2007 budget approved by Florence council years ago
By SUSAN MARSHALL
News editor
Florence City Council Monday night approved the 2007 budget and the 2006 amended budget with little fanfare and no comment from any of the dozen people in attendance at the meeting. The budget hearing was held immediately preceding the regularly scheduled council meeting.
"If any of you have questions or comments about what we have done, now is the time to bring them up to council," said Florence councilman Randy Mills.
The council reduced expenditures slightly over the previous year, opting for a $1,558 reduction in general fund expenditures. The mill levy will be reduced from 86.614 mills to 86.300 mills.
Both the 2007 and amended 2006 budgets were approved on a 3-0 vote with councilman Dan Ludwig absent for that part of the meeting. He arrived 15 minutes later for the balance of the meeting.
In other business the council:
— approved ordinance 784 and 785, uniform Standard Traffic Ordinances which bring the city into compliance with traffic regulations adopted by the State of Kansas.
— heard from city clerk Darla Gore that the team of Florence citizens who walked July 21-22 in Marion County Relay for Life received a plaque designating them members of the Kansas Bronze Medal club for the amount of money they raised.
— unanimously approved warrant 2006-14 in the amount of $54,672.63.
— approved sending fire chief Tim Parmley to Topeka Oct. 19-22 for the annual Kansas Fire Chiefs Association meeting.
— discussed finding a formula to charge for controlled burns that are monitored by the fire department. The department is not allowed to charge for its services. Council members discussed the possibility of regulating the number of controlled burns by a single individual to avoid taking the same volunteer firefighters off their jobs for consecutive days. Council tabled the issue for more information and future discussion.
— heard from Florence Labor Day chairman Trayce Warner about city responsibilities during the celebration. She distributed maps of Dumpster placements, street closings, and police presence during activities. Council tabled a request to use the city tractor to pull a trolley until liability issues could be settled.
— heard from Gore that a letter had been received from KDOT complimenting the city on its web site.
— heard from councilman Bryan Harper that crossing arms for the Main Street intersection with Burlington-Northern Santa Fe railroad have arrived and will be installed soon.
— thanked volunteers Joe Heath for mowing city rights-of-way and Reilly Reid for spraying city sidewalks for weeds.
— discussed the whereabouts of a case of light bulbs the city intended to return to its vendor. City employees thought it might have been sent back by former city superintendent Jeff Wagner before he resigned July 27. Gore will follow up with the vendor and delivery company.
— went into a 10-minute executive session for the purpose of discussing acquisition of property. No action was taken on return to open meeting.
