Culbertson council fills vacancy, approves equipment purchase and updates budget

Across the course of meetings in 1994 the council took routine governance and capital decisions coupled to the landfill and service changes.

Council accepted Councilman Gordon Miller’s resignation effective Feb. 8, 1994; the council then extended an invitation to Gordon Oelkers to fill the position and later swore him in. At the Nov. 7 meeting the council accepted the resignation of Director of Public Works A. Douglas Finnicum effective Nov. 11, 1994 and appointed Steven Moore as Director of Public Works with a starting wage of $9.00 per hour, full medical coverage and a six-month probationary period.

On equipment and budget matters, the council solicited bids and voted on Aug. 1 to buy a Case Model 590 backhoe/loader with an air conditioner for $43,074 after trade-in of the town’s 555B crawler/loader. The council also approved multiple ordinance readings amending water and sewer rates at various meetings, established the FY 1994–95 budget after public hearings in July, and authorized budget transfers to reconcile line items for FY 1993–94.

Minutes show council support for local programs (e.g., a $300 contribution to summer baseball), pool staffing and wages for the 1994 season, and several intergovernmental actions such as joining the Great Northern Economic Development District and messaging on sheriff-contract discussions with neighboring towns.