01-06-14 Glen Elder City Council Meeting

It was a new year but for the Glen Elder City Council, an old concern that precipitated another long discussion at last night's January meeting - the daycare facility, which is subsidized by the city. There were lots of questions again about the facility's finances in the 20-minute discussion. There was also a new concern, a furnace that may need to be replaced. An exasperated Mayor Ryan Duskie said, "It's a community service but, it can be a community service to just a certain extent."
The council agreed to summon the daycare board to the February meeting and bring an organizational plan with them that would eventually make the facility self-sustaining.
Near the end of last night's meeting the council also had a lengthy discussion concerning the "Farmer's Well" and the water rates charged. It was obvious that the council as a whole considered the current rate too low. During that discussion, City Superintendent Eldon Behymer suggested that the coin operated machine that runs the device be upgraded to make it easier for customers to use. The council is expected to discuss the topic further at its February meeting.
The last action taken by the council last night was to approve an upgrade of vacation time for city employees. The current schedule has an employee getting a one week vacation after one year of service, a two week vacation after two years and 3-weeks of vacation after ten years as a city employee. Those numbers remain the same. The change was the addition of a fourth week for employees who have reached the 15-year mark.
And finally, the council accepted bids for two pieces of equipment that the city no longer had use for. A 1986 Ford 555B Backhoe went to Troy Roth from Holcomb, Kansas for $7,777 and a JD Grapple Bucket went to Senger Construction for $1,250.