With just enough members in attendance to reach a quorum, the Wellman City Council got to work Wednesday night, Jan. 3, passing a series of resolutions to start the new year. Council member Nathan Klostermann joined the council for the first time, having been elected to a 4-year term this past November; he fills the seat vacated by Tony Evans, who did not seek reelection.

The council approved The News as its official newspaper; set the milage reimbursement to match the IRS standard -- 67¢ per mile as of Jan. 1 -- for employees using personal vehicles for city business; and approved city employees and/or elected officials access to Federation Bank and Hills Bank public funds accounts.

New business items included discussion of projects to be funded by the municipal grants bestowed on the city by the Washington County Riverboat Foundation (WCRF). The WCRF requires that the funds be used for special projects rather than routine budget items. Under consideration are upgrades to the city’s downtown, as well as a memorial for military personnel and first responders. No council action was taken at this time.

Updates were made to the operations and maintenance manual for the city’s natural gas system in order to comply with new state laws and regulations. The council approved the updates.

The city received a quote from MidAmerican Technology for a new gas locator for $5,895. Ten years have passed since the city’s last purchase of such, and “they’ve done really well,” City Administrator Kelly Litwiller said, hence they would like to stay with the same brand. The council approved the purchase.

Litwiller noted that the council’s next meeting is on Monday, Jan. 15, the same day as the Iowa caucuses. The council agreed to keep their meeting time as usual, as they expect it to end early enough so that those in attendance can caucus if they so choose. Both Democrat and Republican caucuses begin at 7 p.m.

The Wellman City Council will next meet on Monday, Jan. 15 at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall.