Council approves salary increase for city administrator
After a 45-minute executive session during a special council meeting Tuesday to review the performance of the city administrator, Hillsboro City Council approved a wage increase for city administrator Steve Garrett, from $59,600 to $63,000. Garrett begins working under the new contract Oct. 20.
The 5.7 percent increase includes a 2.6 percent cost of living increase that all city employees received earlier.
Garrett also receives the standard $5,371 per year in health insurance benefits and $200 per month for mileage, making his total contract worth $70,771.
The council also approved expanding its cafeteria plan to include employee deductions for medical reimbursement and child care.
"We want to expand the cafeteria plan to add a flexible spending account for medical reimbursement and child care," said Garrett. "In order to do that, the council needs to approve the change."
"Does this change involved any cost to the city?" asked council member Len Coryea.
According to Garrett, there will be no additional cost to the city as Jan Meisinger, city clerk, will administer the account.
The council approved the changes in the cafeteria plan with a limit of $1,300 for medical reimbursement and $5,000 for child care.
The council heard from Bob Previtera of Reiss and Goodness Engineers of Wichita about plans to improve Hillsboro Airport. The city is applying for a Kansas Airport Improvement Program grant which could pay 90 percent of the costs.
The plan includes construction of a taxi-way which will include excavation of the old taxi-way and addition of six inches of rock base and five inches of asphalt, traffic control, testing, pavement striping, staking airplane tie-downs, 15 inches of RCP, seed, and mulch.
The addition of a heli-port also is part of the improvement plan. The heli-port will be a 50x50-foot concrete pad with a 150x150-foot clear zone and lights.
"We need to get the application in for the airport improvements," Previtera said. "If approved, the state will pay 90 percent of eligible costs. There is a possibility the state won't fund the heli-port."
The total cost of the project is $180,400.
The council approved the application.
In other business:
— Council approved splitting a lot at Hillsboro Heights, selling half of the lot to Rod's Tires and the other to Fleming's Mini Stor-All at $3,850 each.
— The survey for the Lincoln Street project has been completed, and the city is eligible for a Community Development Block Grant.
