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Written by Travis Perry
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Tuesday, 16 February 2010 22:42 |
Osawatomie residents could end up paying a little more to turn on the water faucet in coming months.
City officials on Thursday discussed the possible need for an 8 to 10 percent increase in the city water rates.
Motivated by a meager reserve of funds for water utility-related expenses, Osawatomie City Manager Bret Glendening told City Council members last week that the current water rate charges are covering operating expenses, but aren’t doing much in the way of building a fund balance to help cover unexpected expenses, such as water-main breaks. The city has seen more than three breaks since Jan. 1.
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Written by Travis Perry
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Tuesday, 16 February 2010 22:40 |
Anymore, the Osawatomie Municipal Swimming Pool is a sore sight for City Councilman Larry Ratley. Far from the original splendor of when it saw its first cannonball dive in 1963, the aging aquatic facility has seen better days.
“I don’t think there’s anybody in the room that would argue it doesn’t need work,” City Manager Bret Glendening said at a City Council meeting Thursday.
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Written by Travis Perry
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Wednesday, 03 February 2010 09:00 |
Taking the next step in the city’s move away from a unionized work force, the Osawatomie City Council has established an Employee Advisory Committee.
The panel, devised as a way for the city manager to receive feedback from city employees regarding personnel policy decisions, will include one nonsupervising representative from each department. The members will be selected via a vote in each department or appointment by the city manager.
“The whole goal of implementing the advisory committee for employees to sit on is to give the city manager a matrix, so to speak, to bounce any personnel policies off of and get some feedback from the personnel,” City Manager Bret Glendening said.
City council members agreed that the committee would help Glendening find common ground with employees when making decisions. As stated in the resolution forming the group, though, the committee “shall not be construed as to have authority to approve or disapprove any proposed changes.”
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Written by Travis Perry
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Wednesday, 27 January 2010 09:00 |
In a move that prompted concerns among some workers, Osawatomie officials have announced that the city will not renew its contract with the city employee labor union.
The decision was made after an executive session of the Osawatomie City Council Jan. 14. City Administrator Bret Glendening said the decision not to renew the contract was the next step in a process that began in December, when the city opted out of the Kansas Public Employee-Employer Relations Act, which regulates the actions a public entity, such as a city government, can take when dealing with labor unions.
Terry Upshaw, city lineman and union spokesman, voiced strong concerns about the action — specifically, the future of city employees who will not have the option of joining a union.
“To me, all the employees should be concerned,” Upshaw said.
Glendening said the city simply doesn’t see a need for the union anymore, and while the current contract will run through the end of the year, he said city officials think a transition from a unionized to a non-organized work force will be smooth for all the parties involved.
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News
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Written by Doug Carder
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Wednesday, 17 June 2009 08:00 |
The Osawatomie City Council unanimously consented to a public fireworks display July 4 at Lynn Dickey Stadium, but the governing body’s approval of fireworks stands inside city limits met with some trepidation.
Council Member Larry Ratley questioned why Osawatomie continues to allow fireworks to be shot off in the community when no other cities in Miami County allow it.
“Just name one city that still allows fireworks,” Ratley said.
A couple of officials quickly responded “Derby (Kan.),” eliciting a few chuckles.
Despite the brief levity, the council members’ discussion took on a serious tone when addressing the discharge of fireworks on public streets and sidewalks, which violates city ordinance.
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