County approves Peabody revitalization plan
By MATT NEWHOUSE
Staff writer
Marion County Commission gave its blessing Friday to a neighborhood revitalization plan in Peabody.
Revitalization plans provide tax rebates to those who improve their property. A person can buy a tumble-down house, remove it, and apply for recognition under the revitalization plan. If the application is approved, new construction is based on the vacant lot valuation.
The goal is to encourage significant new development and home improvements since property's assessed valuation must increase by $5,000 to $15,000 to qualify for the rebate.
Under the plan, the rebate for residential property ranges from 90 percent the first year to 10 percent in the ninth and 10th years. Five percent of each rebate amount is withheld by the county to pay for management of the program.
Commercial property rebates are 90 percent for the life of the program.
The plan encompasses the entire city, including an industrial park that currently is vacant, said Cindy Saenz, representing the city.
"There are lots throughout town available for building," Saenz said.
Commissioner Leroy Wetta said Peabody doesn't currently have the acreage for a formal subdivision. New construction happens among older properties.
"For Peabody to do much in housing development, they're going to have to annex," he said. Even that will take some planning, since floodplains, rail lines, and highways border parts of the town.
"I really see Peabody as having an opportunity to expand," said Commissioner Howard Collett, noting its proximity to the Wichita area. "We're in no worse position (by approving the plan) and we're in better position five years from now."
Wetta asked if a countywide revitalization plan would ever be considered. Collett said it would be best to leave that up to the cities, to encourage development in existing communities.
Graders
Commissioners voted to return three motor graders this year, lease three larger ones, and plan to buy a used one in 2003.
The cost for each new grader is $1,540 per month for 60 months. The Caterpillar 140H units are larger than the 120H units the county was considering, but due to discounts, the cost is just $85 per month higher.
Commissioners want to begin a steady rotation of replacing graders earlier. Some county-owned units have 18,000 hours. If none of the older machines are replaced, about eight will have at lease 20,000 hours within five years. Machines with that many hours usually spend a great deal of time undergoing constant repair.
Disaster plan
About 700 county and state officials attended a disaster training session this past week in Topeka. The two-day session, dubbed "Prairie Plague," dealt with how counties would deal with an airborne communicable disease being spread through the county.
"It was different from anything I experienced," said JoAnn Knak, emergency medical services director. "Usually it (the scenario) involves a hazardous material, but with smallpox, there's nothing to cordon off."
Clerk Carol Maggard said the Expocenter was set up in roughly geographical fashion, so officials could discuss regional responses to disaster.
One proposal is a resolution for counties to offer mutual aid and support in a disaster. Maggard said several counties have discussed approving a regional resolution
Others attending included Sheriff Lee Becker, appraiser Dianna Carter, emergency response director Michele Abbott-Becker, health director Jan Moffitt, public health sanitarian David Brazil, and physician Don Hodson, M.D.
It almost became a real-life lesson, Maggard said. Severe thunderstorms moved through Topeka the first evening, knocking out power to thousands of people and leading to numerous tornado watches.
