ELLIS–The days and hours allowing use of fireworks in Ellis may change. This year, fireworks were allowed to be sold and discharged in Ellis for four days, July 2-5.

City council members will discuss the issue during their meeting tonight starting at 7:30 p.m.

Fire Chief Dustin Vine will address the potential approval of the Ellis County Fire Rescue Mutual Aid Agreement and Ellis County Fire Chief and Emergency Manager Darrin Myers will discuss the replacement of storm warning sirens.

The council will also hear an update on the water exploration project from Gary Luea of the Water Advisory Committee.

The complete Monday, July 17 agenda follows.

AGENDA July 17, 2017 REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF ELLIS
City Hall – Council Meeting Room

BILLS ORDINANCE REVIEW WORK SESSION BEGINS AT 7:00 P.M.
ROLL CALL AND MEETING CALL TO ORDER AT 7:30 P.M.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
AMENDMENTS TO AGENDA (if needed)
1) CONSENT AGENDA
a) Minutes from Regular Meeting on July 3, 2017
b) Bills Ordinance #2025
c) Manual Journal Entries for March 2017
(Council will review for approval under one motion under the consent agenda. By majority vote of the governing body, any item may be removed from the consent agenda and considered separately)
PUBLIC COMMENTS
(Each speaker will be limited to five minutes. If several people from the group wish to speak on same subject, the group must appoint a spokesperson. ALL comments from public on agenda items must be during Public Comment. Once council begins their business meeting, no more comments from public will be allowed.)
2) PRESENTATIONS OF AWARDS, PROCLAMATIONS, REQUESTS & PETITIONS (HEARINGS)
3) SPECIAL ORDER
a) Discuss Replacement of Storm Sirens – Darin Myers, Ellis County Emergency Manager
b) Fire Department Monthly Update – Chief Dustin Vine
c) Consider Approval of Ellis County Fire Rescue Mutual Aid Agreement – Chief Dustin Vine
d) Update on Water Exploration Project – Gary Luea, Water Advisory Committee
e) Discuss Roof at Railroad Museum – Glen Keller, Chair, Museum Board
4) UNFINISHED BUSINESS
a) Consider Approval of 2016 Audit Report
b) Review Preliminary Engineering Report for 2018 Waterline Improvement Project – Buck Driggs, Driggs Design Group
c) Update on Street Improvement Project – Buck Driggs, Driggs Design Group
5) NEW BUSINESS
a) Consider Approval of Contractor’s Pay Estimate #4, Request #4 for Payment of CDBG Funds, and Authorize Mayor to Sign Documents
b) Consider Approval of Request for Reimbursement #8 to KDHE for the Wastewater Treatment Plant Project
c) Discuss Possible Condemnation of Destroyed Structure – Cassy Zeigler, City Prosecutor
d) Consider Approval of Certificate of Destruction of Public Records
e) Consider Ratification of Invoice for Fire Department Pump Tests
f) Consider Approval of Quote to Remove Sludge at Wastewater Treatment Plant
g) Consider Approval for Purchase of Chlorine for Water Treatment Plant
h) Consider Approval to Purchase Mower for Parks Department
i) Consider Approval of Repair Bill for Chrysler Museum
j) Discuss Provisions under Entity Lease Agreements Regarding Repairs
k) Discuss Discharge Dates for Fireworks
6) REPORTS FROM CITY OFFICIALS
a) Administrative
1) Public Works
(1) Discuss Dorrance Street Bridge
(2) Department Update
2) Police
(1) Department Update
3) City Clerk
(1) Health Insurance Savings Report for June
(2) Financial Reports for March 2017
(3) Department Update
4) Attorney
(1) Update on Status of Code Violation Cases
5) Mayor Update and Announcements
(1) Update on EIDC Waiver of Landfill Fee Request
EXECUTIVE SESSIONS
7) ADJOURNMENT

 

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

Yes, it was considerably cooler Thursday in Hays.

After an official high of 102 degrees Wednesday recorded at the K-State Agricultural Research Center–not a record for July 12, that was 117 degrees back in 1934–the temperature dropped dramatically as a cold front moved through.

