ELLINWOOD  —  At the July 10 Ellinwood City Council meeting,  councilman Ken Lebbin asked the council to consider opening the meetings with the Pledge of Allegiance as has been the tradition of other councils in the county.  He pointed out this observation following his attendance of a Barton County Commission meeting.  Mayor Irlan Fullbright and other council members were agreeable to including the pledge at future meetings. Tuesday night, Fullbright invited the council and patrons to join him in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance at the opening of the meeting.  

Following the pledge, it was noted that while a quorum was in attendance, the absence of two councilmen, Alan Brauer and Jon Prescott, would make it impossible to consider a proposed charter ordinance concerning the mayor’s responsibilities in the appointments of personnel by the governing body.  The agenda item was, therefore, tabled until September.  

A hearing for the proposed 2019 Budget was quickly conducted, with no objections from patrons present.  The only comment came from Joe Schulte, whose unhappiness with the small print size in the Ellinwood Leader’s publication was echoed by others. Schulte suggested the next time publication is required, the city consider options to ensure patrons can read the text.  Following the closing of the hearing, the council voted on and approved the budget as presented.  

Salvaged brick to be sold

The question of what to do with brick salvaged during the replacement of city streets near the power plant in April was answered, at least in part, Tuesday night. In June, council member Jon Prescott proposed the city look into selling brick through a salvage company, rather than simply giving it away to city residents free of charge. In July, he returned with data on how much one salvage company, Ryder Brick Inc., Bixby, Okla., would pay per brick.  The company cuts the bricks lengthwise to make antique brick pavers for a variety of uses.  The council, having had a month to consider, agreed to sell two lots of bricks to the company for 16-cents each, or $5,000 per lot.  They also agreed that setting aside what the city might utilize for future repairs of the remaining brick streets was a definite must, but were uncertain how to proceed with making brick available to city residents. 

City Manager Chris Komarek said individuals had approached him, asking about the brick with small patio projects and the like in mind.  While Fullbright and others on the council were at first in favor of letting residents take bricks for free, Lebbin pointed out that may open the door to individuals taking more than they need in hopes of profiting. Following some discussion, the council members present agreed to table the discussion until Brauer and Prescott could weigh in.