City Council - Regular Meeting

Heat. Heat. [music] Heat. Heat.

[music]

Good evening everybody and welcome to the January 12th, 2026 uh city council meeting. Roll call, please. Booster here. Walters here. Here. Cloier here. Parton here here. Thson here. Invocation tonight will be given by Pastor Kurt Hansen, Hazel Christian Church.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Uh, first council meeting of the new year. I'm reminded of Paul's words, church at Philippi, chapter 3. Forgetting what lies behind, reaching forward to what lies ahead. I press on toward the goal of the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Gracious Father, we we come tonight and and we thank you that you always accept us exactly where we are. But in your grace, you called us up. You build us up that we might reflect even more your grace and and your glory and your love to those around us. I pray that for every person here tonight. Father, that they would just tenderize their hearts to allow you to do in them and through them what you desire to do in this new year. We thank you for new members tonight, Father, that they would continue to work together. I just ask again your hedge of protection around this city, around every community, around every neighborhood, around every home, around every school and every business. Father, would you continue to call us up together? We thank you for your grace upon this city. May she become a shining beacon to others of your love and your life and your grace that are eternal through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Amen. Please join me in the pledge of allegiance. I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. All right. Next, we have presentation and approval of minutes. A the minutes of December 29th, 2025. Council person Martin. Make a motion we approve the minutes of December 29th, 2025 as presented. Second.

We have a motion, a second to approve the minutes of December 29th, 2025 as presented. Any discussion? Question, please. Rooster, yes. Rarden, yes. Eert, abstain. Yes. Carton, yes. Myers, yes. Thompson, abstain. All right. Next, we have item one, public comment. A Brandon Holmes regarding Eagle Scott project. Welcome, Brandon. Good. Uh, just tell us your name and uh your address. And Yes, sir.

Good evening, mayor and members of the city council. My name is Brandon Holmes. I am from Troop 8 93. Um I live here in Hazville at um in the 1642 West Rose Court. Um I just want to thank everybody for taking the time to hear uh my proposal. I am here to share my Eagle Scout project. Um which is focused on repairing and improving on the Scout Pavilion at Plagon's Carpenter Park. This pavilion was originally built in 1986 or 1987 by a Eagle Scout uh named Brian Brady who was a member of Troop 893. Um being part of the same Eagle Repro project and the same troop, it has a lot of meaning to it. Um the pavilion has been used for many years by scouts, families, um youth teams. Right now, the roof is in poor condition. It needs to be repaired. For my Eagle project, I plan to repair and re-roof the pavilion so it can continue to be safety to be continue to be for the safety of the community. I am also hoping to add an outdoor cooking gate near the pavilion. I believe this would be helpful for the baseball and softball teams that use the park a lot. um especially during the tournaments when families spend most of the day there and need a place to eat in between the games to go and have lunch and enjoy the view of the baseball. I plan to complete this project with the help of about 14 volunteers including fellow scouts, family members, and community volunteers. My goal is to have the project completed by March 28th, 2026, so it will be ready for the spring

sports season, weather permitting, because we never know what Kansas weather's going to be like. So, um, to make this project possible, I will be seeking donations for materials and supplies. I respectfully ask the city council for permission to move forward with this project and to consider waving the roofing permit required for the work. Now you all should you guys should have been handed a proposal proposed budget. On there is a list of materials how much I will need about how much each of the items will cost and the rough cost in total. Um this the budget will be rough estimate of $1,895 um give or take how much material I actually get donated. Um and then I just want to thank you for your time and for supporting projects that help to improve our parks and community. I would be happy to answer any more questions you may have about this project. Anybody have any questions?

So the uh if I understand right you are uh seeking funds, donations from uh out from outside uh from people or companies, things like that? Companies most preferably. Okay. And you're asking for permission to move forward with the uh with the repairs of the scout shelter at Pens Carpenter Park. also the waving of the uh roofing um permit fees. Is that correct? Yes, sir. He would still have to get the permit. He just doesn't have to pay the fees, right? Correct. Yeah. Okay. Yep. If that's what council person pardon,

if there's no questions, I make a motion we allow him to make the changes at the roof and wave the roofing permit fee and but you still have to get the permit. Second. So, we have a motion, a second to approve this project along with a waving of the u the permit fee for roofing. Any discussion? Question, please. I was just going to say I don't have it earrated. pass around a half.

Thank you. All right. Question, please. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Myers, yes. Thompson, yes. All right. There you go, Brandon. And uh thank you for coming tonight. Thank all the scouts from uh uh that came here to support you. Uh it's good to see uh great support uh for this project and uh wish you well and uh I look forward to uh seeing it completed. So yes, SIR. [applause]

All right. Next on the agenda, item B, we have a United Way of the Plains regarding homeless point and time count. We have uh Cole here tonight. Hi there. I'm not Shily. Uh, she is my Look at that. That's amazing. Thank you all for having us. My name is Cole Schneers. I live at 1707 South Mosley in Witchah, which is, you know, Harry Broadway. I always think I'm closer to Hazville than I really am until I drive down. Thank you for having me. Um, I work for United Way the Flame, the Coalition Homelessness in Witchah Central County. Um, as a matter of course, thing that we do every year. It's an annual count of everyone experiencing homelessness in our community and it's something that we undertake with the rest of the nation. So I was invited today to just tell you a little bit about who the coalition is as well as tell you about the point in time count process and answer any questions you may have. So coalition who we are um ultimately we are a federally funded program that was started in the 90s 2000s um through the department of housing and urban development. Um really the idea was the federal government's putting a lot of money um into local communities to end homelessness and they weren't seeing a coordinated collaborative effort. So what they did is said let's put all that funding into one bucket called the COC or continuum of care program um and then we'll let communities decide locally how they want to spend that funding. Um all of the funding that we get um is competitively achieved. So we are competing not only with um our fellow communities in Kansas but also with the rest of the country. There's over 400 COC's or continuums of care nationally. Um locally we're led by United Way of the Plains. That's not the same in every community. Some communities a local city or county will [clears throat] lead it to other places it'll be a nonprofit or will be split up among multiple entities. Locally here it's led by