Thursday’s high was just 82 degrees, a drop of 20 degrees.

The front also brought a little bit of late afternoon rain with 0.09 falling at the Ag Research Center and 0.07 inches at the Eagle Media Center, 2300 Hall.

The weekend weather forecast calls for a 20 percent chance of rain with temperatures in the upper 80s and lower 90s.

ELLIS–Ellis city council members will meet in another 2018 budget work session tonight, Thu., July 13, at 6 p.m. in the Ellis City Hall, 815 Jefferson.

The council will hear requests from city department heads for the Capital Improvement Plan.

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

“Think of it as a gym membership, but instead of access to workout equipment you have a membership to access to office equipment.”

That’s how Aaron White, executive director of the Ellis Co. Coalition for Economic Development (ECCED) describes a new coworking office facility, The Gateway, scheduled to open late this year in downtown Hays at 219 West 10th Street in a former furniture rental store.

“It’s coworking or shared office space targeted to people who’ve been operating a home-based business and the home environment no longer meets their needs, or telecommuters working for a company outside of Hays or even the state,” White explained. “It can be difficult to separate home and work life due to distractions but maybe they don’t need full-blown private office.”

The building will be renovated and fitted for open work stations with access to a commercial quality combination copier, printer, fax and scanner, and high-speed internet. There will private offices to use as needed for confidentiality, a basement conference room, a training room and, of course, a coffee brew bar. Members will have access to the facility 24/7.  “They can be there on their own schedule with everything necessary to facilitate their work,” White said.

Basic memberships will be available by the month, likely a fee of $150 a month. “There’s a dedicated level that provides additional services and gives members access to a dedicated work station they can consider their own and actually leave things there,” White explained, “but it can also be rented by the week or even by the day.”

White used the scenario of a salesperson who needs to be in Hays for a few days to talk with clients but doesn’t necessarily want to work out of a motel room. “That person can utilize this space for a couple of days as needed.”

 

The building that once was the site of Sears is at ground level and has a sub-basement with a total square footage of 7,000 feet. “We figure we have the capacity for about 80 members,” said White.

Plans for the space have been underway since last fall. An online survey targeting at-home workers initially yielded 15 people who were interested in a shared office space. Other business people have expressed enthusiasm after the proposal was presented to several civic groups.

“One gentleman came up after a Hays Kiwanis meeting and said it was exactly what he’d like to do. He moved to Hays because his employer had an office here but it’s since closed and he said he hates working at home. He has options because his company has offices in other communities. This is something that can keep him in Hays.

“We think this can attract people to Hays. How many people have moved away, love the area and want to come back, but don’t want to leave their current employer? If the employer is open to telecommuting, this is a facility for those people to come back home and have a place where they can still work for their existing employer and have the quality of life they’re looking for in Hays and western Kansas.”

Renovations must be made before the facility can open.

“The whole project is being funded by a generous $600,000 grant from the Dane G. Hansen Foundation,” White said. “We’ll be purchasing the building and then doing a large amount of renovation. A lot of it will be demolition work, cleaning it out, working with local businesses to outfit it and set it up to facilitate open office spaces and get the lounge/break area ready to go. There’s a lot of work to be done but the funding is in place so we’re ready to start moving forward.”

The Coalition is donating $50,000 to the project and is looking for opportunities for other groups to make in-kind donations and receive recognition. “We really want this to be a community project,” he stressed.  A local designer, SjB Design, is being used to create an industrial motif for the facility.  Eagle Communications has donated 1 GB of high speed internet for the building during its first two years of operation.

According to White, this will be the first coworking space in western Kansas. “We’re very excited to see this happen,” he said.

During research and tours of similar facilities in Manhattan and Wamego, White said they expected to find the set-up attracts people in the tech industry such as software engineers and app developers.  They also discovered it’s also being used by sales companies, start-up insurance companies, attorneys who are just starting out and even photography studios.

“For a lot of photographers, they’re shooting on site and they just need a place to throw down a laptop and edit photos. The digital age of photography has made a facility like this quite usable.”

“The sky’s the limit for who’s going to utilize this type of facility.”

