Category: Sedgwick county government
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Sedgwick County keeps lease agreement secret
A few months ago in March, SMG, the company that is managing the Intrust Bank Arena (formerly known as the downtown Wichita arena) signed a lease with the Wichita Thunder Hockey team. Details of that lease weren’t made available to the public. Not to Sedgwick County Commissioners, either. So the public and even elected government…
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Sedgwick County industrial park presentation available
Last week’s meeting of the Board of Sedgwick County Commissioners featured a presentation by Chris Chronis, Chief Financial Officer for Sedgwick County. Now his presentation is available to the public.
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Lack of information clouds Sedgwick County industrial park plans
At yesterday’s meeting of the Board of Sedgwick County Commissioners, questions about a proposed industrial park development reveal that there’s still a long way to go before all issues are uncovered, much less understood. At the meeting, Chris Chronis, Chief Financial Officer for Sedgwick County, presented information and responded to questions. While Mr. Chronis was…
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Sedgwick County industrial park chasing uncertain industries
Sedgwick County is considering becoming a developer of an industrial park. The county is limiting itself to deals described as a “home run,” meaning a company that plans to hire more than 1,000 workers. The problem is that there are few of these deals each year. Maybe just five to eight. But Sedgwick County’s policy…
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Sedgwick County land development will harm private sector
As Sedgwick County considers whether to enter the industrial land development business, there are many considerations that must be weighed before proceeding. My greatest concern is the impact that government land development will have on the private sector in Wichita. … Government has advantages that the private sector doesn’t. It has access to free capital.…
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Sedgwick County needs to slow down, deliberate land purchase
Sedgwick County seems to be in a rush to make a huge decision that will have far-reaching and long-lasting effects on our county. We don’t have, however, anywhere near all the information we need to make this decision. We need to slow down and decide what role we want to have county government play in…
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Sedgwick County industrial park requires scrutiny
At Wednesday’s meeting of the Board of Sedgwick County Commissioners, a seemingly innocent item appeared on the meeting agenda. Titled simply “LAND PURCHASE CONTRACT — Presented by Chris Chronis, CFO” and accompanied by a recommendation to approve the contract, this item might have slipped public notice if not for Dion Lefler’s Wichita Eagle story the…
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I am now part of the system
At yesterday’s meeting of the Board of Sedgwick County Commissioners, my nomination to become a member of the county board of zoning appeals was approved. I received a handsome certificate and some recognition for my blogging and activism.
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Sedgwick County land purchase raises questions
Wichita Eagle newspaper stories from summer 2003 tell of the City of Bel Aire’s plans for an industrial park. Today Sedgwick County may purchase this land from the small city. This item, described on the agenda — at least I think this is the item — simply as “Land purchase contract” has assumed a sense…