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Proposed cuts hit home in Paola

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Written by Brian McCauley

Wednesday, 21 January 2009 09:00

Paola city officials are preparing themselves to deal with the aftermath of a series of proposed statewide budget cuts.

City Manager Jay Wieland reviewed Gov. Kathleen Sebelius’ recently-released budget report during the Paola City Council meeting last week.

He said the governor has proposed to reallocate a number of taxes, funneling them away from city governments. Changes in the special city-county highway tax, liquor tax and M&E tax would negatively impact Paola’s budget by more than $61,000, Wieland said.

He also said the proposed closing of the Osawatomie Correctional Facility could be costly for the city, which uses inmates as labor as part of a work-release program.

The budget cuts are not official, but Wieland said there’s a possibility there may be more, not fewer, if changes are made.

“There are still discussions on the distribution of motor fuel tax,” he said.

Wieland said if all the proposed cuts are made, the direct impact to local governments in Kansas would be $106 million. Cities aren’t alone, as school districts across the state also may see a reduction in state funding.
For now, all the officials can do is pay close attention to the actions of legislators in Topeka.

“We will follow that very, very closely,” Wieland said.

In other business at the Jan. 13 meeting, council members:

   Denied a request for a $726.09 water leak allowance for 501 S. Hospital Drive. The owner of the building said the excessive water usage was caused by a malfunctioning toilet, which has since been fixed. Council members denied the request, stating that it was caused by a running toilet in a commercial building, which is a normal maintenance item that should have been resolved.

   Tabled a discussion regarding the preliminary draft of a utility rate study. Several months ago, the city hired Wilson & Co. to analyze the city’s water and sanitary sewer rate structures because of Paola’s involvement in the recent construction of a sewage-treatment plant and current construction of a new water plant. A draft was supposed to be available at the meeting, but it was not submitted to the city. Councilman Pete Bell asked that representatives from the company attend the next council meeting.

   Tabled a decision on a $3,700 payment to Triangle Builders for design work on the Park Square fountain renovation, which will be funded by a portion of the $200,000 donated to the city last year by the Goss family. Councilman Jack Rowlett Jr. said the project’s budget is $110,000, but the preliminary design was about $160,000.

“We really don’t have a design that we can justify paying anything for until we at least get it under budget,” he said.

   Approved a $43,058.68 payment to Legacy Contractors, LLC of Paola for renovations to the Paola Community Center. The council members complimented general contractor Rob George on his work, and said the improvements to the historic building look very nice.

   Approved a site plan for the Briley building at 1101 Industrial Park Dr., which will be the location of a youth worship center for Lighthouse Presbyterian Church.

   Authorized Mayor Artie Stuteville to execute an agreement with Miami County and E-FM Consulting of Lawrence that allows Paola to be a part of Miami County’s multi-jurisdictional mitigation plan. According to city documents, the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 requires local governments to have an approved mitigation plan in order to continue eligibility for mitigation project funding. The county has contracted with E-FM for preparation of the local plans. The cost is being covered by the state of Kansas and a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, although the city will incur the cost of time for staff to provide information.

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