BUTLER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Towanda City Hall

110 S. 3rd

Towanda, KS 67144

Commission Chairman Dan Woydziak called the Butler County Board of Commissioners to order at 6:00 p.m. Present were Commissioner Will Carpenter, Commissioner Randy Doll, Commissioner Randy Waldorf, Commissioner Mike Wheeler, Administrator Will Johnson, Jr., and Clerk Ron Roberts.

Also present were Towanda Mayor Karen Gibson and Council Members Jo Smith, Chad Bottorff, John Cogan, Bill Mills, and City Administrator Paul Erickson.

ITEM #1 – PUBLIC COMMENTS

There were no public comments.

ITEM #2– ITEMS OF MUTUAL CONCERN BETWEEN BUTLER COUNTY AND THE CITY OF TOWANDA

The only item of mutual interest is agenda item #4 so there was no discussion at this time.

ITEM #3 – WORK SESSION – 4-H FACILITIES

Kim Claassen came before the Board to discuss the Fair Board’s position on moving and expanding the Fair Grounds and facilities. Several members of the fair board were present in the audience. The current fair grounds are only one half acre and are land locked by the City of El Dorado. In addition, since building the theaters on the parking lot, adequate parking is not available. They are looking at possible relocation and would like to have at least 20 acres to relocate on. One possibility is co-locating with the new stadium being planned if there could be some sharing of infrastructure cost but are not locked into that plan. They are also looking at stand-alone sites if something can be found where utilities can be run at an affordable cost. They will be discussing the project more at their next meeting.

ITEM #4 – CONSIDER TABLED ANNEXATION REQUEST BY THE CITY OF TOWANDA FOR PROPERTY LOCATED AT 254 HIGHWAY AND OHIO STREET IN BUTLER COUNTY

Will Johnson, Administrator, opened the discussion for the Board to consider a request that was previously tabled regarding an island annexation of property located at 254 Highway and Ohio Road located approximately one mile east of the City limits of Towanda. There is no sewer service in this area and it is currently served by rural water. The City is proposing to extend public sewer to the area and the owner of the property has proposed residential development for the property. The City of Towanda has provided the information requested by the County for documentation of costs, rural water service, and governing body support.

Jim Hargrove, Attorney for the property owner, and Martin Goedecke, P.E., came before the Board to present plans for a residential development east of Towanda. Mayor Gibson discussed the need for Towanda to grow and expand its tax base. The Commissioners were concerned about the amount of special taxes that would be required to pay for the needed infrastructure. They also asked about what the city was doing to prevent this development from becoming a burden on the existing taxpayers of Towanda should the lots not sell as expected. Council member Paul Erickson presented the planning process to the Board showing the work the Towanda Council and staff have put into this project and explained how it would fit into future growth plans for Towanda. He also showed that the infrastructure cost per lot compared very favorably with the Northridge Development recently completed on Ohio north of Augusta.

Commissioner Carpenter motioned to approve the annexation request by the City of Towanda in accordance to K.S.A. 12-520c and direct legal counsel to draft an annexation order for approval of said request. Commissioner Wheeler seconded the motion. Motion carried 5-0.

OTHER ITEMS OF BUSINESS

Will Johnson, Administrator, presented bid tabulations for bids opened on November 13, 2006 for snowplow and motor grader blade bits. The low bid was from Welborn Sales, Salina Kansas for a total cost of $11,290.30.

Commissioner Carpenter motioned to approve the purchase of snowplow and motor grader blade bits from Welborn Sales, Salina Kansas for a total cost of $11,290.30. Commissioner Waldorf seconded the motion. Motion carried 5-0.

ADJOURNMENT

Commissioner Waldorf motioned to adjourn the meeting at 7:15 p.m. Commissioner Doll seconded the motion. Motion carried 5-0.