United Way the Plains. What are what's our vision or what do we aim to do? Um, we want to see that homelessness in our community is rare, brief, and non-reoccurring. Um, part of that vision statement that I want to highlight for this group is Cedric County. So, a lot of times our work really does get bogged down or focused in Witchah. That is where most of our neighbors experiencing homelessness in the county live. That's where most of our work is. As I was driving down, I was notating how far south I'd been to do outreach. And the farthest south that we normally go is about 47th Street. Um, so that's just a note that we don't tend to come down to Hazesville. That being said, if there's someone experiencing homelessness in Hazesville, we're we're responsible to serve them. Um, there all of our funding that we receive is is meant to go towards them really. And the way that we end homelessness is um I try to compare it to how do you end someone's hunger? You feed them. How do you end someone's homelessness? You house them. And then you take it to the next level. How do you keep someone fed forever? You teach them how to fish, right? Same thing with housing. If you want to end someone's homelessness, it's not just about getting them in the home. It's getting them everything they need to stay stably housed. So, that's really what we do. We're also really focused on communitywide partnerships. Um there's a lot that goes into any one person's homelessness. So, we believe it takes whole community to get someone back into a home. We'll go over our coalition. Um who we are. This is just some of the the agencies we work with. Um, we're we're run in sort of a a quasi nonprofit way. Um, we have our own board that directs us that decides how we spend that funding that we get from HUD. We also have members who actually carry out the work. That includes nonprofits, local government, um, also people who have experience homelessness. We include them in a lot of our decision- making. What do we do? Again, I'll be in brief, but we provide housing. That's sort of the number one thing we do in a couple

different ways. Um, we also do emergency sheltering. Um, even though our our federal funds don't pay for that, we still they're still within our network. Um, we also talk to one another. That's our data management and analysis or HMIS system. Um, it doesn't do a lot of good if we're not talking to each other. If I'm working at shelter B and someone at shelter A doesn't know I'm working with the same guy as them, we're going to waste money. So, um, that's what the whole HMI system is about is communicating with one another that we're all working, um, towards the same goal. Coordinated entry is sort of the same thought, a little different. Um, we don't have enough resources to serve everyone in Cedric County experiencing homelessness. So, instead, we prioritize the people who, but for our resources are likely to pass away on the street, or likely to never leave homelessness. So folks that are able to work and do all of that, they tend to be served last compared to um someone who has a disability and is on a fixed income. And last bit, my job is COC planning. So it's a pretty big hefty grant um on top of a lot of compliance things, but I do things throughout the year with the community um in Witchah and around because homelessness is a year- round thing. Point in time count, which is why we reached out to you in the first place. Um it's an annual activity we do for federal funding. Um but also for us it's a sort of a benchmark to know who is sheltered and unsheltered in our community. Um we count everyone who's sheltered through our HMIS system. So if you're in any shelter within Seduk County, we've counted you just by nature of you being in that shelter. The part that takes the most work and you'll see on some local news stations is that actual unsheltered count where we go out into the community looking for folks in encampments or in their cars and parks, all of that sort of thing. Really, what's the point of all of this? Um, in short, it's a benchmark for us. So, we have we have very high quality data. We we generally know who's

experiencing homelessness in our community within two weeks of them entering homelessness. as long as they enter the system in some way. Now, if [clears throat] they're coming into homelessness and they go immediately to an encampment and it's not an encampment we go to regularly, we might miss them. So, this is another way to make sure we get complete coverage of all of Cedric County all in one day. Um, and it's a snapshot. Um, we know that this isn't a complete count. Um, last year our count was right around 7:35. Every time that comes up when I'm talking to providers, they always say, "Oh, that's an undercount. That's an underount." I know it's an undercount, but for that one night, everyone who was homeless met the definition that we were looking for, which is again that federal definition. Um, it's a scientific method. I I'll leave these slides. I assume they'll be in the minutes. Um, I won't cover them too closely. I stole this from our volunteer training, so I won't make you sit through all of that. You're welcome to volunteer, though. You'll get the full picture. [clears throat] Um, one thing that I did want to show was our what our maps look like. So, something that that's been asked in the past is, you know, you say you cover all of Cedric County. I don't trust you. I don't believe [clears throat] I Okay, true. We don't cover all of Sedick County comprehensively. That's um that's a lot of mileage to walk. Cedric County is a pretty big place. What we do is something like this where we identify a small section of town that we believe a team of four to five people could cover in four hours um with specific places we want them to go. So, this is um around the Century 2 area in Witchah. All the places we want them to go, the boundaries, we have them through the course of their 4-hour shift go to each one of those places. This is why we reach out to Hazesville and other cities inside of Cedric County. We don't go out to your communities as often as we go out to the neighborhoods in Sedick, inside of Witchah. So, we usually turn to your police force or your city city staff to say, "Hey, we're doing this

thing. think it's an annual count. Um, we'd like to partner with you and you tell us what you'd like us to do. Um, either we can come out that day if you think there's people experiencing homelessness and we'll do a we'll do a good job counting. Um, if you have staff who would be willing to be trained and do the count on our behalf, that's a great thing, too. Or you can just tell us, you don't expect anyone to be homeless, but if there is, you'll call us. All of those are great answers. Um, we do a mix with with all places. Last year we we mapped out this great great look in Garden Plane of all the places we were going to go only for the the chief to call us from Garden Plane and say, "Yeah, no one's here." Which is just a fine to answer as any. Right. Um so that's I believe an overview of everything. Um, what I do want to show is that, you know, this is one thing to to know about us is a lot of times point in time counts the only press coverage we get throughout the year. Um, we're concerned year round about homelessness. So, one thing we do is called the by name list, which is everyone experiencing homelessness in our community by name. Um, Hazesville is a community that we're starting to get um, I'm not sure what it's like on the ground, but we're starting to get a little bit concerned about because we're seeing homelessness spread further south along Broadway. So, just want to put the bug in y'all's ear that if there are folks experiencing homelessness in this community, we want to be there for them. We want to make sure that um, they know that they have the resources, they don't have to go all the way to displace themselves from their home community to come try to get resources in Witchah. We can help serve folks here. So, I think that's everything that I wanted to cover. Any questions for me, for the coalition?

