LARNED – It was a question of timing.

On Monday, a group of citizens concerned with the look of Larned’s Christmas décor were faced with a deadline that put the Larned City Council in a difficult position.

The Operation Christmas Magic Committee, composed of citizens with ties to the Larned Chamber of Commerce, brought their funding request to the council along with a sweet savings if the order could be placed by the end of the month.

Though no official action was taken, the council discussed buying some time with a partial agreement, as they wrestled with other requests brought to the table on Monday’s agenda.

Molding Christmas magic

Local citizens Rachel Hill, Julie Bugner-Smith, Dava Keith, Christy Meyer and Julie Ford had met with Larned City Manager Brad Eilts on Jan. 30, asking to be placed on the agenda to talk about the condition of the community’s Christmas decorations. The group appeared at the top of the new business agenda Monday to make their pitch.

“We are all aware of the sad state of our Christmas decorations,” Hill noted. “This last Christmas season there were lots of complaints voiced to the Chamber, the city and myself as a Chamber Ambassador. Operation Christmas Magic was created to update the Christmas décor for downtown Larned, as well as 14th Street from Toles to Course Streets.” 

The group identified three options that included custom themed banners depicting Christmas on the Plains, incorporating Fort Larned and the Santa Fe Trail Center; intersection décor; and entrance signs on Toles and Course.

Pole decorations were chosen as having a candy-cane motif, which would be alternated by a snowflake design. Hill noted that the candy canes would be used during the Christmas season, with the snowflakes remaining until spring.

Total cost of the decorations has been estimated at approximately $70,000, however if purchased by the city would save on sales tax. Hill also noted that the company has offered an additional 35% savings if it receives a purchase order by Feb. 28.

With free shipping, the total cost of the decorations would be $45,269.25.

Currently, the group has received approximately $500 in private donations. “We do have plans for fundraising the 14th Street project,” Hill said.

Larned resident Julie Ford appealed to the council to consider the new decorations as part of the community’s revitalization.

“There is a refreshing of town going on, and our committee wants to help increase morale and stimulate revenues for our local shops,” Ford noted. “The Christmas decorations inspire childlike excitement and a deep sense of community and fellowship. 

Ford noted that the committee is asking the council to finance the lights on Broadway. “By your investment in this, it will start the momentum for the 14th Street banners which our committee is doing fundraising. 

“We need to be a partnership,” Ford said. “We have done our due diligence and have found a reputable company that is offering 35% off until the end of February. Let’s save while we can."

Larned City Council meeting at a glance

Here is a brief look at what the Larned City Council did Monday evening:

• Approved Appropriations Ordinance No. 1 in the amount of $1,016,648.31, plus transfers.

• Approved the Midwest Energy contract renewal for 2024 in the amount of $26,461 per month for in-scope services, with an additional levelized fee of $10,000 per month for out-of-scope services, for a total of $36,461 per month. City Manager Brad Eilts noted that the contract contains an annual adjustment clause in in-scope expenses. He explained that Fred Taylor, MWE Vice-president of Operations noted that while labor rates have increased, overtime cost, work expenses and equipment costs were lower than anticipated. Taylor then recommended that it would be prudent to keep the in-scope monthly fee for in-scope services the same as last year. 

The council then discussed out-of-scope service payments, which operated as a bank account that would accrue and be available as projects arose. There was a carryover of $183,000, with the expectation that $142,000 would be needed in 2024 to cover projects already planned within the next four to five months.

The carryover is held in electric reserve, which is not a budgeted line item. 

 The council unanimously approved the contract renewal as presented.

• Took no action on a request for funds by the Operation Christmas Magic group under the Larned Chamber of Commerce for new Christmas season décor for the community.

• Took no action on a request by Jason Rath, appearing on behalf of the Larned Country Club, for $25,000 plus labor assistance in constructing four 4-inch concrete pads for a two-phase removal-replacement of the approximately 140 50-year-old cart sheds at the golf course. The rest of the materials and labor would be supplied by the LCC.

The current sheds are located on city grounds, but ownership is questionable, Rath said. The club does not have a specific fund for cart shed maintenance. 

Street Department Superintendent Allen Taylor told the council the pad project could possibly be done by street department personnel within five days. 

Council requested that Rath meet with the LCC board regarding shed ownership to be resolved with the city before the project would commence.

• Approved a resolution designating a portion of downtown Larned as a Rural Housing Incentive District offered by the Kansas Department of Commerce. The RHID allows renovation of buildings more than 25 years old specifically for residential use, including improvements to second-story or higher floors. Incremental property taxes may be utilized to offset various eligible costs for rehabilitating or constructing upper-story housing.

