Carter Fawkes (left) is sworn in as the new fourth ward councilman before the start of the July 15, 2025 Marshall City Council meeting. (Photo by Kyle Hill, KMMO News)

The Marshall City Council has approved an agreement for on-call professional engineering services over the next two years.

The resolution was adopted by a 6-1 vote at Tuesday night’s city council meeting, finalizing the agreement with Lamp Rynearson of Kansas City. City administrator JD Kehrman tells KMMO News the agreement will allow the firm to ensure public infrastructure including streets, storm water and utilities, align with city codes.

Kehrman says the firm has already provided some guidance for Marshall on a pair of developments, including a proposed residential subdivision on Vest Street west of U.S. Route 65.

Jeremy Gibson opposed the resolution while Jim Papreck was absent. Gibson was also the lone vote against a resolution granting a contract renewal to Kehrman, with the current contract expiring Sept. 30.

In other action, the Marshall City Council approved a resolution granting a utility easement to Marshall Municipal Utilities as part of the future Marshall Energy Center. The council also passed the second and final readings of ordinances repealing the ban on riding bicycles in the streets around the courthouse square, as well as the annual renewal of the council’s conflict of interest policy. At the beginning of Tuesday’s meeting, Carter Fawkes was sworn in as the new council member for the fourth ward.

The next two Marshall City Council meetings will begin with public hearings. The council will have a hearing at the start of the Aug. 5 meeting, concerning the Transportation Alternatives Program grant to install crosswalks at the intersection of College and Miami. The annual tax rate hearing will take place at the beginning of the council’s Aug. 19 meeting.