There will be a new face at Great Bend City Council meetings. City Clerk/Finance Director Shawna Schafer Monday night administered the oath of office to Davis Jimenez as the Ward 3 City Council member with the term ending January 2023.
Jimenez is an AFLAC Insurance agent with Insurance Services in Great Bend who has spent most of his life in Great Bend.
“When I returned from my deployment last year, I wanted to do more,” said Jimenez on why he applied for the post. He serves in the United States Army reserves and has been deployed to Iraq and other regions of the world.
“I want to learn how the city works,” he said after his first meeting ended. His biggest goal is to see Great Bend grow and bring new ideas and more inclusiveness to the community.
His wife Skye is also in the service. They have two children, Carley, 11, and Elliott, 9.
Following the Nov. 3, 2020, general election, there remained an open seat for Ward 3, which essentially covers the southwest quadrant of the city, south of Broadway and K-96.
No one filed for the Ward 3 opening. Dana Dawson, who did not file, garnered the most write-in votes, but he has declined.
Since the seat doesn’t go to the write-in candidate with the second-highest vote total, it was filled via an application process. The application deadline was Jan. 19, and after that a council committee made up of members Cory Urban, Junior Welsch and Jolene Biggs interviewed applicants and made this recommendation to the entire governing body.
There are eight members on the council, two representing each of the four wards and each serving two-year terms. Every year, one seat in each ward is up for election.
The other Ward 3 council rep is Cory Urban.
Jimenez joins other council members elected in the general election, including new member Kevyn Soupiset (Ward 2), and returning members Lindsey Krom-Craven (Ward 1) and Brock McPherson (Ward 4).
Great Bend City Council meeting at a glance
Here’s a quick look at what the Great Bend City Council did Monday night:
• Appointed Davis Jimenez as Ward 3 council member.
• Approved repairs to the city’s levee west of Kiowa Road. The work will be done by Eakin Enterprises of Larned for a project cost of $138,236.
• Received the Most Generous City award from the Golden Belt Community Foundation following the foundation’s Giving Tuesday.
• Heard a report from City Administrator Kendal Francis. He focused on ongoing projects in the city, including the 10th Street resurfacing that got underway Monday.
• Heard an economic development report from Great Bend Economic Development Inc. President Sara Hayden. She focused on the ongoing retails studies being done and a planned housing survey.
• Approved spending $5,000 for a housing survey of Great Bend. The last survey was done in 2013. Great Bend Economic Development Inc. President Sara Hayden has secured a grant to cover the other half of the $10,000 project.
• Approved rescheduling the next meeting from Monday, Feb. 15 to Tuesday, Feb. 16, due to Presidents Day that Monday. The meeting time and place will remain 6:30 p.m. at the Events Center.
• Approved abatements at: 106 Hickory, motor vehicle nuisance, Teresa Smith; 810 Kansas, accumulation of trash/refuse, George and Melissa Urban; 432 Locust, accumulation of trash/refuse, Myriam Concepcion and Banuelos Silva; 440 Locust, accumulation of trash/refuse, Petra Fraire Castaneda; 324 Plum, accumulation of trash/refuse, Beverly Scott and Harold Winters; 304 Plum, accumulation of trash/refuse, Wanda Gamboa; 300 Plum, accumulation of trash/refuse, Wanda Gamboa; 418 Firethorn, accumulation of trash/refuse, Susan Miller; 313 Grapevine, accumulation of trash/refuse, Maria Elena Garcia Franco; 50 Becker Ct., accumulation of trash/refuse, Andres Alvizu Arriaga; 464 Evergreen, accumulation of trash/refuse, Eric Schoenberger 1613 Morton, accumulation of trash/refuse, Rick Miller; 1614 Morton, accumulation of trash/refuse, Moses Properties LLC.; 701 Hubbard, accumulation of trash/refuse, Juana Leyva Gonzalez; 301 Hickory, accumulation of trash/refuse, Stephens Properties LLC.; 2525 12th, accumulation of trash/refuse, Eduardo Torres; 2510 11th, accumulation of trash/refuse, Tammy Komarek; 2501 12th, accumulation of trash/refuse, Stueder Rentals LLC. 1819 Madison, accumulation of trash/refuse, Moses Properties LLC.; 1723 Monroe, accumulation of trash/refuse, Julio & Leonor Vazquez; 2200 Jackson, accumulation of trash/refuse, Moses Properties LLC.; 2223 Adams, accumulation of trash/refuse, WHB Inc.; 141 9 Hubbard, accumulation of trash/refuse, Marcos and Maria Vazquez; 1422 Holland, accumulation of trash/refuse, Evann Stueder; 701 Holland, accumulation of trash/refuse, Aaron and Mayra Contreras; 1709 16th,accumulation of trash/refuse, Diana Hejny; 2914 20th, accumulation of trash/refuse, Patricia Hewitt; 2907 21st, accumulation of trash/refuse, DS&J Holdings LLC.; 910 Baker, accumulation of trash/refuse, Kevin and Patricio Weighous; 1412 8th, accumulation of trash/refuse, Petro and Jose Aldredo Garcia; 2317 Kansas, accumulation of trash/refuse, Dole Hargraves; 1107 5th, accumulation of trash/refuse, Ciro and Primpibo Guerra; 2213 31st, accumulation of trash/refuse, John Sanders and Lori Sterba; 1411 19th, accumulation of trash/refuse, Thomas Pearson; 2011 Hubbard, accumulation of trash/refuse, Moses Properties LLC.; 2001 Holland, accumulation of trash/refuse, Armando Garcia; 2006 Baker, accumulation of trash/refuse, Gloria Alonso and Anno Rosa Santana; 327 Frey, accumulation of trash/refuse, Enrique Lira; 321 Fruit accumulation of trash/refuse, Boudilio and Manuela Hernandez; 323 Fruit, accumulation of trash/refuse, Wolter and Juana Vasquez; 333 Fruit, accumulation of trash/refuse, Corbin Cole; 218 Baker, acumulation of trash/refuse, Peggy McComb and Charles Bryant; 220 Heizer, accumulation of trash/refuse, Travis Watkins; and 2555 19th, accumulation of trash/refuse, Michael Whithorn.
