(KMZA)--Downtown Seneca could soon become home to a pair of professionally painted murals.

During the public comment portion of the Seneca City Council's July 15 meeting, Kylie Bergstrom with the Seneca Area Chamber and Downtown Impact asked council members if they would support professionally painted murals on the north side of City Hall and the Stutz Museum. Bergstrom said she wanted to gauge the council's interest before applying for grants and seeking project cost estimates. Mayor Joe Mitchell welcomed the idea, saying he appreciates anyone working to move Seneca forward and that the council would consider the proposal.

In other business, the council approved notifying the Nemaha County Clerk of the city's intent to exceed the revenue neutral rate of 31.62 mills while keeping the mill levy consistent with previous budgets. Under a tentative budget schedule presented by City Administrator Steve Brooks, the council is expected to adopt the 2027 budget at its September 16 meeting.

The council also approved a $25,000 amendment to the engineering agreement for the proposed new water treatment plant. The additional work will allow engineers to incorporate high-service pumps into the facility's design.

Council members approved a pay increase for police officer Devin O'Neil to $23 an hour following his July 10 graduation from the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center, qualifying him for the increase.

The council also approved a 2027 cost-of-living adjustment for city employees, contingent on all employees receiving the same adjustment. The increase will be based on the Social Security Administration's cost-of-living adjustment announced in October, with the amount averaged across employee wages so all employees receive the same dollar adjustment.

The council also unanimously approved its annual appointments of city officers, including Travis Emmons as fire chief, Dylan Blevins as police chief, Scott Anson as municipal judge and Michele Spring as city clerk.