yard waste items opens the city up to citations and fines, Urban said. While most residents follow the rules, some have recently dumped 2x4s and other trash at the tree dump, and if it continues, the city may have to take action to get it stopped. Besides the threat of fines from the state, dumping is putting an undue burden on city staff, who end up having to remove the illegal items and dispose of them properly. The council discussed possible actions including citations and fines for violators, locking or even removing the dump entirely.
“This is the same problem everyone else is dealing with,” Urban said, referring to other cities in the county which have experienced illegal dumping in recent months. “People don’t realize the problems it causes.”
If illegal dumping is suspected, reports can be made to the Claflin Police Department.