I definitely think it's uh it's a it's a great opportunity to uh to do this and um I've uh I've taken a tour of Second Second Light and also Humankind before earlier last year and um so it's uh definitely a you guys do a lot down there. So, uh, to, uh, to help homelessness. I know our our chief, our police have helped out with the, uh, um, with this before with the, uh, point in time count. So, um, so yeah, I think it's great. Any council members have any questions? Uh, Council Brewster, when is the count? This year it'll be January 29th. And if someone wants to, can someone volunteer if they want to volunteer?

Yeah. Um, you can there's a an email in this or I'll I'll come over with my card if you want to share my email address. Just reach out to me and I'll get you signed up. Okay, perfect. You can just leave your cards with uh with Will. I'm not going to leave you with all my cards. I'll leave you with some of my colors. [laughter] Thank you all.

All right. Thank you for coming. All right. Next item C. Uh Jordan Simone. I don't think he's here tonight. Move on to item two, approval of license and bonds. We have none. Item three, introductions of ordinances and resolutions. We have none tonight. Item four, notices and communications. A, governing body announcements. Councilman Brewster.

The Hazel Community Library. um what they have going on this month. Um January 15th, 10:30 a.m. Parents as teachers story time. January 19th, Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The library will still be open. I plan on planning on being there and studying. Um January 21st, 400 p.m. Lego Club. January 22nd, 10:30 a.m. Parents teacher story time again. January 24th, noon to 2, friends. uh friends potluck um celebrating Kansas Day on January 29th, Kansas Day. They'll be celebrating that there. Um also on January 29th, uh 10:30 a.m. parents' teachers story time. Um that night is a Friends of the Library board meeting. And then January 29th, um 7:00 p.m. there will be a library board meeting.

All right. Thank you.

Yep. Any other council members have any other uh announcements? [clears throat] If not, I have some from the senior center. Some upcoming events. Pizza party lunch January [snorts] 13th, chicken noodle soup dinner January 16th. The senior center is uh will be closed on January 19th, and a black light bingo January 27th. some reoccurring events, coffee and conversation, games, fitness classes, crafts, uh bingo, bunko, and alzheimer support group. Also on uh February 28th is the chili cookoff and craft fair. So uh there are still several chili cookoff uh contestants uh booths or tables still available if you like to uh or go there and uh be part of the chili cookoff. Uh, I know as of this afternoon, there were only three booths that were available. Uh, so those fill up pretty fast. Let's see. Also on uh Wednesday the 14th, so this Wednesday, I'll be going up to uh Topeka for the local government caucus kickoff lunch. So there about 41 local, not local, 41 representatives that have served at the local level, whether it's city or county. So they are part of a a new caucus and uh so I'll be going up there for lunch as the uh president of the Kansas Mayor's Association. So it's uh myself and also uh someone from the county not central county but county representative will be going up there as well. So this is a good opportunity because a lot of times when a representative up there makes a decision on you know they vote they don't know how it affects cities at the local level. So, it's uh so this will help uh cities and the league uh get the word out. That way they can uh members that are part of this uh local government

caucus can uh speak to their uh other representatives, let them know, you know, how that affects. So, it's [clears throat] a good thing. On the uh in two weeks on Wednesday 28th, the uh is the local government day in Topeka. That's where uh cities and county members can go up there. It's uh it's free. Uh you go up there in the morning and uh talk to your representatives. You make appointments to talk to them if you want. In the after see the afternoon the league will talk about the uh S&P which is a statement of m municipal municipal policy. Uh just outlines the uh the league's priorities. Uh normally uh two members from the Senate, two members from the uh the House will be up there question and answer session. Uh sometimes the governor uh shows up then there's a reception in the in the evening. So it's a good opportunity to get up there, talk to your representatives. It's a free event. Just uh they ask for you to register online just so they know how many people coming. I normally go I know uh C Brewster has gone uh a couple times. So, it's uh I think it's a great great deal. See, that was it. All right. Next, we have item B, memo regarding new business license. Show your packet. Also, uh SEO County Fire Department Station 34 monthly report. And item D, economic development quarterly [clears throat] report. Danielle Good evening, Mayor and Council. Before you is the combined quarterly and yearly economic development report. Wanted to highlight just a few items. In a previous report, I was asked about home ownership percentages for Hayesville in

response to question number two of the new water account survey. That survey reflects only new accounts for the quarter, not the city as a whole. So to provide a broader perspective, I've added the EZRI market profile data on page 11. It's at the end after that question number two. The data shows that 70.7% of Hazesville's housing is owner occupied. And then I'll update that information as new data becomes available. Additionally, after page 21, you'll find place or report data. for several of the city's fourth quarter events. I'm happy to answer any questions.

Any questions for Daniel? I see. Thank you for uh for coming and sharing. All right. Next, we have the park board annual report. It's in your packet. You want to talk about it? I don't have any comments on it.

Okay, [laughter] that's fine. All right. Uh, next we have the police department annual report. Looks like they're still doing their job. Uh, G recreation department annual report along with the senior center annual report. If there's any questions on any of those reports, it's a pretty self-explanatory. All right, moving on to item five, old business. We have none. Item six, other business. A, selection of president of council. Council person Barton I nominate Justin second.

