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@HoltonRecorder IT’S NOT TOO LATE! Follow us TODAY Chamber Hall of on twitter! SAVINGS Fame tickets are Our special still available! When you For more info, see subscribe , you Fall Fix-Up the ad on page 12. MONDAY INSIDE save nearly section 50% o the inside! Winter sports newsstand price! team photo SALUTE COMING WEDNESDAY section inside! HOLTON, KANSAS THE HOLTON The special INSIDE Christmas Hometown of greetings and Ryan & Lisa Special Letters to SUBSCRIBE TODAY! Rose tax section! Santa section! Holton Recorder When you subscribe, subscribers for 22 years. See pages 8 & 9. RECORDERServing the Jackson County Community for 149 years you save nearly 50% o INSIDE Volume 149, Issue 7 HOLTON, KANSAS • Monday, January 25, 2016 12 Pages $1.00 Important inserts in the newsstand price! Play today’s edition! Today is the Football *Menards first day of fall! Pick’em Insurance, wage increases for *Ron’s IGA See Page 8. *Furniture Mall of hank Holton city employees detailed Kansas y T sg p iv By Brian Sanders The city wasn’t aware a year ago FY 2015 to $5.60 in FY 2016. WEDNESDAY p in Health and life insurance premi- whether it would be able to keep its On the wage side, commission ers a g ums are going up for Holton city em- current policies, he said, due to is- approved an overall wage in crease H ! ployees in 2016 — and so are their sues with ACA. This year, he said, that would represent an across-the- Jackson wages. BC/BS officials informed Bauer that board cost of living ad justment Elect During the Holton City Commis- the city “could, if we so choose to,” (COLA) of 3 percent. Bauer said the County 4-H y is ion sion’s meeting on Tuesday, com- keep its insurance policy in place, amount equates to an hourly wage a D missioners approved insurance con- even though it has been re ported that increase of 65 cents for permanent MARCH MADNESS sd tracts with Blue Cross/Blue Shield the posssibility of “grandfathering” full-time employees, 20 cents per e a Fair parade u y of Kansas for fiscal year 2016, not- health insurance policies in 2017 is hour for permanent part-time em- T ! ing that the overall price of premi- questionable. ployees and a 5-per cent flat increase ums will increase by 7.57 percent, The insurance premium bill for for the city commis sioners, city at- NCAA men’s set for 6! as Holton City Manager Bret Bauer the city came in at approximately torney, city treasurer, fire chief, ani- noted. $517,399, up $35,990 from last year. mal control officer and municipal tournament Commissioners also approved At that time, insurance premiums judge. a 3-percent across the board wage cost the city $481,409, with com- The wage increase for permanent bracket on and salary increase for all city em- missioners noting a 5.56-percent in- full-time city employees to tals an ployees, with that increase to be split crease in premium costs. additional $67,152 cost to the city, page 10! accordingly for full-time and part- Holton City Clerk Teresa Riley Bauer said, while the increases for time employees. The wage and sal- also noted that as in previous years, the part-time positions and the other ary increase, commissioners noted, the city will pay 85 per cent of health positions specified above would total was similar to an increase approved insurance premium costs, with each $4,960 more for the year. Tuesday’s last year. city employee responsible for the re- action marked the second year in a Bauer told commissioners the in- maining 15 percent. row that a 65-cents-per hour wage surance premium increase, “across “If we maintain those percent ages, increase for full-time workers was the different categories of insurance both sides will pay more,” Riley said. approved by the commission. available,” would reflect no changes “And you have to maintain the same Riley later said that for fiscal in the city’s insurance policies be- percentage payment — otherwise, if year 2016, personnel expenses are cause the city has “the ability and the we change it, we can’t be grandfa- budgeted to be $3,218,017, or 25 option to stay grandfathered in” with thered in.” percent of the total city budget of the policies. That means that under Life insurance premiums for city $12,818,518. the terms of the Affordable Care Act, employees are paid by the employ- In fiscal year 2015, personnel ex- the city could keep an existing policy ees, and Bauer noted that monthly in effect from previous years. cost will go from $5 per employee in Continued to Page 12 About $216,000 in donations were received during the month