Joan Strickler, observer
All Commissioners present, Johnson presiding.
The Commissioners discussed signing an action form to allow the hiring of a Museum Curator of Design position at the County Museum. It was suggested that the director bring in an outside evaluator to assess and make recommendations for the Museum’s focus in the future. Commissioner McCulloh suggested the director apply for a Peine grant to bring in such an evaluator. The request for the Curator of Design position was approved.
Craig Cox, Assistant County Counselor, requested authorization to move ahead on a real estate tax foreclosure sale. The cost in conducting such a sale is more than offset by the sales receipts and the taxes often recovered.
County Treasurer Eileen King requested permission to close the Treasurer’s office from 9:00 a.m. to noon on Wednesday, February 29th, to allow staff to attend a funeral. The office will remain open after 5:00 p.m. and as long as necessary to accommodate people needing services. Permission was granted.
The Riley County Appraiser’s Office has completed mailing of the 2012 Change of Value Notices for each of the approximately 24,000 real estate parcels in the county. Sales of property over the last three years have remained comparable. The trend is toward a flat market with average sales prices down to $184,000 from $185,000. The preliminary valuation total countywide is $5,083,154,120, a 6.9% increase from 2011.
A Home Buying Seminar is being offered on March 1st from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at Pottorf Hall in Cico Park. The seminar is free and sponsored by Housing & Credit Counseling. Topics covered will be buying and renting, the home buying process, what it takes to qualify for a loan, common mistakes, and handling offers and negotiations. For more information, contact Summer Hamil, (785) 341-7205 / summerhamil@gmail.com
The Riley County Historical Society and Museum (hosts), the Manhattan/Riley County Preservation Alliance, and the Manhattan Historic Resources Board invite participation in a program and discussion about local historic preservation. The event will be held March 1 at the Manhattan City Commission Room, 1101 Poyntz, at 6:45 pm. Participants will have their choice of three break-out sessions: How to research your property; County properties currently on the Historic Register; Archaeological Sites in the area; Manhattan’s most endangered list; African-American cultural resources; or using tax credits for restoration.
Rod Meredith, assistant public works director, presented a report on the effectiveness of wind turbines currently being used at the County public works shop. In just six months in 2011, the turbines produced more than 125,000 kilowatt hours of energy. According to Meredith, the turbines have exceeded expectations in the amount of energy produced. Interest in the turbines has been very positive and his office receives contacts weekly asking about their performance. To date 200 tours have been given. Kansas State University researches data produced from each renewable energy resource at the facility.
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