Florence City Council accepts zoning plan, audit for review
Florence Economic Development chairman Sarah Cope presented city councilmen Monday night with completed zoning plans for the city prepared by Florence Planning Commission.
Cope told councilmen the plans they were about to review represented a lot of time and energy on behalf of the planning commission.
"The planning commission has worked hard on this," Cope said. "They feel comfortable with this end result."
Cope asked council members to review the work and plan to attend an in-depth meeting on the plan at 7 p.m. March 8 at the city building.
"We will try to answer any questions you may have at that time," she said. "We can review it all with you and explain what we have done and why."
Council members will send the plan to legal council following the meeting, but before offering official approval.
In another order of business, council heard from city auditor Dale Clark of Knudson and Monroe. Clark gave council members and city employees good marks for their belt-tightening efforts during the past year.
"You now have the ability to do a few of the things you want to do," he said. He credited better record keeping, increased revenue from areas other than property taxes, and tighter control on spending.
"That's good news," said councilman Bryan Harper, "that's REAL good news."
The audit report was unanimously accepted.
Mayor Sue Klassen told council members she had received some indication Santa Fe Railroad might want to donate the Florence depot to the city.
"If this is the case, do we want it?" she asked.
Following discussion, she agreed to contact city groups that might be interested in owning the structure. Also to be considered are any restrictions that would apply to using the depot since it is adjacent to an active rail line.
In other business the council:
— approved warrant 2006-03 in the amount of $16,599.23.
— approved a yearlong service contract with Hach, Inc. for calibration of instruments at the water plant.
— announced a pre-construction meeting at 1 p.m. Tuesday at Marion City Building with Kansas Department of Transportation for the proposed roundabout. Councilmen Randy Mills and Ed Robinson will attend the meeting.
— tabled for more information a plan to have Florence police officers certified to perform vehicle title inspection on site, an agreement with the county regarding neighborhood revitalization, placement of fuel tanks for the fire trucks, and a decision to abandon a street that intercepts the property of Venetia Miller.
— heard from Labor Day chairman Trayce Warner that Spring Fling will be April 29 at Oasis Gymnasium, Tour de Florence bicycle race will be June 4, and a carnival has been procured for Labor Day weekend.
— agreed to send city employees Jeff Wagner and Larry Scriven to Kansas Rural Water Association March 28 to 30 and Darla Gore to the state conference for city clerks March 7 to 10. Both conferences will be in Wichita.
— heard councilman Harper has organized a team of city employees and councilmen to participate at 3 p.m. Sunday in Bowl for Kids Sake at Sher Bowl Lanes, Marion. Members have raised several hundred dollars. Those participating are Harper, Gore, Janet Robinson, Dan Ludwig, and Erik King.
— was encouraged by school board member Sarah Cope to attend the meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Florence gym to hear about the proposed bond issue.
— agreed to install speed limit signs on Cemetery Road after acting police chief King told of complaints about speeding on the gravel road. The city will install four "35 mph" signs. Following the installation police officers will be able to mark the speed of vehicles using the road and ticket violators.
