City to consider emergency plan
Generators, shelters will be included
Staff reporter
An emergency plan will be presented to Marion City Commission Monday to be implemented during long periods of electrical outages.
City officials met Jan. 25 with Michele Abbott-Becker, the county's emergency management director, to discuss emergency plans including emergency shelters as a result of a January ice storm that resulted in Marion residents being without electricity for more than 36 hours.
Plans include a permanent generator for the city building and a generator for the city's water treatment plant. David Mayfield, city administrator, said he was in the process of pricing those generators.
With electricity being provided to the city building, an emergency county dispatch office could be set up in the commission room.
City officials also met with members of Marion Ministerial Alliance.
In other business:
— Due to rising booth fees and minimal exposure, Marion Chamber of Commerce will not have a booth at the Kansas State Fair.
Gene Winkler, a member of the chamber's tourism committee, presented a report for planned expenses in 2005.
Marion will be represented in May at the Kansas Sampler Festival in Newton.
The city provides $7,000 per year to the chamber for tourism expenses. In the past the chamber had maintained two separate accounts. Winkler said the funds now are combined with chamber and tourism funds in one account.
Funds continue to be set aside for new brochures that are designed and printed every two to three years, Winkler said.
— Winkler also reported on Marion Advancement Campaign. The group was organized to form a community foundation with a community center and two movie theaters as its first project.
Winkler said an architect was completing final plans and cost estimates. When completed, a certified grant administrator will be hired to write and submit a state grant for $400,000 for the project.
The total project is estimated at $800,000, Winkler said. Approximately $200,000 will need to be raised locally, and $200,000 will be in-kind labor.
The land has been deeded to the foundation. A request for annexation will be presented to the commission at a future meeting.
— The commission was given some good news regarding health insurance premiums for city employees.
Previously Blue Cross/Blue Shield had reported to the commission a 31 percent increase in this year's premium rates.
Employee profiles were sent to the insurance company and the city was notified the premiums would increase only 14.2 percent.
The insurance company provided a second insurance proposal that increased individual coinsurance amounts from $1,500 to $2,500 and family coinsurance from $3,000 to $5,000. This decrease of benefit would result in a 7.1 percent increase instead of a 14.2 percent increase.
City officials are waiting for a premium quote from McInnis Group and Colonial Insurance.
The commission will have to make a decision soon because the insurance premium has a March 1 renewal date.
— Casey Case was reappointed to a one-year term on Marion Economic Development Advisory Board.
— A $200 sponsorship was approved for Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Marion County for "Bowl for Kids' Sake."
— City officials met with Casey Case and Russ Cain of the baseball boosters club, to discuss improvements and repairs at the baseball complex. City crews will complete requests when ice storm cleanup has been completed.
— Public utilities superintendent Harvey Sanders reported crews continue to clean up from the early January ice storm. Crews have removed debris, cut limbs from trees that threatened power lines and public safety, and removed and stored the city's holiday decorations.
— Warrants for $218,618 and payroll for $23,970 were approved. Warrants included electricity purchased from Westar Energy and bond payments.
The commission will meet at 4 p.m. Monday in the city building.
