BELOIT CITY COUNCIL – Wednesday, January 17, 2024

By Terry Bailey

The Beloit City Council conducted their bi-weekly meeting at City Hall on Wednesday, January 17. Councilor Lee McMillan was absent, and Councilor Gretchen Staples participated via cell phone connection.
One of the highlights of the meeting was the participation in the meeting by Haley Roberson, the new Beloit City Manager. She conducted the meeting quite well, obviously having familiarized herself with the business of the City.
All Councilors took note of he speed and proficiency in which the City crews dealt with the recent heavy snowfall.
City Attorney Katie Schroder informed the Council regarding the finalization of the last easements obtained in the water pipeline project to bring water from the Waconda Lake to the new water treatment plant.
City Manager Roberson gave the Council an update on the problems caused by the recent heavy snowfall and the sub-zero temperatures. They could be summed up by saying the problems were expected with the bad weather and the city crews attended to them expediently.
Roberson called attention to the fact that the City of Beloit has a large number of long-term employees who have worked for the City for many years. She said a number of these veteran employees will be retiring over the next 18 months. She said the City would lose over 200 years of accumulated expertise when these folks pass into retirement. She suggested the Council look into steps to make these transitions in a manner in which the City does not suffer from the loss of this expertise.
Two other areas of concern were highlighted by Roberson. One it the replacement of two lift stations, which will be quite expensive. The other is to work diligently to update the City's GIS mapping operation to the highest state of readiness. GIS mapping is the tool of the future, and it would be wise to update the operation.
Police Chief Chad Lackey mentioned the officers on patrol during the snowstorm reported City crews on the job removing snow at 4 a.m. in the morning. He also said the NARCAN supplies have been delivered to the Technical College and will be on hand should such medical supplies be needed. He also reported that the work on the new Dodge Durango at the vendor in Holcomb is progressing at a very slow pace. He said all they can do is be patient and things will happen when they happen.
Community Development Director Emily Benedict reported the Wayfaring signage project is moving along as expected. The sign on the Gabel property must wait for approval from the state and it is hard to tell when that will happen. She also reported that work has been completed on the Duckwall/Sperry Building and will open for bids on February 1.
The Council approved the GAAP Waiver for City accounting practices.
Andrew Grabon agreed to serve one more year as the Council president.
The Council approved the purchase of stainless-steel tubes for the cooling system in the amount of $36,400.
It was announced that an open reception will be held on Friday, January 19, for the new City Manager, Haley Roberson. This will take place in the Council Chambers from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.

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Beloit, KS 67420, USA