EARL WATT
• Leader & Times
After a year of private discussions including more than 70 executive sessions plus additional private meetings prior to that with the Seward County Planning and Zoning Committee, the public has been given a version of a draft resolution of the conditional use permit agreement between Seward County and Thresher Wind LLC.
One of the points includes a $287,000 up front payment to Seward County, however, that falls short of the legal fees that were incurred negotiating the proposal even when an additional 50 percent of fees above that threshold will be paid by Thresher. Those fees have been stated to be around $330,000.
A release by Seward County shared how much work went in the creating the proposal.
“The year-long Seward County study gathered an over 1400-page record plus hours of audio through many public meeting opportunities, written input opportunities, and the opportunity to always contact elected County Commissioners,” the release stated.
While there were regular meetings to discuss wind, there were no special meetings or town halls called by the Seward County Commission to seek public input or have an open dialogue with the public about the proposal.
Recently, Commissioner John Mettlen stated since the issue was being negotiated, the commission couldn’t discuss the proposal with the public.
Now that it has been released, and the public can now review what has been discussed privately up to this point, opportunities for public engagement could change, but for now, Seward County released a method of communicating which does not include a designated meeting on the topic.
Instead, Seward County has offered the following ways to engage:
• Online form: Submit comments using the CUP comment at https://sewardcountyks.org/FormCenter/Admin-3/Windfarm-Suggestions-or-Comments-53
• Email: Send email comments to
• Voicemail: Call 620-626-3330 to leave a voicemail comment.
• Mail or in-person: Submit typed, or legible handwritten comments at the County Administrator’s Office. Printed comment cards will be available at the County Administrator’s Office, 515 N. Washington Ave., 2nd Floor, Liberal, KS 67901 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
• Commissioner(s): Contact pursuant to all communication methods regularly available as described on the County’s Web site, https://sewardcountyks.org/64/County-Commission. Contact options for any particular Commissioner may also be verified with the County Administrator’s Office.
• County Commission public meetings: As always, public input during meetings remains subject to the Commission imposing rules to manage the meeting. Notice of such rules will be provided at each meeting and you may contact the County Administrator’s Office anytime to check on any such rules.
The release also stated public comment will no longer be accepted after 12 p.m. Nov. 12, giving the public about two weeks to digest the 78-page document and respond despite the commission working on the proposal for more than one year.
The county release added that the commission’s first public deliberation on the proposal will take place at the Nov. 16 meeting. According to the release, “The Commission might or might not begin public CUP deliberations, or vote, on the CUP on Nov. 16.”
EDITOR’S NOTE — To see complete 78-page proposal, go to liberalfirst.com/wincup.pdf
