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City praises snow response, addresses water‑billing error and staff transitions
Summary
City officials thanked crews for snow removal after a major storm, said a Zone 1 billing error (affecting 5/8‑inch meters) will be corrected, and discussed equipment sales and upcoming staffing changes following a retirement in utilities.
Atchison city leaders praised public works, police and fire crews for their response to a major winter storm and outlined follow‑up steps for municipal operations, including correcting a water billing error that affected a subset of customers.
City Manager Mark Westoff told commissioners that "every street in town has been plowed by our reckoning," crews were now widening intersections and hauling snow piles from city lots. He said the city will make some additional plow passes through alleys where trash trucks may have difficulty operating and will continue salting as conditions warrant. "Our public works crews acquitted themselves very well at this point," Westoff said.
Westoff also reported an error in the Zone 1 water bills that went out that day. He said the problem, as currently understood, affected accounts with 5/8‑inch meters and amounted to about $49.55 per impacted account in the example cited. "We are aware that there was an error in the zone 1 water bills that went out today... So it looks like the error is around $49.55 for this group that we [sent]," Westoff said. He said the city is confirming whether other accounts were affected and will make billing adjustments; bills are not due until February.
Commissioners and the mayor repeatedly thanked staff for storm response; Vice Mayor Wilcox compared Atchison favorably to nearby cities and urged continuing vigilance on side streets.
Other operations notes discussed at the meeting included: the city sold surplus equipment through Purple Wave auctions (a jet‑vac truck drew approximately $30,000; some pickups sold in the $2,500–$3,000 range and smaller items fetched under $500), ongoing discussion of mowing at the municipal airport, and plans to sell additional equipment online.
Separately, staff confirmed utilities superintendent Jim Owens is retiring and the city will split his duties into separate water and wastewater superintendent positions. Westoff said internal candidates with long tenure will fill the superintendent roles and that the city will recruit entry‑level replacements as staff shift into the promoted positions.
Ending: Officials said they will continue to monitor snow cleanup, complete billing corrections before the next cycle and manage staffing transitions internally as retirements take effect.