Yeah, we're going to get we're going to get on with it. [laughter] We know how this works. Angie, is there anything else you want to say? Were there any other nominations? Not Brewster is the new president. [applause]

Yes. Thank you guys. Oh, you do. Okay. Not you need it yet. [clears throat] Thank you, Councer. Congratulations. Thank you, sir.

All right. Next, we have item B, presentation of utility rate study. Good evening, Mayor and Council. So, tonight we want to walk you through where our water and wastewater utilities are today, what pressures we're seeing, and why city staff is recommending a rate adjustment. The purpose tonight is to provide background on rate history, usage trends, and the cost to operate both utilities. We'll also review capital needs, discuss the recommended rate structure, and ask for your feedback. This slide shows the city's water rate history. The main point is that water rates have not been adjusted frequently. Adjustments are typically made only after long periods of time without change, even as operating costs increase over time. And this context matters because it shows the city has been deliberate and conservative with rate changes. [clears throat] This chart shows annual water use over time. Water demand varies yeartoear based on weather conditions and population changes. Even when usage fluctuates, the system still has fixed costs that don't go away, such as staffing, utilities, chemicals, maintenance, and asset renewal. This slide takes total expenditures divided by total gallons build for each year to show the cost to produce portable water per thousand gallons. The cost is influenced by items like chemicals, utilities, labor, maintenance, and general inflation. The key takeaway is that production costs are not static. They change year to year and the utility must remain financially positioned to absorb the variability while maintaining service

and compliance. So for reference, currently we're charging 350 per thousand. This slide summarizes water department personnel cost. Labor is one of the largest drivers in utility operations. Costs increase over time due to market wages, retention needs, benefits, and training requirements. This is the first of the water capital project slides. The city the city continues to invest in water infrastructure to maintain reliability and to avoid costly emergency repairs. We have a large portion of cast iron water manes that were installed in the 1950s and 1960s. These projects are necessary to extend the asset's life, reduce main brakes, and maintain service levels. For instance, we have approximately 160,000 linear feet of water mane that will need replaced over time. In today's dollars, that amounts to $38 million. [clears throat] We'll show a few examples of the types of assets we're addressing. Um, this chart includes higher priority replacements, which includes the top one being an estimate for all the water lines in W's fourth edition. That's at just at 2.4 million. And then one of my highest priorities would be getting a second water line to the W's fourth edition. Currently, they have one water line that services that area on the Broadway bridge. Then looking ahead, water demand projections show that by around 2043, the city will need an additional water source to meet future needs. City staff and PC are currently evaluating those options, and recommendations are expected as that work progresses. Preliminary cost estimates range from 19.7 to $37 million depending on the option selected and

whether additional treatment is required. That range reflects different water quality and treatment scenarios that are under investigation. As analysis continues and a recommen recommended path forward is identified, those costs will be refined. Once a final recommendation is brought to council, staff will also return with a proposed adjustment to the water infrastructure fee to support funding for this project. This slide shows the wastewater rate history. Wastewater rates were last adjusted in 2015. Since then, operating and capital cost have increased, but rates remain unchanged. This is another one of the reasons why city staff is recommending an adjustment now to better align revenues with the cost of operating and maintaining the system. In 2009, council passed an ordinance for annual increases to the wastewater usage rate which ended at 725. So you could say the last binding action that council take took on wastewater rates was in 2009. This chart shows wastewater influent over time. These volumes similar to water can fluctuate significantly due to prec precipitation infiltration and inflow during wet weather conditions along with population growth. Regardless of the annual variation, the city must maintain treatment capacity and compliance at all times which drives the baseline cost. This slide in comparison to the water is to treat a thousand gallons of waste water. Just like water, treatment costs fluctuate due to chemicals, utilities, equipment, maintenance, labor, and regulatory requirements. The key takeaway is that treat treatment costs are not flat, and the utility must be financially stable to handle those variables.

Wastewater operations are compliance driven and require trained operators and ongoing readiness. As you can see, labor costs increase over time due to market pressures, retention needs, certification, and required training. This is another example why revenues must keep pace with the actual cost of delivering the service. This will be the first slide on the wastewater capital projects. Wastewater capital work focuses focuses on extending the life of the existing infrastructure. Key projects reduce infiltration and inflow where possible and maintaining reliable treatment plant operations. The city's approach emphasizes proactive rehab to reduce long-term risk and avoid more expensive work. Wastewater projects commonly include cured in place pipelining and manhole rehab, which council yearly uh considers. These meth methods extend asset life, reduce infiltration and inflow and help maintain system performance without the disruption of a full replacement. The wastewater treatment plant was constructed in 1996. I think my math says that's n 29 years old. As the facility continues to age, we are seeing more frequent maintenance needs and equipment replacements. This is a normal part of operating infrastructure of this age, but it does mean ongoing investments required to maintain reliability need to continue. As part as part of our long-term planning, the sanitary sewer master plan identified projected growth areas within the city. [clears throat] One key finding was that these growth areas currently lack sufficient sewer capacity. To address this, the Southwest Seir interceptor project was developed to handle those capacity issues and support

the anticipated growth. Council approved the design agreement with PEC in August of 2023. We have now submitted the plans for approval and we got the last approval last week and we are expected to present those bids to you in February for your consideration. The engineers estimate for the project is approximately $4.7 million. The object the objective is to address system limitations proactively rather than waiting for failures or capacity constraints. Here's a what I'm going to call a poor map, but the best one I had uh of this sanitary sewer project. The green being the new gravity-fed line. Um over time, this will delete two lift stations. The cross red and white hatched parcels are parcels that the property owner or developer in the past have contacted us us about developing into single family homes. This map details that if every one of those parals were developed into a single family residential lot in comparison to the size of Country Lakes, that would add 3,164 homes. This slide summarizes how costs to operate the utilities have increased. We all experience that in our own households. We know it costs more today to operate, maintain, and improve utility infrastructure than it did when rates were last adjusted. The recommended rate structure is designed to keep the utility financially stable in this environment. One thing I would want to point out if I go back one always sticks out to me is the new truck 2018 27,000 today

48,000. Yeah. Yeah.

