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READY FOR BUSINESS
Council members, mayor sworn in as council reorganizes
new deh city council swearing in pic
Great Bend City Clerk Amit Patel administers the oath of office to City Council members Mike Zinn, Dana Dawson and Allene Owen, and Mayor Mike Allison Monday night. The council reorganized following the April 7 general election. Wayne Henneke was not present to be sworn in Monday. - photo by DALE HOGG Great Bend Tribune

 There were several familiar faces and one new one as the Great Bend City Council reorganized Monday night.

City Clerk Amit Patel administered the oath of office to incumbents Mayor Mike Allison, Third Ward Councilwoman Allen Owen and Fourth Ward Councilman Dana Dawson. Also taking the oath was Mike Zinn, who won a write-in campaign for the First Ward. 

All were either elected or reelected in the April 7 general election. Second Ward Councilman Wayne Henneke was also reelected, but was unable to attend the meeting Monday due to an illness in the family.

Following the swearing in, Joel Jackson was elected council president.

In addition, the council named the city’s official depositories. They include Farmers Bank and Trust, Sunflower Bank, Landmark Federal Savings Bank, First Kansas Bank, Community Bank of the Midwest, American State Bank, Bank of the West, Bank of America and Central National Bank and Trust.

In other business Monday night, the council:

• Approved designating the Fairways at StoneRidge as a Rural Housing Opportunity District. The first step is to request that the Kansas Department of Commerce approve the area as an RHID. 

• Approved designating a Community Improvement District for the new Holiday Inn Express following a  petition from project developers GBK Ventures LLC.

• Adopted a local exchange service franchise ordinance with Nex-Tech. Nex-Tech Inc. This involves the use of the company’s new fiber-optic service. 

Maggie Basgall of Nex-Tech said the term of the agreement is five years and it will “auto renew” for five more years following that. The city will be compensated $2.25 per access line from Nex-Tech.  

• Authorized Mayor Mike Allison to sign an expanded scope of services agreement with Alfred Benesch & Company of Chicago not to exceed $6,100 for the Railroad Avenue and U.S. 281 realignment project. To maximize improvements at the intersection and to fully utilize authorized KDOT funding for this project, the city will also be reconstructing approximately 231 linear feet of US 281 adjacent and through this intersection, City Engineer Rob Winiecke said. 

This change to the design scope has resulted in additional design work, which the firm will handle, Winiecke said. 

The total cost is about $600,000 with KDOT paying for 90 percent of it.

• Heard a report from Community Coordinator Christina Hayes. She said the next two weeks are going to be busy with several activities planned.

• Heard a departmental update from City Administrator Howard Partington. 

• Approved abatements at: 2409 Walnut Dr., owned by Timothy/Cynthia Betts, for Accumulation of Refuse; 1614 Morton, owned by Moses Properties, for Accumulation of Refuse; 1618 Morphy St., owned by Joseph Farris, for  Accumulation of Refuse; 1515 Odell St., owned by Paul/Shelia Schilowsky, for Accumulation of Refuse; 216 Chestnut St., owned by Manuel Ivan/Sara Tavares, for Accumulation of Refuse; and 205 Frey St., owned by Miguel/Brandi Garay, for a Motor Vehicle Nuisance.