New council, mayor take oaths next Monday
BY DALE HOGG
dhogg@gbtribune.com
At a special City Council meeting Monday, Jan. 8, City of Great Bend Mayor-elect Joe Andrasek and council members-elect Dan Heath from Ward 1, Jolene Biggs from Ward 2, Cory Urban from Ward 3 and Andrew Scott Erb from Ward 4 will officially take office. The meeting will take place at 4 p.m. at City Hall, 1209 Williams.
The current council will convene first to handle any old business. Next, the new members will be sworn in by City Clerk Shawna Schafer and take their seats in the council chambers.
Once seated, the new governing body will designate the official city newspaper and name a new council president. Andrasek will also be given the authority as one of the three signatures required for city checks.
The first regular meeting with the new members will take place at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 15, at City Hall.
When the Great Bend City Council meets at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the City Office, 1209 Williams, the agenda includes the formation of a city administrator search committee,
Interim City Administrator George Kolb said current governing body members as well as those recently elected will be considered for the committee. Mayor-elect Joe Andrasek and council members-elect Dan Heath from Ward 1, Jolene Biggs from Ward 2, Cory Urban from Ward 3 and Andrew Scott Erb from Ward 4 will officially take office during a special council meeting at 4 p.m. Monday, Jan. 8, at City Hall, 1209 Williams.
The council on Sept. 18 appointed Kolb of Wichita as interim city administrator. He was one of two applicants.
City Attorney Bob Suelter had been acting as the short-term interim city administrator until a more long-term interim administrator could be found. He took over after the sudden Aug. 16 retirement of long-time City Administrator Howard Partington who had been with the city for 36 years.
Kolb started on Oct. 9 and his contract runs for six months at $2,015 per week, Suelter said. Either party can terminate the contract with a 30-day notice should the city find a full-time administrator.
City officials said it could take months to find the ideal candidate for the post. The current contract keeps Kolb in place until March if necessary.
Kolb is the former city manager for Wichita, resigning in January 2008. He started with Wichita in 2004.
Kolb has worked in municipal government for the past 30 years. Besides Kansas he has worked in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan and Virginia.
Most recently, he has served as the interim administrator in Valley Center and Wentzville, Mo.
The appointment of Kolb was necessitated by Partington’s departure. Partington cited stress caused by the flap between Couch and the city as the reason for his leaving.
Other agenda items Monday night include proposals to handle the city’s IT needs and bridge repair on Park Street east of the city.
