The Linn County Commission is holding up approval of the Linn County Park budget pending information on installing electronically controlled gates at the entrance. (Journal file photo)
By Charlene Sims, info@linncountyjournal.com
MOUND CITY – The tentative 2025 budget for the Linn County Park was postponed again at the Monday, July 22, Linn County Commission meeting. Commission Chair Danny McCullough continues to want more information on putting up gates at the entrance to the park even though the other two commissioners voiced concerns about doing so.
The park budget of nearly $424,000, an increase of more than $13,100 increase from the 2024 budget, was first presented by Public Works Director Shaun West at the July 1 commission meeting.
McCullough asked West to come back with some number for the cost of gates. West did present the numbers on Monday, but more information was needed on the cost of installing electrical service to the gates.
On Monday, West presented the research that Linn County Park manager Sherri Loveland had found out about installing new software for reservations for camping and gates for the entrance.
West said that the “Firefly” reservation service would charge $3.50 per reservation and that cost could be passed on to the campers, which does increase their fee. He said that for credit card transactions, the lowest of three of their options were 2.9% per transaction, plus 10 cents for each transaction, plus $10 per month subscription – all of which could be passed on to the campers as well.
West gave an example that for a 50-amp full camper hookup costing $20 per night for four nights, the fee would increase $6.02 to the end user.
For the gate system, West said that the initial set up would be three cameras at $3,300, a 12 month subscription would run the county $1,342. The initial Cloud system set up would be $498. The total setup for the first year would be $5,140, and thereafter it would be $1,342 per year.
West said that the costs from the recommended supplier for the two gates, entrance and exit, would be $6,880 and shipping would be $565 for a total of $7,445 on the gates. This would make the first year $12,000 with the software $12,886. West said that since there was no internet near that location, the cost for the internet to be installed there and the monthly service costs for that was unknown.
“I’m definitely in favor of the gates. I’ve been pretty vocal about that,” said McCullough. “I would really like to see this going in. I think it would help us out a lot. I feel like we lose out on a lot of revenue because we don’t have nightly security. We don’t have you know all that stuff. I think it’s the right direction in my opinion.”
Commissioner Jason Hightower said, “I’m still on the fence about it. That’s $13,000 already coming out of there.”
“We just spent $300,000 on the lagoon that’s not making any money at all. I think this is an area we can gain some funds with,” said McCullough. “And it makes the workers’ job easier. It would be better for the park rather than having to go around and check campsites.
The lagoon was recently cleaned out and repaired. The maintenance had never been done since the lagoon was put in. Commissioners have talked about putting money back for maintenance of the lagoon in the future but have not specified a yearly amount.
West added that the gates had a two year warranty for parts only with no extension available after the two years.
“I’m in favor of the gates. I think it will help us move forward,” said McCullough.
McCullough said he did not think it was fair to the people who did pay for the facilities.
McCullough asked if West had heard anything from Evergy on questions about building a swimming area.
West said he had not heard back from them.
“How long will it take to get estimates for the trenching of the electric line and the Internet for the gates,” asked McCullough.
Hightower added, “At $5 a day just for the gates, we would have to have 1,489 people not pay to make up the charge of just putting in the gates. It would be the 1500th person before we would have. . . “
Commissioner Jim Johnson said 30 people per week.
“I know for a fact that people go in at night. There’s drug deals there. There’s all kind of stuff. The gates need to happen,” said McCullough. “We can either do it or we don’t. I want to do it. I think it’s huge. I think it’s for the safety of the worker. She doesn’t need to be going around to every single person’s truck and checking the tag.”
Johnson expressed his concern that they were putting money into something the county doesn’t even have a contract for.
“We’re actually putting money on a project that we don’t even have a lease,” said Johnson.
“We do have a lease, don’t we?” stated Hightower.
McCullough said yes the county did have a signed lease now.
West explained what the new lease allowed and went to look for a copy of it. The lease was signed in December 2022 and was dated through 2036.
While West was getting the document, McCullough asked about when the park budget was in the positive.
County Clerk David Lamb said that right now the park was in the positive $7,000.
McCullough asked if that included benefits.
Lamb said no we don’t.
“So are we really in the positive?” asked McCullough.
Lamb said, “I mean really at this point there is not one county department that does make any money. The sheriff’s office brings a lot of money in but there’s a lot of expense there. Solid waste brings some in but we’re just not a for profit business and we don’t make money on anything.”
“So we’re going to add more expense to it and that’s going to increase our revenue?” asked Hightower.
“I don’t know Jason that’s what I am asking you guys,” said McCullough.
McCullough said the county had no plan at all at the lake but the county goes out and spends $170,000 to dredge the lagoon.
Johnson said he did not want to vote on it until he had the numbers for the costs of installing the gates.
West pointed out that there was enough money in capital outlay so that the costs would not affect the park’s 2025 budget.
During a phone call with Linn County Park manager, Sheri Loveland, she said that McCullough had not talked with her about the gates.
She said, “Personally I don’t see the financial gain in putting the gates in. I don’t think there is that much theft of services in the park.”
Loveland said that people that live at the park permanently, including an employee, keep watch during the hours she is not there. She said she has not seen or heard about people coming in after hours. Several years ago, she became aware of a person doing that and they were told they had to leave and could not come into the park again.
As for drug deals, Loveland said that they were very strict about watching anything suspicious and nothing like that was going on.
When Loveland was asked about how the gates would function with families and groups that use the shelter houses for gatherings, she said that it would take a lot of work to try and enter the license numbers of all the cars attending a gathering.
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