Goessel city council met on Jan. 9 and noted that city attorney Joe Uhlman will be moving on to become Harvey County’s new magistrate. Uhlman has been coming to city council meetings every month and offering advice on a variety of matters. He has worked at Adrian and Pankratz in Newton since 2019. He has also worked as an assistant county attorney for McPherson County and as Sedgwick municipal judge. Previously he had been a firefighter/emergency medical technician for more than a decade.
Council members thanked Uhlman for his work for Goessel. Mayor Ben Schmidt expressed appreciation for Uhlman’s work: “The City of Goessel is very appreciative for the work Mr. Uhlman has done for us in his time as our attorney. We wish him all the best in his next role as Magistrate Judge for the 9th Judicial District.”
Reece Hiebert will be the new city attorney for Goessel. Hiebert is a 2014 graduate of Goessel High School and a 2018 graduate of Bethel College. He received his law degree from Washburn University School of Law in 2021. He is employed at the Adrian and Pankratz law firm in Newton.
In a statement from the mayor, Schmidt noted: “I am excited to have another attorney with Adrian and Pankratz step into the role as attorney. I have known Reece for a long time and look forward to him filling this role. It is great to have a ‘hometown’ guy serving us in this role.”
On another matter, Rose Mary Saunders of Ranson Citycode spoke with the council about options for grants for various projects that the city is interested in pursuing. She talked about Community Development Block Grants and the possibility of looking into that option.
Saunders discussed Main Street with the council, as well as a building for the city park, and parking at the city building.
In other business, the council:
* set the annual city-wide garage sale date for June 17. The clean-up date is scheduled for July 1.
* approved an increase in water rates. An ordinance will be written to present at next month’s meeting. It was noted that the water rate did not increase last year.
* talked about flooding issues in Goessel, noting that the creek south of town needs to be cleaned out. The council discussed how to go about getting that done and how much it might cost.
* heard an update from city clerk Jennifer Bliss about the tornado siren.
* listened to a request from public works director Karen Dalke for a newer truck. The city’s pick-up has problems and needs to be replaced. The council did not take action on the request.
* discussed nuisance properties and the need for a building inspector.
* briefly discussed the recycling business that stores recyclable items in town.
* approved reserve fund resolutions.
* approved the month’s expenditures of $31,471.26.