ELLINWOOD — The Ellinwood City Council held its first meeting of 2021 Tuesday night and voted to opt out of the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles related to the city’s annual audit. The city is required to conduct an audit each year in accordance with state statute. 

The statute specifies that audits are to be conducted according to GAAP guidelines. The council determined that several components of the GAAP are not necessary for a municipality and provided little meaningful data and annually opts out of the requirements.

Kansas Power Pool General Manager/CEO Mark Chesney presented an update on projects taking place within the KPP. The council approved a 50 cent per hour pay increase for part-time emergency medical technicians who serve on the city’s Emergency Medical Services.

In other business, council members approved $1,000 for computer upgrades for the Ellinwood Heritage Club. 

“They are now required to file reports for Meals on Wheels and other reports online,” said City Administrator Chris Komarek. “Their current system was very outdated and required an upgrade.”

The council took a 10-minute executive session to discuss flood control property acquisition. No action was taken following the session.