Company Profile
Company Overview
The City of Ottawa is a full-service entity with a $42,000,000 budget. The City purchased the utilities in 1905 and currently operates the electric, water and wastewater utilities. The City employs approximately 160 employees.
The City owns and operates a Municipal Airport encompassing 440 acres of land. Located there is a main hangar and shop building, a T-hangar, a hard surface tie-down area, a hard surface runway, hard surface taxi-way, and two sod run-ways.
Company History
On September 6, 1864, a town company was founded along the south side of the Marais des Cygnes, (River of Swans) where a community known as Ottawa was in the early stages of development. Located in the midst of the Ottawa Indian Reservation, from where it received its name, Ottawa grew steadily. The town was incorporated in 1866, and, in 1867, voted to become a City of the Second Class under the guidelines established by the State of Kansas.
Ottawa is served by the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad, several trucking firms and by Interstate 35, US-59 and Kansas Highway 68. Ottawa is located in a strategic area approximately 25 miles south of Lawrence and 30 miles southwest of the greater Kansas City area, and is experiencing an upward growth cycle.
Residential electric accounts are up to 5,191 as of August 2008. This compares to 4,631 in January 1999. Over the last 12 years 2,800 jobs opportunities have been established by the expansion of existing businesses and the development of new business locations in the Ottawa area.
Significant businesses added to the area in the last decade include a regional distribution center for Wal-Mart located three miles east of Ottawa, which started construction in 1994 and now employs approximately 1,500 workers at the 205-acre facility. In 2001 American Eagle Outfitters located in Ottawa's Industrial Park. This facility is currently operating with approximately 250 employees. In 2006 American Eagle Outfitters broke ground on a $54,000,000 addition to its current facility, doubling their presence in the community and adding up to 300 additional jobs.
There are four elementary schools, one senior high school and one middle school in Ottawa. Voters approved a $25,900,000 bond issue for construction of one new elementary school and improvements to the high school and Garfield Elementary. The schools are staffed with a faculty of approximately 201 teachers and administrators
Ottawa is home to Ottawa University, a private four-year liberal arts college that provides many cultural events for the citizens of Ottawa, as well as, providing a general atmosphere of higher education. The City is also the home a satellite of Neosho County Community College, a two-year junior college. In addition, the University of Kansas, located at Lawrence, Kansas, 25 miles North of Ottawa, provides additional access for the community to higher education and cultural benefits.
The Ottawa Library is located in the same building with City Hall and provides over 52,000 print and non-print informational, educational, cultural, and recreational materials, public use computers, as well as, programs for children and adults.
The community is served by Ransom Memorial Hospital, a 55-bed hospital, located in Ottawa. Eleven full-time physicians serve the area and twenty-four specialists who make scheduled visits to the community.
Benefits
Group Health, Dental, and Prescription Drug Coverage
Regular, full-time employees are eligible to enroll in the City of Ottawa’s health, dental and prescription drug insurance program. Coverage is effective the first day of the month following 30 days of employment.
Employees who are eligible to retire under KPERS/KP&F may continue city group health care coverage for themselves and their spouse. However, the retired employee pays all premiums for such coverage.
Optional Insurances
Employees have an opportunity to enroll in cancer, personal short-term disability, personal accident plan, personal recovery plus, and/or personal long term care insurance policies.
Flexible Spending Accounts
Regular, full-time employees are given an opportunity to enroll in a voluntary plan designed to save the employee taxes on group health and dental insurance premiums as well as other allowable product premiums withheld from the employee's paycheck, unreimbursed medical expenses, and dependent care expenses.
Life Insurance
All regular full-time employees are enrolled in the city’s group term life insurance at no cost to the employee. This provides $15,000 death benefit payable to the employee’s designated beneficiary. Dependent coverage is available at the rate of $2,000 for spouse and $1,000 for dependent child(ren) at a cost to the employee of 0.29 bi-weekly.
Active KPERS members receive an insured death benefit equal to 150% of their salary; the employer pays the full cost of this benefit. Active KP&F members are eligible for a death benefit, with the amount of benefit based on service-connected or non service-connected death.
Both KPERS and KP&F members have the option of enrolling in KPERS Optional Group Life Insurance. Employees decide how much coverage they need and pay the cost of the additional coverage through payroll deduction. Coverage amounts range from $5,000 to $250,000 in $5,000 increments.
Vacation Leave
Vacation Leave is available for full-time and regular part-time employees and amount earned will vary with years of service to the City.
Sick Leave
Sick leave is available for full-time and regular part-time employees.
Sick Leave Bank
In addition to Sick Leave, the Sick Leave Bank offers additional benefits for regular full-time employees who have exhausted all personal vacation and sick leave and have suffered an illness or injury.
Holidays
Employees are eligible for eight paid holidays per year, along with one City-designated 8-hour floating holiday.
Personal Leave
A total of 24 hours of personal leave will be provided each year, and will be pro-rated for new hires based on date of hire.
Educational Assistance
Reimbursement for tuition costs of job related education may be available.
Employee Assistance Program
The City offers an employee assistance program for employees who may be coping with a variety of problems.
Deferred Compensation
Employees may voluntarily have an amount deducted from his/her paycheck to be placed in a 457 deferred compensation plan. Employees who contribute no less than $10/per payroll shall be eligible for contributions paid by the City at the following rates: $39/quarter for FLSA non-exempt employees (employees eligible for overtime), and $65/quarter for FLSA exempt employees.
Retirement
The State of Kansas maintains a defined benefit retirement program that is funded by both employers and employees. Final average salary and years of service are part of the formula that determines the amount of each employee’s monthly retirement benefit. In addition, disability and death benefits are also included for all participants.
All eligible employees, except commissioned police and fire personnel, are covered by KPERS (subject to membership rules of the system) and are required to enroll after twelve months of continuous City service. All commissioned police and fire employees are covered by KP&F (subject to membership rules of the system) and are required to enroll on their hire date.