City police to be on KP and F retirement plan
The Marion Police Department staff will be on the Kansas Police & Fire retirement system starting Jan. 1, 2004.
The city commission passed a resolution Monday switching the police department from the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System to KPF. The vote was 2-1 with Mayor Eloise Mueller voting "no," only because she had not yet had a chance to study the resolution and proposal, she said.
Mueller wanted to wait one week to take the vote on the resolution, but said that if Commissioners Larry McLain and Jim Crofoot wanted to vote Monday, she would not stand in their way. Hence the 2-1 vote.
The police department has agreed voluntarily to give up a budgeted pay increase in 2004 in order to get this better retirement plan.
Mueller said she did not want to treat some employees of the city better than others, or to give the impression or perception that was being done.
Police Chief Michel Soyez said law enforcement is different, however. It was a matter of comparing apples and oranges, he said. For one thing, police must be on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Harvey Sanders, director of public utilities for the city, said, "My guys wouldn't be upset" by the PD's getting a somewhat more favorable retirement plan.
Soyez said the plan is better than the KPERS one. Fifty-one police departments in Kansas are under the KP&F retirement plan umbrella, he said.
Crofoot said, "It'll help us recruit a higher caliber of officer."
Art/Park cleanup
Sanders said the Art in the Park cleanup, after Saturday's annual festival, was "excellent." He commended Margo Yates, executive director of the Marion Chamber of Commerce, and her cleanup crew.
Mueller said it was one of the nicest Art in the Park fests ever, "and certainly the biggest."
The city will do more spraying to kill mosquito larvae, Sanders said, "since it keeps raining.
"We are waiting, however, for one chemical additive for the spray," he said.
Easement sought
Gene Warnica, who owns a building just behind (west of) the car wash and the Head Start facility on South Third, and Tony Schafers, who owns a building west of Warnica's, appeared before the commission to request an easement to allow them easier access to their properties, from the south.
They also asked that Second Street be closed (vacated), just where it borders their properties, to the west of the buildings.
Warnica said he would like to put in a drive-in door for his building.
Commissioners tabled the matter for the time being, promising to look into it.
Commissioners approved payment of warrants totaling $33,972.08 and payroll in the amount of $25,638.44.
Commissioners conducted a closed session at the end of the open portion of the meeting to discuss a personnel issue. No action was taken on the matters discussed.
