By Lucky Kidd
BARTON COUNTY, Kan. — Barton County Commissioners Tuesday approved a conditional use permit to allow Performance Crop Research to expand their business at 526 SW 20 Avenue. Although it’s in an agriculture zoned area, an agriculture-related business requires a permit. The Barton County Planning Commission last month recommended approval of the permit covering an 80-acre site that would include office and shop buildings. The business has been located in the Airport area.
This is the first application of this kind since County Commissioners last spring adopted revised zoning regulations that allow uses such as this to be handled through a conditional use permit rather than having to go to the rezoning process.
The Commission Tuesday approved a resolution authorizing their continued participation for the next five years in the Rural Opportunity Zone Student Loan Repayment Program. This program provides up to a $15,000 benefit as a workforce development tool for eligible persons who establish domicile in Barton County. Many rural counties in Kansas take part in the ROZ program.
Ratification of professional and general liability insurance coverage for the Barton County Health Department was approved. The Kansas Association of Local Health Departments coordinated this coverage for their members, and the renewal of that policy, which was about to expire, came in late. With that, the billing had been approved prior to the meeting.
The Commission approved designation of official depositories, which for their purposes includes all of the banks having locations in Barton County along with the Kansas Municipal Investment Pool. The Commission also approved renewal of their memberships in the Kansas Association of Counties, National Association of Counties, and Kansas Natural Resource Coalition.
Action was tabled for two weeks on joining the League of Kansas Municipalities pending resolution of commission questions about services they would provide, and they voted against renewing membership in the Kansas Legislative Research Council, which they felt duplicated services of other entities they belong to.