A Facebook page has been created for The Gateway, which will include updates on the renovation progress and it will later have its own web site. A full-scale marketing plan to attract members will be implemented, including a lot of social media.

White expects a lot of the promotion will be by word-of-mouth. “We’d love to see potential members reach out to us because we’d like to get their input on the facility as we’re doing the renovations.  We’ll be holding a number of ‘sit-downs’ during the reconstruction to show them what we’re doing and to build some interest.”

Once The Gateway is up and running, there are plans for weekly events including training seminars, lunch and learns, and guest speakers to talk about issues of interest to the members.

The co-working facility will be operated and coordinated by the Ellis County Development Corporation, which has a 501c3 non-profit designation.

For just a one day use, the person would stop by the Coalition office in the Hays Welcome Center, 2700 Vine, to sign up and pay for it. Most of the time, the scheduling for users will be done primarily online.

“There are number of software programs designed specifically to manage coworking space.  The general membership will all be handled online including payment and account management. Ultimately, we want to go to a pass card security system to access the building,” he added. “There’s another software package that turns a cellphone into a pass key to get into the building that links into the membership manager software. When the membership expires, that app is disabled and they don’t go into the building any more.  It’s really hands-off. A lot of these facilities around the country have no permanent staff; it’s handled exclusively online.

“In the coworking spaces, we visited there were folks who come in after five o’clock or on weekends.  It’s really designed to fit their schedules, very flexible, to be used when needed.

“A coworking space is really a community, a community of folks working together who can potentially share and collaborate on projects. When you’re working at home, there’s a little bit of isolation and it’s difficult to run ideas past your peers who aren’t there,” White said with a smile. “That community atmosphere is what often attracts folks to this type of facility.”

For more information about The Gateway, call the ECCED at 785-628-3102.

(Disclosure: Eagle Communications is the parent company of Hays Post.)

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

Seat belt fines are going up in Hays.

What had been a $10 fine–among the lowest in the nation–will soon triple to $30, thanks to a new state law.

Effective July 1, the law established a new Seat Belt Safety Fund which will be funded by requiring cities to pay $20 into the newly created fund for each local seat belt fine.

City Attorney John Bird told city commissioners last week the city’s 2016 Standard Traffic Ordinance needs to be amended to provide for the change in fine.

The League of Municipalities will incorporate the change in the next version of the Standard Traffic Ordinance, which will be issued in late 2017. The ordinance to be presented this week to commissioners is considered a “stop-gap measure” until the Standard Ordinance is passed later this year.

The new Seat Belt Safety Fund is administered by the Kansas Secretary of Transportation and will fund an expansion of the student-driven Seatbelts Are For Everyone (SAFE) program, making it available to every high school in Kansas.

Hays High School has participated in SAFE for several years. It started in 2009 in Crawford County to address low occupant restraint use among young drivers.

In 2016 in Kansas, 435 people died in motor vehicle crashes according to the Kansas Highway Patrol, making it one of the top ten causes of unintentional death in Kansas and the number one killer of teens. According to the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT), 71 percent of all people killed or seriously injured in Kansas traffic crashes are unrestrained.

Commissioners will also be asked to consider a recommendation to increase court costs.

According to research by Police Chief Don Scheibler, the current court costs of $80 per case in Hays Municipal Court are significantly less than the costs in other comparable municipal courts, and in the Ellis County District Court. Ellis County District Court currently charges between $103 and $148 per case.

Scheibler and city staff are recommending an ordinance to increase costs per case in Hays Municipal Court from $80 to $100 to better reflect the actual costs of cases filed in Municipal Court and other administrative costs.

Other agenda items for the July 13 Hays city commission meeting include a recommended nuisance property abatement of the former Ambassador Hotel, 3603 Vine Street.

The complete agenda may be seen here. The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in Hays City Hall, 1507 Main.

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

A proposed 10 percent cut in the city of Hays 2018 draft budget for funding to the Ellis County Coalition for Economic Development (ECCED) and Fort Hays State University scholarships, may go a little deeper and even wider.

Also proposed is moving the remaining half of city funding for the Downtown Hays Development Corporation (DHDC) to the Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) budget which is funded by the Transient Guest tax.

