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CITY OF HUGOTON Home City Council Minutes City Codes Contact Us
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CITY
COUNCIL MEETING Others
present were Outside Utilities Supervisor Dean Banker, City Clerk Thomas G.
Hicks, Chief of Police Courtney Leslie, City Inspector Tony Martin, Electric
System Supervisor Gary Rowden, City Attorney Wayne R. Tate, Wilma Bartel, Neal
Gillespie, Pat LeClerc, Donald Perry, and Alvin Riley. Mayor Jack E. Rowden
presided. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT At
5:15 p.m., the city council conducted a public hearing to consider a property
tax exemption for Great Plains Gas Compression, Inc. Stevens County Economic
Development Director Neal Gillespie explained the criteria for qualifying for
the tax abatement and the declining ten-year scale for the abatement of the
taxes on the qualifying property. Councilman Gary Baughman
arrived at 5:19 p.m. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Donald
Perry expressed his opposition to the granting of tax exemptions. After the
public hearing comments, motion by Councilman Kim Harper, seconded by Councilman
Greg Gill, that the City of Hugoton approve the tax exemption for Great Plains
Gas Compression, Inc. In favor of the motion: Councilmen Eshbaugh, Gill, Harper,
and Mason. Opposed: Councilman Baughman. Motion carried. TRANSIENT GUEST TAX Gillespie
reported the board of convention and tourism activities has voted to spend
$750.00 for a photographer and $3,301.00 for the printing of 1,000 new booklets
promoting Hugoton businesses, facilities, and activities. Motion by Harper,
seconded by Eshbaugh, to approve the expenditures. Motion carried. PERSONNEL Pat
LeClerc, with Group Benefit Specialists, presented a proposal for the city to
provide full-time employees with long-term care indemnity insurance. A monthly
premium of $275.90 per month paid by the city would provide 32 full-time
employees with $1,000.00 per month long-term care coverage for a period of three
years. The plan requires a 90-day elimination period before the long-term care
payments would begin. Employees could buy additional long-term care coverage
through a payroll deduction. Motion by Harper, seconded by Mason, that the city
provide full-time employees with the long-term care benefit and to authorize
Group Benefit Specialists to offer those employees the opportunity to purchase
additional covered through a payroll deduction.
Motion carried. PERSONNEL Pat
LeClerc also presented a comparison of the city's current Blue Cross and Blue
Shield rates and benefits to the State employee Blue Cross and Blue Shield
health plan rates and benefits. The comparison showed a potential annual cost
savings of over $75,000.00 by going to the State plan. LeClerc pointed out
differences in coverage that must be considered. Switching to the State plan
requires a three-year commitment. The city must also consider the timing of the
switch to minimize the impact of accumulated deductibles and coinsurance of
employees. BIDS, GOLF COURSE Bids
were opened to lease purchase finance $24,000.00 for a 2007 fairway mower for
the golf course. three years four years Citizens
State Bank
3.45%
3.51% First
National Bank
3.75% Motion
by Mike Eshbaugh, seconded by Greg Gill, to accept the bid of Citizens State
Bank for a three year lease purchase financing agreement. In favor of the
motion: Baughman, Eshbaugh, Gill, and Mason. Abstained: Harper. Motion carried. GOLF COURSE Golf
course board member Alvin Riley reported there is currently a waiting list for
access to the private golf cart sheds. The board would like to convert the
community shed to space for the course's rental golf carts and for additional
storage. Current community shed members would have to upgrade to a private shed.
Motion by Harper, seconded by Gill, to authorize Riley to get bids for a new
32-cart shed. Once those bids are received, the city will take bids from
financial institutions to lease purchase finance construction of the shed with
payments on the new debt coming from additional golf cart shed rental fees.
Motion carried. GOLF COURSE Riley also notified the
council the golf course has until 2015 to perfect 94-acre feet of water.