Looking at the water and wastewater combined beginning balance, you can see that it has decreased by 428,000 from 2013 to 2017. The water component of the combined utility fund has had a negative cash asset balance that is offset by the wastewater fund. Looking to the future. So [clears throat] looking ahead, there are two major efforts that will help keep the city that will help the city meet future demands. Increasing water appropriations and constructing the southwest sewer interceptor. Both improve long-term resiliency. And this is another example of why revenues must keep pace with the actual cost of delivering the service. back here. Here we go. Based on the information presented, city staff is recommending adjustments to both water and wastewater rates. The recommended structures use a combination of flat monthly fees for capital projects and a usagebased charge to align revenue with day-to-day maintenance and operations. This slide shows the impact on a typical Hazville residential customer. So, the citywide usage average is 3,400 gallons. This is an increase and we recognize that the rationale is that the utility must keep pace with the real cost of operating the system and maintaining the infrastructure. The proposed approach is measured and designed to support reliability and long-term financial stability. This chart which you also have printed. This chart provides a regional comparison of rates. The purpose is context not competition. Our needs may be different than the neighboring city's needs. It helps you see how Hazesville

compares to peer communities across common usage levels. Even with the proposed adjustment, Hazesville remains generally in line regionally. For instance, if you look at the proposed combined bill, which is the bottom chart, and you look at the thousand and 3,000 gallon usages, we would still be the second lowest on our proposed rates. This slide compares average residential monthly bill using the average of 30 3,400 gallons. This is a practical way to show what a typical household experiences and how that compares regionally. In closing, city staff is seeking council direction and feedback on the proposed utility rate adjustment, and we will incorporate that input before returning in February with consideration of a f final water and wastewater rate adjustment. Alternatively, should council wish to take action at this meeting, council may adopt a proposed adjustment in whole or in part this evening. If adopted in February, the new rates would take effect with the March billing cycle following council approval. This would be February's usage that's build in March. That concludes the presentation and uh Will will stand for any questions.

Councilman Mars.

Thank you, Will. Or thank you, Tony. Uh to the citizens of Aville, uh nobody likes the increased cost of living. We as a council and city staff understand how large jumps like this impact everyone and it especially hits fixed income income homes the hardest. As a council, I hope we can make it easier on everyone and hopefully avoid large increases like this moving forwards. Please understand that council and city staff living inside the city will also be directly affected by these increased rates. Personally, owning a small farm, my water bill will significantly increase from this rate adjustment. However, these prices price increases are proportional to the consumer price index inflation rates and these funds will be needed as a city continues to operate and grow. Additionally, I would like to comment on the water quality which was a concern that was highlighted on my uh post that I made on Facebook. Our water quality is a direct result of our geographical location and the quality will depend on what the is in the ground below us. Currently, we do not filter the water and doing so would only increase the infrastructure cost, complexity, power demand, labor requirement, and therefore increase water rates. Currently, our water supply is well within the EPA guidelines for all tested components. Additionally, especially with older homes and developments that have older pipes, local plumbing may be altering the chemistry and taste of your water. Filtration of the tap is ultimately the best solution for water [clears throat] used for drinking and cooking. to the mayor and council. After speaking with Will and Tony, as well as getting feedback from the public on social media, I feel it's best to implement these changes in phases and implement ongoing annual adjustments starting in 2028. I would like to propose that we I would like [clears throat] to propose we increase only the the per thousand rates of both sewer and water starting one March 2026 and then implement the proposed monthly water and sewer fees flat rate fees starting 1 January 2027. Additionally, starting in 2028, we

implement an annual report and review for council approval for a consumer price index rate increase. This would help avoid future large jumps like this and allow the city to hopefully have more funds on hand for large improvement projects and repairs. Uh, so I I made a poll on Hazville happenings and on my my page and it was out ofund and like I believe it was 30 or 40 people, 88% voted for an annual increase with the the consumer-based index like 33 to 4% a year rather than doing what we're doing today. Um, and then 12 pe 12 people were were the other way where they would prefer to have bigger jumps spaced out as we're doing today. So, a majority of the people that took the poll are more for just annually increasing the rates. Um, additionally, I reviewed how Witchah does it and Witchah they'll go as far as projecting like two years out. So, they will have it to where like right now you can pull up their rates and they can already see what their rates are going to be in two years. So, we could we could switch to that or we could just do it every year. So, that's what I would propose.

That's it. Is that a motion or I know C person also wanted to speak? Well, the only thing I want would change to your motion is instead of January 1st of 27, make it February 1st to 27. So it just starts with January Feb, you know, stays in 2027's billing. February 2027. Okay. February 1st. Yeah. Will or Tony, do you have feedback on [clears throat] Nina? Okay. Would you like to uh restate your motion so uh Okay. Make a motion. Restate it.

Yeah. Just restate it so I make a motion to increase the to the Sorry. I make a motion to increase the proposed rates per thousand for both sewer and water effective 1 March 2026. And then I make a motion additionally to increase the proposed monthly water and sewer fees starting one January 2027. February fe Oh, February. I'm sorry, I didn't type that. one February 2027. Um, should I make a second motion that we vote on separately for the annual increase or or do it all together? [clears throat] Well, I don't think you need a Well, go ahead. I would uh ask that on the looking at the annual.