City commissioners heard their first overview of the budget by City Manager Toby Dougherty during their work session last week.

The 25.000 mill levy would be maintained for 2018 even as sales tax revenues for the General Fund are projected to be flat.

“Knowing that we’re projecting $78,000 less in sales tax revenues for 2018 than we budgeted for 2017, I challenged city staff to find money for raises. So that means we had to get our operating expenditures down as much as possible,” explained Dougherty.

And they did.

Total operating expenditures for 2018 will be $11,719,457, which includes a four percent raise for all current employees. It’s also $155,000 lower than the 2017 operating expenditures of $11,874,395.

“A concerted effort was made to reduce expenditures without impacting operations or capital maintenance, and yet find money for a raise for all employees,” said Dougherty. “Everybody did a good job. In some places it was cuts, in some places we tightened the tolerances, in some places we made adjustments as we needed to.”

The commission then discussed the proposed funding levels for outside agencies.

Commissioner Lance Jones doesn’t like CVB funds supporting the DHDC.  “I don’t think the CVB fund needs to be looked at as an endless resource–forever. If we cut the DHDC money by 10 percent, there’s $5,000 we can put towards an app for self-guided tours of downtown Hays,” he said.

“The same cut we made to economic development and FHSU, we should make to DHDC–10 percent,” Jones said, noting he has made his decision known to the DHDC board and employees.  Mayor  Shaun Musil was not in favor of any cuts to their funding, saying “DHDC is one area of our community that’s seems to be continually growing the sales tax base.”

The $10,000 cut in the FHSU city scholarships program was not favored by Commissioner Sandy Jacob.

“I think we’re trying to build a partnership with the university and the community, particularly from the downtown standpoint the past few years,” she said. “If we need it to take care of our employee raises then I absolutely am in favor of it. If we don’t need it for the raises, then I would not vote for cutting FHSU. I think it’s just a bad message.” Mayor Musil agreed.

Vice-Mayor James Meier was concerned about a different message to city employees and said he was “fine with the cuts.”

“We’ve asked staff members to look at their budgets and what they’re spending money on, and then to push things back and rearrange things, all so they can get a raise. There’s certainly nothing wrong with asking them to do that, but I think it sends the wrong message to our employees to ask them to do that and not also ask outside agencies to take a cut.”

Musil then brought up the Coalition. “I’m extremely confused on how we handle that because every year it’s a different way.” He continued as Commissioner Henry Schwaller nodded his head in agreement.

“I firmly think we should cut them,” declared Musil. “We’ve kind of talked about if we like their outcomes, then we fund them. I don’t agree that we haven’t given them a clear direction. There are a lot of people on the board who care about our community but it really hasn’t changed since I’ve been on the city commission, since 2013. Either we do fund them or we don’t, and move on,” Musil advocated.

“I don’t think we should fund them this year,” Meier said, “and just be done with it.” Meier is the city’s representative on the ECCED board. “I’ve come to the conclusion I’m not pleased with the outcomes and I agree with Mayor Musil there’s no point in funding half now and maybe half later.”

Musil was quick to point out he’s always said “we have to have economic development, but it’s just not working, what we’re doing.”

“Regarding outcomes, when’s the last time the Coalition recruited a new business?  How many jobs did they add?” Commissioner Schwaller asked. “When’s the last time they helped a startup or two actually launch? When was the last time they actually did something for housing other than help someone flip a home? It just keeps staying right where it is,” he said.

Schwaller said he was not speaking about the Coalition board, although the city and county commissions during a joint meeting in April agreed the board membership is too big to be effective and should be reduced. The Ellis County draft 2018 budget includes a recommended 50 percent cut in funding to the ECCED. The city of Hays and Ellis County are the biggest revenue contributors to the Coalition budget.

“The Coalition is able to fund its operations, not its programs, with our money. As long as that salary is guaranteed, that’s what you’re gonna get,” Schwaller said. “I support any cut in the city’s funding from 10 percent to 100 percent.

