Kempner chief gets increase in salary
By MAT TAYLOR Special Correspondent

Kempner City Council, at its most recent meeting, voted unanimously to raise the salary of Police Chief Doug Kahlstrom.

After the routine matters of approving minutes of the previous meeting, payment of bills and reviewing the financial statement, the council went into an executive session.

After the 20-minute session, council members, without discussion, approved the per-hour salary rate for Kahlstrom. The salary of the part-time chief was not revealed.

In a related action, the council also amended the city's budget to fund the increase.

In a previous meeting, Mayor Gene Isenhour suggested the council address the police chief's salary due to the city's growth and increased workload of the department. He added that Kahlstrom had recruited up to five reserve officers for the department.

In a related matter concerning the city budget and revenues, Isenhour said he had mailed a letter to all Kempner business owners thanking them for operating in the city. This was in response to the large increase in city sales tax revenue recorded during the last fiscal year.

In other business, the mayor said street repairs had been completed on Jack Rabbit Lane. "Paving of the street has been delayed because of recent cool, wet weather. Paving can be done only if the temperature is above 50 degrees."

City Secretary Frances Spinney demonstrated the recently installed security system in City Hall. It includes three cameras situated in the city office, the lobby and the police chief's office.

Isenhour said the cameras could, if needed, record City Council meetings. All council meetings are open to the public, and citizens are encouraged to attend.

In a final matter, Isenhour mentioned a recent letter to the editor in the Dispatch Record concerning maintenance of street signs in Kempner and damage to the "Col. Walter L. Prugh Expressway" signs along U.S. Highway 190. "The signs are very long and are easily damaged from wind, vandalism and being struck by trucks," he said.

Mayor Pro Tem Paul Cook explained that Texas Department of Transportation regulations stipulate placement of the signs. When a city names a state highway for a person, the city can only put that name at each end of the city limits, he said.

"We will research the matter and will address the problems of the signs," Isenhour added.

The second council meeting in December has been canceled because it would fall on Christmas Day. The next scheduled session is Jan. 8 at 7 p.m. in City Hall Council Chambers.