University Daily Kansan / Thursday, January 18, 1990
7A
City commissioners put trolley idea on hold
By Kathryn Lancaster
Kansan staff writer
Lawrence City Commissioners put the brakes on developing a downtown trolley Tuesday night.
Commissioners unanimously voted to table discussion indefinitely on a trolley that would run past the Lawrence Riverfront Plaza and through downtown.
Commissioners voiced concern about high costs, low resale values and a perceived general indifference from the community.
Although they tabled the issue, commissioners discussed trolley options at a study session yesterday.
Other issues discussed during the Christmas break included:
Ethics
Encouraged by state agencies, Mayor Bob Schumm proposed an ethics ordinance Dec. 12 to govern members of city boards and commissions.
At a Jan. 8 study session, commissioners reviewed ordinations in force in Grandview, M. Olathe, Prairie Village and Lenexa. They will hold their meeting at the office of Kapsas Municipalities to discuss options.
Commissioners agreed to look further into establishing a city ethics ordinance but made no recommendations to city staff.
"For many people, this is a good consciousness-raising exercise," said commissioner Mike Rundle, who would like to see some ethical guidelines in place.
Schumm said he raised the issue because city planning commissioner David Evans, a local architect, was hired by Westgate Properties. The company won a commercial rezoning request for 15 acres at the southeast corner of Sixth Street and Wakaraus Drive after Evans spoke on their behalf.
At the Dec. 12 meeting, commissioner David Penn said the mayor also could be accused of
count or interest because of this support for a downtown center. Schumm, who owns two downtown restaurants, said the city needed a code of ethics but denied that owning downtown businesses presented a conflict of interest.
"The ordinance that we draft should help to keep people from realizing specific financial gain from specific agenda items," Schumm said.
Drug screening
A new substance abuse policy, which allows for pre-employment screening for drug use, was presented to city commissioners in January.
"The policy had already been established but was in separate forms," said acting city manager Mike Wildgen. "We just unified it into one statement."
The policy:
■ provides for drug and alcohol treatment and counseling for city employees or their family members.
allows screening when a supervisor has reasonable suspicion that an employee is impaired by drugs or alcohol.
- allows screening of applicants for public safety and other at-risk positions.
establishes disciplinary actions for employees who violate city policies concerning controlled substances.
The testing of applicants for at-risk city positions is a new policy, which will include applicants seeking work as heavy-equipment operators and truck drivers.
Commissioners intend to discuss the policy in an upcoming meeting.
City manager search
The commission chose Robert Saunders, a management consultant from Liberty, Mo., to help in the search for a new city manager.
$9,750 plus direct expenses, which are not to exceed $500 without first gaining approval from the commission.
At their 12 meeting, commissioners approved a contract that will pay Saunders
Sehumm said the city began advertising for the position in December and that commissioners hope to hire a permanent city manager by April.
A new city manager would take over duties now being carried out by Wilden. Wilden took the position after Buford Watson's death on October 25.
Commissioners are working with Saunders to draw up a list of applicant qualifications. They will review those qualifications Jan. 22 and will begin considering applications in late February.
city commissioners will honor former city manager Buford Watson at their next meeting by dedicating a park in his name.
Park renaming
On December 27, a Baldwin City contractor complained to the commission that its refusal to review a bid was racially motivated.
Central Park, west of downtown between Sixth and Eighth streets and Tennessee and Kentucky streets, will be dedicated in memory of Watson in March. Commissioners have not yet decided on a new name for the park.
Haroel Shephard, a partner in C&S Shepherd Construction, in Baldwin City, said his apparent low bid was nullified because he did not initialize changes he had made on a bill sheet.
Watson, who would have observed his 20th anniversary as city manager on Jan. 26, died on October 25. Commissioners are planning a dinner with the Watson family on Jan. 25 to commemorate his nearly 20 years of community service.
Racial discrimination complaint
Shephard said that on two previous bid attempts, white contractors were awarded bids despite numbering mistakes they had made on the forms.
"What's the difference in a mistake in numbers and a mistake in initializing something?" he asked.
City officials said that their nullification of Shephard's apparent low bid was not racially motivated and that they were following the city policy for bid specifications, which states that no changes to the bid forms will be acceptable "unless each alteration is signed or initialized by the bidder."
The project had three bidders and two of the three did not make a prooner bids. Wilden said.
"Some of our bureaucratic rules weren't followed, but we're giving him a second chance," Rundle said. "These rules are there to protect people from gaining an unfair advantage."
Commissioner Rundle said it was unfortunate that the situation occurred, and he hoped Shephard would not exclude himself from the rebidding process.
Instead of immediately awarding the bid, commissioners decided to rebid the project, adding two additional sidewalk renovations to the total. No date has been set for the rebidding.
Shephard's bid, which was submitted for a sidewalk project near Maple Lane and handrail improvements near 12th and Mississippi streets, was $141 less than the next low bid.
Shephard said he would not participate in the rebidding.
Sister city update
Lawrence is exploring the possibility of becoming a sister to a second city. A seven-member delegation from Hiratsuka, Japan, will visit Lawrence on Feb. 12-15.
Lawrence signed a sister city agreement with Futin, West Germany on Oct. 27.
Carol Shankel, chairman of Lawrence's sister city advisory board, said the board first decided to seek out a sister city relationship with Hiratsuka in early 1987.
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