“Unfortunately though, the same is true for DHDC. They were told in the very beginning they’d have to sustain cuts in the future. Our money doesn’t really go to projects because the criteria for the DHDC events is that they must pay for themselves or make money. Otherwise, they don’t do them. So that means we’re paying the salary of the DHDC director, which is fine, but that’s not what we do, other than for the Coalition. We don’t pay the FHSU president’s salary. I agree with Commissioner Jones–we’re subsidizing something,” Schwaller said.

“I don’t mind giving money to the DHDC, but I’d rather have the city sponsor individual events,” Schwaller suggested, “sponsoring the things that actually bring tourists in. All the non-alcoholic things that bring in people, we should be the sponsors of that.

“DHDC and the Coalition are the only two agencies that we just write a check to, and basically pay for their operations. Everything else has been programmatic.”

The budget proposal, along with more about city funding to outside agencies, will be discussed again at the next commission work session, July 20 and then reviewed during the regular July 27 commission meeting.

No cuts were recommended for the CARE Council funding, which is again asking for $164,000 for the following social services agencies:

American Red Cross-Ellis Co. Chapter
Big Brothers Big Sisters
Cancer Council
CASA of the High Plains
First Call For Help
Options
Hays Senior Center
DSNWK Access Transportation

“You have to come to a consensus,” advised Dougherty the city commissioners, “but you have plenty of time.” Staff is recommending the budget public hearing be conducted Aug. 10.

ELLIS–The city of Ellis is looking ahead to 2018 for its proposed waterline improvement project.

During its July 3 meeting, Buck Driggs of Driggs Design Group presented preliminary maps for the project. Public Works Director Alan Scheuerman recommended several priority areas based on age and a history of waterline breaks. The proposed locations include portions of 15th Street, Monroe, Baughman Street and 11th Street, and Dorrance Street and 10th Street (Waterline B). Driggs will present a preliminary engineering report at the next council meeting.

Adams, Brown, Beran & Ball presented the city’s 2016 audit report, noting the financial statements are fairly stated.

A representative of the Ellis Golf Club, Dean Gottschalk, told the council two individuals have expressed interest in purchasing the club. The city will first have a land survey done to determine property lines and ownership.

The complete meeting minutes follow.