That's something that we can do as a review and then each year we can come back with the numbers. You could see if increase is warranted at that point. Okay. Yeah, I don't think we need a motion for that. So, we don't need a motion for that. Okay. We'll just review it next year and then Josh would bring back an ordinance at the next council meeting to put this into the code. Okay. Okay. Second. All right. So, I have a motion and a second on a council mess. Motion there. Any discussion? Question, please. Yes. Ren, yes. Yes. Yes. Harton? Yes. Myers? Yes. Thompson? Yes.

Thank you. All right. Thank you. type on Facebook's [laughter] website, social media. I don't know if Angie can comment. There's time to put something in the uh next bill that goes out. We can put something together and put it in the February building. Well, you don't get a bill. If you don't receive a bill, it'll be there's also a little note that we can email. Just curious. All right. Thank you, Councilman Brewster.

Well, and Tony, thank you for all your hard work. I know this was a um this was a tough I know we kind of all went back and forth with you guys, and I appreciate your hard work, both of you guys. That's what we're here for. [clears throat]

All right. Next, we have item C, consideration of business and Senate program. Daniel Mayor, council, following a council member's request, possible facade grant options have been researched. Before you is a proposed facade grant program to encourage reinvestment in commercial and industrial properties through visible exterior improvements that enhance the community's appearance and business vitality. The program complements the city's six existing business expansion incentives, including the matching lease grant. It would be open to commercial and industrial businesses within Hazesville with a maximum award of 5,000 per business. A required 50% match and an annual cap of 25,000 funded through the transient guest tax. Eligible improvements must be permanent, exterior, and visible to the public. and the program operates on a reimbursement basis with a three-month completion time frame. Additional [clears throat] details are in the memo. I'm requesting the council's consideration, discussion, and approval, and I'm happy to answer any questions.

Uh, Council Mars. Uh, thank you, Danielle, for refiring this program. Uh, I did have one recommendation. Could would it be possible that also the council would wave any uh permits and fees that are involving this grant? Is is that a reasonable thing to ask? Could we do that? That would be up to council. I mean, is that is that something that we can do? Well, we're already giving them a chunk of money. I mean, yeah, the fe the facades not be that the is not going to be that much. Yeah, that's true. I mean, it's what how much is the permits for? I mean, we're doing with other things. I was just throwing it in there. Council person's pardon's pretty accurate that our permit fees are pretty low, but it's based on the valuation of the improvements. So, okay.

I wouldn't be able to throw out, you know, but a couple hundred bucks if that. Couple hundred bucks. Yeah. Okay. Any other questions for uh Danielle? Would anybody like to make make a motion? Councilman Mars. Uh I make a motion to approve the grant as proposed. Second. A motion and and a second to approve the facade grant program as presented. Any discussion? Question, please. Brewster, yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Partner, yes. Myers, yes. Thompson, yes.

All right. Thank you, Daniel. All right. Next, we have item D, consideration of agreement with uh see Krill. Can you pronounce these names for me? It's [laughter] it's Krill Aaron and Bailey. All right. So, um so basically our our prosecutor changed offices or companies. So, it's a same prosecutor just a different company. Is there a question or uh anybody like to make a motion? Council person Martin. I make a motion we approve the agreement with Proud, you and Bailey, whatever it is. Erin,

we have a motion and a second to approve the agreement with pro Eron and Bailey. There you go. Uh, for the prosecution services, any discussion? [clears throat] Question, please. Rooster, yes. Yes. Yes. Cloier, yes. Harden, yes. Myers, yes. Thompson, yes. All right. Next item. E, consideration of revisions to personnel manual. Georgie.

Good evening, mayor and council. The council item in your packet was brought forward due to the disillusion of Everful's wool in providing congregate and homebound meals through the senior center. At the end of December, CPAA stepped in quickly to continue the program. However, initially they informed advised us that they would not be providing a site manager. Mayor Kesler and staff believe that congregate meals are essential for our seniors. The programs do more than provide food. They help reduce isolation, improve nutrition, support mental well-being, and because of how important this program is, we proposed hiring a part-time site manager to ensure that there was no gap in service. We informed today that CPAA will now be providing a site manager. We expect to receive an agreement later this week for our February council meeting. Due to this change, no action needs to be taken on the agenda, this agenda item. Right now, CPAA is delivering five days worth of frozen meals to the senior center once a week with staff coordinating dist distribution. I was informed tonight this will continue through the end of the month. So, changes are going to come in by day. Um, I'm happy to try to answer any questions that I can at this time.

There any questions for Georgie? So, I do know it's uh this I do believe this is a very important uh program for our city and for our residents. And uh I would uh do not want to see this program go away. No. And um you know I've been talking to uh county commissioners a couple of them and uh you know throughout the last couple months and um I know the city's been talking on their end and senior centers been talking to their people you know their their end and um so I'm very glad to see that u that they will provide a site manager but you know we need to get that uh agreement uh first which should be coming soon. So unfortunately it won't be in at this meeting.

So uh but they will provide frozen dinners. Is that correct? Frozen frozen lunch currently. Like I said, they're delivering meals once a week. There are five days worth of frozen meals and our staff are helping coordinate the distribution with volunteers. I got an email late this afternoon that said they will continue that through the end of the month. I believe the week of the 26 they may be starting to provide some hot meals, but I don't want to guarantee that. But there was this discussion. So I would say through the end of the month they're going to be providing frozen meals. So hopefully things will be back to normal in February. I'm just not a 100% sure at this moment.

They were going to give us a sip of like $5,000 then $7,000, but you know, we figure it's going to cost just under $20,000 for our part-time employer. So [clears throat] it is a program we need to keep going. So, um, we'll have to wait and see what happens in 2007 or 27. So, that's right. So, thank you. Right. There's no other questions. We will move on to the next item. Which item seven, Department of Reports. A, Administrative Services. I don't have anything.

