By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
The Hays city commission will meet this week for the first time since January 28. The work session and commission meeting earlier in February were cancelled due to a lack of agenda items.
The Feb. 18 work session agenda includes a request by developers of the new truck stop related to a delay in the project to be built at Interstate-70 Exit 157.
According to Collin Bielser, asst. city manager, the original start date for the D & J Land and Development Community Improvement District (CID) was April 1. That's when the CID was to have been effective and generating an additional 2% sales tax.
"The (new) ordinance will amend the development agreement, changing the start date of the CID sales tax from April 1st, 2021, to October 1st, 2021, for a 22-year sales tax collection that will reimburse their expenses," Bielser explained.
"This is due to COVID and other pandemic-related delays they've experienced."
Commissioners will also hear a review from Kim Rupp, finance director, and David Arteberry of Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, the city’s financial advisor, regarding the sale of General Obligation (GO) bonds related to the North Vine Corridor Improvement Project.
"This resolution authorizes the preparation and distribution of a bond sale of approximately $6.8 million over a 25-year period," Bielser said.
"It's to be paid from a 2 percent Transient Guest Tax (TGT). We're estimating the interest rate to be about 1.77 percent."
City commissioners will take action next month for final sale of the GO bonds.
Other agenda items include:
* Consideration of bids for eight new shade structures at the Bickle-Schmidt Sports Complex. The low bid of $451,280 is from Quality Structures Inc., Richmond, Kan., nearly $100,000 lower than the project estimate of $550,000. The maintenance-free structures would provide three times more shade area than what is currently at the sports complex. Funding would come from the city's share of the Ellis County 1/4 cent sales tax. Last fall, commissioners agreed to use the new sales tax for quality-of-life projects in Hays.
* Hear an annual report from NCK Technical College about activities at its Big Creek Technical Training Center housed at 101 South Main. The building is owned by the city.
Thursday's work session begins at 6:30 p.m. in Hays City Hall, 1507 Main.