The Guthrie Center City Council convened in regular session Thursday.
The meeting began with a discussion with Guthrie County Public Health and Transfer Station Director Jotham Arber. Arber has been in talks with the Board of Supervisors and cities that are in the West Central Waste Management Authority about raising the quarterly per capita charge by $4 to total $20 in a new 28E agreement. This agreement hasn’t been altered since 1995, and some of the participating cities desire raising the rate by $1 over four years. The City Council agreed that they would offer to pay the increase all at once out of their waste budget surplus. No action was taken as Arber was strictly seeking the City’s input before continued discussion with the Supervisors and other entities.
Next, the Council approved a revised draft of the new law enforcement services 28E agreement with the Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office. The agreement was approved on a 3-0 vote with council members Chuck Cleveland and Mike Herbert abstaining as they are employed by the sheriff’s office. The agreement will be sent to the Supervisors for their approval. The Council also rescinded a resolution they approved last November to require the City to retain payroll journals for five years. A new resolution requiring a retainment of 15 years will be brought to the Council at their next meeting. Finally, the Council approved a 92-cent-per-hour salary increase for all City employees for 2019.