Nothing else. All right. B. City Clerky. City offices will be closed on January 19th or Martin Luther King Jr. Day. If you have any water or sewer emergencies, please call the non-emergency line at 529-5912. Also, um sewer rates for the year are established January based on January through March usage. So, you'll want to be aware of how much water you're using during these months. um that will affect your entire year starting in June to the next um May those rates. So, please conserve. One way you can help um verify your usage is by using the city's water portal. And I believe that that will be up on the screen here shortly. You can sign up for that. That will allow you to set up alerts if you're maybe you have a leak or if somebody left a faucet on one day. If you have signed up for this and you put those alerts in place, you can be notified of the excessive usage. It's also a good way to just monitor. Maybe you don't realize how long of a shower you're taking and things like that. It can really help you conserve your water usage, which could ultimately bring your rates down. Um, it also protects how much water the city's using. So, please please make use of that resource. Thank you.

Thank you, Angie. Uh, next item, police chief. Good evening, Mayor Council. I just wanted to introduce our visiting officer tonight is officer Scott Kitsenberger. He is currently our school resource officer at Tri City Day School and Hazesville High School. So, we'll say hi to him as you go out there. That's all I got. So, Chief, I know you uh just recently uh completed your your uh your term as honorary commander. Yes, sir.

At McConnell. Would you like to talk about that or kind of uh tell us what you did over the last couple [laughter] years? Um yeah, I just completed my second second round as an honorary commander at McConnell Air Force Base. Um this time I was um the honorary commander for the 22nd mission support group. Um found out exactly what they do. Um I didn't really know what the mission support group was when I went in there. I found out that they do a whole lot of stuff. Um it's basically anything that doesn't fly they take care of. And it was just an awesome undertaking to be able to see um what exactly they do there there at McConnell. and and we have a lot of young airmen out there that that uh take care of a tremendous job out there and uh keep everything moving and keep everybody taken care of and and uh it's it's really great to see that. And uh the honorary commander program is a is a program where they take uh city officials and and other community partners and bring them in and they they actually um put them in with the commander and and they get to uh spend some time with them just kind of see what they do. Um we we've gone on on flights flights down we went to uh San Antonio here in September u just to kind of see what other bases do and things like that. So it's a great experience if you ever get the option it's it's definitely worth worth doing. So um but yeah we we had got an award the other night for for finishing out that term and uh it was a good time.

All right. Thank you Jeep and uh thank you for uh representing the city you know in that capacity. So thanks appreciate it. All right. All right, next we have public works, Cody. So, I have an update for Sarah Lane. Uh, we are still awaiting final approval from the Kansas Department of Agriculture and the Army Corps of Engineers. We expect or hope for that at any time. Um, at that point, we'll move forward from our concrete contractor and asphalt contractors and get that finished up. Uh, also an update on Lakefield and River forest projects. Uh, both those have had their water, wastewater, and storm water utilities completed. uh contractors doing performing site grading and prepping for paving. Thank you,

Tony. There is a beaver at just north of that dam on uh on like where they were fixing it rather. There's a beaver in there. So, I don't know if we need to get somebody in there to get it out of there. He might cause problem or is that is that the guy? [laughter] I don't know. So, I I was I was out there the other day and I I noticed there was a bunch of like freshly fallen chewed up logs. Yeah. A few years ago, we had it by the creek and it chew through some trees and we had to put some PVC up it up the trees. So, we'll look at that again. Okay. Yeah. Uh, thank you. Next, we have recreation Rob.

Good evening, Mayor and Council. Uh, youth soccer registration uh will begin today. Um, we have a middle school silent dance party on January 23rd. Our pizza puzzles and pints uh adult only event will be on January 31st. Baseball and softball registrations will begin on February 2nd. Mom bra be on February 7th. Um and then something new that we're starting at the activity center, we're now renting out the gym, uh the basketball courts for youth basketball and volleyball practice, and they can also be added on to birthday parties on the weekends at $40 an hour. Thank you.

Thank you, Rob. All right. Next, we have item eight, appointments. A appointment of Tracy Spayberry to the planning commission for the remainder of the term. Councilman Ward, there's no other discussion. I make a motion to appoint Tracy Spayberry to the planning commission for the remainder of the term. Second motion, a second to appoint Tracy Spayberry to the planning commission for the remainder of the term. Is there any discussion? Question, please. Rooster, yes. Ven, yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Myers, yes. Thompson, yes. All right. Next we have item B, municipal judge Terry Bill. They have a lot of appointments today. [snorts]

If you'd like to uh make a motion to appoint Terry Bill to the as municipal judge certain make a motion we appoint Terry Bill as municipal judge. Second. Motion a second to uh appoint Terry Bill. Any discussion? Question please. Brewster. Yes. Martin. Yes. Yes. Cloier. Yes. Harton. Yes. Myers. Yes. Yes. All right. Next item C. City attorney. Josh Pauly. Council me pardon. Make a motion we appoint Josh as our city attorney. Second. We have a motion on a second to appoint Josh as our city attorney. Any discussion? Question please. Brewster. Yes. Roden. Yes. Yes. Clio. Yes. Parton. Yes. Myers. Yes.

Thompson. Yes. Next we have city prosecutor Matthew Gourney. Make a motion to appoint the city prosecutor, Matthew Gourney. That motion second to appointed Matthew Gourney as a city prosecutor. Any discussion? Question, please. Brewster, yes. Roden, yes. Eert, yes. Cloier, yes. Harton, yes. Myers, yes. Thompson, yes. Next item B, chief administrative officer, Will Black. Councor pardon make a motion we appoint Will Black chief administrative officer. Second. We have a motion a second to appoint Will Black as the chief administrative officer. Any discussion?

