Casey Approves Historical Society Parade, Adds Employee Medical Benefits

The Casey City Council formally approved the Casey Historical Society Parade for May 10th and enhanced employee benefits by adding AirMedCare membership during Monday’s meeting, while also advancing comprehensive planning efforts for the city’s future development.

The council unanimously approved Resolution #031725A authorizing the Historical Society parade, scheduled for 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 10th. The resolution follows a request made at the previous meeting by Patty Richards, demonstrating the city’s support for community events and historical preservation.

In a significant employee benefit enhancement, the council approved an AirMedCare membership contract that will provide emergency medical transportation coverage for all city employees, including elected officials. Mayor Mike Nichols championed the benefit as an important addition to the city’s employee compensation package.

The AirMedCare contract offers multiple term options of 3, 5, and 10 years, though the specific term selected was not specified in the meeting minutes. The service provides helicopter emergency medical transportation, which can be crucial in rural areas where ground transportation to major medical facilities may take considerable time.

The council spent over an hour in executive session discussing litigation, personnel matters, and property sale/lease issues. The closed-door session ran from 6:12 p.m. to 7:24 p.m., indicating substantial confidential business requiring discussion.

Planning for Casey’s future took a major step forward with Economic Development Director Tom Daughhetee reporting on planning sessions with Moran Economic Development regarding the city’s comprehensive plan. The collaborative effort will include a public open house in April, with final adoption of the new comprehensive plan expected in August.

The comprehensive planning process also encompasses discussions about Tax Increment Financing districts and adding residential properties to the Clark County Enterprise Zone, potentially expanding economic development tools and property tax incentives.

Park maintenance operations were addressed with the council awarding the park mowing contract to Maulding Excavating LLC for $1,200 per mowing. Only one bid was received when proposals were opened at 2:00 p.m., raising questions about competitive bidding but resulting in council approval after discussion.

Utility Superintendent Shelby Biggs announced the city-wide cleanup will run from June 7th through June 14th and indicated the city will begin advertising for summer help positions to handle seasonal workload increases.

The water and sewer rate study, a key issue in recent meetings, has been completed and received by Superintendent Biggs, though he has not yet reviewed the findings. Alderman Wilson specifically requested an update on the study during the meeting.

EMA Director David Craig reported storm watching activation Friday night around 7:00 p.m., demonstrating the city’s emergency preparedness capabilities during severe weather events.