By ADAM STEWART

Staff writer

Hillsboro resident Steve Stafford, 404 E. Grand Ave., urged City Council members Tuesday to try to sell the William F. Schaeffler House, which is located next to his property.

Stafford said he lived in Tucson, Ariz., before moving to Hillsboro. There he lived in a historic area, which required residents to keep their homes’ exteriors era-appropriate.

If the city could find the right buyer, the Schaeffler House might be worth as much as $500,000, he said. Selling the house would also put it back on property tax rolls, and anyone wealthy enough to purchase it for that much money would be a good addition to Hillsboro, Stafford said. Instead, it costs the city to maintain the historic house.

He said he was disappointed to see the Schaeffler House dark and empty on Christmas.

Council member Byron McCarty said he thinks there is a prohibition against the city selling the house in the agreement that gave Hillsboro ownership of it.

In other business:

• Sellers Equipment Inc., of Salina, will sell a backhoe to the city for $93,034. Murphy Tractor & Equipment Co. Inc. submitted a bid of $93,307, but it didn’t meet the city’s specifications. The implement will be used in sewer department work and will be paid for with funds remaining from the wastewater treatment plant project.
• P.B. Hoidale Co. Inc. of Wichita, will install a credit card fuel dispensing system at the Hillsboro airport for $23,046. Double Check Company Inc. of Kansas City, Mo., bid $21,157, but that did not include digging a trench to install an electrical conduit to the system; $10,000 of the cost of the project will be paid by a Kansas Department of Transportation grant.
• Wichita Electric Company Inc. will install a pilot-controlled lighting system at the airport for $5,895. The system will save the airport money by keeping lights off when not in use. After installing new runway lights in 2008, electric usage at the airport increased from about $100 to $200 per month.
• Council member Kevin Suderman was elected chairman of the Public Building Commission.
• Lynn Penner was appointed to the Board of Zoning Appeals, replacing Jim Brennan whose term had expired.
• The city received a check for $4,029 as a dividend for participating in the Kansas Municipal Utilities Safety Group Insurance Program.

The next Hillsboro City Council meeting will be June 1.