Civility Breaks Out at Meeting - Taylor Absent;
New 911 System Approved

No one was insulted. No one grandstanded. No one impugned the integrity of other city commissioners or called for the city manager to be fired. Tuesday night's city commission meeting was downright friendly in tone ... and short.
And Commissioner Jim C. Taylor, Sr., was absent. Draw your own conclusion.

In a meeting which lasted barely 30 minutes, commissioners approved the purchase of a new Vesta Pallas 911 system for the Coffeyville Police Department. The total cost of the new system is $128,244.00. The city has been awarded a grant by the U.S. Department of Justice which will defray $63,857.26 of the cost. The city will pay the remaining $64,366.74 with funds collected from a 911 tax levied on area citizens' phone bills.
In old business, commissioners approved the second reading of an ordinance to rezone 816 E. 10th Street.

In new business, commissioners unanimously approved:
? A resolution to submit Airport Capital Improvement Plan data sheets to the Federal Aviation Administration. Approved 4-0.
? A resolution to approve Change Order 1 with Bryant & Bryant Construction for Highway 166 KLINK Projects. Cost: $28,257.74. Approved 4-0.
? A resolution to purchase a 2005 JLG Scissor Lift. Approved 4-0.
Commissioners also entered executive session for 30 minutes to discuss non-elected personnel. No action was taken as a result of the session.

Citizen Mary Wilson, 207 W. New, urged commissioners to consider reinstituting periodic community-wide cleanups as they consider a new trash pickup contract. Wilson said she felt if the city returned to such a format, citizens would utilize them to get rid of large items such as furniture. Currently, she said, it seems people put the large items out to be picked up and they sit on the curb for days - sometimes weeks - before they are hauled away