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County staff report $50,000 KDHE septic grants, outlier $834,000 rural processing project permitted by right
Summary
Planning and inspection staff briefed commissioners on a rare $834,000 rural home-based processing facility funded largely by federal grants and on a $50,000 KDHE septic-repair award for low-income residents; staff also noted annual Pictometry flights and GIS licensing changes.
County planning and inspection staff described two notable items: an unusually large rural home-based business project with an $834,000 processing facility and a KDHE-funded program that awarded the county $50,000 to help residents repair failing septic systems.
"We had 1 that came in for $834,000," a county planner told the commission, describing a farm family expanding into a processing facility for washing, packaging and distributing produce. Staff said much of the construction cost is covered by federal grant money and that, under recent state legislation, the use qualified as a rural home-based business and therefore is permitted by right. "Those are permitted by right. We can't inflict any other zoning requirements," the planner said.
Staff also described a KDHE program that recently provided $50,000 to county sanitarians to fund septic upgrades for residents who meet income criteria. Officials cited an elderly homeowner with a 50-year-old failing system who has applied and will receive a complete replacement paid from the KDHE funds.
The commission also heard that the county signed a Pictometry aerial-imagery contract to begin annual flights (targeted March or April) and that Esri licensing changes have increased GIS costs.
Why it matters The outlier processing project represents an unusual economic-development case for the county and may affect inspections and future permitting. The KDHE septic funds directly help low-income homeowners with failing sanitation systems, addressing public-health and environmental concerns.
What happens next Planning staff said they will follow up on permitting and inspections for the processing facility and will pursue KDHE funding again next year for additional septic-repair cases.
