Residents urge county to act as Sunflower Electric maps 245 kV transmission line through Sherman County

A series of residents told the Sherman County Board of Commissioners on a public-comment agenda item that they oppose a proposed 245 kilovolt transmission line route through parts of the county and urged commissioners to engage early with the Kansas Corporation Commission.

The most persistent concerns focused on pole height and setbacks. A resident who attended an initial Sunflower Electric/Burns McDonald presentation said the developer described poles about 130–150 feet tall and said setbacks around 600 feet from residences; the resident said she believes setbacks should be about 1,300 feet and asked the board to consider wider buffers to protect farmsteads and families.

Why it matters: Commissioners heard that the line could intersect irrigated circles and farm operations, potentially creating conflicts with typical farm equipment heights (speakers noted 14 feet as a common clearance issue) and raising questions about who would be liable if a pole or tower failed or interfered with farming operations. One commenter estimated an adverse effect on property values (she referenced prior Farm Bureau figures and suggested value declines on the order of 10–30%), and residents worried that major footing depths for 150-foot poles could affect groundwater and the county aquifer.

Residents described local outreach they had already done. One resident reported collecting about 220 signatures opposing parts of one plotted route, and several speakers said the maps provided at the developer’s initial meeting used the company’s internal line numbers rather than county road identifiers, making it difficult for landowners to tell whether the route would affect their property. Multiple commenters urged the county to help landowners interpret maps or to host a locally focused meeting where developers present clearer maps and answer questions.

Calls for legal and regulatory help: Commissioners and residents discussed engaging outside counsel with utility and eminent-domain experience to identify options the county might have around setbacks, easements and the use of public-utility access easements in county and state right-of-way. Commissioners said they planned to contact an attorney previously used by the county to explore whether the county can require larger offsets or otherwise influence route location before any formal filings are made with the Kansas Corporation Commission; speakers noted that, at the time of the meeting, no formal KCC filings had been received by county staff.

Technical and safety questions remained unresolved. Residents pressed for details the developers had not supplied locally — for example, how deep footings for tall poles would be, whether installation could affect groundwater, whether future upgrades or additional stations would be added that might change the line’s function, and how access roads and maintenance would be managed. Commenters also said they were concerned about electromagnetic-field effects and whether latent safety risks to people or buried infrastructure had been fully addressed; at the developer meeting, residents reported being told there were no health risks, but residents said they wanted independent review and clearer documentation.

What commissioners said: Commissioners agreed to monitor KCC filings, asked staff to reach out to county counsel (the board referenced a local attorney in the record by first name) and said they would try to keep landowners informed. Several commissioners encouraged residents to share their concerns in writing and to coordinate so the county can present consolidated comments to the developer or KCC.

Next steps: Commissioners said they would contact outside counsel to assess legal options related to public-utility easements, setbacks and eminent domain and would notify residents if the county can take additional measures. Residents asked the board to help arrange another local meeting so more landowners can review clearer maps and ask technical questions in person.

Representative quote: “I don’t really feel like we’re here to prevent this line from going through, but I do have some concerns,” a resident told commissioners, summing up the tone of public comment and the community’s request for early county engagement.

The public-comment period on the transmission-line proposal closed at the end of the meeting; commissioners did not take formal action on the line at this session but said they would pursue legal advice and monitor KCC filings.