City has some issues with responsibilities, limits
Staff writer
Hillsboro City Administrator Larry Paine recommended Tuesday that the city have a seminar for appointed boards and support staff to help them understand the responsibilities and boundaries of the boards.
Without specifying any boards or employees involved, Mayor Delores Dalke said there have been some issues. The closest analogy, she said, was that years ago individual city council members would try to tell city employees what to do.
Council member Byron McCarty indicated that was an issue when he was police chief.
The city has good appointed boards, Dalke said, but questions come up about the division of responsibility between boards and staff members.
Board members’ job “is to manage at 30,000 feet, not 1½ feet,” Paine said.
City council member Kevin Suderman said he would like to understand the issues better before deciding to spend money, but he said he didn’t want to name names in public. Paine said he would have a one-on-one discussion with him later.
Dalke asked Suderman if, when he was appointed to the zoning board, he was told what the board’s job was.
“I figured it out,” he said.
Paine recommended the city hire Mike Conduff, author of “The On Target Board Member,” to give a presentation to appointed boards and their support staff.
Suderman said he wanted more time to consider it.
In other business:
- The council will have a special meeting at 4 p.m. Tuesday for a closed session to discuss legal matters.
- The city’s property, general liability, employee benefit liability, public official error and omission, employment practices liability, law enforcement liability, automotive, and aviation general liability insurance premiums from IMA of Kansas, Inc. for 2010-11 will increase from $57,562 to $58,760.
- The city will rent a grader to continue work on Hillsboro Business Park while the city’s equipment is being repaired.
- A liquor license renewal for the American Legion was approved.