Question please. Brewster. Yes. Yes. Eert. Yes. Clo. Yes. Partner. Yes. Myers. Yes. Thson. Yes. [snorts] All right. Item F. Deputy administrative officer Georgie Carter. I make a motion to appoint the deputy administrative officer Georgie Carter. Second. We have a motion and a second to appoint Georgia Cart Carter as a deputy administrative officer. Is there any discussion? Question, please. Brewster. Yes. Yes. Huert. Yes. Clo. Yes. Partner, yes. Myers, yes. Thompson, yes. Item G, city treasurer, city clerk. Angie Fton. Carton. I make a motion we appoint Angie Fton as a city treasurer, city clerk. Second.

A motion, a second to appoint Angie Fton as a city treasure. City clerk. Is there any discussion? Question, please. Brewster, yes. Bon, yes. Eert, yes. Yes. Harton, yes. Myers, yes. Thompson, yes. Next, we have item H. Chief of police. Jeff Whitfield. Got it. Council I make a motion to appoint Jeff Whitfield [clears throat] as the chief of police. Second. Have a motion, a second to appoint Jeff Whitfield as the chief of police. Is there any discussion? Question, please. Brewster. Yes. Ren, yes. Eert. Yes. Yes. Harden. Yes. Myers, yes. Thompson, yes.

Uh, next we have item A, public works. Tony Martinez. Course Barton. I make a motion we appoint Tony Martinez as public works director. Second. A motion. A second to appoint Tony Martinez as the public works director. Any discussion? Question, please. Brewster. Yes. Yes. Eert. Yes. Clothing. Yes. Harton. Yes. Myers. Yes. Thompson. Yes. Item J, recreation director Rob Arnison. To make a a motion to appoint Rob as recreation director. Second. We have a motion, a second to appoint Rob Arnison as recreation director. Is there any discussion? Question, please. Brewster.

Yes. Rarden. Yes. Eert. Yes. Yes. Harton. Yes. Meer. Yes. Thompson. Yes. All right. Congratulations to all of you right here at the center table. Another year. You like it or not? Get back to work. All right. Item nine, executive session. We have none tonight. Item 10, review of expenditures. We have none. Item 11, consent agenda. So, we have several items on the consent agenda. Anybody like to make a motion to approve it? Council person, I make a motion we approve the consent agenda. Second. We have a motion and a second to approve the consent agenda. Is there any discussion? Question, please. Brewster, yes. Ron, yes. Ew, yes.

Clier, yes. Partner, yes. Myers, yes. Thompson, yes. Next, we have item 12, council items. A, council concerns. Councilman Myers.

Uh, greetings, council and mayor. Uh, I have concerns about our PL platting process and past approvals. This is not a judgment on city staff, planning commission or engineer or PEC. This is [snorts] about procedural review, checks and balances and elimination of the appearance of conflict of interest in the city code chapter 16 B subdivision regulations article 6 design standards section 6 subsection 9 table F the right of way and roadway width. The minimum street width right ofway for a multif family home is 64 feet with a 35 foot road. A 50 foot ride ofway with a 21 ft road is for single family home only. It does not include multif family and is not to exceed 24 single family homes. Now the county and plaza platting. This development was presented and approved with multifamily homes on a 21 ft roadway and it exceeds the 24 dwelling at 26 dwellings. My initial concerns of this development was the density of the homes, the narrow width of the road, the deadend design. It's in my opinion that this development will not be safe and workable road as constructed being only 21 ft wide with 216 dwellings. And these are three three family homes too or three bedroomedroom homes rather. Uh and it's on a dead end road with no dead end road with no true turnaround. There is a hammerhead design implemented into the plan but that is essentially uh will rely on the last two driveways to be vacant to execute a three-point turnaround. Any garbage trucks, tractor trailers, or vehicle towing a trailer will likely need to back out a nearly 500 ft dead-end road creating unsafe road conditions. The city staff, engineer, planning commission, and planning [clears throat] commission should have clearly identified these modifications and been transparent to

council if there was any discussion approving these modifications. There was no note to council about these modifications for the approval of this plat. I would like to make a motion for the city staff to amend the note below table F to include that it must be clearly identified if the modification is required on the application as well as to include a requirement for any modifications to this table to be approved by council. [clears throat] Also to amend chapter 16b article 5 contents of plans and plats to include any required modifications to this table. Um, additionally I identified a conflict of interest with engineering firm PEC who submitted this plat and was also the engineer who or also employ the engineer who reviewed this plat for the city. Um, so I would also additionally make a motion to direct staff to amend policies to utilize a third-party engineering firm to review [clears throat] any plats or plans that are a conflict of interest with our employed engineer. Any discussion? Any questions? Well, let's go make your uh your first motion

and go from there. Okay. Uh so I make a motion for the city staff to amend the note below table F to include that it must be clearly identified that if modification is required on the application as well as to include a requirement for any modifications as table to be approved by city council. also to amend chapter 16b article 5 contents and plans and plots to include any required modifications to this table. C person I'd like to see that all written out and copies of what codes he's talking about so table this until the next meeting so it can be written out by city staff. Okay. Making like an agenda item basically. Right.

Right. Yeah. Okay. Good. So yeah. So, we won't need a motion for that. We'll just uh we'll just have staff write something out. Gotcha. Okay. So, get with them and Thank you. Tell them what you got. Was that it? That was it. Yes. All right. Next item is item B, council action request updates. Tony,

just a couple updates here. 242 Wayne, uh, proper notifications were made to this property. Uh the property was abaded. Uh case is considered closed. And then 758 Carla Court uh police department was get was able to communicate with the homeowner and get the basketball goal uh re relocated out of the street. Uh on our note, the property owner has refused to move the crib and other contents and a notice to appear in municipal court will be issued. Really?

All right. Item 13, adjournment. Mr. Mayor I make a motion we adjourn second to adjourn discussion question please yes yes yes yes yes yes Yes.