Business Prospects
I met with Gary Satter and Patti Deranek from Glacial Hills Small Business Development Program. They explained their services and offered to sponsor a 10-week training program about starting a new business. The program will cover financing, business plans, feasibility and break analyses, and many issues that one must take into account before beginning a business. RDA will co-sponsor the program at a site to be determined.

Two separate local residents asked questions about opening a small business. The clients asked about Women/Minority Owned Enterprise assistance. I provided some information and contact numbers. I will provide more information about RDA services and government programs.

The cost-benefit analysis for the Koch & Co. tax abatement is complete. Earlier, figures supplied by the Seneca City Clerk had indicated that the City of Seneca was losing money on the power it supplied to Koch & Co. After further review, we determined that Seneca does indeed profit from utility purchases made by Koch & Co. With the new information, we were able to complete the analysis. We will soon forward the information along with the application for abatement to the City of Seneca for review.

I am continuing to assist a potential manufacturing interest with locating and operating in either Brown or Nemaha County. I will meet with representatives from each county and develop proposals that we will present to the organization. The proposals will list information such as infrastructure capacity, land availability, tax incentives, available labor supply, and overall cost of living in each area.

A local business in Morrill inquired about business grants and/or low-interest loans. I will send some information to the business owners. I also briefly explained the CDBG Microloan program should the counties decide to apply for the program.

A local business was interested in USDA Rural Development’s Rural Business Enterprise Loans, which are 0% loans funneled through rural electric cooperatives. After being rejected by the Nemaha-Marshall Electric Co-op due to "territorial issues," I called Randy Snyder with USDA Rural Development in Iola. USDA Rural Development policies state that if an REA participates in the program, they must consider applications without regard to service area. Randy spoke with a representative of KEPCO (Kansas Electric Power Cooperative, Inc.), a statewide electric cooperative organization. KEPCO may be interested in taking on the project.

I completed the initial cost-benefit analysis for the new feed mill construction by Midwest Ag Services, LLC in rural Nemaha County. With this information, the organization and the county will have an idea of how each will benefit from a tax abatement to the company once the structure is completed.

Local Government Relations
Recently, the City of Waterville contacted RDA to inform them of a street project with which they were asking assistance. RDA provided assistance to the City in the process of hiring an engineer for the project.

I attended a public forum in the City of Hamlin regarding the construction of a public sewer system. Most of the residents are in favor of the project; but there are some objections. Galen Lay, architect for Bartlett and West Engineers, recommends not moving forward with the project unless an overwhelming majority of the population favors the project. The City will continue to discuss the issue. If they can reach a consensus, they will move forward with the project.

I attended the mass transportation meetings on August 1 and August 15, sponsored by the Kickapoo Tribe. I have been named to the planning executive committee on behalf of RDA. I offered some assistance with a planning grant application they are submitting to the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT).

I attended the July meeting of the Everest Housing Authority. I gave the members information on rent and income guidelines for projects that use Housing Tax Credits for financing. Shannon Scott, secretary/treasurer of the Authority, and I will meet with the Kansas Department of Commerce and Housing in early September to learn more about the Housing Tax Credits program.

On August 14, I attended the public hearing in Marshall County concerning the ADA grant. The commission approved the grant by a vote of 2-1. I finished the CDBG grant application and submitted the to Kansas Department of Commerce and Housing. We will hear about the award of CDBG grants in early December.

Marshall County voters rejected a measure to institute a ¼ cent sales tax to fund economic development.

The 22^nd District Juvenile Corrections Advisory Board learned that state funding for the District mentoring program was not renewed. While Steve Davies, President of JCAB, believes that they can find about $30,000 to keep the program through February, the future of the program remains unclear. JCAB had considered RDA, with Scott Huizenga as the administrative contact, as a replacement for Bobbi Korpi. However, JCAB and the Board of County Commissioners have decided to advertise for a separate full-time coordinator who will be a county employee.

Brown County appropriated $20,000 to RDA for FY 2001 with another $5000 available if needed.

I received a message from Susan Higley, mayor of Muscotah. She inquired about assistance for small city electric, water, and street programs. I referred her to the Atchison County Chamber of Commerce as well as Kansas Department of Commerce and Housing and USDA Rural Development. If requested, RDA can offer technical assistance on a fee basis.

Miscellaneous
Connie Steinlage has been taking digital photographs of local attractions and economic interests for use on NEKCRED.com as well as RDA’s web site, RDANEK.com. We will maintain a pictorial database of potential economic development sites for use in business recruitment and site selection.

Respectfully submitted,

Scott M. Huizenga
Executive Director