ORIGINALLY WRITTEN JERRY ENGLER
On Monday the Marion City Commission gave final approval to a resolution that raises sewer rates from a $9 base rate and a charge of 90 cents per 1,000 gallons to a $12 base rate and $1.20 per 1,000 gallons.
City Administrator David Mayfield said the average $4 per month increase for the customer who has a 5,000-gallon usage will allow the city to raise capital improvement funds to replace deteriorating sewer lines.
The proposal was first made last month, but awaited rewriting by City Attorney Dan Baldwin before the 3-0 vote.
Harvey Sanders, public works director, reported outside lights have been installed at the museum, water has been turned on at the ball fields, and three new street lights have been installed into Country Heights.
Sanders said that during the ice storm, city crew treated main street emergency routes with brine, and later hauled rock into some sloppy areas.
Fire Chief Thad Meierhoff said the Marion Fire Department is awaiting news from the Kansas Forestry Department on whether it will receive $4,000 to $4,500 in grant money for purchase of new bunker gear and radios.
Meierhoff said the Fire Department made 62 runs in 2002.
Runs this year have included ones such as the Florence garbage truck with a burning load in Marion and a plastic utensil stuck in a dish washer that smoked a house.
Continuing firemen education is including schooling for such things as arson investigation and fire safety checks.
Susan Cooper, development director, said that at a Marion County Commission she had attended that morning, she thought commissioners were headed in the right direction by encouraging more housing development on small acreages.
Janet Marler, librarian, said the library has a display of 20 quilts by local quilters in the Kansas Room, and in its display case this month is Amy Rasmussen’s collection of Ireland momentos.
Marler said a 20-volume set of books by Patrick O’Brian has been donated in memory of Edwin “Tim” Burkholder.
The library added 36 new books in February, and had a total circulation of all items of 2,675.
The commission approved paying warrants for $103,390.15, including $60,422.54 for electricity to Westar, and paying payroll for $21,924.37.
