A 1969 fire truck is being retired and the Solid Waste Department has purchased a 1996 Ford F350 Brush Fire Truck from the city of Wilson for $14,300. Solid Waste Director Jennifer Hamby asked the Barton County Commission to officially approve the purchase at Tuesday’s commission meeting. The truck was purchased through the Purple Wave online auction site and the funds will come from the budget for the county landfill. There are areas at the landfill that are prone to fires even though the Solid Waste Department has taken measures for fire suppression. Some time back, the department bought an old [...]

Doug Burt is traveling the hills and valleys of memory lane these days, as he celebrates his 50th anniversary of taking care of business for the City of Great Bend. Randy Keasling, director of human resources, echoed many of Keeler’s comments about Burt. “Reaching a 50-year work anniversary is a remarkable achievement, and it speaks volumes about the dedication, hard work and loyalty of our valued colleague, Doug Burt,” Keasling said. “His commitment and contributions are something we are so very proud of. We are deeply grateful for Doug’s many years of service and the positive impact he has had on [...]

The Great Bend City Council adopted an ordinance Monday that greatly expands the downtown Common Consumption Area, which allows a committee to allow alcohol sales in designated areas during select events. The vote was 6-1, with councilmember Davis Jimenez opposed and councilmember Kevyn Soupiset absent (he arrived a short time later). Before voting, the council heard from audience member Dee Ann Grummon, who expressed her opinion that “expanding the ‘Common Consumption Area’ is not a wise idea.” “Is it impossible to draw a crowd with food, art and music/entertainment only, or is alcohol the magic ingredient for any event to be [...]

Great Bend Assistant City Administrator Logan Burns has been named the new City Administrator, effective Monday, Aug. 12. The decision was approved at the Aug. 5 City Council meeting with a 6-1 vote, following a 20-minute executive session where council members discussed the position. This Friday will be the last day for the current City Administration, Brandon Anderson, who announced his resignation in July. Councilman Davis Jimenez attended the meeting via telephone and was the only council member voting “no” to the appointment. Councilwoman Jolene Biggs was absent. During the meeting, Anderson mentioned a change of other department heads. Darren Doonan [...]

A half-cent sales tax that went into effect in 2020 is set to end in 2025 unless Great Bend residents vote for it to continue. At Monday’s Great Bend City Council meeting, a resolution was passed that will place the question on the ballot in the Nov. 5 general election. As soon as the resolution was approved, the City was ready to post information about the sales tax on its website, greatbendks.net. Brandon Anderson, attending his final meeting as City Administrators, said the half-cent sales tax was set up by the City Council with input from the public to give 45% [...]

The City of Great Bend Public Works Department has released information about this year’s projects pertaining to driving surfaces. A news release from the department notes that streets and projects are chosen each year based on condition assessment and what can be done within the budget. Projects for this year are highlighted on three maps. The first map shows select alleyways scheduled for resurfacing, pending City Council approval, at a cost of $145,000. At the upcoming council meeting on Aug. 5, staff will present select asphalt alleyways with ongoing issues. The majority of them are in residential areas. This work will [...]

Great Bend City Administrator Brandon Anderson is resigning. City officials confirmed he submitted his 30-day notice, as required by his employment agreement, on Tuesday and his last day will be Aug. 9. ... Anderson said he has accepted another administrative job with the Garden City school district. Source: Great Bend Tribune

Donors can help hospitals stay prepared to weather challenges this summer at Red Cross blood drives. Great Bend will offer a two-day blood drive next week during the annual Battle of the Badges. Donate blood and vote for your favorite: Law Enforcement or Fire/EMS. St. Rose Auditorium, 1412 Baker Ave., is the location from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday, July 15, and from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, July 16. The process, from check-in to the post-donation visit to the canteen, is usually just about an hour’s time, according to Corry Herrman, Great Bend blood drive chair. [...]

It’s a sign of the season – political campaigning and the posting of campaign signs. The Kansas Department of Transportation reminds the public that all political campaign signs or billboards are prohibited from being placed on state highway right of way. By law, all right of way on state highways is exclusively for public highway purposes. Only regulatory, guide signs and warning signs placed by KDOT are allowed on the 9,500-mile state highway system. KDOT has jurisdiction over all interstate, Kansas and U.S. routes. When KDOT maintenance crews find political signs on state highway right of way, the signs will be [...]

Homeowners may see a break on their property taxes this year but the change is creating extra work for the County Clerk’s Office. The tax relief package adopted by the Kansas Legislature at the June 18 special session changed the School Finance Levy Residential Exemption. Beginning in tax year 2024, the amount of residential property exempt from that statewide levy will increase from $43,049 to $75,000 of appraised value. County Clerk Bev Schmeidler told the Barton County Commission on Tuesday that her office was notified of this change on Friday afternoon and given until July 1 to update their abstracts, values, [...]