After a lengthy discussion and two rescinded motions at Monday?s Marion County Commis?sion meeting, the commissioners voted 3-0 to sell the Florence Motel at public auction with a minimum bid of $5,000.
Leppke Auction will be asked to proceed with the auction within the next 60 days.
Prior to the vote, commissioner Dan Holub, along with support from Teresa Huffman, economic development director, made the case for selling the motel with a provisional contract stating the motel would be reopened as another motel.
Commission chair Randy Dallke and commissioner Roger Fleming wanted the county to be done with the property, no strings attached.
?I don?t care who buys it,? Dallke said. ?Yeah, I?d like to see a motel. Dan, I agree with you 100 percent, but it?s not happening. I want to move it.?
Dallke said he wanted a public auction so ownership is out of the commission?s hands, and so that it is fair to everyone. Fleming agreed, but Holub said he wanted the county to continue advertising the property as a motel and with a reduced price.
?One of the big things we have in the county is no motel space,? Holub said. ?Even the hunters are staying in El Dorado or McPherson. We’re just passing up possible revenue.?
Huffman said: ?That is a very valuable space. I know you don?t agree with me, but it is. That?s what I?ve thought all along.?
Dallke said he knows that property in Florence is being sold to people for storage, and he hopes that will be avoided for the motel property. But he reiterated that the place should be open for the public to bid on.
?If somebody wants it bad enough, they can buy it and do a motel,? Fleming said. ?As a county, I don?t want it and I think we need to do what we can to get it moved.?
After Fleming said the property would be auctioned as a commercial property and with that, zoning requirements, Holub made the final motion that stood.
Future of EMD
In another lengthy discussion, commissioners debated whether Emer?gency Medical Dispatch is something Marion County wants to continue.
EMD was brought up as a possible cut by Dallke after Sheriff Rob Craft told the commission that a dispatcher would be resigning by December.
After being asked by Fleming how important EMD is to the county, Craft said, ?On a daily-basis it?s not used, but it?s real important to that individual at that particular moment.?
Craft said, after asking that same question, he realized EMD is used more than he realized.
?I know as a distraught caller, any type of help you can get in the immediate helps them focus on remediation of the situation,? Fleming said. ?I guess I feel like it?s probably important to continue (the service).?
Dallke responded: ?At the cost of $60,000 to $100,000 a year??
Speaking from experience, Holub told Dallke it was worth it if your wife was the one that needed the service.
?$60,000 seems like a pittance,? Holub said, ?and I?m not the only one.?
In the end, no decision was reached. The commissioners asked Craft to gather more information and present it at the next commission meeting Wednesday, Nov. 27.
Legislative threats
In an addition to the original agenda, Holub presented several state legislation bills to his fellow commissioners, that if passed, could be detrimental to the financial state of the county.
Holub?s examples were Mortgage Registration Fee Legislation 2014, Senate Bill 109 regarding Kansas Association of Counties, voter legislation, and House Bill 2285 regarding property taxes.
If passed, these items could cost the county millions, Holub said. He asked the other commissioners to consider inviting the local representatives to a meeting to answer questions of the commission, but also of city governments and school boards.
?The coffee tour and give a little speech isn?t hacking it,? Holub said. ?They need to sit down and answer these questions and they need to do it public and print it in the paper. Enough is enough.
?We can?t fix Washington, but we can sure as hell work on Topeka.?
The commission met in executive session regarding this issue, but nothing was reported in public session.
Other business
In other business the commission:
? met in executive session with Rollin Schmidt, transfer station director. In public session, the commission announced its intention to pursue an e-waste recycling program for the county. E-waste recycling includes any items with a circuit board, Schmidt said.
The commission also decided that a bin will be available at the transfer station for weekend recycling.
? voted 3-0 to adopt Resolution 2013-23 regarding a retaining wall at the Marion County Lake. Accord?ing to the resolution, the county will not be held responsible for damages to the wall.
? met in executive session with County Clerk Tina Spencer for non-elected personnel. In public session the commission voted 3-0 to grant up to 12 weeks leave for an employee.
? voted 3-0 to pass an amendment to an original agreement with Windborne Energy regarding the windfarm being built by Rex Savage.
The amendment says a $50,000 bond will be granted in lieu of the original $1 million bond so the project can move forward without waiting for completion of paperwork. This amendment applies to the first three windmills to be installed.
? heard Holub say he will be at the Marion County Lake at 7 p.m. Saturday for a town hall meeting.
The next commission meeting will be at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 27.
County opts to sell Florence motel
