BELOIT CITY COUNCIL – Wednesday, May 1, 2024

By Terry Bailey

The Beloit City Council conducted their bi-weekly meeting at City Hall Wednesday evening, May 1. Councilors Tony Gengler, Andrew Grabon, and Todd Adolph were present. Councilors Lee McMillan and Gretchen Staples were absent. Also in attendance were Mayor Tom Naasz, City Manager Halley Roberson, City Clerk Mandy Lomax and City Attorney Katie Schroeder.
City Attorney Schroeder reported the easement for water line to the lake has cleared on final barrier.
Solomon Valley Transportation, Inc. has raised enough money to purchase a parcel of land west of the Dollar General Store to establish its permanent headquarters.
A meeting with landowners of the parcel of land just south of Highway #9 and east of Highway #24 where a detention dam will be constructed to retain floodwaters to alleviate flooding on the east side of town went quite well according to Schroder.
City Manager Halley Roberson reaffirmed that KDHE has approved the plans for the new water plant and pipeline from the Waconda Lake to the City. There will be a meeting at the lake at 3:00 p.m. May 9 to discuss the connection to the lake that will allow lake water to be withdrawn and moved to Beloit via the new pipeline.
Progress is being made with Beloit residents completing and returning the postcards they received regarding the lead and copper connections to city water lines into their homes. Folks are encouraged to complete these surveys and return them at their earliest convenience.
Roberson told the Council that she had been making progress with the renovations at the North Campus to create a number of apartments. She is talking with the developers about in-kind contributions made by the city to affirm Beloit's commitment to the development.
Roberson hopes to engage with contractors to determine exactly what type of building would be best to replace the White Building at the Chautauqua Park. It is past its prime and a new building would be a strong asset to the area. Deciding how and how much building is yet to be determined.
Consideration is still being given to remodeling the outside to the Hospice Building. Those who have been around for a while will remember that at one time, the Port Library was located in that structure. In the original gifting of the building to the City, provisions were put in place that the building would revert to the family should it was no longer home to the Library. City Attorney Schroeder is attempting to unwind the legalities related to the ownership of the building.
Emily Benedick told the Council that the signage project has had many detours as time has passed. She has asked for and received an extension from KDOT for completion of the signage project.
Benedick reported that Shelby Bohnert and Stephanie Simmons have provided considerable assistance to the timely completion of paperwork related to the proposed new Senior Center complete on the North Campus
The addition of another person on her staff to pursue child care opportunities to Mitchell Counties continues to be a high priority for her. This is a topic that requires the exact undivided attention on just one person for maximum benefit.
Finally, Bendick informed the Council that a study is underway to determine if Beloit has the demand for the building of a new motel. More will be known once that study is completed.
In formal action the Council approved two leases for hangars at Moritz Airport. One lease was approved to Wells Flying Service and a second was approved for CVA. They will occupy the same locations as they did last year.
The City contributions to new residential sidewalks was renewed. The arrangement is that the City will furnish cement to landowners to construct new sidewalks. The landowner is responsible for the demolition and removal of the old sidewalk material and the labor to build the new sidewalk. City Manager Roberson reiterated the fact the City will furnish a dump truck on site to the removal of sidewalk rubble. The landowner will be responsible to paying the dump fee. This action affirms the City's belief that good sidewalks are a positive contribution of the better functioning of strong neighborhoods.
At the last Council meeting the Council voted to purchase a Dodge Dakota police vehicle from Beloit Auto and Truck Plaza in the amount of $41,616. City Manager Roberson has learned that due to supply chain issues, Beloit Auto and Truck Plaza will not be able to provide the vehicle as bid. Roberson commented, "Dodge Motor Company threw their dealer a curveball and could not furnish the vehicle as planned. This was entirely out of our local vendor's control."
At that point the Council voted to rescind their bid offered to Beloit Auto and Truck Plaza for a 2024 Dodge Durango because of unforeseen circumstances.
Next the Council voted to purchase two Durango vehicles from JR Audio of Holcomb, Kansas, in the amount of $42,750 each. This purchase should get the police department up to speed on patrol vehicles.
A ten-minute executive was conducted to discuss attorney-client privileged conversation. No action was taken as a result of that closed session.
The business meeting was adjourned, and the work session was called to order.
In the Work Session Roberson proposed the Council give thought to closing one the of the grass runways at Moritz Airport. This would free up valuable real estate for building of a new hanger that would greatly benefit the Beloit airport. There would still be one grass runway for use.
In looking to the future, Roberson projected that a new hanger could be built for about $1,277,768. Of this amount the Federal government would provide $1,149,991 and the City of Beloit would be responsible for a matching dollar amount of $127,777. The Council will take that action under advisement.

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Beloit, KS 67420, USA