Residents press Yates County to disclose Public Safety Facility Ad Hoc deliberations and possible referendum

Several residents told the Yates County Public Safety Committee on May 5 that they are frustrated at a lack of clear information about the Public Safety Facility Ad Hoc Committee and the project’s costs. Barbara Craig said she was unable to find minutes or reports from the ad hoc meetings and asked that the meetings be opened and that a citizens committee be formed so the public can "hear the deliberations" and understand why certain vendors were selected.

Legislator Patrick Killen said he would forward Craig’s request to the Ad Hoc Committee chair but cautioned that some security details may limit what can be shared. Doug Paddock, who provided an update on the Public Safety Facility Project, described the Ad Hoc Committee as advisory and said minutes exist in some form but that the county attorney will advise whether they should be published. "It is not that anyone is trying to hide anything," Paddock said, noting early materials presented there may be preliminary.

Jack Ossent, a resident who has researched permissive referendums, urged the committee to explain whether any planned bonding would allow a permissive referendum. Paddock and others responded that county finance law generally limits the circumstances in which referendums apply and that the county attorney vetted the relevant finance-law provisions. Paddock said the committee previously discussed multiple options and presented three primary figures: about $71 million, about $74 million and a schematic described as a $58 million construction cost. Jessica Mullins, the county administrator, was asked to review paydown versus bonding options to determine how much could be funded without issuing debt.

The Committee did not take formal action to change the ad hoc committee’s meeting status during this session; residents asked for clearer public communications and more detailed cost breakdowns as the schematic design phase moves forward.