NITRATE WARNING ISSUED
Bottled water available at City Hall for residents who are pregnant, nursing infants, have infants at home, or who have written orders from a health care provider.
The rate review comes as part of the effort to develop an improvement plan for the City’s water system. Wilson & Co., engineers, are creating a model of the water system and a phased plan for the changes, which will include improvements to infrastructure, a new water tower, water well work, and a water treatment plant, if it is found to be necessary. An October inspection of the 107-year-old water tower showed that nearly $275,000 in maintenance is needed there.
Along with the reports and plan by the engineers, a grant writer is working on a Community Development Block Grant application for submittal in the fall of 2021. To qualify for the grant, the City must show that local efforts are put into the financing. The state mandates that the statewide average for utility rates must be met to qualify for the grant. In this case, the average for 5,000 gallons of water is $38.00 statewide; in Belle Plaine it is currently $27.51.
The engineers will be at the workshop for the discussion on the alternatives with rates and grant applications. The tank inspection report can be seen at the bottom of this page or by clicking here..
Three City Council seats up
for election in November 2021
Three Belle Plaine City Council seats will be open in the November 2021 election.
The seats which will be open are currently occupied by Phila Storts, Allen Hisken, and Bryan Nolan.
The deadline for filing is at noon on June 1, 2021. Potential candidates must file at the Sumner County Clerk’s office, 501 N. Washington, Room 101, Wellington, KS 67152.
City Hall reopened to the public
The lobby previously was small and did not allow social distancing for customers who might enter the building when someone else was already inside. There were also no screens for the protection of employees.
A portion of the funds from the CARES Sparks Grant was used to reshape the cabinets that form the lobby, install new counter tops and “sneeze guard” screens, and replace flooring due to the new configuration of counters.
City Hall hours remain 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Ordinance creates legal process for special vehicles
The Belle Plaine City Council approved an ordinance during its Dec. 17 meeting which will legalize special vehicles for use on city streets, once the ordinance is published on Dec. 31..
The complete ordinance can be seen by clicking here.
Pet Waste Stations have been installed at several locations in Belle Plaine. Residents who walk their pets can take advantage of the stations at the following locations:
*Morley Field
*Watson Park
*City Park
*Community Ctr
*High School in the 900 block of North Merchant
*RV Park
The City Maintenance Department fleet has been updated with the purchase of two new pickups. Both trucks have the City logo, so they can be easily recognized when on local job sites.
Sign up to receive your utility bill electronically
Your bill will be e-mailed on the last working day of each month and no other terms on the account change. The due date for payment remains the 15th of the month, with unpaid accounts subject to disconnection on the 26th of each month. Those who have signed up for automatic debit on the 15th will continue to have that service.
Help is available for trash carts
If you are unable to move the large trash carts to the curb, due to physical limitations, contact City Hall at 488-3433. Waste Connections will pick up the cart in those cases from the front of the home.
The carts
must be visible from the street and cannot be in the back yard for this
service.
Eliminate the need to write one check a month
Pay your monthly bill
by bank draft on the 15th
You will receive a copy of your bill each month so you can be prepared for the withdrawal.
They’d be lost without you
Keep pets tagged under City Code
All cats and dogs in Belle Plaine must be licensed and tagged under City Code. Licensing helps ensure public (and animal) health by requiring up-to-date rabies vaccinations. More importantly, if they are found running loose, Belle Plaine police have a better chance of finding the owner quickly.
Licensing is easy – bring the vaccination certificate from your veterinarian to City Hall and pay $10 (only $5 if they are spayed or neutered) for the tag.
Siren provides improved coverage
The new siren was installed at 5th and Washington, in an area which allows better sound coverage for all areas of the community. The new siren is also more efficient in operations and dependability.
Sirens will be tested on the first Monday of each month at 11 a.m.
The Middle School gym at 8th and Merchant will serve as the community storm shelter during severe weather. Enter at the entrance facing 8th Street.
Belle Plaine Police will no longer be opening the local churches which formerly served as shelters. The gymnasium is designed to withstand an F5 tornado and meets FEMA standards for such buildings.
Pets can be taken to the shelter, but they must be crated or caged.
City holiday closings in 2021
President's Day - Monday, Feb. 15
Memorial Day – Monday, May 24
Independence Day – Monday, July 5
Labor Day – Monday, September 6
Veteran’s Day – Thursday, Nov. 11
Thanksgiving Day and Friday after –
November 25 and 26
Christmas Eve & Christmas Day – Thursday, December 23 & Friday, December 24.
All City offices will be closed on these days.
Report street light outages
Contact UsPHONE(620)488-3433FAX
City Building Hours 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Monday - Friday |
