Goodland commission approves event permit, transformer purchase and authorizes KMEA negotiation

The Goodland City Commission voted unanimously to approve a temporary community event permit for Traditions, represented by Justin Stacer; to purchase a 2,500 kVA, three-phase substation transformer from Midwest Transformer for $109,985; and to authorize the Kansas Municipal Energy Agency (KMEA) to negotiate a fixed-price power product on the city's behalf at a price between $0.60 and $0.65 per kilowatt-hour.

Commissioner Redland moved to approve the Traditions event permit after the police chief told commissioners he had reviewed the proposal and recommended approval. A commissioner raised liability concerns if an attendee drove past barriers and caused a crash; the chair said liability generally rests with the driver if the organizer follows the city’s rules. "I'll make a motion to approve the application for the temporary community event permit with Traditions and Justin Stacer," Commissioner Redland said; the motion passed on a unanimous roll call.

Public power staff asked the commission to replace one of six remote substations. Director of Public Power Dustin Madore said staff sought funding to replace one transformer now and refurbish the removed unit for future use. Madore explained that Midwest's bid arrived earlier and at a lower price, and recommended award to Midwest. "We're looking at replacing one of the six remote subs in town," Madore said during his presentation. Commissioner Redland moved to approve the $109,985 purchase; the motion passed unanimously.

On a separate motion, staff outlined a KMEA proposal that would lock power purchases into multi‑year blocks to reduce exposure to daily market swings. Staff cited a previously quoted market level of about $0.58 per kilowatt-hour and said KMEA recommended authority to negotiate a contract that would lock a price between $0.60 and $0.65 per kilowatt-hour. "What they would like to have from the commission is authority or to authorize them to negotiate a contract on our behalf, and a locked in price between 60 and 65 dollars per kilowatt hour," staff said. Commissioners authorized negotiation and asked KMEA to return the formal contract for approval at the next meeting.

The commission conducted roll-call votes on each motion; recorded yes votes included Commissioners Myers, Redland, Howard, Artzer and Mayor Schwalter. No formal amendments were made to the motions. The actions will return as formal contract documents or permits for the city's files and any follow-up approvals required by staff.