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Meeting twice Monday
evening in back-to-back meet-
ings, Members of the Coldwater
City Council first held a budget
heating on the 20017 city bud-
get.
With no public present to
question or comment on the
budget, the council quickly ap-
proved the budget. The motion
to adopt the budget came on a
4-1 vote, with Councilman
Daniel Hess dissenting.
"I just think we should only
raise the levy five mils instead
of 10 mils," he said.
Next the council moved on to
its regular meeting, taking the
next step in solving the drain-
age problem in the 100 block of
East Main Street with which they
have wrestled for some time
As a result, construction has
been scheduled to begin on the
project next spring.
Tuesday night the council
accepted the bid of Bryant and
Bryant Construction of
Halstead. That firm's bid was the
lowest of four bids submitted on
the project.
Bryant and Bryant's bid was
$135,555.
The four bids were opened
and reviewed near the end of
July, and Bryant and Bryant's
bid was recommended by engi-
neer Joel Krosschel of EBH con-
sulting engineers. Other bids
ranged from $139.946 to
$159,332.60. The council had
anticipated the project would
cost around $150,000.
Some additional cost may be
incurred when the project is com-
pleted. Since the project itself will
be basically done in the east half
of the block, they may run into
some expense in "matching up"
the rest of the street in that block.
Next the council met with Rick
Ensz, vice president of Cooper
Malone McCa'm, Inc., financing
company of Wichita and Over-
land Park.
Ensz discussed refinancing
the city's 2009 general obligation
bonds which were issued at that
time to refinance bonds issued
in 2002 to finance a number of
new water mains around the city
and construct a new water tower.
He explained that the city
could possibly save around
$16,000 over the next six years
by refinancing them at the cur-
rent interest rates.
After Ensz explained the con-
tract to the council, council-
members voted to enter the con-
tract with his firm at a cost of
three per cent of the bonds --
but the cost would come only if
the council approves the refi-
nancing.
Ensz said that his firm would
perform a study of the bonds
and interest to determine
whether or not an actual savings
couldbe made. If not, the coun-
cil would be under no obligation
tohis firm.
Council members voted to
contract with the firm to look into
the matter.
Ensz then presented the pre-
liminary figures on the new
bonds which would pay off the
old bonds. He proposed
$700,000 in refinancing. The
bonds would be paid out at the
same time the old bonds would
have been -- in 2022.
He said that the $700,000
would cost the city $739,543.33,
compared to the current bonds
which would cost $756,090 over
the term of the bond. That would
mean that the city would be able
to save $16,547 over the dura-
tion of the bond.
The council also voted to
contract with Gilmore & Bell of
Wichita as bond attorneys on
the new bond series.
In other business, the coun-
cil:
--Approved payment of the
monthly bills in the amount of
$128,881.37.
--Received a report that the
city's oil and gas income for the
month of July had amounted to
$1,249.64.
--Heard Councilman Hess
relay a request from South Cen-
tral High School for permission
to take physical education
classes to the city pool on Mon-
days and Tuesdays, and hold the
annual Cardboard Boat compe-
tition and all school swim at the
pool in the near future. The coun-
cil approved the request.
--Heard Kris Moore voice a
concern from about a blind cor-
ner at the intersection of First
and Jefferson, asking that the
trees either be trimmed up or
stop signs be placed there. The
council agreed to get in touch
with land owner Dave Sturm to
see if there was any problem
with the city trimming back the
large cedar tree next to the inter-
section.
--Discussed the proposal
from Steve Broussard about the
irrigation well Broussard had
drilled closer to a city well than
allowed by state water regula-
tions. After reading a proposal
from Broussard, the council de-
cided not to accept the terms
Broussard proposed, and in-
stead instruct City Attorney to
draft a letter proposing the city's
terms to Broussard.
--Heard Public Works Direc-
tor Danny Shaw report that he
didn't feel that all who should
have applied for permits for farm
animals in the city have done so.
--Talked with Dave Gerstner
and Shaw about financing the
demolition of a house in the
(continued on page 7)
Weather
as recorded by
.lohn Lehman
Date High Low Precip.
