City Council moves forward with 5-year power contract

    After the newest Holyoke City Council member, Gene Bittner, was sworn in at the Sept. 19 meeting, the council heard from Andrew Ross of Nebraska Municipal Power Pool regarding the City’s power contract.
    The current contract ends Sept. 30, 2018, so Ross attended the meeting to answer questions and present a proposal for the next contract. The new five-year agreement is for a fixed cost that will escalate over its duration. The energy rate for the first year is $55/MWh, increasing each year to $56.75/MWh, $58/MWh, $59.50/MWh and finishing at $61/MWh for the year ending Sept. 30, 2023.
    Council members voted to move forward with the agreement. The ordinance will have its first reading at the Tuesday, Oct. 3, city council meeting.
    
Another estimate reported for fire hall
    Holyoke Volunteer Fire Department members Josh Young and Lance Murray were in attendance at the Sept. 19 meeting for continued discussion of new fire hall plans.
    Young presented council members with a conceptual budget of $1.12 million from Grassland Homes and Building for the project. This is the second estimate Young has provided for the council. The first was for a $1.6 million structure from Buildings by Design.
    Mayor Orville Tonsing thanked Young for getting the estimates and suggested that the City seek more.
    
Discussion of 5th police officer postponed
    Ongoing discussion of the need for a fifth police officer to be hired will continue to the next council meeting. At the Sept. 19 meeting, council member John Schneider shared a news clipping with other council members. It reported a fifth officer being hired in Holyoke 50 years ago. “I’m for it; I just don’t know how we’re going to pay for it,” Schneider said.
    While the consensus was that an additional officer is needed, they did not feel comfortable making a decision without council member Steve Moore present, as he is the senior committee member.
    
Council members appointed to committees
    With the addition of Bittner to the city council, Tonsing made some new appointments to committees at last Tuesday’s meeting.
    Bittner was appointed to a three-year term on the cemetery board and will serve on the airport and streets committee. He will also remain on the housing board.
    Council member Steve Moore was reassigned from the utility committee to the recreation, parks and pool committee. Scott Murray was appointed to the utility committee and the Colorado Municipal League policy committee.

Officials report
    City Superintendent Mark Brown reported one power outage on Sept. 19 in the 200 block of North Interocean Avenue caused by strong winds. The electric crew has been working on the new electric at the new duplex at 326 S. Morlan Ave. Water and sewer crews have been working on the alfalfa sprinklers and reading meters. The street crew has been mowing City property and preparing West Kunkel Street for concrete, and all three departments continue work on the mini park.
    Brown noted that the R-1 well is back together, and it will be put back online after water samples have tested acceptable.
    Police Chief Doug Bergstrom reported that the Holyoke Police Department handled or generated 208 calls for service from Aug. 30-Sept. 13. Including code enforcement, they made two arrests, wrote 10 citations and four reports, and gave out 29 warnings. Code enforcement handled four animal complaints and 10 ordinance violations.
    Bergstrom also noted that the Sept. 9 Los Huracanes del Norte concert went extremely well and expressed his gratitude for two Sedgwick County deputies who assisted.
    City Clerk/Treasurer Kathy Olofson reported that the City received the third-quarter deposit from the Conservation Trust Fund at $5,338.02.
    
Other business
    In other business at the Sept. 19 meeting, the city council:
    —Accepted 2018 property/casualty pool and workers’ compensation pool renewal quotes from Colorado Intergovernmental Risk Sharing Agency, staying at the current deductibles for each.
    —Requested Olofson gather additional information about codification of the Holyoke Municipal Code from Municode.
    —Hired Josh Skelton of Dickinson Land Surveyors to survey the 126 N. Baxter Ave.property, the proposed site for the new fire hall.
    —Approved a travel request for Olofson to attend the NMPP PowerManager refresher course in North Platte, Nebraska.
    —Approved a special events permit for Phillips County Pheasants Forever on Nov. 11 at the Event Center.
    —Renewed the liquor license for Holyoke Veterans Club Inc.