City plans to replace water line along Wilson, Kennedy streets

Hillsboro residents living along Wilson and Kennedy streets will be benefitting from a more reliable water source in the not too distant future.

The Hillsboro City Coun­cil voted unanimously at its April 26 meeting to approve a $15,000 engineering contract with EBH & Asso­ciates to develop plans for replacing the old water lines that serve those two streets.

The project also would replace several sections of asbestos-cement pipe still in the system.

City Administrator Larry Paine said the city has freed up $290,000 after paying off the final debt instrument for the water department. One third of that amount will be used to upgrade the distribution system, one third for water-plant capital repairs and the remaining third to meet the 90-day cash reserve for the water department.

According to water department estimates, the city has repaired 45 water leaks along Wilson Street since 2005. The average cost to repair a leak is about $3,000.

In addition to replacing the old water lines, the project also will replace water meters in the work area.

The new meters will enable the city to record consumption via “radio read” technology as well as shut off a meter from the office as a result of unpaid bills.

One additional element of the EBH contract is to help the city write and submit a USDA Rural Develop­ment grant/loan to help finance the project.

Pay boost for officers

Part-time officers with the Hillsboro Police Depart­ment soon will be receiving a boost in their hourly rate.

The council unanimously approved an increase from $12 to $15 per hour upon the recommendation of City Administrator Larry Paine in consultation with Hills­boro Police Chief Dan Kin­ning.

Part-time officers fill in when full-time officers are on vacation, sick leave, attending training or the city has a vacant position.

Pay for full-time officers starts at $21, plus benefits.

The HPD budget authorizes up to six part-time officers. The department currently has four, Paine said, but “their ability to help has been spotty.” An increase in pay may make it easier to enlist help.

Paine said the boost in pay should not affect the overall HPD budget.

“When we last talked about the additional costs, Dan said he would cut his budget back to make it work,” Paine said. “I think he can do that, but he also has some budget surplus every year.”

Other business

In other business, the council:

• councilors Byron McCarty and Brent Driggers were sworn for a new term of service following the April 5 local elections.

As a result of a state-mandated change to move local elections from spring to fall, these two seats will continue to serve until the second Mon­day of January 2019.

• reorganized its leadership as well as leadership of the Public Building Com­mission for the coming year. Driggers was elected council president and David Loewen was elected PBC chairman.

• authorized Mayor Delores Dalke to sign the Kansas Electric Utility Assistance Agreement and the American Public Power Association Mutual Aid Agreement.

The two agreements provide for reimbursement eligibility from the Federal Emergency Manage­ment Agency. The cost of labor, equipment, supplies, transportation and lodging would be paid to the responding mutual aid utility.

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