Parsons city commissioners on Thursday agreed to hire the League of Kansas Municipalities to help the city hire a new city manager.
Debbie Lamb, the current city manager, announced she would retire effective March 21, 2025. She celebrated 50 years of employment with the city in May.
The cost for the League to do the work will be $9,985 plus expenses for travel, advertising and background checks.
Commissioners approved the contract on a 5-0 vote.
In another matter, commissioners heard that the city’s building inspector has resigned. Doug Parlett started working for the city around August and Lamb announced on Thursday that he left his position on Wednesday. The city has had difficulty keeping this position filled as workers take the job and quit at various intervals afterward. The reasons vary but the code enforcement side of it has been cited.
City staff are looking at alternatives and will advertise for a replacement in the new year.
The fire department is handling building inspections at this time. Also, commissioners heard that city water customers are receiving notices that after an inspection that the type of water line from the meter to their homes was not known. This resulted in about 2,000 houses or businesses receiving a mailer that said the supply pipe type was unknown. City Utility Director Derek Clevenger said this means that these pipes are considered to be lead in the survey until homeowners look at their water meters to determine what type of service pipe they have.
Only four structures were found to have lead pipes in them.
Some supply line types were known but 2,886 were not in the Trekk survey. If customers know the type of pipe used as their service line (from the water meter to the house) they should contact the city. Otherwise, the homeowners will continue to get the mailer from the city.
Clevenger said these surveys are happening in every water district in every city in the nation.
“I can’t imagine the money spent,” he said.
