Via zoom, commission approves public health emergency addendum

Practicing social distancing during the ongoing COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, the Concordia city commission met via Zoom video conferencing Wednesday night and approved a public health  emergency addendum to the Business Continuity Plan that is directly related to the crisis.
The city of Concordia has a Business Continuity Plan, emergency operations plan, in place.
City manager Amy Lange said that there was not a specific part of the plan related to public health emergencies.
The plan is divided into two sections for implementation, one is in a watch situation and one is in a warning situation.
A watch situation is one in which a public health emergency has been declared at the national and state level with no confirmed cases in Cloud County or within a 100-mile radius.
A warning situation is when there is the national or state emergency declaration and there has been a confirmed case of the illness or qualifying event in Cloud County or within a 100-mile radius.
Lange walked the commissioners through the protocols involved with the watch and warning situations.
An external protocol included in the warning situations reinforces the authority the city commission has under Home Rule to restrict any business or personal functions with the city, including, but not limited to, the restriction of mass gatherings or business closures, travel.
“We know that there are some cities in our state that have restricted gatherings down to 10 people,” Lange said.
Under a warning situation, city administration has the authority to send non-essential personnel home, and provides flexibility to decide, based on the emergency, who the non-essential personnel are.
Those full-time employees who are instructed not to report to work will be placed on paid administrative leave at a rate of 1.0 times their regular wage for the hours they normally work each pay period.
Employees who are required to work during a public health emergency will be paid 1.5 times their regular wage for hours worked.
All employees will be subject to emergency callback.
The external protocols give the city manager, in consultation with department heads and the Cloud County Health Department, the authority to temporarily close parks owned by the city, including Broadway Plaza and the Sports Complex, temporarily close the Brown Grand Theatre, suspend recreation programming, temporarily close the lobbies of City Hall and the Police Department, suspend public relations work by city departments, suspend code enforcement by city departments, adjust timing and payment of utility bills, adjust other services necessary to mitigate exposure to employees and to protect the health and safety of the public.
Any executive order issued by the president of the United States or governor of Kansas, or orders issued by the Kansas Health and Environment, the Cloud County board of commissioners or the Cloud County Health Department, will take precedence of the city plan.
The city will implement such directives as soon as is reasonably practical.
In other action taken during the meeting that is related to the COVID-19 crisis, an ordinance to allow city staff to pay claims within current budget authority for the remainder of the calendar year without additional authorization by the city commission was approved.
Lange informed the members of the commission that during conversations with the League of Kansas Municipalities and the Kansas Association of City Managers that one of the concerns raised was not having a quorum for a city commission meeting because of the spread of the coronavirus.
The ordinance allows the city to continue the financial operations of the city, including paying bills on time, in the event that the city commission is unable to meet.
“We will have to stay within our budget authority that you have already authorized through the adoption of the budget, we won't be able to go beyond that. We still have to comply with Kansas cash basis law and our budget laws,” Lange said.
A Downtown Improvement Program Grant request from Darren Hill for proposed work on a building located at 219 West Sixth St. was approved.
CloudCorp executive director Kim Reynolds informed the commissioners that there were still funds available for the project.
“We felt this was a really good use of these funds,” Reynolds said,
The project will include wrapping the soffit and fascia on the front of the building with aluminum to match the contour, coating the roof with sealer, repairing and painting the doorway to the apartments, the trim and wall/windows.
The estimated cost of the project is $6,930, with Hill paying $3,811.50 and the remaining $3,118.50 coming from the Downtown Improvement Program Grant.
The commission approved an ordinance changing the zoning at 2118 Republican Street from R-1 Low Density Residential District to R-2 Medium Density Residential District.
The rezoning application was submitted by Nathan Regnier and Katelin Steinbrock who plan to remove the existing house and build a two-family dwelling.
The Planning Commission voted 4-1 to recommend approval of the application.
Appointing Steven J. Connor to the Planning Commission to Board of Building Trades was approved by the commission.
The commission approved a bid from Concordia Chevrolet/Buick for the purchase of a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado half-ton 4x4 pickup.
Two bids were received for the pickup, including Concordia Chevrolet/Buick for $28,164.60 and Ford Country Ford for $17,761.28.
Public Works Director Ron Copple said that the pickup from Farm Country Ford did not meet all of the bid specifications.
Resolution 2020-2095 concerning the transferring of account names on utility bills was approved by the commission.
If an account is in the name of someone who passes away, the city may give the individual living at the property 30 days following the date of death to put the utility bill in their name, or the utility may be subject to disconnect.
The commission approved the purchase of two Grasshopper 725 DT 72-inch front deck riding mowers from Krier Mower & Electric at a cost of $15,662.10 each. One is for the Public Works Department and one is for the Parks Department.
Deeding Lot 1, Block 199 to the Kansas Department of Transportation was approved by the board.
With the shoulder-widening project at the intersection of southbound U.S. 81 Highway and First Street continuing, the city was informed by KDOT that Lot 1, Block 199 could never be sold, as it is part of the project.
KDOT will have infrastructure (concrete, signage, storm drains, lighting, etc.) on the property.
The commission approved appointing John Van Meter to the Frank Carlson Library board for a four-year term beginning May 1.