At the Douglas County Commission meeting Wednesday, several procedural and administrative measures were passed to push forward ongoing projects.
The three commissioners unanimously passed a resolution to begin levying a special assessment district around Yankee Tank Dam, better known as Lake Alvamar. This means that the county can proceed in collecting special $5,000 tax payments from the people who own land around the water feature.
The special assessment is part of a months-long arrangement deal to get the dam repaired through payment from the county, city, Kansas Department of Transportation and the state.
About 85 percent of the affected landowners agreed to the assessment, which can be paid in full or over time.
Regulations required that another public meeting be held before the tax officially went into effect.
A lone homeowner came by the meeting, but he didn’t give any public comment.
The commissioners also set a public hearing on a proposal to transfer some county land near the United Way center to Tenants to Homeowners to build a senior housing facility. This project is in much earlier stages, but its formal public comment session will be at 6:35 p.m. Aug. 8 on the second floor of the Douglas County Courthouse, at 11th and Massachusetts streets.
Commissioners also passed some technical accounting measures and received recommendations for the food policy council.
In a walk-on item in the meeting’s agenda, commissioners heard from staff of the emergency management department about the possible need for a burn ban in the county. The emergency managers didn’t recommend one — fire departments hadn’t requested that they do — but the commission can meet next week if dry, hot conditions worsen.
Commissioners are currently not scheduled to meet next week because of the Fourth of July holiday.
Comments
repaste 10 months, 3 weeks ago
11 x $5,000 = 10% of cost?
KRichards 10 months, 3 weeks ago
Not even close. The total cost is $2 million. So the 11 homeowners you mention will pay 2.75% of the total.
Keith 10 months, 3 weeks ago
And will reap 100% of the benefit.
consumer1 10 months, 3 weeks ago
Hooray !! At least the city is doing something!! Good for the city, cromwell was a dissenting vote right?
psycho_theclown 10 months, 3 weeks ago
I realize this is all just water over the dam now, but it is the biggest waste of money. It has the lowest urgency and lowest benefit to the entire city. When we complain that the money requested for a new LE upgrade is too much and then this is approved, it shows how ridiculous the priorities of the city commission really are. This group has to have the lowest intelligence of any commission in the history of Lawrence. I hope that voters remember all of the dumb ideas this group has supported during elections.
consumer1 10 months, 3 weeks ago
Sorry the three amigo's have the worst record for botching up the city since quantrell. Those were the progressives in case anyone forgot. All Dems, Shauner, Rundle and Highburger.
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