The area affected is bounded by Main Street (Henry Booth) on the west, Seventh Street on the north and follows Topeka Ave. on the east, with buildings facing Fourth Street on the south and roughly bounded by Trail Street.

Requirements for RHID include an already completed housing needs analysis and the Resolution, to be sent to the KDC Secretary for review and approval. If the agreement is approved, a redevelopment plan will be developed by city staff and approved at a future meeting of the council. 

• Tabled action on bids for roofing repair on various city-owned buildings damaged in the May 9, 2023 hailstorm with Will Tice, city inspector. City Manager Brad Eilts noted that two bids were received, with specifications derived from city insurance estimates. Tice noted that in addition to asphalt roofs on several small buildings around town, about 75% of the City Hall would need replacement. After discussion, the agenda item was tabled until a future meeting.

• Discussed sharing costs with Pawnee County for retaining Steve Kearney of Kearney & Associates, Topeka, as the county’s legislative liaison for 2024. Ward Four Councilman Kim Barnes, who asked that the item be placed on the evening’s agenda, noted that the county’s contract for 2024 was presented in the amount of $29,118.79. He noted that the county was requesting a cost share with the City of Larned for Kearney’s services. 

Dr. Mike Burdett, Pawnee County District 1 Commissioner, said that the agency has helped bring a significant amount of money to the county. He noted that the agency had been retained since 2010, at which time some of the cost was shared by city government, economic development and the county. Dr. Burdett explained that the Commissioners along with Larned citizens did make a trip to Topeka in 2023. “In years past, a lot of his efforts have been geared toward the Larned State Hospital complex.” Councilman Barnes noted that the Commissioners have consistently received direction from the agency, adding that he receives daily emails regarding the State Legislature as a member of the local legislative committee. “We do weigh in on issues that are being talked about,” Barnes said. “I don’t think that we here have the staff or the time to go sit and monitor some of these issues.”

Barnes noted that in the first 2-3 years, Larned brought home almost $7-8 million in wages. “They have people that attend every hearing so we pretty well know if there is anything coming at us that we need to be thinking about. Sometimes things come up overnight, and we wouldn’t be there to respond.”

City Manager Eilts noted that Kearney’s agency should be considered an area asset in communicating with state legislators. “The Legislature is not really friendly to municipalities and counties,” Eilts said. “We need to have someone else in there that is lobbying for our specific interests.”

The council then unanimously approved a 50/50 cost share be taken from the general fund to help the county with the retainer contract, contingent on county approval.

• Heard a Street Department staff presentation by Allen Taylor, department superintendent.

• Heard a presentation from Larned Police Department Dispatcher Vanessa Feldman and Sgt. T.J. Hearn on the department’s recently-received mobile command communications unit. The presentation included a brief visual demonstration of the unit that had been brought into the council meeting room.

Council discussion

Fourth Ward Councilman Kim Barnes opened discussion by noting that the request was a non-budgeted item. “I don’t know where we’re going to pull it off at,” he said. 

Mayor William Nusser noted that the downtown business district still has unknowns regarding the downtown Streetscape Project, with styles and numbers for streetlights still undetermined.

“We’re having a meeting Friday, but we are still trying to figure out pole placement. We might have general ideas, but we’ve got to bid specs; all that project bidding and letting and what can be done.”

The grant project is still in construction design, faced by a two-year completion deadline. 

“That’s the hard piece of the timing,” he said.

Nusser invited the committee members present to attend Friday’s Streetscape meeting. “I think that if we had somebody from your committee there, you could understand where we are at on the construction part. We’re right now still trying to get construction documents; we don’t even know yet what the cost is.”

“Our committee is just trying to get this done because we’ve heard so many complaints,” noted Julie Bugner-Smith.

Ward 3 Councilman Jason Murray suggested that the group consider a portion of the request to make the deal workable, getting the pole decorations at the discounted $25,000 for Christmas 2024, with the remainder received for Christmas 2025.

“The $25,000 portion doesn’t scare me,” he said. “We could have that prepared to order and still have a little bit of time, if all we have to do is hit a button by Feb. 28. 

“Obviously, they don’t recognize that this is Leap Year.”

Nusser noted that both the poles and the decorations could be discussed in tandem at the Streetscape meeting scheduled for 9 a.m. Friday.

“We can look at something there, maybe we can work something out,” Nusser said.