County’s ‘vision’ taking form
Staff writer
When planning and zoning commission chairman Josh Weiser pleaded for county commissioners to “come out with a collective vision” two weeks ago, they listened.
An updated comprehensive plan began taking shape Thursday with a discussion of topics ranging from housing and community growth to workforce and talent retention to partnerships and collaborative planning.
While this was just a start, there’s still a long way to go.
“Most of all, it was a semi-educated discussion on some of the areas we need to look at while trying to develop a new comprehensive plan for the county,” interim chairman Kent Becker said. “So, it was a start.”
The last time the county updated its comprehensive plan was in 2017 — before controversial wind farms began operating and before data centers became a concern nationwide.
County administrator Tina Spencer said that updating the plan would be a slow process.
“This typically takes several months up to a year,” she said. “We probably wouldn’t be going to the public within the next couple of months. Overall, this process is going to take probably 6 to 12 months.
“The whole purpose … was just to get everybody thinking together and talking together about what the future could be,” she said.
While many of the topics were addressed directly, some were not.
Blue-sky questions along the lines of “Where do you see the county in 2040?” and “What makes our community strong?” were not discussed because it “got addressed under all the others,” Becker said.
“Some of those were overlapping,” he said. “That’s why I stepped past them. I didn’t intentionally. I just thought, ‘Well, that’s been addressed.’”
An issue that laced through the discussion of county development, from housing and rising real estate prices to employment to entertainment is the flight of younger generations.
Becker pointed to community events, the county’s schools, and extracurricular activities as incentives for young people to stay and raise families here, but most can’t afford a down payment for a home.
“With the run-up in real estate values, what’s considered an affordable home nowadays? That’s an issue,” Becker said. “We don’t really have any control over that part other than trying to develop good paying jobs. And the next issue I see is that young people do not have down payments.
“They have adequate income to support a payment, but they cannot make a down payment,” he continued. “When you’re talking about an affordable home — that’s now in the $120,000 to $150,000 range. … That’s an issue that is a road block for young people coming up with a down payment.”
Some cities are already starting to create more housing opportunities.
Hillsboro will open a 24-unit development in August funded by Low-Income Housing Tax Credit and Kansas Affordable Housing Tax Credit with some federal money coming from HOME funds and National Housing Trust Fund. Mennonite Housing of Wichita is leading the development.
Built as duplexes, it will consist of eight two-bedroom units and 16 three-bedroom units.
“Income limits will be $44,240 for one person; $50,560 for two people; $56,880 for three people; and $63,200 for four people,” the Record reported in 2024.
Four two-bedroom duplexes were built on Forest St. in Marion within the last two years as well.
As much as county schools are a draw for younger generations, the council thinks there should be some consolidation to help cut costs.
“Half of the property tax paid in Marion County goes where? Fifty percent goes to the school districts,” Becker said. “A third of our budget goes to roads, and we’re left with the rest to run every other department.”
Consolidation would look like going from five school districts to three, with one superintendent overseeing them all, Becker said.
“I think that’s our only salvation,” commissioner Mike Beneke said. “Until then, our unified school districts will continue to bankrupt our county.”
Even though consolidation would help relieve tax pressure, it would eliminate teaching jobs, bus drivers would be cut, and buildings would have no use.
“I hate for any town to lose their school because it usually kills the town,” Becker said.
No actions were taken during the meeting, and the council didn’t state when the public would be able to voice their concerns.with applicable building requirements.