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Atchison County residents raise road, health concerns as commission discusses zoning and quarry plans
Summary
Public commenters urged the Atchison County Commission to consider how quarries and heavy truck traffic affect county roads and health; commissioners discussed options including forming a planning commission and a yearlong moratorium on certain land uses and set a public meeting for May 28 to hear residents.
Daniel Schlitzbaum, a resident, told the Atchison County Commission at its May 13 meeting that a proposed quarry could cause heavy wear on county roads and called for a per-ton “rock tax” on gravel removed from county quarries.
Schlitzbaum said much of the county’s quarry product leaves Atchison County and that heavy trucks — often “between 80 and 90,000 pounds” — accelerate road wear. He asked the commission to require quarry operators or townships that use county roads to contribute to road maintenance.
Commissioners and county staff replied that Kansas law limits counties’ power to create excise taxes. County Counselor Pat Henderson told the meeting the county cannot impose an excise tax under Kansas law and specifically cited K.S.A. 12-194 as a barrier to creating a per-ton excise tax on quarry products. County officials suggested negotiating agreements with quarry operators instead of attempting a tax.
The commission returned several times to zoning and land-use tools as potential ways to address long-term impacts from quarries, wind or solar projects and other large developments. Henderson presented two draft resolutions: one to establish a planning commission under Kansas law and another to adopt a temporary moratorium on certain land uses while a plan is prepared.
Commissioners and members of the public debated how narrowly to target any zoning or moratorium steps. Some commissioners said a narrowly focused approach aimed at specific large industrial uses would be less politically fraught than countywide zoning; others urged a broader, more transparent planning process. Several commissioners and residents said people in rural parts of the county view the word “zoning” negatively and emphasized the need for public education.
The board set a public evening meeting on May 28 at 7 p.m. in the Commission Room to present the planning and zoning discussion to the public, to explain the process and to collect feedback before asking for letters of interest or appointing members to a planning commission.
Ending: Commissioners encouraged residents concerned about quarry activity and road wear to attend the May 28 meeting and said staff would prepare materials describing possible planning, permitting and moratorium steps and the legal limits of county authority.
