New Bourbon Council Seated Tuesday

A new Bourbon city council was seated Tuesday as three aldermen and the mayor were sworn into terms.

Sworn in were Mayor Dave Lafferty, Ward 1 Alderwoman Margie Brine, Ward 1 Alderman John Nelson and Ward 2 Alderwoman Sonya Sewald. 

Lafferty, Nelson and Sewald will serve two-year terms. Brine will serve out one year.

Lafferty took over as mayor following the death of Danny Skaggs last September. He was unopposed in the June 2 election.

Brine and Nelson were appointed to fill in for Lafferty and former alderman Thomas Jordan, who moved from the area late last summer.

Both were unopposed.

Sewald defeated Mary Heywood in the June 2 election.

Ward 2 Alderman Carl Hammack was the only board member who didn’t have to be sworn in. 

Appointments

Hammack motioned to make Brine mayor pro tem, which places her next in line for mayor.

Cathy Bremer and Scott Zwetow were unanimously re-appointed as city clerk and police chief, respectively.

Lafferty recommended the planning and zoning commission and park board remain unchanged and the board unanimously approved all existing members.

Lafferty, Brine and Bremer were unanimously approved to sign checks for the city.

Raises

Lafferty recommended the board give pay raises to Bremer and Mark McEuen in public works. He noted that neither had received pay raises in the last three years and that McEuen’s pay had not increased since Monty Todd retired.

Safety Plan

Bremer suggested that the city develop a new safety plan because of above-average workman’s compensation claims the last year. She told the board Bourbon was nearing “high-risk territory” with some of the claims.

An annual audit will be performed this week.