ELLIS CITY COUNCIL
REGULAR MEETING
Minutes
July 3, 2017

CALL TO ORDER
Mayor David McDaniel called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. Present were Council members Bret Andries, Holly Aschenbrenner, Susan Eaton, Jolene Niernberger, Dena Patee, and Bob Redger. Also present were Public Works Director Alan Scheuerman, City Clerk Amy Burton, Police Chief Taft Yates, and City Attorney Olavee Raub.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
AMENDMENTS TO AGENDA
Mayor David McDaniel requested two executive sessions after Special Order.
PUBLIC PRESENT
Dean Gottschalk, Brian Raub, Karen Day, Joe Day, Ron Hallagin, Sharon Disney, Gary Luea, Sue Werth, Glen Keller, Buck Driggs, Teri Klitzke, Katlin Senst, Connie Waldschmidt, Helen Fischer, and Margie Mickelson (arrived at 7:40 p.m.)
CONSENT AGENDA
Council member Dena Patee moved to approve the consent agenda containing the Minutes from the Regular Meeting on June 19, 2017, Bills Ordinance #2024, and the February manual journal entries. Council member Bob Redger seconded the motion. The Council approved the consent agenda 6-0.
PUBLIC COMMENTS
None
PRESENTATIONS OF AWARDS, PROCLAMATIONS, REQUESTS & PETITIONS (HEARINGS)
None
SPECIAL ORDER
General Government: Financial
Teri Klitzke and Katlin Senst, Adams, Brown, Beran & Ball, Chtd., presented the City’s 2016 audit report. The City received a “clean” opinion, meaning that the 2016 financial statements are fairly stated in all material respects. There were also no cash or budget violations cited. The report will be considered for approval at the next Council meeting.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
Mayor David McDaniel requested an executive session to discuss personnel matters of non-elected personnel. A 15-minute executive session was proposed starting at 7:46 p.m. Mayor David McDaniel asked for a motion to recess. Council member Holly Aschenbrenner moved to recess into executive session to discuss an individual employee’s performance pursuant to the non-elected personnel matter exception, K.S.A. 75-4319 (b)(1) with City Attorney Olavee Raub and Police Chief Taft Yates present. Council member Dena Patee seconded the motion. The motion carried 6-0. The Council returned to open session at 8:01 p.m. No action was taken in executive session.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
A 10-minute executive session was proposed starting at 8:02 p.m. Mayor David McDaniel asked for a motion to recess. Council member Holly Aschenbrenner moved to recess into executive session to discuss an individual employee’s performance pursuant to the non-elected personnel matter exception, K.S.A. 75-4319 (b)(1) with City Attorney Olavee Raub, Police Chief Taft Yates, Karen Day, and Joe Day present. Council member Dena Patee seconded the motion. The motion carried 6-0. The Council returned to open session at 8:12 p.m. No action was taken in executive session.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
A 10-minute executive session was proposed starting at 8:12 p.m. Mayor David McDaniel asked for a motion to recess. Council member Holly Aschenbrenner moved to recess into executive session to discuss an individual employee’s performance pursuant to the non-elected personnel matter exception, K.S.A. 75-4319 (b)(1) with City Attorney Olavee Raub, Police Chief Taft Yates, Karen Day, and Joe Day present. Council member Dena Patee seconded the motion. The motion carried 6-0. The Council returned to open session at 8:22 p.m. No action was taken in executive session.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
General Government: Committee
Council member Holly Aschenbrenner moved to approve the Planning Commission’s 2017 Comprehensive Plan Goals and Objectives document as presented. Council member Dena Patee seconded the motion. The motion carried 6-0; with Council member Jolene Niernberger abstaining due to perceived conflict of interest.
Water: Special Project
Buck Driggs, Driggs Design Group, presented the preliminary maps of the proposed 2018 Waterline Improvement Project and requested guidance from Council on the scope of the project costs in order to prepare the Preliminary Engineering Report. The City will apply for a matching Community Development Block Grant to help fund the project. After providing details of each location included in the proposed project, Public Works Director Alan Scheuerman offered guidance on which locations should be considered higher priority due to age and history of breaks. Council would like for the project to fall in between $600,000 – $700,000. Council directed Mr. Driggs to prepare the Preliminary Engineering Report including the proposed locations of portions of 15th Street (Waterline D), Monroe (Waterline C), and Baughman Street and 11th Street (Waterline A). The remaining available project funds will be used to select portions of Dorrance Street and 10th Street (Waterline B). Mr. Driggs will present the Preliminary Engineering Report at the next Council meeting for consideration.
NEW BUSINESS
Streets: Special Project
Mr. Driggs updated Council on the status of the Street Improvement Project. The Project has reached substantial completion, well ahead of the August 30th deadline. One item that Mr. Driggs asked for Council to consider is a change order to the residence at 11th Street and Dorrance Street. The street was lowered in that area, resulting in a significant slope in front of the residence. Mr. Driggs is proposing adding three steps and a sidewalk to the curb. Council member Holly Aschenbrenner moved and Council member Jolene Niernberger seconded a motion to install steps and a sidewalk at the residence at 11th Street and Dorrance Street due to changes in the height of the street and the resulting slope, at a cost not to exceed $1,800. The motion carried 6-0.
General Government: Land Disposition
Dean Gottschalk, representing the Ellis Golf Club, reported that two separate individuals have expressed interest in purchasing the Club. Mr. Gottschalk asked if the City would consider selling the land where the cart sheds are located, as well as the driving range. City Attorney Olavee Raub recommended the City obtain a land survey first to determine property lines and ownership. Council member Bob Redger moved and Council member Holly Aschenbrenner seconded a motion to hire a surveyor to determine the City’s property boundaries surrounding the Ellis Golf Club. The motion carried 6-0. Ms. Raub will contact Dale Owings, Penco Engineering, to perform the survey.
Public Works: Special Project
Public Works Director Alan Scheuerman expressed concerns over the buildup of silt affecting the drainage at the Ellis Golf Club. Ron Hallagin, Ellis Golf Club representative, stated the owners do not want a drainage ditch running through the course. They would prefer a sloped area that could still be accessible with a mower in order to keep the area maintained. Council directed Public Works Director Alan Scheuerman to work with the Club to determine a solution workable for both parties.
General Government: Contracts
