Goodland commission finds advisability of industrial revenue bond for proposed flour mill and bakery

The City Commission voted to approve Resolution 20 26-10, finding it advisable to proceed toward issuing a taxable industrial revenue bond to support the acquisition, construction and equipping of a proposed flour mill, bakery and wheat delivery system to be located in the City of Goodland.

City staff said the approval is an initial procedural step. “This is just the first part,” the city manager explained, adding that the developer (identified in staff comments as Grama Mill and Bakery) must pay for a cost-benefit analysis and that the ordinance to advance the bond process will include a public hearing at the commission’s June meeting. “They still have to complete a cost benefit analysis, which is paid for by the developer,” staff said.

Mayor Jason Showalter and the commission framed the vote as the city acting as a conduit — a standard local-government role in industrial revenue bond projects — and not as a direct subsidy. Staff said the city has acted in similar conduit roles for prior projects and emphasized that the next formal steps would include the developer-funded analysis and a separate ordinance and hearing in June.

Votes at a glance - Resolution 20 26-10 (advisability of issuing a taxable industrial revenue bond for a flour mill/bakery project): motion approved by roll call (clerk read member responses as Yes). The motion was made and seconded during the ordinances and resolutions portion of the meeting.

Why it matters: If the project proceeds, the revenue bond process would enable the developer to access financing with the city as conduit; the cost-benefit analysis and subsequent hearings are the next public steps where details and fiscal impacts will be reviewed.

Next steps: staff said a developer-funded cost-benefit analysis will be completed and the commission will hold a public hearing on an implementing ordinance at its June meeting.