Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Votes Summary topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Herington commission designates website for legal notices, approves lake hunting agreement and contract changes
Summary
Commission approved a charter ordinance to designate the city website as the official publication of record (charter ordinance requires 2/3 vote), authorized termination of an existing BPA contract with a $9,600 refund and approved a 20-year KDWP hunting agreement for the reservoir (contract text shows $12,685 upfront); the commission also delayed an electric‑pole purchase to the Oct. 7 meeting.
The Herington City Commission on Sept. 16 approved multiple procedural and contract items: a charter ordinance to designate the city website as the official publication of record, formal steps to terminate an existing BPA contract with a $9,600 refund, and a 20‑year public‑hunting agreement for the city reservoir. The commission also delayed a purchase of electric poles to seek a second bid.
Legal‑notice publication: Staff told the commission that the Dickinson County News Times is moving to a digital‑only model and that rising publishing costs prompted the city to propose a charter ordinance designating the city’s website as the official publication of record. City consultant Brad explained that other cities have made the conversion and that the charter ordinance must be adopted by a two‑thirds vote (four of five) under the cited Kansas authority. The commission moved, the ordinance was seconded and was recorded on the record as carried.
BPA contract termination: Staff explained the city originally paid a lump sum of $72,000 for the prior BPA agreement and that by opting out of the final two years the city would be reimbursed $9,600; commissioners moved and seconded to consider termination and to authorize staff to execute a replacement contract once the refund is received. Staff said the refunded amount could be deposited in the capital improvement fund and tracked for lake projects.
Reservoir hunting agreement: Staff reported that the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) reworked maps, offered increased funding and proposed a 20‑year agreement for public hunting on about 900 acres around the reservoir. Staff said adjacent landowners would be notified once the agreement is formalized. On the record, staff stated the contract text lists the upfront payment as $12,685; at other points staff referenced an immediate payment near $12,000. The commission moved to authorize staff to execute the contract and the motion was recorded as carried.
Pole purchase delay: The city received a best bid for electric poles from Border States for $17,758.59 and said a second bid was pending; commissioners voted to delay the purchase until the Oct. 7 meeting to allow time for an additional bid.
Votes and thresholds: The charter ordinance was discussed with counsel and noted to require a two‑thirds vote by statute; for each motion recorded on the Sept. 16 minutes the commission moved, seconded and recorded votes as carried on the record. The transcript does not provide a clear roll‑call tally for every item; staff confirmed the actions are authorized and will be implemented by staff after completing required administrative steps.
Next steps: Staff will return with executed contract documents and deposit/refund accounting and will notify adjacent property owners about the KDWP agreement; staff will also seek the second bid for the pole purchase and will bring cost estimates and the hospital/hilltop repair priorities back to the commission in a future meeting.