City Clerk Amy Burton reported that only two individuals submitted bids for janitorial services at City Hall, and that the current service provider did not submit a bid. Sue Werth submitted a bid in the amount of $525/month to perform the service, and Linda Pfeifer submitted a bid of $625/month. The City currently pays $475/month. Council member Bret Andries asked if the current provider is performing the contract to specifications and if she is interested in continuing services to the City. Mayor David McDaniel stated he will visit with the current contract provider to find out more information. No action was taken.
General Government: Committee
Council member Holly Aschenbrenner moved and Council member Bob Redger seconded a motion to approve Resolution No. 537 renaming the Senior Citizen’s Advisory Committee to the Community Advisory Committee. Upon a call for discussion, Council member Jolene Niernberger stated that originally the committee focused on enhancing the quality of life for the senior citizens of the City; however, several of the programs offered are open to the entire community. City Attorney Olavee Raub stated the original resolution creating the committee expressed the purpose as finding solutions for issues that affect the senior citizen population. If the Council wants to evolve the committee into a “community” advisory committee and change the fundamental purpose of the committee, then the original resolution will need to be repealed and a new resolution drafted creating that committee. Upon a call for a vote, the motion failed 0-6.
General Government: City Code
Ms. Raub presented a proposed ordinance increasing the seatbelt fines from $10 to $30 as required by State law effective July 1, 2017. The proposed ordinance serves as a temporary fix until the 2017 Standard Traffic Ordinances are issued and adopted by cities. Council member Dena Patee moved and Council member Jolene Niernberger seconded a motion to adopt Ordinance No. 1421, amending Section 182.1 of the 2016 Standard Traffic Ordinance. The motion carried 6-0.
Swimming Pool: Acquisition
Council member Bret Andries moved to approve the bid from Brenntag for two pallets of hydrochloric acid at a cost of $1,340 plus shipping and handling, with funds to come from the General-Swimming Pool Fund. Council member Bob Redger seconded the motion. The motion carried 6-0.
General Government: Repair/Maintenance
Public Works Director Alan Scheuerman informed Council that repairs are needed to the south side access door at City Hall. Water blows in and the structure is getting increasingly worse. Council directed Mr. Scheuerman to acquire estimates for consideration, and in the future to obtain the estimates prior to Council meeting to facilitate the repairs more quickly.
Special Machinery: Acquisition
Mr. Scheuerman requested approval to purchase a 2009 Chevrolet Pickup for the Water Department. The pickup has 64,000 miles and includes a crane that could be used in other departments as well. If approved, the Water Department pickup will be moved to the Parks Department. Mr. Scheuerman stated the purchase was budgeted for in 2016 and feels the pickup would be a good addition to the City’s fleet. Council member Jolene Niernberger moved and Council member Bret Andries seconded a motion to approve the purchase of the 2009 Chevrolet Pickup from Midway Motors in the amount of $18,899, with funds to come from the Special Machinery Fund. The motion carried 4-2, with Council member Holly Aschenbrenner and Dena Patee opposed.
REPORTS FROM CITY OFFICIALS
Public Works
Mr. Scheuerman presented the Comparative Water Reports for the period May 10th – June 10th. He has asked the Kansas Rural Water Association to come to Ellis and test lines to attempt to locate any underground leaks, which may be reducing the City’s percentage of water accounted for. There also appears to be an infiltration and inflow (INI) problem at the Wastewater Treatment Facility.
Council praised the Public Works staff for their assistance during the Facility Inspection Tour.
Mr. Scheuerman showed pictures of the rain water puddling on the brick streets on Washington Street due to the collapsing infrastructure underneath. The picture illustrates the importance of repairing the infrastructure that runs under the brick streets, rather than just filling in with sand and replacing the brick.
In response to questions on why individuals roofing their residences must obtain a permit, Mr. Scheuerman included the page in the 2003 International Building Codes which does not exempt roofing a structure from obtaining a permit.
Police
Police Chief Taft Yates presented the Monthly Activity Report for June and the July Staff Calendar. The Department recently assisted with a distracted driving exercise with the driver’s education class at Ellis High School.
City Clerk
City Clerk Amy Burton presented the minutes from the Planning Commission/Board of Zoning Appeals and the Tourism Committee.
Ms. Burton also reviewed the February Financial Statements consisting of the Statement of Accounts, Treasurer’s Report and the Security Deposit Worksheet.
Currently, budget work sessions are scheduled for July 11th, July 13th and July 18th.
The City’s certified population for 2016 is 2050, a decrease of 14 residents from 2015. Each city and township in Ellis County had population decreases.
Swimming Pool: Special Event
Ms. Burton announced that 136 patrons came for the free swim sponsored by the Community Foundation for the ribbon cutting for the new pool slide. The amount owed using the actual admission prices totaled $207.00; while the use of the pool for the day applying the rate for a pool party totaled $206.25. Council member Holly Aschenbrenner moved to invoice the Community Foundation $200.00 for their use of the pool on July 1st. Council member Bob Redger seconded the motion. The motion carried 6-0, with Council member Dena Patee abstaining due to perceived conflict of interest.
Ms. Burton continued by asking for guidance on the Recreation Commission’s use of the pool for their annual Back to School bash. It was the consensus of Council to apply the same theory as the Foundation’s free swim event – the lessor of the actual admission cost or the standard pool party rate.
Attorney
City Attorney Olavee Raub reported several code violation cases are currently being prosecuted. The City has received a report of a resident dumping construction debris in Big Creek. Ms. Raub did find a statutory provision that exempts the required time frame to address code violations when dealing with an urgent situation.
Mayor Update and Announcements
Mayor David McDaniel reported that he and Travis Kohlrus, Ellis Industrial Development Corporation, will be attending the Ellis County Commission meeting on July 10th to request a waiver of landfill fees for disposing of the demolition debris from the old hotel.
ADJOURNMENT
Council member Bob Redger moved and Council member Dena Patee seconded a motion to adjourn the meeting. The motion carried 6-0. The meeting adjourned at 10:10 p.m.

