Teeara Johns joins Dodge City council

Published 4:09 pm Friday, December 9, 2022

DODGE CITY — The Dodge City Town Council will once again be complete after the appointment of Teeara “Chicky” Johns.

Johns’ appointment follows the vacancy left by Jason Burney who transitioned from his position as councilmember and Mayor Pro Temp, into the role of full-time mayor last month. A closed work session was held by the council on December 5 ahead of its Thursday night meeting to interview and discuss the potential applicants to fill the vacated council seat.

“I just want to thank y’all for nominating me and for letting me onto the council. I will do the best that I can,” Johns said.

“To everyone that came out for the interviews, we appreciate everyone that came out and showed an interest,” Burney said before opening the floor for nominations. councilmember Heather Langley later added that “it was a very difficult decision.”

Langley also received a nomination to be named Mayor Pro Temp from councilmember Jerry Lynn that was met with unanimous approval.

Discussions on repairs to Park Road were tabled due to the absence of town attorney Hugh Harris. Due to the cost of repairs exceeding $50,000, the town’s bylaws required the council to receive at least two bids to perform the needed concrete work. Lynn noted that the size of the project had left many contractors unwilling to perform the services.

The council stated they would seek advisement from Harris as to whether it would be allowable to divide the work into smaller sections that would total less than $50,000 and move forward with the one bid it had received.

Burney also told the council that he had reached out to State Representative Corey Harbison for assistance in securing grant funding to help cover some of the costs for the project and was currently awaiting his response.

Not listed on the agenda was Lynn’s suggestion to construct a new building that would primarily serve as a storage site for the town’s recently purchased Christmas lights. Lynn proposed a 24’ x 30’ building with a standard walk-in door and a roll-up door that would allow the town to store larger items it might purchase in the future.

Lynn said that while the estimate he received was approximate, the estimated cost for the building to be constructed on a concrete pad and be fully insulated would be roughly $25,000.

The council approved to budget $30,000 for the building to cover any unforeseen expenses that might arise during its construction.

In other business, the council approved for a one-time Employee Exemplary Monetary Award of $400 for the town’s three full time employees.