County staff asks KCC to coordinate $4 million plan to connect three towns to natural gas

Heather, a county staff member, told the Pratt County commissioners that she and the Municipal Utilities Association met with the Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) to clarify how a $4,000,000 appropriation could be used to connect Hartner, Sharon and Sawyer to a long-term natural gas supply. She said the KCC had originally structured the grant process as separate competitive applications but staff proposed a single request for proposals (RFP) with three parts so utilities could bid to serve all three communities.

Heather said the county asked the KCC to play a more active role than usual: select a consultant to perform a required rate study for all three cities, act as the payer of invoices so small towns would not have to handle large federal-ARPA disbursements, and then oversee a single RFP that each community could separately accept or reject. "It is critical for the economic viability of these communities to ensure that they have natural gas," Heather said, and she added, "They have no money to pay for it." She said the rate-study consultant must be selected and the studies completed before any of the $4,000,000 could be released.

Heather described a Plan B if the KCC declines these roles: the county would pursue a grant manager such as the Great Plains Development Authority and expect additional administrative costs and, for some towns, single-audit obligations tied to federal ARPA rules. She said Hartner already has a backup gas source for the coming winter, Sawyer faces a longer-term risk of running out, and Sharon also needs to be connected.

In the same update, Heather announced other statewide items of interest: the governor has directed that childcare licensing and background-check fees be paid for the remainder of the year (she noted this is likely until funding runs out), and Kansas has been allocated $451,000,000 from the federal BEAD broadband program. She advised local providers and officials to coordinate with incumbent carriers (she named Southcentral Telcom) before supporting outside applicants and said some local letters of support may be requested once applications open. Heather also noted ongoing local economic-development work, including a housing-study effort and connections to USDA Rural Development and the rural grocery initiative for value-added agricultural projects.

Heather closed by summarizing recent energy-transmission activity: the KCC approved feeder lines linked to the Grain Belt Express in nearby counties, and a larger contested corridor has sought a narrowed footprint from FERC after landowner concerns and legislative attention. "We want to narrow that down and be a little more specific so that we can make sure that we aren't causing consternation to landowners," Heather said.

The next steps on the gas project depend on whether the KCC accepts the county’s proposed approach; staff said they expect to hear back from the KCC leadership soon and would return with recommended actions if the KCC declines the proposed role.

The commission did not take formal action on the $4,000,000 grant during this meeting; Heather asked commissioners to be prepared to work cooperatively with cities and potential consultants if the KCC accepts the recommended approach.

The commissioners’ meeting record shows this update began with Heather’s remarks and concluded when commissioners shifted to the bridge and road items.