The Board of County Commissioners met in special
session at 9:00 a.m. with Commissioners, Madison Traster, Carl Higgs, and Marty Long in attendance. Linda McHenry, County Clerk was also present. The
meeting was held in the Cooper-Clark Meeting Room at the Library.
The meeting was called to meet with
commissioners from Stanton, Stevens, and Morton Counties as well as Pinegar,
Smith and Associates. The following attended the meeting: John Pinegar and Doug
Smith, Pinegar and Associates; John Frieden, Attorney; Martie Floyd, John D.
Smith and Shannon Dimitt, Stanton County Commissioners; Allen Tucker and Ron
DeGarmo, Morton County Commissioners; Mary Gilmore, Morton County Clerk; Dave Bozone
and O.D. Littrell, Stevens County Commissioners; Ed Wiltse, Mayor of the City
of Ulysses; Scott Malone and Ann Papay, City of Ulysses Council Members; Tom
Fuhrmann, Appraiser; Kellie Euliss, Ulysses News; and Krystal McCray, Grant
County Gazette.
Ron DeGarmo, nominated Madison Traster as
Chairman to preside over this special meeting. The nomination was seconded and
there being no further nominations, Mr. Traster was unanimously elected as
chairman. Carl Higgs nominated Linda McHenry as recording secretary for the meeting.
The nomination was seconded and there being no further nominations, Ms. McHenry
was unanimously elected as recording secretary.
Doug Smith gave a presentation on the Heavy Rail
Improvement Strategic Plan, which was done for Stanton and Grant County and the City of Ulysses.
Discussion was held on the problems with the
rail and cost to cure the problems.
John Pinegar talked about getting legislation
passed that would enable the four counties to join together to be more
competitive regarding economic development. Mr. Pinegar emphasized this would
not replace current economic development programs in the various counties. It
would be another tool for local economic development to use.
The possibility of partnering with private
and/or public entities to purchase the railroad or upgrade the rail was talked
about. Mr. Pinegar said there are public leaders who have indicated an interest
in helping with funding as long as there is a local match of some kind. It is
believed there will be federal and state funding available. Mr. Pinegar
emphasized that when funding is received commissioners need to be in charge of
the funds. It was mentioned that a representative from Cimarron Valley Railroad
said they would supply a cost estimate for upgrading the rail. No estimate has
been received to date. Hiring an independent consultant to provide an estimate
for upgrading the rail and giving an estimate of value of the railroad was
discussed. This will be discussed at the next meeting.
The possibility of putting pressure on the
railroad to upgrade the line was discussed. Attorney John Frieden said there
are very few legal avenues available to force the railroad to do anything, but
safety is one of the issues that can be used.
Commissioner Ron DeGarmo asked how many miles of
line were being talked about. It was explained that the line being discussed at
the present runs from Satanta through Grant and Stanton County. There was
concern expressed from Morton and Stevens County that the rail in those
counties is not adequate.
Commissioner Traster mentioned that if money is
spent on upgrading rail and the railroad is sold, we need to have some
arrangement in place for recovering funds.
Mr. Pinegar said there appear to be three goals:
1) Keeping the railroad; 2) Upgrading the rail; and 3) Controlling the purse
strings. He said that whatever is done, we have to keep the existing stake
holders in mind. This includes the railroad and existing users. Mr. Pinegar
also said there will need to be public/private partnership. There are some
people in the private sector who have expressed interest in working with the
community toward upgrading the rail.
Discussion was held on the proposed legislation
for the four counties. Attorney Frieden explained that counties already have
some authority through interlocal agreements to work together. If passed, the
new legislation would authorize the formation of a new group comprised of a
voting commissioner from each county and an alternate voting commissioner from
each county. This group would have the authority to raise money, the power to tax,
and it would have the ability to bond. Essentially, the group would have the
same powers as each individual board of commissioners. The biggest item would
be revenue sharing between the counties.
Mr. Frieden explained that in order to proceed,
each county would have to form an Interlocal Agreement to join in this
legislation. Mr. Frieden presented a copy of the proposed legislation which is
subject to change before it is proposed to the legislature. The legislation as
currently worded would apply to all counties that want to utilize it. Mr.
Pinegar said it is important that control of the new group remain local and not
with the legislature. Commissioner Long asked if it could be said that this
would give us an unfair advantage. Mr. Pinegar explained that as he sees it, we
are not asking anybody for anything, we are asking for authority to use our
money as we see fit. Commissioner Long agreed and noted that these four
counties have so much in common and counties in other regions may not have as
much in common.
The mechanics of the proposed consortium were
discussed. The following example was given on the process for considering a
business. (ABC Box Company is interested in locating in Grant County. The local economic development thinks it’s a feasible business and they present it to
the city council. The council agrees but can’t offer enough incentives on their
own so they take it to the county commissioners. The commissioners think it’s a
good idea, but don’t have the resources to persuade the company to locate in Grant County. Grant County takes their proposal to the consortium of four counties. At that
time, the consortium considers the proposal and decides if it is a viable
project.) The consortium is not meant to be an administrative one, just a decision
making body.
Mr. Pinegar said he would have to work with each
county to see what amount of money would be contributed by each county. Using a
mill amount for seed money could be considered. Money could be pledged by each
county but retained in that county until funds are needed. It was the consensus
of all that it would not be necessary to have a large amount of money sitting
in a bank somewhere.
The consortium would be set up so you could add
someone or you could get out of it if you decided it was no longer useful to
your county.
Carl Higgs made the motion that Grant County
enter an agreement with Pinegar, Smith and Associates and with Attorney John
Frieden to work toward new legislation permitting counties to form a consortium
for economic development and to address the rail problem in the counties. Marty
Long seconded the motion and it passed unanimously.
Martie Floyd made the motion that Stanton County
enter an agreement with Pinegar, Smith and Associates and with Attorney John
Frieden to work toward new legislation permitting counties to form a consortium
for economic development and to address the rail problem in the counties. John
D. Smith seconded the motion and it passed unanimously.
Allen Tucker made the motion that Morton County
enter an agreement with Pinegar, Smith and Associates and with Attorney John
Frieden to work toward new legislation permitting counties to form a consortium
for economic development and to address the rail problem in the counties. Ron
DeGarmo seconded the motion and it passed.
Dave Bozone made the motion that Stevens County
enter an agreement with Pinegar, Smith and Associates and with Attorney John
Frieden to work toward new legislation permitting counties to form a consortium
for economic development and to address the rail problem in the counties. O.D.
Littrell seconded the motion and it passed.
All counties agreed on the name for the new
group. It will be called Western Kansas Development Organization or We Kan Do.
Commissioner Ron DeGarmo mentioned a
transmission line for wind energy might also be considered. Other commissioners
agreed this could be talked about.
Attorney Frieden will draft a charter for the
group and interlocal agreements for the counties so they can work together. The
charter will have provisions for officers, etc.
John Pinegar and Doug Smith will be contacting
neighboring legislators to solicit their support for the new law.
The next meeting of the counties will be January
25, 2007 at Hugoton.
Respectfully submitted,
Linda McHenry, Secretary
The commissioners adjourned after lunch to meet
again in regular session on January 16, 2007.
Linda McHenry, County Clerk Madison Traster, Chairman