KANOPOLIS — After a 20-minute public hearing and review Aug. 13, the Kanopolis City Council approved the 2020 city budget as presented. The city’s total budget authority increased for 2020 — from $470,756 in 2019 to $818,215 for 2020. The increase was largely due to the city’s water project. The mill levy increased from 58.087 mills in 2019 to 59.170 mills in 2020.

Craig Dassow of Summer, Spencer and Company, who presented the budget, said the increased revenue from water rates will leave an estimated $111,000 in carryover, including transfers.

In other business:

• Thaniel Monaco of BG Consultants presented the council with a map of the main lines that have been completed as part of the water project. He said it will be another six weeks before substantial completion of the project, but he is planning on eight weeks. Monaco added the work should not interfere with the St. Ignatius Fiesta, which is Saturday, Aug. 31.

• The council approved placing the water well portion of the water project out for bids. The bids will be received after the next regular council meeting, which is Tuesday, Sept. 10. Therefore, a special meeting will need to be conducted to accept the bid.

• The second pay request from BG Consultants for the water project was approved in the amount of $88,139.10.

• Mayor Anthony Hopkins said he would like to review the insurance bids received by the city to repair the roofs on the city library and city hall. He noted a special meeting will need to be conducted to decide on which bid to accept. It was noted hail damage at the community center from a previous storm was already paid, but the repairs were not made. As such, the community center will not be included.

• Approval was given to a $600 bid from Quality Glass of Great Bend to replace windows at the old city hall building.

• Hopkins said the Fort Harker Committee was required to carry special event liability insurance in the amount of $765. He requested the city pay for the insurance noting the committee doesn’t ask for any revenue from the city. The council approved the request.

After a 20-minute executive session to discuss non-elected personnel, a motion was approved to give assistant city clerk Deana Radke an extra two days of work per month with a 90 day evaluation period to allow for training.

• Debbie Kralik, city clerk, said she was notified by the Kansas Department of Labor that the unemployment tax rate in Kanopolis was going from the current .0525 percent to 7.19 percent. The increase was due to an unemployment claim and because salaries have been raised. However, Kralik said the department suggested a rate increase of 2.70 percent, which the council approved.

• City employee Aaron Burwell said the city crew have been mowing. Hopkins said the first priority for the crew is to repair the sprinkler system at city hall. Gutters around town also need repaired, and holes in streets need patching.

• Approval was given to order another semi-truckload of cold mix and AB3 rock.

• Council member Rebekah Tripp said Bud Kyler has requested his water meter be moved closer to his building. It was noted that with the water project nearing completion, it is probably too late to do so. Tripp will call Kyler.

• Hopkins asked about the contract for Kaiser Trash. Kralik said she looked for the contract but there wasn’t a current contract in the file. It was approved during the May 9, 2017 meeting, but there is no record of it. Kralik said she has called Curtis Kaiser twice to get a copy, but has not received it. Hopkins asked Kralik to call him again.

• Kralik said the metal dumpster is full but she had not been notified that was the case. She will call Acme Scrap to pick it up.

• The fan at the Community Center needs replaced but Kralik said Randy Kempke is waiting on the temperature to go down because he has to go from the north side in the attic to the south side to replace it.

• Kralik said Amanda Bosquez called and said when her sewer backed up into her basement it was the city’s fault. Kralik told her to come to the council with her bill and talk to the council. Hopkins said he was going to talk to Ellsworth City Administrator Scott Moore about this type of issue.

• Hopkins and Gerry Gebhardt, council president, were approved as voting delegate and alternate, respectively, to the Kansas League ofMunicipalities. • During a brief discussion of the city’s social media archive system, Kralik said that city attorney Patrick Hoffman thought it would be best to change the Facebook system to not allow comments. Hopkins voiced concerns about not allowing citizens to comment. Council member Marc Stroede said if it was an informative page only, then the council shouldn’t allow comments.

• Kanopolis Police Chief Jeff Weigel said he received the title for the Crown Victoria and will be switching it to a salvage title.

Weigel said he has been in contact with the Ellsworth Animal Hospital to get certification done by the state for the dog pound.

Weigel said he was going to start enforcing the ordinance on the house numbering.

Hopkins asked Weigel about pending court dates. Weigel said everything has been resolved and he is now looking at unsafe structures in town.

The next meeting of the Kanopolis City Council will be at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 10, at city hall.