ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
The Liberal City Commission will have a full agenda on its hands at its next meeting this evening starting at 5:30. This evening’s meeting will be in the commission chambers at the Liberal Recreation Center at 950 S. Grant Ave.
After revisiting discussion of changes to the city’s fireworks ordinance, the commission will then be discussing approval of a Letter of Intent from Air Products.
“The City of Liberal has been working with the Air Products Helium Team for two years regarding the purchase of land in our Airport Industrial Park,” the agenda information noted. “In July 2025, we presented a Letter of Intent for a parcel near our air museum and airport taxiway. Upon confirmation from the FAA this specific piece of land could not be sold, both parties reviewed the available lots and identified Block 2, Lot 6, Parcel No. 1930601006005000 (3.77 acres) as viable location for their tank storage needs. At this time, both the survey and appraisal have been completed. This request has been submitted to the FAA, and we are waiting for final approval from them. Air Products is aware the FAA prefers long-term leasing agreements over land sales, so it is possible we may have to move in this direction first. As a formality, Air Products has drafted a Letter of Intent to present to the commission as a show of interest and commitment to the property. The document has been reviewed by the city's attorney. City staff requests commission consideration to approve the Letter of Intent from the Air Products Helium Team.”
The commission will also be considering a partnership with Municipal H20.
“We recently received a letter from the EPA for noncompliance with our ERP (Emergency Response Plan) and our RRA (Risk and Resilience Assessment). As a result of the findings, we discovered that Municipal H2O has the experience needed to assist us in bringing the city back into compliance with the EPA and wish to contract with them to remediate these issues,” the agenda information noted. “Staff recommends approval of the proposal from Municipal H2O to update our ERP and RRA in an amount not to exceed $15,500 to be funded from the Other Professional Services line item within Water Utility Administration.”
Up next for the commission’s consideration will be the replacement and removal of the HVAC unit at the Municipal Court building.
“The HVAC unit for the Municipal Court Building needs to be replaced. This unit regulates the temperature in the courtroom,” the agenda information noted. “We received three vendor quotes: HECO for $13,000; Weber Refrigeration for $13,500; and Lynn's Total Comfort for $14,140. We will pay for the costs of the new unit from 100-4120-44031 - Repair/Maintain Building, of which there is proper budgetary authority. City staff requests consideration to approve the quote from HECO in the amount of $13,000. They have previously worked on our existing unit and are familiar with our building. They are dependable and have always been available when we have needed them. HECO also comes in as the lowest vendor quote.”
A step forward in the process of getting a second overpass will also be up for the commission’s consideration this evening.
“The City of Liberal issued a request for proposals with service cost bids for technical assessments, public engagement, and project planning services required for the successful execution of our Railroad Crossing Elimination (RCE) grant project for a secondary railroad overpass. Two profiles and bids were received as a result of the competitive bid process to complete the following tasks: Task 1 – Technical Assessments; Task 2 – Community Engagement; Task 3 – Preferred Alternative Analysis; and Task 4 – Project Planning Package,” the agenda information noted. “The budgeted cost for these consulting services under our grant agreement with the Federal Railroad Administration is $416,320. The Railroad Crossing Elimination grant will reimburse 80 percent of costs up to $333,056, with additional funding match from the State of Kansas’ Build Kansas providing up to $62,500 in additional reimbursements. Service cost bids were received from the following consulting companies: Professional Engineering Consultants (PEC) for $400,000; and JEO Consulting Group, Inc. for $470,400. Staff recommends approval for the mayor and city manager to negotiate and enter into contract terms, pending legal counsel review, with Professional Engineering Consultants for the completion of RCE Project Planning tasks in an amount not to exceed $410,000. Project funding will come from the Capital Improvements portion of the 1-Cent Sales Tax with matching reimbursement grant funds from the Federal Railroad Administration and State of Kansas.”
After discussion of a change order for the Doll Addition project, the commission will consider a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Ruddell Group for future development.
“On Oct. 28, 2025, the City Commission heard a presentation by Dean Taitz, owner and manager of GVW Ruddell Management, LLC. Ruddell Group is a privately held real estate investment group headquartered in Birmingham, Ala. They acquire and develop industrial properties that are strategically positioned for increased value and ripe for transformation,” the agenda information noted. “They create site plans to maximize use and construct initial buildings. Land is conveyed to Ruddell Group on a zero-cost basis. The ultimate goal would be to create jobs, diversify the community's economic landscape, and increase the tax base. The City is ready to move forward with approval of the attached MOU. Areas that we will need to agree upon include exact property and acreage to convey to the developer, an inspection period time frame, conveyance of property time frame for closing, and square footage of initial building. The proposed MOU has been reviewed by legal counsel with the understanding the Definitive Agreement will be the document that governs the conditions imposed for the project. The MOU can be terminated by either party at any time by providing written notice. It does not obligate the City of Liberal to anything until the Definitive Agreement is signed. City staff requests consideration to approve the attached MOU with GVW Ruddell Management, LLC in order to begin planning for future industrial properties and opportunities in Liberal.”
To conclude the meeting’s new business, the commission will be discussing the Seward County Development Corporation (SCDC).
“The City of Liberal has been in talks with Seward County over the past several months to consider the transfer of the SCDC employees from one entity to the other. They are currently county employees, with the City of Liberal providing an annual appropriation of $330,000 to reimburse salaries and benefits and transfer the remainder directly to SCDC's operating budget. The county's annual commitment is $200,000,” the agenda information noted. “The Seward County Commission met Feb. 19, where multiple aspects were discussed and approved. In terms of appropriation, the city is agreeable to housing SCDC employees on our side with the county paying an annual appropriation of $200,000 directly to us. In terms of accounting, the city will credit the county's appropriation to the 1-Cent Sales Tax and pay salaries and benefits from this fund. The city's 2026 appropriation of $330,000 is typically paid in August, so we will hold this and pro-rate the county for the difference of accrued expenses versus the financial commitment to the department. The city will then write a check directly to SCDC for up to $130,000 for operational expenses. With benefits and PTO, the city is agreeable with converting the three current employees' existing PTO into city vacation and sick leave. With insurance, in order to avoid financial hardship for employees who have already met their annual deductibles, the city is agreeable to allowing these individuals to remain on the county's insurance through the end of their year and join the city's plan in May 2026. Upon review and approval by the Liberal City Commission, we will request an updated Unification Agreement be drafted by legal counsel that details the terms of this proposal. City staff requests consideration to approve the transition of SCDC employees from Seward County to the City of Liberal beginning in May 2026.”
