Great Bend City Council meeting at a glance
Here is a quick look at what the Great Bend City Council did Monday night:
• Held a work session to discuss public safety retirement.
Paige Ashley with the Kansas Public Employee Retirement System addressed the council via Zoom, giving an overview of KPERS’s Kansas Police and Fire pension plan. Council members asked numerous questions, and several police officers and firefighters gave passionate appeals for the city to adopt the KP&F.
This was just the first step. The council will look options, including the current city pension plan, at its Dec. 20 meeting.
There is not timeline as to a decision. If the switch is made to KP&F, it wouldn’t come until January 2023.
During the Nov. 2 general election, Great Bend voters approved three sales taxes for the city. One was a .20% sales tax dedicated to pensions for public safety personnel (police and fire) with no sunset.
The council is in the process of deciding to stay with the current city system or make the change to KP&F.
• Recognized several city employees for their five, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 and 40 years of service.
• Adopted an ordinance authorizing the sale of general obligation bonds to fund the new Police Station.
Bids were accepted until 11 a.m. Monday. After bids were received, a final version of the ordinance was prepared and provided to the council by David Arteberry with Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, the firm picked as the city’s municipal advisor.
They are working with Gilmore & Bell, P.C. of Wichita which is serving as the city’s bond counsel.
The city has $1.5 set aside for it so the city is selling the bonds totalling about $5.5 million to cover the balance.
• Approved a resolution authorizing the form and details of the Police Station general obligation bonds. The term is for 20 years and the interest rate is 1.71%, lower than the estimated 2.5%.
The bonds are being paid back through a .10% city sales tax approved in the Nov. 2 general election. The debt service tax has a 20-year sunset and is estimated to bring in $377,752 per year.
The estimated $7.3 million, 20,000-square-foot facility at 12th and Baker on what is now a city parking lot and will also house the Municipal Court.
• Adopted an ordinance authorizing the city administration to create a master fee schedule. The changing of fees will be discussed at a latere date.
The City’s executive team wanted to implement an annual review of all fees that the city charges to ensure that they remain current and relevant, City Administrator Kendal Francis said. Currently, those fees are disbursed throughout the Code of Ordinances, obscuring them, and significantly hampering the team’s ability to adequately review them.
“Best practice is to compile all fees into a Master Fee Schedule resolution, which allows for ease of review and adjustment,” he said.
• Approved aa bid from Brentwood Builders of Great Bend for $58,456 for the remodel of the Great Bend Senior Center bathrooms.
The city recently advertised for bids to remodel the bathrooms in the city-owned building to make them Americans with Disabilities Act compliant, City Administrator Kendal Francis said. Brentwood was the only bidder.
• Held two executive sessions, one for 30-minutes and one for 15-minutes, to discuss the performance of a an individual employee’s performance pursuant to nonelected personnel. After returning to open session, no action was taken.
• Heard an update from City Administrator Kendal Francis.
• Heard a report from Great Bend Economic Development Inc. President Sara Hayden.
• Approved abatements for trash and refuse violations at: 1703 Heritage Lane, J&N Operations LLC.; 204 Fruit St., Gerardo Domingez; 1504 12th St., Hammond Investments LLC.; 2720 20th St., Jose Valdovinos; 1423 8Th St., John Love; 1923 Adams St., Marcia Mel Ton; 1715 Holland St., Carlos Chavez; 800 Monroe St., Israel Sanchez; 1304 Holland St., TMS Rentals LLC.; 1816 Hubbard St., Tms Rentals LLC.; 50 Becker Ct., Andres Arriaga; 1811 Stone St., Jose Goviano; 226 Fruit St.. Jose Luis Valles; and 2418 Lakin Ave., Bruce Ball.
• Approved abatements for motor vehicle violations at: 409 3rd St., Francisco Fabela; 417 3rd St., Cristal Aguilera; and 821 Holland, Anna Navarro.
The Great Bend City Council Monday night showed its appreciation to several city employees for their 335 years of cumulative service. Honored were staff members who have held their jobs for five, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 and 40 years.
“Every year at this time, we recognize our staff for their years of servie,” said Human Resource Director Randy Keesling. He said it is really an honor to recognize staff for their dedication.
Mayor Cody Schmidt and City Administrator Kendal Francis then presented the service awards to the honorees who were present. Francis also offered his congratulations.
There will be a Christmas luncheon for city personnel from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday at which the honored employees will be lauded, City Administrator Kendal Francis said.
Honored employees, their departments and years of service include:
Five years
• Chad Burroughs, Fire Department
• Joshua Suss, Police Department
• Garret Tindall, Fire Department
Ten years
• Dale Henning,Public Lands
• Tommy Welcher, Public Works
• Ryan DeYoung,Police Department
• Joel Hamlin, Police Department
• April Batt, Public Works
• Christina Hayes, City Hall-Convention and Visitors Bureau
Fifteen years
• Geri West, City Hall - Legal
Twenty years
• Michele Hitschmann, Fire Department
• Gaylen Clawson, Public Lands
• Cindy Esfeld, Municipal Court
Twenty-five years
• Luke McCormick, Fire Department
Thirty years
• Gary Davis, Police Department
• Richard Bodine, Public Lands
• John Gruber, Public Works
• David Keeler, Public Lands
Forty years
• Vivian Bahr, Public Works