Discussion was held on the best time and how to pump that much additional water. Councilman Greg Gill
departed at 6:40 p.m. GOLF COURSE Riley was instructed to
come up with a plan for pumping the water required to perfect the amount
available. MINUTES The minutes of the meeting
of April 11, 2011 were approved as mailed. MUNICIPAL COURT Each member of the
governing body was provided a copy of Municipal Judge Sherri Leonard's report
for the month of April, showing 29 new cases brought before the court and
$4,858.58 remitted to the city. INSPECTOR City
Inspector Tony Martin presented his monthly activities report. INSURANCE Quotes
for additional insurance were presented. Insuring the Streetscape lights, refuse
containers, benches, and sound system would
cost an additional $404.00 annually. Changing to replacement values for
the 1981 road grader, 1995 loader, 2006 backhoe, 1998 grader, and 2002 sweeper
would cost an additional $2,780.00 annually. Motion by Harper, seconded by
Mason, to add the coverage for the Streetscape lights, refuse containers,
benches, and sound system. Motion carried. PARKS, BIDS The
bid of $17,570.00 from Thomas Landscaping accepted last month for an underground
sprinkler system for the two west blocks in Raydene Park was incorrect. Thomas
Landscaping has submitted a corrected bid of $16,620.00 or $15, 620.00 if the
city does the trenching for an underground sprinkler system in the west block of
Raydene Park. Motion by Harper, seconded by Eshbaugh, to accept the bid of
$15,620.00. Motion carried. FINANCE The
city clerk received the bill for concrete for the improvements to the drainage
ditch on the south side of the Catholic Church property after the cutoff date
for bills being paid at the May 9, 2011 city council meeting. Motion by Harper,
seconded by Mason, to authorize the city clerk to issue a check for $6,773.29 to
Tarbet Construction, Inc. Motion carried. The Catholic Church will reimburse the
city for one-half of the costs. GOLF COURSE The
golf course board has been approached by two city employees with a request for
free or reduced rate membership dues. The golf course board has passed on the
request to the city council for a decision. PERSONNEL Motion by Bob Mason,
seconded by Mike Eshbaugh, that Kim Harper be elected "President of the
Council". Motion carried. FINANCE Motion by Eshbaugh,
seconded by Baughman, that Citizens State Bank and First National Bank be
designated official depositories for the city. Motion carried. MEDIA Motion by Baughman,
seconded by Mason, to designate the Hugoton Hermes as the official city paper.
Motion carried. PERSONNEL Mayor Rowden announced the
following appointments.
Outside Utilities Supervisor
Dean Banker
City Treasurer
Belva Hickey
City Clerk
Thomas G. Hicks
Municipal Judge
Sherri Leonard
Chief of Police
Courtney Leslie
City Inspector
Tony Martin
Electric Systems Supervisor
Gary Rowden
City Attorney
Wayne R. Tate Councilman Eshbaugh
requested an executive session to discuss the annual appointments. TRAFFIC City
Attorney Wayne R. Tate presented a request from UPA for the city to pass a
resolution to enable KDOT to become involved in the proper signage of the roads
entering town from the west, that are being blocked by the unit train. The city
attorney was instructed to notify UPA to immediately comply with the terms of
the agreement. TRANSIENT GUEST TAX Mayor
Rowden announced the reappointment of Benny Cabrera and Laura Hull to the board
of convention and tourism activities. Motion by Eshbaugh, seconded by Baughman,
to confirm the appointments. Motion carried. The terms will expire in May, 2015. Claims against the city
were presented and audited. Motion by Harper, seconded by Baughman, that
Appropriation Ordinances No. 1733 and 1734 be passed. Motion carried. Motion
by Mike Eshbaugh, seconded by Gary Baughman, that the meeting go into executive
session in regard to personnel matters. Motion carried. Mayor Rowden called the
meeting into executive session at 7:20 p.m. with the meeting to reconvene in
open session at 7:35 p.m. The meeting reconvened in
open session at 7:35 p.m. PERSONNEL Mayor
Rowden emphasized that all supervisors being appointed are expected to be
working supervisors. Supervisors are expected to diligently check on employees
to make sure work is being performed as directed. PERSONNEL Motion by Mike Eshbaugh,
second by Bob Mason, to confirm the annual appointments announced by the mayor
earlier in the meeting. Motion carried. Motion by Eshbaugh,
seconded by Harper, that the meeting be adjourned to June 6, 2011 at 5:15 p.m.
Motion carried.
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