Wellington City Council approves $18,974 for the purchase of 20 point-blank ballistic vests
By Devin McCue, Sumner Newscow — The Wellington City Council met Tuesday to clear their desks of routine purchases and resolutions before the July holiday.
The first resolution of the evening completed a request from the Wellington Police Department to purchase 20 point-blank AXBIIIA ballistic vests for $18,974.40. Ballistic vests have a shelf life of five years, and this bid came in at $4,000 under budget.
Police Chief Tracy Heath also stated that he would apply for a Department of Justice grant to reimburse the City for half of the cost. After that, the council approved the resolution unanimously.
The second resolution on Tuesday amended the Standard Specifications Project Manual that the City and contractors use to standardize forms and measurements used in construction.
Standardizing the language and forms involved in public projects is important because it improves transparency and ensures construction remains consistent around town. The newest manual Wellington uses is from 2017, but this resolution only updates the first 60 pages where the forms and documents are.
If you are a contractor or City employee, this will not change construction specifications or procedures. If you’re interested in reading the new manual, it’s available on page 58 of the agenda packet for this meeting on the City’s website. The resolution passed unanimously.
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A property owner on 418 S. F Street was declared “a nuisance” by City Manager Jeff Porter on Tuesday night because he refuses to pay the special assessment taxes on his property before the City takes it to tax sale.
Luckily, the neighbors are willing to buy and raze the property themselves, provided they aren’t saddled with the previous owner’s special assessment costs. The City also wants this outcome, considering they wouldn’t recoup their costs at tax sale, so Mr. Porter asked the Council to waive those fees.
The Council agreed on the condition that the waiver only go into effect once the sale is complete. The amended motion, including that condition, passed unanimously.
The only other binding actions of the night came in the form of two street closures for the 4th of July block parties, neither of which are on the actual 4th.
The first closure is on July 1, 2023, from Alley on 19th Street to N. Blaine St from 4 to 11 p.m. Second on the docket is on July 3, 2023, at West 20th St. from Plum St to High Dr. from 3 p.m. to 12 a.m. Each closure passed unanimously.
Finally, Councilmember Roitman called for an unscheduled executive session at the end of the meeting to address “non-elected personnel” after announcing he was “very disappointed” in the city. It’s unclear whether he meant the City government or Wellington itself, but the executive session lasted for 20 minutes.
After the Council returned, they did not mention what they spoke about and adjourned the meeting. There possibly will be more developments on this at the next meeting.
