Pleasanton council's hunt for new city clerk to continue
- Roger Sims, Journal Staff
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
By Roger Sims
PLEASANTON – It appeared like the Pleasanton City Council was going to be able to agree on a nominee for the vacant city clerk post last held by Candy Houtman, who resigned earlier this summer. However after a 5-0 vote to approve the appointment of Connor Marshall on Monday evening, Aug. 17, Mayor Mathew Young said the following day Marshall had accepted another job and turned the city down.
The meeting was held at the Pleasanton Community Center to accommodate the more than 70 people who attended because of the water issue. (See related story)
On the table at the meeting on Monday, Aug.17, was an option to approve a $22,500 contract with Interim Solutions LLC, a head-hunting company that would comb the area to find a replacement city clerk. Another option was to bump Deputy City Clerk Morgan Watts up to the post and spend a portion of the money on training her.
One of the council members asked if the city’s bills were being paid, and Young said that the bills were up to date.
The council retired into a closed-door session twice to discuss the matter, emerging into an open session finally to unanimously approve Young’s appointment of Marshall. The council also gave its consent to the mayor turning down the Interim Solutions contract.
On Tuesday after Young found out that Marshall was turning down the job, he said that he wasn’t sure that going with the head-hunting firm was a good idea. He said it would likely take the search until the end of the year if the city took that course.
In another matter, the council overrode the veto of Young on an ordinance to return the council’s meeting schedule to every other week. Since reorganizing, the council has been meeting on the first and third Monday of each month. The new ordinance would have the council meeting every 14 days except when a holiday fell on Monday, when the meeting date would be moved to the next day.
Councilmember Alex Wills voted against the change initially, but voted to override the veto, giving the measure a 4-1 vote. Councilmember Sandy Haynes voted against the override.
Young said he was against the additional meeting because of the expense.
In other business, the council:
Decided that, in addition to the repaving of Ash Street and Cedar Street from Sixth to 10th Street under a Kansas Department of Transportation cost-share grant, additional repairs using about $150,000 in city funds should be spent in the northwest section of the city with an eye toward Sycamore and Laurel streets. Young said he would contact the contractor for the KDOT job and discuss the options of asphalt or chip-seal.
Set the city 2027 budget and revenue neutral hearing for 6 p.m. on Sept. 8 at City Hall. The city’s proposed budget. Total ad valorem tax levied for 2027 is forecast to be nearly $849,000, up about $32,000 from nearly $817,000 levied in 2026. The mill levy will drop to 87.28 mills in 2027, down from 88.16 mills in 2026. Despite the drop, the mill levy for 2027 will be 3.28 mills above the revenue neutral rate of 84.00 mills.
Learned that the city police department’s drug dog, Tank, will be returned to the organization that donated him to the city. The officer that was handling the dog resigned his post earlier this month.
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