Douglas County Commissioner Charles Jones wants to clear up questions about the East Hills Business Park.
Douglas County commissioners approved a land sale in the East Hills Business Park Monday after the arrangement was questioned by Commissioner Charles Jones.
API Foils Inc., an English manufacturer of foils for the printing industry, is planning to buy the 7.72-acre property it has been leasing and another 5.18 acres next door.
That expansion property is being purchased from the county by Douglas County Development Inc. (DCDI), the park's nonprofit developer, which will sell the land to API.
The situation is confusing to members of the public, particularly with the amount of money involved, Jones said.
The county will be paid $15,552 for the land.
API Foils Inc. will pay DCDI $155,400, an amount agreed to as part of the business's lease agreement.
The current market value of the property is $222,740.
County Administrator Craig Weinaug explained that the arrangement was set down when the East Hills Business Park was established.
The county bought the land and is being reimbursed as the lots are sold.
"We sell it for what we paid for it," Weinaug said. "It's a no-cost deal to the county."
Lawrence financed the park's improvements, like streets and sewers, and is being reimbursed for those expenses plus interest, some of which comes through proceeds from the land sales, Weinaug said.
The park is being developed by DCDI, which is run by a board with appointments from the county commission.
"It seems like a very good thing," Jones said. "Every good thing needs to be watched carefully."
Jones said he didn't suspect anything underhanded. But, he said, DCDI could do a better job of explaining the arrangement to the public.
"They need to increase the level of public confidence in this program," he said.
Commission Chairman Dean Nieder said the public's misunderstanding shouldn't be blamed on DCDI.
"There's a lot of things the public doesn't understand through their own unwillingness to look into it," Nieder said.
The business park has been a positive thing in the county, Nieder said.
"There's a considerable amount of jobs out there," he said. "I think it's something you have to have if you're going to attract business."
In other business, the county commissioners approved a $77,663 expense for the county clerk's office for the purchase of new ballot-counting equipment. The item was in the 2000 budget but will be moved to 1999.
-- Kendrick Blackwood's phone message number is 832-7221. His e-mail address is kblackwood@ljworld.com.
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