Developer seeks $44,000 in water-main support; council declines subsidy and approves sewer contract after tie

Local developer Gerhard Fast appeared at the Sept. 9 Hesston City Council meeting to request city participation in the West Embers II subdivision. Fast asked the city to pay up to $44,000 for water‑main installation and to apply the city's sales‑tax exemption to the for‑profit development to reduce costs. City Attorney J.T. Klaus responded that the city could not use its sales‑tax exemption for a for‑profit project and warned that gifting funds would create a precedent for future developers.

Clare Moore moved to give the developer $44,000; Susan Swartzendruber abstained and the motion failed for lack of a second. The council directed staff to draft a developer's agreement for consideration at the October meeting to define any potential city participation.

Separately, Preferred Builders (represented by Gerhard Fast) requested that the city waive payment, performance, statutory and maintenance bond requirements for a sanitary sewer extension contract—an action estimated in the discussion to save the city roughly $2,400 if waived. Council members discussed the protections bonds provide and noted that other bidders had included bonding costs. Clare Moore moved to waive the bonding requirement but the motion failed for lack of a second. Michael Wallace then moved to authorize the mayor to sign the sanitary sewer extension contract after the required bonds were submitted and reviewed by staff; Susan Swartzendruber seconded. Clare Moore and Larry Fuqua abstained, producing a 2‑2 split; Mayor David Kauffman cast the deciding vote in favor and the motion carried 3‑2.

What to watch next: Staff will present a draft developer agreement and any submitted easement vacation paperwork at the October council meeting. The meeting minutes record the council's direction but do not include details of any later developer agreement or final contract wording.