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Residents to Kechi: What did it know?
By David Dinell
Last Updated: February 04, 2016

Normally, the public comment section of the Kechi City Council is limited to five minutes. 

That was not the case at its Jan. 28 meeting when comments about the now-defunct asphalt plant proposal stretched out to a 55-minute open and free-wheeling discussion about the project's timeframe — and what council members knew and didn't know about it. 

No one, however, seemed to mind the frank dialogue, and several council members commented afterwards that it was a much-needed talk to help settle rumors in the community that the governing body tried to "hide" the project from the public. 

There was no such move, they contend, as they didn't even know the plan was afoot until informed of it Jan. 4, just eight days before a zoning meeting on the plan attracted an overflow crowd to City Hall — a gathering whose attendees overwhelmingly didn't want the plant on the outskirts of Kechi. 

The discussion was kicked off by a sometimes emotional statement from Kechi resident Cathy Bonnesen, who asked why citizens weren't told of the proposal sooner. 

While the plans are now void, what remains is "a lingering perception of undisclosed information and secrecy." 

"It may be an incorrect perception, but it is still there," Bonnesen said. 

She said her "heart has been hurting over these unanswered questions." 

Mayor Ed Parker responded that since the proposed plant was outside the city limits, it was only in its area of influence. The story would be different if it was in the city, he said. 

"If it came here, we would have dealt with it strongly," he said. "It's not something we want."

City Administrator Bob Conger read from a detailed timeline of the sequence of events leading to the Jan. 12 zoning meeting. 

The initial inquiry to the city was Oct. 15 via email. The following day, Conger replied to the developers, saying they would face an "uphill battle" to get the needed conditional-use permit. 

There were about five more messages between the city, the developers and the county before the council was notified about the zoning meeting. 

Conger said the procedure was a normal one, given that he gets inquiries from businesses on a regular basis and the proposed site was outside of the city limits. For that reason, the matter would never have even come before the council, he said. 

There was never any intent to hide anything, he said. 

"Anyone can examine my emails," he said. "There was no collusion."  

Several minutes into his explanation, Conger had a staff member print copies of a 1 1/2-page asphalt plant chronology and distribute them.  

For their part, council members said there was no intention whatsoever of hiding anything and if any citizen wants to comment to them, simply get in touch. 

"My phone number and email is listed on the city website," said Brian Adams. "Or just come knock on my front door." 

Kevin Opat said he knew nothing of the plans until early January and went a little further, saying he didn't like his credibility being questioned. 

Council members also expressed the sentiment that "we're all neighbors" to the concerned attendees. 

"I don't want to see the plant in my backyard, either," Opat said. 

After the meeting, Conger said he wrote the timeline because he had a feeling the situation might be a "lingering issue."

"Factors included the wide range of emotions and the undertone of gossip and rumors surrounding the asphalt plant," he said.

Conger said he was a bit surprised that the topic came up so soon following its defeat.

"These types of issues usually fester for a few weeks or months and come to a head later," he said. 

But airing the questions was healthy for all, he said. 

"People deserved answers," he said. "No one wants to feel as though public decisions are being made behind closed doors." 

In other action, the council: 

•Approved extending the current Kechi housing incentives through the end of the year. At that time, they will be reconsidered for 2017. Conger had earlier proposed doing away with them, citing low participation. Since the program began in 2012, 16 new houses have been built in Kechi, with only six people using the program. 

But because of requests to keep the incentives, Conger changed his idea of canceling them. He talked to builders and a developer and they all said it would be worth it to keep them in order to remain competitive with other cities. The incentives allow new home buyers to get a grant equal to a percentage of the city's assessed property taxes during the first 10 years of ownership, starting with 100 percent the first year and going down to 40 percent the 10th year. Last year, $3,735 was paid to new home buyers, but that amount is expected to increase during the next two to three years, Conger said, especially if new home building increases. 

•Authorized Police Chief John Blevins to seek two part-time officers to supplement the force. Newly hired officer Logan Miller is attending the law enforcement training center in Hutchinson starting Feb. 15 for his certification and additional staffing will be needed in his absence. 

•Approved the purchase of a new 2016 Dodge Charger for the police department from Davis-Moore in Wichita for $21,241. There was another bid of $21,411 from Parks Motors in Augusta. Not only was the Davis-Moore bid lower, Blevins said it will be closer to take the car in for servicing. 

The department will be trading in a 2012 vehicle with about 95,000 miles in it. The equipment on that car will be moved over to the new car. The department rotates its vehicles out after they've been in use for four years. 

•Received a report from Conger that the city had email problems in which messages were being received but could not be sent. Most of the problems have been resolved by the IT vendor, he said. 

Conger also reported that at the request of a local business owner, he compared Kechi's natural gas prices with a competitor and found that the city was competitive. 

•Attended a retreat along with staff Jan. 30 at Fulton Valley Farms. 

All five members and the mayor were present. There was no executive session. The next meeting is at 7 p.m. Feb. 11. 





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