The McPherson City Commission met for their regular meeting on Monday morning, and here's what you need to know:

1 Tamra Seely, McPherson City Clerk, swore in Mayor Thomas A. Brown.

Brown has served as McPherson's mayor since April 2009. He was raised in Ohio, like General James Birdseye McPherson, and served with the U.S. Marine Corps in Vietnam and was combat wounded. He obtained his master's degree from University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. He is a member of South Central Kansas Economic Development District Board, Chairman of the Kansas Eastern Regional Insurance Trust, and former executive vice president pf the Farmer Alliance Mutual Insurance Company.

2 Commissioners approved the purchase of five police vehicles from Midway Motors, utilizing the four trade-in vehicles, at a cost not to exceed $132,396.

This purchase includes two patrol SUVs with two patrol sedans as trade-in; the purchase of a third patrol SUV with no trade-in; the purchase of one unmarked police SUV, with one unmarked police sedan as trade in, in a effort to continue replacing the aging unmarked fleet; the purchase of one patrol pickup to replace the current pickup, which is replacing the Animal Control Pickup, which is replacing the evidence / bailiff van.

3 Commissioners approved time-sensitive farming operations — fertilizer application, weed control, disking and re-seeding — as needed for a cost not to exceed $20,000.

Fertilizer application, weed control (herbicide and mowing) disking and re-seeding are very time sensitive. If the commission is timely with these operations, it will reduce overall farming costs on city lands, managed by Dennis Friesen.

4 Commissioners approved the payment of an invoice from Blue Valley Public Service for storm siren maintenance in an amount not to exceed $6,840.

Contact Cheyenne Derksen Schroeder by email at cderksen@mcphersonsentinel.com or follow her on Twitter at @MacSentinel.