Councilman proposes merit raises

One new councilman asked for merit raises for city staff and other council members were appointed to the McCook Economic Devel-opment Corp. board, at the regular City Council meeting Tuesday night.

Councilman Lonnie Anderson asked City Manager Kurt Fritsch to look into the possibility of implementing merit raises for city staff as a way to encourage better performance.

"Right now, there's no incentive to do better," he stated. A merit raise would be a way to keep the dedicated people they already have, he reasoned.

Mayor Dennis Berry said this would be something they could look into during the budget process. Meanwhile, they could explore what other communities are doing about this, he added.

Anderson, a retired city police officer and a reserve sheriff's deputy, was appointed as the city representative for the Enhanced 911 Technical Advisory Commit-tee as well as the alternate member to the Public Al-liance for Community Energy board of directors.

Council members Marty Conroy and Colleen Grant were also unanimously ap-pointed to the MEDC board of directors. Mayor Berry said it was his goal to have every council member serve on the board at least once.

Councilman Anderson noted that Det. Larry Kinne with the McCook Police Department recently completed an 11-week FBI training school, which makes two people on the McCook Police Department -- the other being Police Chief Ike Brown -- with FBI training.

The Council wrapped up business in 15 minutes and approved without comment the following Consent Agenda items:

* A resolution establishing financial policies for the city of McCook;

* a Memorandum of Agreement and Assurances between McCook and Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney. This agreement has McCook participating in the Rural Health Network Development Grant Pro-gram, a three-year program designed to provided better ground and air ambulance transportation for central and western Nebraska;

* the approval of a Special Designated Liquor license submitted by the McCook Chamber of Commerce for their annual banquet at Memorial Auditorium Feb. 3;

* the Council 2007 radio schedule.