BY TONY FURSE | July 12, 2023

In addition to proposing exceeding the revenue neutral rate for its 2024 city budget and meeting via Zoom with a local mobile home park manager, two reports located elsewhere in this issue, La Cygne city leaders approved a project’s change order that actually deducts costs.

At their regular meeting last Wednesday, July 5, the council unanimously agreed to a change order deducting $8,800 from the $911,900 bid award to erect a new fire station. The change-order request by construction general contractor Hofer & Hofer & Associates, Inc., Humboldt, is a result of their recommendation to change the building’s steel siding from a thickness of 24 gauge to a thinner 26 gauge.

Dan Nasalroad, fire chief, said that Hofer noted that 26 gauge is the industry standard and that “they haven’t built anything with 24 gauge.”

Nasalroad expects the construction crew to be on site this week to begin the project.

During the agenda’s discussion from the floor, city leaders also helped clarify for James McCarson about property mowing responsibilities. McCarson said that language placed into a contract between the city and Jackie Pribble, owner at 109 N. 2nd St., indicated that the city would maintain “their portion up to the property line.” Last year, Pribble had been required to raze a structure there after a portion was found to be sitting directly above a city sewer easement.

McCarson believed that the property line sat back four feet from the street. Mayor Debra Wilson explained that, after platting, “the city puts in thoroughfares, right of ways, and easements. We control those, but don’t own them. Up to the road the property owner manages. All roads in town are that way after surveys.”

Wilson did offer to have the city’s public works department smooth the area for mowing preparation.

In other business before the council:

--Jodi Wade, city clerk, noted that the closest of three Evergy Kansas rate-increase public hearings across the state will be this Thursday at 6 p.m. at the University of Kansas Edwards Campus BEST Center at 12600 Quivira Road, Overland Park. She said those who cannot attend in person may join via Zoom.

The proposed $14 million increase for Evergy Kansas Metro (EKM) customers, of which La Cygne is a part, computes to a 1.95 percent increase, or an additional $3.47 per month. The proposal for Evergy Kansas Central customers is a $204 million increase, computing to a 9.77 percent increase, or an additional $14.24 per month.

If approved by the Kansas Corporation Commission after this month’s hearings, the rate increase would become effective this December.

--In her report, Tina Fenoughty, police chief and animal control officer, reported three citations since the June 7 meeting: two for animal cruelty that she attributed to the hot weather in late June and one for aggressive dog/running at large/tag. Wilson noted that the highest number of calls for service (15) for the four-week period ending last Wednesday were for animal complaints.

--No public action followed two executive sessions totaling 12 minutes for non-elected personnel review of applications and resumes.