Staff writer
Signatures were not rendered, but an oil and gas lease agreement between the City of Hillsboro and Chaz Doffing, representative of J. Fred Ham bright Inc. of Wichita, received approval Tuesday at the regular meeting of the Hillsboro City Council. Final approval, however, depends on a review by City Attorney Dan Baldwin, who was absent from the meeting.
City administrator Larry Paine recommended approval of the agreement after striking an addendum allowing the sale of the contracted premises if a more profitable option presented itself.
“We wouldn’t want an unrelated third party to be able to come in here and shut down a good producing line for the city and for our company,” Doffing explained. “We wouldn’t want the city to lose money or the oil company not to be able to do what they want because of interference from an unrelated third party.”
Doffing said the addendum in question went above and beyond the call of duty, but stood in the way of progress for the project.
The council voted approval of the agreement, pending review by Baldwin, who wrote the addendum in question.
Patrol car bid awarded
Council members approved the purchase of a 2013 Ford Taurus from Hillsboro Ford for $21,440.
It was not the lowest bid presented, but it was the lowest bid from a dealership located in city limits.
“I would be happy with the 2013 Ford Taurus, but it will be late March before we can get one here,” Police Chief Dan Kinning said.
In other business:
- Paine presented information regarding budget amendments, some of which used cash balance from 2010 and needed adjustment to match expenditures. He identified four items for council consideration — the special highway chip and seal program, municipal court collections, K-9 for the purchase of a new dog, and equipment replacement.
- Members approved monthly voucher payments after a discussion of the Fire Pup services line item.
- Paine presented council members with a list of projects identified on a 2009 stimulus package wish list, noting the city had accomplished many of the items without using stimulus package funds. Some of those tasks included work on the Tabor College/Hillsboro sports complex, sewer-line replacement, construction of the Hillsboro Business Park, safe sidewalks for Hillsboro schoolchildren, manhole refurbishment, and several street rebuilding projects.
The next city council meeting will be Tuesday, Nov. 29.