A Pratt County official said the county has reached an agreement in principle with the City of Sawyer and KGS to build a gas line from Sawyer’s existing substation to a new substation about four miles away, but legal paperwork, tariff changes and coordination with other cities and county road crews must come first.

Heather (County official) told the commission she met last week with the City of Sawyer, KGS and the Kansas Corporation Commission and that KGS “is amending the provision of gas services agreement, which is also known as a tariff, with the city and including the construction of the line in that agreement.” She said the county is waiting on legal documents from KGS and the mayor’s signature before a project timeline can be set.

The matter matters because ARPA/CSLFRF funds tied to the project carry conditions. Heather said the ARPA-related requirement means “there must be a tariff in place and essentially a provision of gas services agreement,” and that the grant paperwork contained “quite a lot of contingencies.” She added the parties discussed timing and the need to coordinate with Road and Bridge so county crews “know what’s going on in the ditch.”

County leaders also were told KGS was attempting to reach agreement with two other cities to reduce mobilization costs; Heather described that effort as helpful but said it was uncertain whether those talks would succeed. “That has been a long time coming, so that’s really good news,” she said of the agreement in principle with Sawyer.

Separately, Heather reported that representatives from the Cunningham School District and Kingman County joined officials in Topeka to press concerns about falling gas property valuations. She said there was no formal action taken at the state meeting but that local officials raised frustration about the impact of lower valuations on the tax and business climate.

Heather also urged commissioners and local stakeholders to attend a Kansas Department of Transportation local consultation meeting at Pratt Community College on Oct. 13, saying the consultation influences scoring for transportation funding and could affect projects such as a 54 bypass or passing lanes on Highway 61.

No formal vote or contract award was recorded at the commission meeting; Heather described the status as negotiation and document review pending signatures and tariff amendments.