By Lucky Kidd
GREAT BEND, Kan. — Logan Burns has been named the new City Administrator for Great Bend. Burns, who is currently Assistant City Administrator, was named to the post following an executive session at Monday night’s Great Bend City Council meeting. He replaces Brandon Anderson, who announced his resignation last month to take a school position in Garden City. Anderson’s last day on the job in Great Bend is Friday.
Renewal of a half percent sales tax in Great Bend will be on the November general election ballot after a renewal resolution was approved by the Council. This would continue for another ten years, a sales tax initially approved by voters in 1999 and extended in 2004 and 2014. This extension would be for another ten years. Proceeds from this tax are used for capital improvement projects, economic development and property tax relief.
Commissioners also approved a vacation buy back policy which allows employees who have designated amounts of sick leave to sell back up to 40 hours of it. Fire Department shift employees, who have a higher permitted accrual, will be able to sell up to 60 hours.
In the wake of confusion regarding a zoning change request vote last month, the City Council last night approved a zoning change for a property at 1013 Hubbard from multi-family to general commercial to allow the owner of the property to construct a shop building to be used to store material and equipment.
The proposal received a 4-2 vote in favor at the time, and some confusion came up regarding the number of votes required to approve, which City Attorney Allen Glendenning finally determined required five votes. Glendenning said the council in this case had two options, make a motion to reconsider and vote on it again or return it to the Planning Commission for further study.
A motion was made to reconsider, and then the zoning change was approved, both on a 6-1 vote with Council member Lindsey Krom-Craven voting against both.
A bid of $146,430 from Venture Corporation for asphalt residential alleyway improvements was accepted. The alleyways to be done were selected based on the amount of temporary patching that’s been done through the years to maintain usable surfaces. The project will be funded through a combination of street fund and sales tax monies.
The Council tabled an expansion of a common consumption area established on behalf of Great Bend Alive that allows consumption of alcohol in a designated area, which in 2021 was set along Forest Street from the west side of Main to the east side of Forest. The item was tabled to allow for addition of the Mayor and or Council President to the committee that oversees the area.
Additional permissions for the Party in the Park Saturday in Great Bend were approved. This includes use of the Expo Complex for the volleyball portion of the event, and use by city staff and authorized volunteers of golf cars in the park and up to a half mile out for parade lineup during the event. It also approved various road closings and other items connected with the Great Bend Airport Airfest in September, and closure of Lakin Avenue from Main to Kansas for the Kans for Kids car show Aug. 30.
The Council ordered repair or demolition of an accessory structure at 1441 9th Street following a public hearing. The structure in question has a collapsed roof with rafters and structure hanging into the alley and a missing exterior wall covering exposing contents and not secured from entry. The Council also set a Sept.16 hearing on a structure at 2521 12th Street that has much the same issues as the property on 9th.
