The Ellsworth City Council met for its regular session Monday evening, where bids for the city’s information technology network were presented. The city requested bids from new carriers who were required to submit them for review no later than Nov. 7.

Of the 766 IT vendors reached, 66 saw the request and nine submitted bids.

Six companies presented information to the council during the meeting, with five minutes each to present. They were Network Computer Solutions, Nex-Tech Communications, Calian Corp., DirectPoint and Vyve. Presenters attended the meeting in-person or via Zoom.

“There are two costs that are associated with these bids: First, the monthly service charges,” City Administrator Dustin Stambaugh said.

“Second, each bid has a bid for baseline servers they recommend. The total will change as the vendor gets more indepth with our network.”

Ellsworth requested vendors to maintain and improve the current network by enhancing services, minimizing downtime and importantly, ensuring data security. Systems include, but are not limited to, Computer Information Concepts, Office365, Orion Software Suite for Badger Meters, Fuel Master and Time Clock Plus. The current provider’s contract was not renewed and will separate no later than Dec. 31.

Earlier this year, the city was a victim of a ransomware attack. The majority of companies who presented said they have assisted with those types of attacks.

“It’s a nightmare,” Ellsworth Mayor Dan Finnegan said.

Three Kansas companies came in with the lowest bids: Vyve, Hays, would have a monthly cost of $2,411.50, Nex-Tech Communications, Beloit, would be $4,387.52 and Network Computer Solutions, Manhattan, would be $1,596.14.

“Vyve had the best overall priced bid,” Stambaugh said. “The vendor we were most impressed with was Nex-Tech, but they are more expensive.”

The council will choose a company at the next meeting.

Unfinished business

• The council previously approved a supplemental engineering agreement to re-align the Neighborhood Multi-Use Path to avoid the need for right-of-way acquisition.

The Kansas Department of Transportation has provided comments on 95 percent of the plans, and Kirkham Michael is working to submit 99 percent of the plans to KDOT.

Both temporary construction easements have been acquired.

• KDOT Spring 2021 Cost-Share Project to improve multiple sidewalks is moving forward, with three bids being received and Multicon coming in at $248,447.

Multicon has indicated work will begin after the first of the year.

• Kirkham Michael has been contracted to produce plans and specifications as well as an application to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to construct a sewer main extension to service the new Rolling Hills Electric facility. The field survey has been completed and processed and the plans and specifications will be submitted to KDHE by the end of November.

“A lot of our projects are in the in-between stages,” Jon Halbgewachs, senior vice president of the Ellsworth Kirkham Michael office, said, “so there isn’t a whole lot to report.”

• Council members approved the drafting of the lease to present to the Saddle Club that will include the completed survey date of the Recreation Center and Saddle Club area.

• It has been determined that the city property between Casey’s General Store and the Ellsworth Steakhouse off of Kansas Highway 156 is a public parking way.

Anita Hoffhines of Millwood Realty requested it be vacated so that she can sell the restaurant to potential clients.

The majority of the council agreed they would potentially sell it if the right offer was made. All offers need to be made to the city attorney, who would then communicate to the council. It would then be discussed, depending on what is being proposed to be done with the property.

“[The offer would] just have to be attractive enough,” Councilman Wayne Scritchfield said.

• The contract for solid waste removal between Slechta Enterprise Incorporated and the City of Ellsworth is up for renewal. Some changes were approved, as there have been a number of increases in the cost of operation over the years.

In 2019, Slechta hauled about 18 tons of trash per week at a cost of $2,691 per month with a landfill cost of $34.50 per ton.

Fuel expenses at the time were $4,600 per month.

In 2022, those numbers have changed quite a bit, with 31 tons of trash per week at a cost of $5,642 per month, a landfill cost of $42 per ton and $8,900 per month in fuel expense.

The landfill administrator projects a cost increase of at least $2 per ton annually for the next six years. The total increase incurred by Slechta monthly has been $7,251.

The new contract was approved to have an increase of $3.25 per unit. The current rate will go from $14.10 per unit to $17.35, with an annual increase per unit of 25 cents for the period of the contract.

New business

• The city council approved the city clerk job descriptions brought before them. Both are exempt, approved for $1822 per hour and are in line with Department of Labor standards for exempt positions.

City Clerk/Accounting Clerk is responsible for maintaining and providing for proper accounting and control of all municipal, fiscal and legal records. This position oversees the investment of city funds, oversees the maintenance of accounting records for both expenditures and revenues and assists with the preparation of the annual budget. It also issues city employee payroll and payment of accounts payable invoices. In addition, it also assists with recording minutes of council meetings and maintaining all municipal documents.

The City Clerk/Human Resource position performs a variety of professional support work, developing, implementing and overseeing the services, programs and activities. The position is responsible for management and preparation of city council meetings, agendas, council packets, meeting notices and legal requirements to facilitate council activities. They maintain custody of official records and archives and are responsible for the maintenance and indexing of official records.

Full job descriptions are available at the city office.

• Council members approved a letter for Executive Director of Ellsworth Housing Authority Jan M.

Bontrager. The letter is in support of a grant from the Dane G. Hansen Foundation in the amount of $40,000 towards new siding for the Pines Apartments.

“The Ellsworth Housing Authority has been tasked with managing major capital expenditures with limited funds, and have had to defer replacing worn, damaged siding,” Bontrager said.

The current siding on most of the walls is original, dating back to 1977.

While one side has been replaced recently due to damage, at the time, it wasn’t financially feasible to replace the siding on the entire building.

According to Bontrager, it cannot be held off much longer, as it is not only an eyesore, it could impact HUD eligibility.

“The No. 1 priority for the Ellsworth Housing Authority is to operate a facility that is well-maintained and operating safely and efficiently within a balanced budget,” Bontrager said.

The next city council meeting will be at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 28.