Sedgwick County commissioners vote to withdraw from REAP

Sedgwick County no longer will participate in the Regional Economic Area Partnership, a consortium of cities and counties in south-central Kansas.

Commissioners voted 3-2 to sever ties with the group. Commissioners Tim Norton and Dave Unruh voted against doing so, saying there was value in working with other communities in the area on economic development, water resources, growth and other issues.

A majority of commissioners, however, disagreed.

“I don’t get anything out of REAP. I really don’t,” Commission Chairman Richard Ranzau said.

The newest commissioner, Jim Howell, a former state representative, said he attended many REAP meetings but wasn’t sure the group accomplished much more than holding meetings.

Unruh, who served as REAP’s chair the past two years, said the group “provides a great service to the region in bringing government leaders from our whole region together to discuss and talk about common problems and develop action plans, specifically the legislative agenda, to address our common, agreed-upon goals.”

Unruh noted that REAP convened meetings with the governor about water and is the grant recipient for funds from the federal Workforce Investment Act. REAP has its own water resources committee that puts on an annual regional water conference.

“REAP has a great deal of value, and I’m disappointed that my fellow commissioners couldn’t seem to realize that,” Unruh said.

Without the county, REAP has 27 members, a mix of cities and counties. Sedgwick County is not the first government agency to withdraw from the group. Butler and Sumner counties have cut ties to REAP in the past few years.

Keith Lawing, senior administrator for REAP, said the group’s board hasn’t had a chance to talk about the county’s decision. The item was not on the County Commission’s agenda, and even though they voted to sever ties, the commission will have to pass a formal resolution doing so.

“We’ve notified the REAP executive committee,” Lawing said. “I anticipate and fully believe the group will continue to exist and operate. It’s too bad Sedgwick County won’t be a member.”

The county already had paid its $35,852 dues to the group for this year. Ranzau said after the meeting that he will push for a prorated refund.

Commissioners also voted 3-2 to pass a resolution opposing a $1.5 million sustainable communities grant administered by REAP. The grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development was controversial among commissioners, with Ranzau repeatedly arguing it had ties to United Nations Agenda 21 and was an effort by the federal government to control local communities.

The resolution that commissioners passed, with Norton and Unruh voting against, stated the county was opposed to efforts to extend the grant beyond February and was opposed to any additional involvement in the grant.

It also said that no work product derived from the grant “be used to influence future county spending, planning or play a role in county policy decisions related to healthy communities, regional water plans, regional transportation plans, regional housing plans or any other plans and recommendations.”

The resolution also said that no public funds under the commission’s control be used to “implement, support, promote, advocate for or participate in any future effort related to the work product of said grant.”

This story was originally published February 4, 2015 at 11:33 AM with the headline "Sedgwick County commissioners vote to withdraw from REAP."