8-3 98 69 0.00
8-4 97 76 0.03
8-5 92 69 0.00
8-6 91 69 0.10
8-7 85 68 0.02
8-8 89 69 0.00
8-9 89 75 0.00
$1.00
(USPS No. 679-660)
Vol. 132 No. 2, Thursday, Aug. 11, 2016
Official Newspaper for City of Coldwater and Comanche County
Box 518 • Coldwater, Kansas 67029-0518 ° (620) 582-2101
mml
II
With the primary election tak-
ing place here last Tuesday, the
Comanche County Commission-
ers rescheduled their first-Tues-
day-of-the-month meeting to last
Friday. The meeting also served
as the annual meeting of the
Comanche County Solid Waste
Committee, fulfilling the state re-
quirement of an annual meeting
for that group.
Members of that committee
include all three county commis-
sioners, Justin York of Red Hills
Waste Management, Road and
Bridge Supervisor Dennis Her-
nandez, and the mayor of each
city (though Protection and Wil-
more mayors were not present
at the meeting).
Hernandez reported on a trip
to Kinsley to look at the recy-
cling center there. As a result,
he recommended that the com-
missioners consider having re-
cycling bins inside the building
with external doors for use by
the public when dropping off
recyclables there.
They also discussed the fact
that -- for a fee -- household
trash, furniture, and mattresses
could be dumped at the county
landfill, with a fee of $18 per
pickup load (or partial load).
York pointed out that while
mattresses can be put in the
dumpster at the landfill, they can
also be picked up at the curb on
his residential pickup routes.
Hours and days open at the
landfill were also discussed. The
landfill is now open 8 a.m. to 4:30
p.m. Wednesdays and Satur-
days, as well as on other days
by arrangement which can be
made by calling the road and
bridge department office.
After discussing the possi-
bility of opening the landfill an
additional day each week, the
commissioners voted to add
Mondays to the schedule, mak-
ing the landfill open Monday,
Wednesday, and Saturday, 8 a.m.
to 4:30 p.m. each of those days.
White goods, stoves, refrig-
erators, washers, and dryers,
dishwashers, etc., or other iron
and steel items, they noted, can
be dropped off at the landfill at not be made. She said that the
no cost, and the same with trees regulations apply to all counties
and yard waste. Trees and yard with a population of 300,000 or
waste can also be dumped at no less, noting that all the smaller
cost at the tree dump just north- counties had received the same
west of Wilmore. letter for the same reason.
The commissioners and York --Met in a third executive
also discussed the trash pickup session of the day to discuss
schedule on the dumpsters at the personnel matters with Mrs.
countylandfill, agreeing to con- Bruckner at the deputy
t'mue the policy of allowing trash appraiser's request.
to be dumped in those --Met with Pat Klecker of
dumpsters for a fee. Santa Fe Trail Community Cor-
In other business, the com- rections based in Dodge City
missioners: who presented the commission-
--Approved payment of bills ers with that organization's an-
inthe amount of $141,769.71. nual report of activities for July
--Met in a short executive 1, 2015, through June 30, 2016.
session to discuss personnel The commissioners approved
matters, and signed the report. He ex-
--Met in another executive plained that there are currently
session to discuss personnel three adults in Comanche
matters with Comanche County County being supervised by his
Attorney Skip Herd. office. Two others were in the
--Met with Deputy County program during the past year,
Appraiser Penny Bruckner who but have since moved to other
discussed a letter from the state areas. Though there are cur-
stating that Comanche County rently no juveniles being served
is out of compliance with state by the organization, he explained
regulations in its real estate valu- the programs available. County
ation process. However, she ex- Attorney Herd and the commis-
plained that the number of real sioners talked with Klecker
estate sales in the county within about working more closely with
the past year had been so low the school district, and specifi-
that accurate comparisons could (continued on page 3)
Two County Meetings Monday,
Approve Budget During First
Monday morning, the Co-
manche County Commissioners
held a "doubleheader."
Starting at 9 a.m., the commis-
sioners held their annual public
budget hearing on the proposed
2017 county budget.
With no "public" present to
question or object to the bud-
get, the commissioners ap-
proved the 2017 budget as pro-
posed and published recently. It
calls for an 18 mil increase in the
county tax levy.
Next, they met as the Board
of Canvassers for the primary
election held here on Tuesday
of last week.
In addition to checking the
tallies turned in by the precinct
election workers, the commis-
sioners had to review and rule
on 15 "provisional" ballots.
Those were ballots which
were cast Tuesday, but were
questioned for any of a number
of reasons by the election work-
ers.
Of the 15, the commissioners
deemed six of them to be valid
ballots, and those were added to
the totals compiled the night of
the election.
The other eight were deemed
not valid because the individual
casting the ballot was not regis-
tered, had moved or lived out-
side the county.
