Wymore council approves departmental budgets and weighs water grant income survey

The Wymore City Council on July 30 approved departmental budgets for the coming year and discussed steps to qualify the city for a federal water grant, the council said. The special meeting ran from 6:36 PM to 8:56 PM in Council Chambers and was called to order by Councilperson Max Allen.

The council approved unchanged or revised budgets for the Cemetery, Library, Police, EMS, Fire, Pool, Community Center, Parks, Street Lighting, Street Fund, Water, Sewer and Lights departments. Several approvals were noted in the minutes without recorded roll-call vote tallies. Many budgets were approved after brief departmental reports or clarifying corrections.

Cemetery staff reported the Cemetery budget remained unchanged and was approved; staff members Lawrence Mallam and Pamela Gerdis said a new cemetery directory is in progress and there had been no major storms or vandalism. Library representative Austin Jackson raised a dispute over an internet bill from Windstream that he said should be reduced by a federal discount; the council advised he could escalate the issue to the state board if necessary. Jackson also said the Library Foundation will cover financing for a new air conditioner.

On public-safety and maintenance items, the Police budget had no changes and was okayed; Councilperson Max Allen suggested some ordinance-enforcement expenses should be charged to the Police Budget. Utilities Superintendent Tim Sedlacek said mowing costs will be billed to property owners when appropriate, which should reduce city expenditures. The Fire budget was combined from two accounts after City Clerk Janet Riensche explained that a Fire B&E money market account prompted consolidation; grant and donation lines in the fire budget will be moved to the General Budget.

The council agreed to consolidate grant and donation line items from departmental budgets into the General Budget so those funds are tracked centrally. Tim Sedlacek urged prompt transfers of grant funds out of general accounts to avoid the risk they be spent for other purposes.

Pool Manager Jacque Borzekofski requested a salary increase; Tim noted the pool may soon need a very large (12-foot) sand filter and the city is awaiting a bid. The minutes also record a correction to the Pool Special budget: the "Miscellaneous Disbursements" line should read $25,000 rather than $0.

In the Water Department budget, Sedlacek said the Transportation line item rose because the department needs a new truck and may need to replace a backhoe. The council had planned to apply for a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) for the water project, but Sedlacek said the city was told it currently appears to be above the Low-to-Moderate-Income (LMI) threshold. Council members discussed conducting an income survey to determine eligibility for CDBG funding.

Other budget items were approved with minimal discussion. Street Lighting expenses have fallen following installation of LED fixtures, and the Lights Department budget increased salary lines to recruit or retain a lineman amid rising transformer costs and limited vendor quote availability. Councilperson Max Allen asked the clerk to locate the existing Dispatch Contract with Beatrice for further review. Janet Riensche also updated the council on the status of the city's Keno funds.

The meeting concluded when Councilperson Sue Sapp moved to adjourn at 8:56 PM. The minutes note approvals and corrections but do not provide vote tallies for the recorded budget approvals.