Commission approves final plat for housing sub-division
A quarterly report from CloudCorp, a final plat of the St. Joseph Subdivision, and equipment purchases for the Fire/EMS and parks departments were among the items on the agenda at the regular meeting of the city commission on Wednesday.
CloudCorp executive director Nicole Reed presented her quarterly report to commissioners.
Among CloudCorp's operational work was the NetWork Kansas E-Community Partnership.
In 2023 there were CloudCorp Loans totaling $168,000, and CloudCorp Grants awarded through the E-Community partnership totaling $50,400.
Among the businesses with E-Community Gap Loans were the Ideal Market and the Elk Creek Garden in Clyde; Hittle and Sons, LLC and The Dog Guy Grooming in Concordia; and Einstein Sewing in Miltonvale.
A public hearing was held concerning the property located at 720 State Street, which has a history of complaints from the neighborhood. Several neighbors were at the hearing to speak about the conditions on the property. The city's building inspector Bruno Rehbein has been to the property several times to investigate complaints from the occupants about the conditions. He determined that the property was uninhabitable.
Condemnation proceedings were begun on the property on July 5, but the building's owner, Patricia Robinson, lives out of state and claimed that she was not aware of the proceedings. City Attorney Justin Ferrell advised Rehbein to start the proceedings anew.
Following the public hearing, commissioners approved Resolution 2023-2164 which requires the structure to be removed or repaired and the process to start in 30 days.
Upon the recommendation of the Planning Commission, city commissioners approved the final plat for the St. Joseph Subdivision.
This plat has been reviewed by city department heads and the basic design was selected by the CloudCorp Community Resources Committee. On October 3, 2023, the Planning Commission met and approved the final plat and acceptance of the streets, alleys, easements, and other dedicated public rights-of-way or sites.
The land involved is owned by the Concordia Land Bank and is part of a Rural Housing Incentive District for infrastructure development and site preparation.
In other action, commissioners approved Resolution 2023-2165 which adopts minor changes to the city's employee handbook. The handbook is reviewed on at least a yearly basis, and the current changes affect eligibility for holiday benefits, the minimum age to open and conceal carry, corrective or disciplinary procedures and the timely filing of responses, and allowable meal reimbursement/expense per day with receipts when traveling in the state of Kansas.
Commissioners also unanimously approved the purchase of a 2023 F-150 XL from Farm Country Ford for the amount of $50,345, to be paid out of the equipment reserve fund.
The vehicle replaces a Parks truck which is the oldest truck in the fleet and is continually having mechanical issues. The new vehicle is coming from Arkansas and can be delivered to Concordia within one week.
In the final action of the evening, commissioners approved the purchase of two Stryker Power Load systems for a total of $101,921.78. to be fitted in the city's ambulances.
Concordia Fire/EMS operates four ambulances from the fire station in Concordia. Presently, three cots
require manual loading operation. The average patient weight is 250 pounds, which increases the probability of lifting-related injuries.
Fire Chief Eric Voss stated that the Stryker Power Load System was tested in the city's first-out ambulance for one month, and staff and patients appreciated the lifting assistance it provided. With call volume increasing – there were over 1,000 calls in 2022 – the Fire/EMS department cannot always rely on a single ambulance to be available to respond to calls requiring additional lifting assistance.
The commissioners then met in executive session with Farrell and Police Chief Brent Gering for 15 minutes. No further action was taken.
The commission meeting adjourned at 6:41 p.m.