ShawneeDispatch.com

A topic that recently led to arguments among the Shawnee City Council members, mayor and city manager caused discord again at Monday's Council meeting.

The Council discussed bids it received for mowing and landscaping services within the city. The services were put out to bid for the first time in eight years. Council member Kevin Straub implied impropriety in a city staff member's methods of contracting for services at the Feb. 25 Council meeting, and the debate continued Monday.

The first portion of the discussion went over smoothly; the Council unanimously approved awarding the mowing contract to the lowest bidder, Corporate Lawns of Olathe, for $56,992. Kelby Helwig, manager of parks and facilities, said the bid was about the same as what the city had previously paid for mowing.

After analyzing bids received for spraying and flower and shrub bed maintenance, city staff suggested hiring a full-time park supervisor and a seasonal maintenance worker would be more cost-effective than contracting out the services. The additional staff also could help the city save money in other areas, like special events and snow removal.

Council member Cheryl Scott moved to hire the additional staff, seconded by Neal Sawyer.

But Straub argued the city had not included the cost of chemicals, plants or mulch in its cost comparisons, leveling a series of rapid-fire questions at staff members. He also charged staff did not get him all spraying costs records of the past three years he had requested.

"I've been denied documentation from my city manager and my city attorney," Straub said, later adding "I think there's been some misconduct or misappropriation and there ought to be an investigation."

Marvin Rainey, city attorney, and Carol Gonzales, city manager, explained that Council members may ask for records, but they must go through the city manager. The city manager may determine if the request is too burdensome for city staff.

Gonzales said she felt Straub's request was burdensome and would take too much of staff's time, so she would wait for the full Council to request those documents.

Straub asked how much chemicals, plants and mulch had cost previously, and Helwig said given the nature of the contract for landscaping services, comparing spending in previous years is like comparing apples to oranges. He said he understood Straub's goal to save money, but at some point it came down to a judgment call of which method would save the city the most.

"My intention is to put the best product out on the table for you to consider," Helwig said. "I still think this is the most cost-effective way to get things done. We're also following the model of the other cities, by contracting mowing and taking spraying in-house, and there's a reason they're doing that."

Straub continued to argue the city wouldn't save money by hiring more staff, but Mayor Jeff Meyers interrupted, saying Straub should not be interrogating city staff "like we're in a court of law."

Council member Dawn Kuhn agreed that Straub was disrespecting city staff. She said the Council's job is to set policy, but it was the city manager who was in charge of day-to-day operations and city staff.

Straub said questions should be asked because some officials in government are not honest.

"That's why you're fortunate to work in the city of Shawnee, where we value integrity over everything else," Helwig responded.

Meyers added that the Council should have a certain level of faith in the city's staff.

"I don't see that there's anything that we've done that has any circumstance of impropriety in it," Meyers told Straub. "You're coming across in a tone that there's improprieties among our staff members. I trust our staff that they are doing what they say they're doing: I don't think we have to continue challenging the integrity of our staff in the manner that's been going on."

Straub said he would rather make a motion that the city hire one of the bidders for the landscaping services, saying he still believed the city would not save money by hiring staff. But he didn't get the chance; a vote had to be carried out on Scott's motion, and it passed, 5-4, with the mayor breaking a tie vote.

Sawyer, Scott, Kuhn and Mickey Sandifer voted in favor of the motion with Meyers.

After the meeting, during a time for the Council to discuss miscellaneous items, Council member Dan Pflumm made a motion for the city to do an internal audit of all its contracted services.

When other Council members and Gonzales expressed concerns that parameters of an audit should be investigated first and then brought to the Council, Pflumm dropped his motion.

In other business, the Council:

¢ Approved a resolution of intent for taxable industrial revenue bonds not to exceed $10.5 million and a tax abatement for the Holiday Inn and Suites Hotel at Interstate 435 and Midland Drive.

¢ Approved 7-1 a resolution of intent for taxable industrial revenue bonds not to exceed $12 million and a tax abatement for TLY Properties II, LLC, for an office/warehouse facility at 5400 Martindale. Distler voted in opposition.

¢ Approved the 2008 parks needs assessment survey.

¢ Approved the purchase and transfer of a lot for $1,285 at 6406 Caenen Lake Road.

¢ Approved revisions to the annual street resurfacing policy and the 2008 street and sidewalk maintenance program.

¢ Awarded a bid for the Monticello Meadows storm drainage improvements contract to Max Rieke and Brothers, Inc., for $1,383,949.

¢ Awarded a bid for the 2008 Street Sweeping contract to McAnany Construction, for $25,600.

¢ Awarded a bid for the 2008 Chemical Application contract to Chem-Trol, Inc., for $20,050.83.

¢ Approved the project list for submission to CARS for 2009-2013.

¢ Approved a sign variance for John Deere Landscapes, 8306 Hedge Lane Terrace.

¢ Approved special-use permits for Maranatha Kinderprep to allow a preschool with up to 21 children at 5425 Martindale; and for First Baptist Church to allow a daycare with up to 74 children at 11400 Johnson Drive.

¢ Approved a special-use permits previously issued for Shell, 11019 W. 75th St., to operate a car wash; and for Diantha King for an in-home beauty salon in the 5400 block of Caenen Avenue.

¢ Approved semi-monthly claims totaling $4,579,274.