Hillsboro administrator earns utility award

Kansas Municipal Utilities gave Hillsboro city administrator Larry Paine its 2019 Edgar P. Schowalter Award during its annual conference May 9.

KMU is a statewide association of municipally owned and operated electric, gas, water and wastewater utilities in Kansas.

The Schowalter award is the highest honor given by the association. It is awarded annually to a manager, employee, or policymaker from a member utility.

Colin Hansen, KMU executive director, said Paine has left a lasting legacy while continuing to innovate and work tirelessly for his community, his association, and his municipal energy agency.

“Larry is a true and utter joy to work for and with,” Hansen said. “He has a wonderful sense of humor and is one of the strongest and most ardent supporters of KMU that I have ever had the honor of working with. Of all the things I admire most about Larry, his spirit, optimism, toughness and unwillingness to give up are at the very top of the list.”

Besides being Hillsboro city administrator for 12 years, Paine has been involved in leading the Kansas Power Pool, serving both as president and on its board of directors since 2010. He has served on the KMU board of directors since 2013 and the KMU executive committee since 2015.

Hansen said Paine was instrumental in the development of the KMU Training Center and always brings innovative ideas to the organization. He is completing his term as president of the board.