Ulysses City Council started their regular meeting March 8 by repealing the decision to bail-out of Phase II of the Highway 160 Project.
When they met February 22, council members moved and passed the motion to cease funding an additional $115,000 to rebuild the intersection of East Oklahoma Avenue and North Stubbs Road/South Road K. However, after meeting with the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT), members concluded becoming solely responsible for the project funding was not ideal.
“After talking to them (KDOT) yesterday, they really want us to get back into that (Phase II)," said Ulysses Mayor Tim McCauley. "The bad thing is that highway is ours to take care of, period. If we don’t do anything, they’re not going to do anything. That is our responsibility. It’s a state highway. We’re in a program, City Link. They send us $35,000 a year for 7.7 lane miles of highway within city limits. With us bailing out, the highway is ours. So we need to get in with these guys who are giving us the money to help us out.”
McCauley reiterated the importance of "staying in."
“We need to stay in because we’re going to be in a situation in five years that if we don’t do something, we’re going to be tearing it up from Casey’s to the city limits,” he said.
A motion was resent and accepted for $115,000 towards engineering fees for Phase II. The estimated total for engineering is $241,000.
The project isn’t set to begin until 2024 or 2025, which gives the Council time to rebudget. Currently, Phase I is estimated to cost $1.3 million with the State providing $1 million of the funding. Phase II is projected to cost $1.6 million with the State funding $1.5 million.
In other business:
nThe Council approved the description and advertisement for the position of Ulysses City Administrator. City Clerk Sarah Britton will serve as Interim City Administrator until the position is filled.
nA community profile is in the works for Grant County. The profile will give a description of Ulysses and what the town has to offer. Council members accepted items for advertisements, including social media pictures and a link leading to the profile.
nInsurance premiums are due April 1. Rates show an increase of 12 percent, stemming from $192,000 worth of property losses over the last three years. A motion to approve the budget for insurance renewal was moved and accepted.
The next Ulysses City Council meeting will be at 5 p.m., Wednesday, March 22, at City Hall. The meeting is open to the public.
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