Ark Valley News - City says it fixed service to westsiders

City says it fixed service to westsiders
By Chris Strunk
Last Updated: May 23, 2013

It's the latest annexation battle in Valley Center.

Residents in two west Valley Center neighborhoods say the city isn't providing services as it should. The city says it is.

Now, the county commission will decide who is right.

The Sedgwick County Commission on June 5 will have a public hearing to determine whether the 36 properties in the Ranchos Del Rio first and second additions should be de-annexed from the city. The neighborhoods straddle West Street and are between 77th North and 81st North.

The properties were annexed into the city in 2005.

After the required five-year review in 2010, the county commission said the city wasn't following its service plan for the properties. In particular, the county ruled, the city did not have a streetlight plan for the area or an outdoor severe weather siren location review. The county also agreed with residents that police protection, road maintenance and animal control were lacking.

The county gave the city two and one-half years to provide the services equal or better than what the residents received before they were annexed. Several residents said the county provided better services than the city.

City officials responded, approving a streetlight plan and having lights installed at major intersections in the neighborhood. The city also embarked on a plan to chip seal streets in the neighborhoods, devoting "considerable resources" to the area, City Administrator Joel Pile said in a memo to the city council.

Nevertheless, homeowners petitioned the county to be de-annexed.

The petition claims that the city does not offer adequate after-hours animal control service, that the street lights the city installed are "causing light pollution" and there is "continued deterioration of our streets."

The city claims that the city's after-hours animal control is comparable to Sedgwick County's.

The city council on May 21, approved a resolution that declares the city met its service obligations to the neighborhoods.

"The city council of Valley Center, Kansas, also encourages the Sedgwick County Commission to determine the city has provided services in accordance with the service extension plan in the annexation," the resolution states.

The council's vote on the resolution was 7-1. Al Hobson, who represents the west side, voted against the resolution. New council member, Ben Anderson, who also represents the area, voted for it.

In other business May 21, the council:

•Voted 6-0-1 to approve Mayor Mike McNown's appointment of Ben Anderson to fill the Ward 4 unexpired term of resigning council member Kate Jackson. Al Hobson, the other Ward 4 representative, abstained from the vote, saying, "A no vote would offend Mr. Anderson and a vote yes runs the risk of making the people who put me in office upset." In the April election, Hobson beat Anderson by a vote of 83-46.

•Accepted an award from the Kansas Department of Agriculture Division of Water Resources, recognizing the city for its community flood plain rating system. The award signifies that the city has completed enough community-outreach education tasks to earn points for property owners in high-risk flood plain areas to be eligible for discounts on flood insurance.

•Gave final approval to an ordinance that bans the sale and discharge of sky lanterns.

•Approved the low bid of $96,118 from Kansas Paving for the expansion of the parking lot at the Public Safety Building.

•Approved an agreement to help pay for the operation of the Wichita Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, a group that determines infrastructure projects for federal funding.

•Gave first-round approval to an ordinance that would allow the city to adjust rates on water and sewer bills on a case-by-case basis. Some utility customers have complained that they are charged an unreasonable sewer rate when their water consumption during the winter months (which are used to determine the year-long sewer rate) is considerably lower than the city average. The city uses the average rate when the usage falls far below the average. With the ordinance, city officials would have the authority to adjust the rate if necessary.