The Great Bend City Council on Monday authorized the purchase of cameras for the Great Bend Police Department for the next five years. These include vehicle and body cameras purchased from Digital Ally, the low bidder, for $187,846.
Police Chief Steve Haulmark said the GBPD has used in-car cameras since 2006 and officers have worn body cameras since 2014, using the Lenexa-based vendor Digital Ally.
“Unfortunately, the cameras that we are currently utilizing are obsolete and are nearing ‘end of life,’” Haulmark told the council. “We have experienced and are continuing to experience increasingly significant issues with this equipment. Digital Ally has still been providing support and replacement parts as necessary; however, they advise that this will not be available for much longer.”
Features of the cameras include auto-activation and remote activation for an officer down.
Haulmark said his department also received a five-year quote from vendor Axon, based in Scottsdale, Arizona, for $257,232.42.
GBPD has $65,000 funded for cameras through Fiscal Year 2025 and requested an additional $35,00 per budget year through Fiscal Year 2029.
City Attorney Allen Glendenning said the final contract will need to be a lease-purchase agreement, since it covers five years.
Meeting at a glance
Here’s a quick look at what the Great Bend City Council did on Monday, Oct. 7.
• The council approved paying bills to date; approved covering payroll ending Sept. 14 in the amount of $517,291.54; approved payroll ending Sept. 28 in the amount of $425,015.46.
• Mayor Cody Schmidt appointed Amanda Staab to the Great Bend Recreation Commission Board of Directors.
• Approved a resolution that sets salary ranges as approved as part of the 20-25.
• Looking ahead to the Home for the Holidays celebration on Saturday, Nov. 30, the City will close Main Street from 24th St. to 12th St. during the parade from 5:15-6:30 p.m. and keep Main Street closed from Broadway Ave. to 12th St. for an additional two hours for activities. Lakin Ave. between Kansas Ave. and Main will be closed from 4-9 p.m., and parking on the north side of Lakin will be closed from noon to 9 p.m. Approved vendors can set up in Jack Kilby Square on Thursday and Friday. This includes temporary walls for Foundry Community Church photos, and the hot dog and hot chocolate stands.
• City Administrator Logan Burns reported the bathrooms at Langreher Field will be set up Oct. 16; the meeting on solar regulations will be Oct. 21; and City Hall was pressure washed Monday before it is painted this week.
• Great Bend Economic Development President Sara Arnberger reported the Oct. 25 Fridays on Forest event will feature costume contests. (The Great Bend Tribune will also honor its 20 Under 40 winners.) The Grow Workforce Summit will be Nov. 13 at the Great Bend Events Center. Employer sessions begin at 9 a.m. There will be a job fair from 4:30-6 p.m.
• An abatement was approved for the property at 809 Main, where trash and refuse include a desk and drawers on the west side of the property. Burns said the owner of the property is deceased and the City is working with the appropriate people to get it cleaned up.
• The Urban Area Boundaries (UAB) were approved. These boundaries are updated every 10 years when new census information comes out and are used to determine the applicability of federal aid for highway and street construction, repair and maintenance. The boundaries include any anticipated development or annexations.
• The council approved a bid for $187,846 from Digital Alley, the low bidder, for a five-year contract for vehicle and body-worn cameras for the Great Bend Police Department.
• Mike Minton with Gallagher insurance reported on options for employee health insurance. The council approved 2025 health insurance rates with a 9% increase to city and employee costs and to approve Blue Cross Blue Shield as the third-party administrator.
• A Memorandum of Understanding was presented that will be entered into by the City, Great Bend Lodging LLC. and Great Bend Economic Development, for the development of a hotel and restaurant(s) at 3017 10th St.; a public hearing concerning the creation of a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district at that address was set for Nov. 18; and a public hearing to request the creation of a STAR Bond District at the Great Bend Expo Complex was set for Oct. 21. For more information on these actions, see the story “Hotel, Expo steps OKed,” in the Oct. 10 Great Bend Tribune.