of December for the Northeast Kansas Heritage Complex as part of a dollar-for-dollar matching event organized by Denison State Bank. In the photo above, Jackson County Fair Board Association President Aaron Allen Purple Heart Stories (left) received a $100,000 check from Jim Birkbeck (center), chairman of the DSB board, and Mike Day (right), DSB president, on Friday at the exhibit hall at the new fairgrounds. Whiting native Donald Wilson Photo by Ali Holcomb a casualty of the Korean War DSB donation challenge nets Editor’s note: This is the second tend Washburn University for three in a series of stories about past and years and the University of Kansas $216K for Heritage Complex present Jackson County residents for two summer sessions, taking pre- who earned the Purple Heart Medal, medical courses in hopes of eventu- By Ali Holcomb nesses for their donations,” Day ing installing outdoor lighting and which is awarded to mili tary person- ally becoming an op tometrist. Don- The Northeast Kansas Heritage said. “Their support made this an announcer stand at the arena. nel wounded or killed in the line of ald and Phyllis Wil son were married Complex received a big boost in $100,000 matching grant become The fair association plans to install duty. on Oct. 21, 1950, in Whiting, Hol- support after a total of $216,000 a reality. Secondly, congratula- hard surface handicap parking The names of those profiled in mes said. was donated by community mem- tions to the fair board for their stalls and additional sidewalks. these stories will be placed on a In March of 1951, Wilson was bers and businesses during a hard work and dedication during Purchasing a top, or lid, for the special monument for Purple Heart inducted into the Army, and he took dollar-for-dollar matching event the month-long matching blitz.” amphitheater to improve sound Medal recipients to be built later this basic training at Fort Riley before sponsored by Denison State Bank. Day said it was Birkbeck’s idea quality is also a priority, he said. year in Holton’s Linscott Park. going to Korea. He would serve as a DSB leaders challenged county to offer a matching donation for “We also want to expand the — — — member of Company G, 2nd Battal- residents to donate to the new fair- the fairgrounds, and the bank’s current exhibit hall to the east,” Less than three weeks after ar- ion, 7th Cavalry Regi ment, 1st Cav- grounds, which are located just board members agreed. he said. “At one point, we talked riving in Korea — and just one day alry Division in the southern part of south of Holton off of U.S. High- “4-H is extremely important, about building another exhibit short of his first wedding anniver sary the North Korea sector. way 75 on 214th Road, by agreeing but we also looked at this match hall, but we’ve decided to expand — Private E-2 Donald E. Wil son of Holmes said that on Oct. 20 of to match donations up to $100,000. as economic development for the current one.” the U.S. Army became a casualty of that year, her husband was engaged The challenge ran throughout the the community. These facilities Two mini split units were in- war. in building a protective barbed-wire month of December. are another opportunity to bring stalled in the exhibit hall to pro- A native of Whiting, Wilson, the fence “along the whole regimen- More than 120 families, individ- people to town,” Day said. “Deni- vide heating and air conditioning youngest son of Lake and Grace tal sector as a means of protection uals, organization and businesses son State Bank is honored to be a to the hall. An additional mini spilt Wilson, was the victim of an enemy against enemy attack” when a North made $116,000 in donations dur- part of helping the Northeast Kan- may be added, as well as some mortar shell attack on Oct. 20, 1951, Korean mortar exploded nearby. ing the challenge, it was reported. sas Heritage Complex continue ceiling fans. that also killed another man who was Pvt. Donald E. Wilson Wilson was killed in the attack, as Mike Day, DSB president, and to grow and reach the vision the “We’re absolutely appreciative working with him to build a protec- killed during the Korean War. Their was another member of his company Jim Birkbeck, chairman of the fair board has for the completed of all the donations,” Allen said. tive fence for his Army unit while names, and the names of other Pur- who was working with him to build bank board, presented a $100,000 complex. The complex will have Mickie Schultz, Jackson County they were stationed in the North Ko- ple Heart recipients will be placed the fence.