McPherson County Planning and Zoning Director Jon Kinsey shared with County Commissioners Monday a letter he has drafted to the board of directors of Equus Beds Groundwater Management District No.2 asking it and county commissioners in Harvey, Reno and Sedgwick counties to treat any new or expanded large-volume groundwater use with GMD 2 as a regional matter rather than a local one.
Kinsey said his concern is related to groundwater levels which are much lower in McPherson County than the other three counties in the district. Specifically, water levels in the McPherson part of GMD2 are some eight to ten feet lower than they were ten years ago. That decline is not present in other areas of the district that have seen a positive net recharge of groundwater tables.
The purpose of the letter is to make sure the GMD and officials in the other three counties within the district are aware of possible impacts area-wide and not just on a localized basis. The GMD board is meeting Wednesday in Halstead, and Kinsey plans to be at that meeting.
With one citizen voicing opposition, McPherson County Commissioners Monday approved a ten year property tax abatement for an upcoming expansion project at Viega. Site Manager Jordan Rose said the project will involve construction of a 40,000 square foot raw materials storage facility which will also accommodate maintenance and tooling operations, which will free up space in their existing facilities to add two additional manufacturing lines.
This project will eventually add an additional 40 jobs over the next four years to the over 600 it already has locally McPherson Industrial Development Company Executive Director Kasi Morales said a cost benefit analysis of the application showed a positive benefit to cost ratio.
Opposition to the abatement was voiced by Bobby Hulse, who objected to giving tax abatements to existing businesses, particularly those he called “natural advancement” of successful business entities, adding these abatements do not benefit existing residents of the city of McPherson. The Viega facility is in the BPU Industrial Park, which is outside the city limits
He also said industrial growth on the north side of McPherson contributes to drainage issues being experiences in particularly older residential areas on the south side of the city
Morales pointed out that Viega is one of the ten largest property taxpayers in McPherson County at this time. The abatement request is subject to approval of the Board of Tax Appeals.
Commissioners signed the final documents for a Safe Streets for All planning grant. Public Works Project Engineer Elizabeth Hopp said with this signing a request for proposals will be going out for a consultant to work with the county and all incorporated cities who collaborated on this grant, which was applied for three years ago. The Kansas Department of Transportation is providing $140,000 in match funds to the $560,000 from the US Department of Transportation.
Commissioners approved adding replacement of a box culvert along Moccasin Road between 11th and 12th Avenues northwest of McPherson to the 2026 culvert and bridge replacement program due to his very poor condition.
The Commissioners approved sending of an invoice to the city of Galva related to mill and overlay work done in the area of a railroad crossing at McPherson Street. Commissioners last week paid an invoice for milling work, which the city is being billed for half of. The remainder of the $6,639 invoice covers materials and labor for the overlay done by county crews.
Public Works Director Dave Bohnenblust said crews will begin paving work this week on 18th Avenue from Old 81 Highway north, and a bridge project south of Marquette is finishing up. Fleet Maintenance Foreman Mike Evans said the project on the fuel system at Public Works should be concluded by the end of the week.
Two departments have completed their move into the McPherson County Building, with the County Clerk and Planning and Zoning moved in last week. The County Treasurer and Tag offices are being moved this week and connected with that the County Commission Monday approved purchase of an additional 48 port switch which IT Director Jeff Butler said will provide for additional capacity if needed.
The switches installed as part of the renovation project have only a couple of slots still available, and it would be desirable to have this available for addition of such things as printers, cameras and other items. Commissioners opted to go with a a 48-port switch rather than a 24-port switch, with the larger of the two costing $8,000, only $1,000 more than the smaller one.
In his update Sheriff Jerry Montagne said the inmate count at the jail is holding steady at 47, with 26 arrests last week. There is one juvenile currently in detention out of county, with another being moved to the jail after their 18th birthday. Montagne said the county incurred a $5,425 cost to house one juvenile at a detention facility in Girard. He also reported the trial involving horses not being cared for by their owner is scheduled to take place June 30th. The county has been paying for costs of care for the horses while the case is pending.
Among personnel items, Commissioners approved hiring of a new corrections officer for the jail, which will briefly bring them to full staffing with a current corrections officer soon to retire. Commissioners approved the hiring of an on-call juvenile intake officer and promotion of an employee at Community Corrections, along with approving a step increase for an employee in the County Clerk’s Office and cell phone allowances for two sheriff’s deputies.
Commissioners also approved hiring of a maintenance worker for Public Works and tabled action on hiring of a temporary part-time person in the public works office who had been doing document scanning for Planning and Zoning. This item was tabled due to a question about hours that person would be able to work under a temporary arrangement.
