Water Project Progressing, Eads Board Planning 2004 Maine Street Improvements

By Chris Sorensen

KCP Staff

October 24, 2003

The Town of Eads Board of Trustees met in regular session last Tuesday evening with board members Daryll Adamson, Charles Howard, Diane Crow, John Philpy, Dorie Musgrave and Mayor Larry Michael present. Board member Jan King was absent.

Rodney Lang reported that construction work on the main water transmission line is nearly complete. The final ring on the new water tank was expected to be placed the day after the board meeting, depending upon wind. The structure’s roof would then be built and hoisted in to place. Tank construction was expected to be complete in two weeks, which will be followed by painting. Dawna Peck, Eads Town Clerk, reported that the town had spent $1,090,655 on the water system project, which will exceed the loan package amount sometime in October, at which point the town would be able to start drawing on the project’s grant funds.

Van Brown, Director of Public Works, discussed the possibility of resurfacing Maine Street next year. The project has a preliminary cost of around $220,000, and would include roto-milling work to lower the street crown, which would help with drainage issues. Due to the water project construction, the town did not perform street maintenance this year, and this year’s funds are expected to be rolled over to next year to help defray costs. Michael stated that an Energy Impact Assistance Grant could pay 80 percent of the project costs. Peck reported that, according to Janet Frederick, the town would have a good chance to receive the grant.

Peck reported that the office copier has still not been repaired, and related problems with the service technician, who was not showing up to do work when he said he would. The board received a proposal for a new copier from another company which provides better service. The board voted to move forward in replacing the copier after Crow reviews lease terms.

Sheriff Forrest Frazee requested to address the board outside of the formal meeting. The meeting was declared adjourned at 8:01 p.m.

Frazee then reported that part time positions with the Kiowa County Sheriff’s Office were being eliminated, and one full time person would be hired. The staffing change would benefit officer training.

Frazee then addressed budget issues, noting that both the county and town have budget constrains. The Sheriff’s budget for the upcoming year will be "stagnant," though expenses are up, which means patrol time for the county and town will be reduced. The town has been receiving up to 193 hours of patrol time each week, with the town paying for 40 hours of time. Officers have been consistently working overtime, and Frazee pointed out the potential for legal liabilities, if the practice were to continue. In addition, though only 47 percent of the county’s population lives in Eads, 90 percent of the patrol time is being spent in the town. The office is working to find a way to bring more balance to the time allocation, and will be spending more time in other county communities.

The Sheriff also had a proposal that would help with expenses while avoiding asking the town for more money out of its budget. Under the proposal, a $15 surcharge/collection fee would be added to tickets written and paid by the offender. The money would be directed to the agency writing the ticket – in this case, the Sheriff’s Office. Frazee stated that three to four tickets are being written each week, which would not be expected to change, but even the small extra amount would help with expenses. Mayor Michael and other board members indicated interest in exploring the idea.

Frazee also state there are plans to implement a community watch, which helps deter mischief, and that officers are taking a survey to community members, so that law enforcement efforts can be fine tuned to meet community needs.

The discussion ended at 8:21 p.m. The next regular board meeting will be held November 12.