County commission meetings are typically poorly- attended governmental affairs. However, Friday’s meeting was quite different, as every seat in the room was filled for a public hearing on the Franklin sewer project.
Commissioners have been working on the creation of a sewer system that would meet the needs of Franklin citizens without breaking the bank. USDA Rural Development has provided a grant and loan totaling more than $1.2 million, which could be upped to $2.2 million, to be repaid over the course of 40 years.
Friday’s public hearing was nominally strictly about the decision to split the project into two phases. But that did not stop many Franklin residents from voicing their concerns, often about potential assessment fees, which County Counselor Jim Emerson said would not be decided until the process nears completion.
Several residents noted that there are currently different assessing standards for certain types of agricultural land. In particular, under what residents described as the existing set of assessments, 78 percent of the cost would be on a per-hookup basis, while 22 percent of the cost would be charged per acreage. Further, agricultural crop land, which presumably would not have the need for a sewer hookup, would be currently exempt from the acreage assessment. Agricultural hay land, however, is charged that fee.
Many residents said they were not opposed to the sewer district or the exemption, but were opposed to the lack of an exemption for hay fields.
“I oppose anyone with agricultural land paying for a sewer they will never use,” said Jeff Kiel.
Further complaints came from other residents, who had issues about the eventual assessment fees and the possibility of changing the current orientation of the proposed sewer lines.
After the public hearing ended and the residents left, the commission approved the low bid for the sewer project of roughly $1.55 million by Heartland Midwest.
Emerson said the sewer project is waiting on a final contract, as well as the condemnation process to proceed to get right of way access for the sewer lines.
In other news:
• Emerson announced that he had been chosen as the county counselor’s representative on the Kansas Association of Counties Governing Board. The position is a two-year term.
• Commissioner Linda Grilz also asked that County Attorney Michael Gayoso Jr. appear before the board to discuss personnel issues caused by decisions Gayoso made because of the 2010 budget.
Andrew Nash can be reached at andrew.nash@morningsun.net or by calling 231-2600 ext. 132.