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

It’s not unusual for State Representative Eber Phelps of Hays to update his constituents on the activity of the Kansas legislature.

He did so Thursday at the Hays Kiwanis Club meeting. What was unusual was what Phelps brought with him.

A Democrat, Phelps represents the 111th District covering Hays and Victoria.

He presented an official certificate from the Kansas House of Representatives offering “sincere commendations to Hays Kiwanis Club International in recognition for truly making Hays an American Flag City through the Hays Kiwanis Club Flag Project.”

The recognition by the House was requested by Phelps.

Jerry Ubert, co-chairman of the flag project, accepted the honor on behalf of the club.

The flag project is a fundraiser for Kiwanis. Currently, 1,116 Hays businesses and individuals are signed up to have the club members place the U.S. flag on their property five times a year.

 

 

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

Several water slides in Kansas are closed, including those in Russell, after a new state law became effective July 1. The Hays city attorney has been reviewing whether the Hays Aquatic Park is affected.

Water slides at least 15 feet in height that use water to propel the patron through the ride are considered an amusement ride, as defined in the new law. They now require inspections and a state operator’s permit from the Kansas Department of Labor (KDOL).

“Our slide is not affected by it for various reasons,” John Bird told city commissioners Thursday night. “The law is not intended to outlaw our kind of slide. Just to be safe, I’m going to recommend we go through the inspection process, but we don’t need to shut it down or anything like that,” Bird said.

Water slides are required to meet ASTM standards and receive written certification by a qualified inspector, acknowledged by the National Association of Amusement Ride Safety Officials (NAARSO) or other nationally recognized third party training organizations, prior to applying for a KDOL permit to operate the slide.

On June 23, Gov. Sam Brownback signed a bill delaying a provision that creates criminal penalties for operating a ride without a license until Jan. 1, 2018, and prohibits the Department of Labor from enforcing penalties until new rules are published. The department had been concerned some parks wouldn’t be able to comply with the new tougher standards by July 1.

The law is in response to the death of state representative Scott Schwab’s 10-year-old son, Caleb, last summer at Schlitterbahn Water Park in Kansas City.