Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Economic Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Sherman County Community Development defends loan work after business complaints
Summary
SCCD board chair Matt McKenzie reported 2025 development wins and ROI for Goodland, while a commissioner relayed business complaints about loan delays and a missing reimbursement; SCCD staff said a private grant ran out and invited affected businesses to board meetings for follow-up.
Matt McKenzie, chair of Sherman County Community Development (SCCD), told the Goodland City Commission that SCCD supported 10 business expansions or startups in 2025 and that Network Kansas loans and related activity brought about $1,079,000 in capital into the county.
"We helped 10 companies in 2025 either expand their businesses or establish new in the city or in the county," McKenzie said, citing outreach, business visits and tourism-related work such as a new mural map to attract visitors off the interstate.
A commissioner then relayed recent complaints from two local business owners who said they were told SCCD had no funding and that a promised reimbursement for $75,000 in equipment did not materialize. The commissioner said one owner had to take a private loan at higher interest after being told state grant dollars were unavailable.
Bert Mosier, SCCD staff, responded that there appears to have been a misunderstanding about which dollars were available. Mosier said a private donor — the Patterson Family Foundation — had been providing grant funds to augment Network Kansas loans but that the foundation ran out of money. "We got to October... we hear from Network Kansas that we're running out of money... We can't do it anymore," Mosier said, explaining SCCD’s limited ability to promise reimbursements when grant funding disappears.
McKenzie and Mosier invited business owners who experienced problems to attend SCCD board meetings or request one-on-one follow-up; McKenzie said the board meets on the second Wednesday of each month and offered to resend the ROI and loan documentation commissioners requested.
Patty, a board member and retired federal lender, acknowledged the loan process can be challenging and urged businesses and commissioners to work together to navigate it. Commissioners asked SCCD to make meeting dates and contact information more visible so business owners know how to raise concerns promptly.
What remains unresolved is the specific reimbursement promised to the business that purchased equipment; SCCD said the issue stems from exhausted private grant funds and offered to follow up with Network Kansas and impacted businesses.
Next steps: SCCD will resend previously provided documentation and follow up with Network Kansas and any business owners who ask for assistance.
