Elk Konnected Hand out at County Commissioners meeting on 4/25

[Ross]

Okay, I recieved a copy of their hand out that Elk Konnected gave the Kounty Kommisioners yesterday. I scanned it in to my computer and the format changed a bit but the wording has not. I copied and pasted here. What you see is what you get.
I did the best I could.

Community Conversation Committee Report

Purpose of committee: Analyze input comments from Elk County residents as to how wind
energy dollars should be invested.

This process was launched with a community meeting where community members presented
ideas for the expenditure of the income from the newly formed wind farm. At the community
conversation meeting, residents present at the meeting were asked to give their input in the
categories of "Ideas", "Big Ideas", and IITop Ideas". All residents present were divided into
small "round table" discussion groups in order to discuss and bring forward the ideas.

After the community conversation, a representative from each "round table" group was
assigned to be on a special committee. From there, the committee was assembled to take the
ideas and organize them. The committee meeting resulted in the following analysis of data.

The committee felt as if most all comment could be grouped into 1 of 6 primary categories.
Then after analyzing, the committee prioritized the 6 groups by group discussion and vote. The
6 categories, and order of priority, are:

1. Financial

2. Infrastructure/Utilities

3. Economic Development

4. Services

5. Education

6. Miscellaneous

After assigning every single comment from the community meeting into a certain category, the
data in each category was grouped into sub-topics (see appendix to review grouping). It should
be noted that several comments were "cross-over" comments, meaning that the committee
felt like the comment actually fell into more than one category, and therefore they analyzed it
in both categories when forming sub-topics.

Some of the sub-topics that garnered the most comments were as follows:

Financial category: 50% of the comments related to lowering taxes and 25% of the comments
related to paying off debt.

Infrastructure/Utilities: Slightly less than 50% of the comments related to road improvements
ranging from city streets to county roads and 20% of the comments related to community
improvements ranging from restoration/clean-up, to improving parks, to building community
centers.

Economic Development: Over 50% of comments related to the generic (as in no specific
details) topic of job creation and 20% related to assisted living &/or day care.

Services: Many different ideas fell into this category with a large majority of the comments
being "cross-over" ideas that also fell into Financial, Infrastructure/Utilities, or Economic
Development.

Education: The generic (as in no specific details) topic of schools/libraries garnered 50% of the
comments in this category

Committee's Conclusion of the data:

Focus should be on the first three categories of Financial, Infastructure/Utilities, and Economic
Development

In the Financial category: Lowering taxes will help with the creation of jobs and the act of
lowering taxes will benefit all residents that pay taxes. It will also create a more business
friendly environment. Paying off debt will also decrease the tax burden. It was also agreed that
banking a certain percentage of the income is needed.

In the Infrastructure/Utilities category: County roads are a must for improvements, as well as
city streets. Water and trash services are a key to fostering business growth. The committee
also felt that this is the best category to set long, medium and short term goals and that
prioritizing will be necessary in this category.

Economic Development: The committee realizes it is not the responsibility of local government
to create jobs, but rather, create a business friendly environment. Assisting and promoting
growth in existing businesses should be a key consideration. Because the comments relating to
assisted living and/or daycare came up so often (which these were also cross-over topics
mentioned in other categories), the committee feels that it is relevant to point out that this
could be a way to help with job creation. The committee felt that it was a valid consideration
that deserves its own separate action team, if decided to pursue this idea.

Services: Youth activities, assisted living, and daycare led the way with the greatest number of
comments. The committee expressed concern of government versus private industry in
creating these services. There was some discussion about how the government needs to help
grow these services, but without having the control and responsibility. Though not garnering a
lot of comments, the committee felt it was relevant to reiterate the importance of the
emergency services of ambulance and fire that serve all citizens of our county.

Education: The committee felt that ultimately, this is the school board's responsibility, but if
taxes are lowered, it may draw in more people that could afford to live within the county,
thereby having an impact on the school. The committee felt that the comments relating to
scholarships to help attract Elk County raised students back to Elk County did deserve some
consideration, and again, would need its own separate action team, if decided to pursue this
idea.

Miscellaneous: The committee decided that there were comments that did not fit into the
above mentioned categories and therefore these comments were listed as miscellaneous.

Side note: Without overlapping with federally subsidized programs, the committee was
surprised that more comments about the support of the agriculture industry in Elk County were
not mentioned. The committee felt like this topic does warrant more attention since this is the
primary industry in Elk County.

Appendix is attached with data breakdown of how the committee sorted all comments that
were generated from the community conversation.

Financial

Lower Taxes - 20 (Idea's)
Lower Taxes - 10 (Top 3 idea's)
Payoff Debt - 8 (Idea's)

Pay off Debt- 7 (Top 3 idea's)

Save the 1 st million for the future as a cushion - l(Idea's)
Bank 1st million - 2 (Big Idea's)

1 st million in bank - 3 (Top 3 idea's)
Matching Funds -1 (Idea's)

A fund for matching grant funds - 1 (Big Idea's)

Spend money all over the county not in just to towns - 1 (Idea's)
Spend it as an investment not as expenditure (Big Idea's)

Divide equally to all communities - 3 (Top 3 idea's)

County employee compensation - 2 (Idea's)

Infrastructure/UtiIitles
Improve Roads - 17 (Idea's)

Help cities improve streets - 2 (Idea's)
Funds for roads and bridges - 1 (Big Idea's)
Road Improvements - 10 (Top 3 idea's)
Infrastructure improvement - 3 (Idea's)
Water supply (Idea's)

Water - 2 (Top 3 idea's)

Rural water all over county - 2 (Big Idea's)

Clean up properties and restore buildings - 2 (Idea's)
Community Building -1 (Idea's)

Improving parks - community centers - 1 (Idea's)

Improvements in each community. Clean-up, repair roads and buildings etc. (Idea's)
Rebuild public squares in each community - 1 (Big Idea's)

Centralized community facility w/ transportation=Ig and sm meeting rms, commercial kitchen,
(cont.) fitness center, indoor pool, physical therapy (Moline Rodeo Grounds) (Big Idea's)
Funds for each community for improvements - 1 (Big Idea's)

Divide equally to all communities - 3 (Top 3 idea's)

Centrally located county fairgrounds with 1 fair - I (Big Idea's)
Courthouse Improvements - 2 (Idea's)

Safe Shelters - 2(Idea's)

Broadband initiative countywide - 2 (Big Idea's)
Build new jail- l(ldea's)

Transfer Station - 1 (Idea's)

Maintain and promote rail service - l(Idea's)
New ambulance - l(Idea's)

Sewer systems in small towns - 1 (Idea's)

Economic Development

Jobs -11 (Idea's)

Create Jobs - 10 (Top 3 idea's)

Create Jobs/ Bring in business - 6 (Big Idea's)
Assisted Living - 3 (Idea's)

Assisted Living - 2 (Big Idea's)

Assisted Living and Daycare - 4 (Top 3 idea's)
Community Wide day care facility - 1 (Big Idea's)
Tourism - 2 (Idea's)

Transfer Station - 1 (Idea's)

Golf Course - 1 (Idea's)

New swimming pool and golf course - 1 (Big Idea's)
Grocery store in Moline - 1 (Idea's)

Preserving Moline school- 1 (Idea's)

Land Purchase for possible population expansion (Idea's)
Clean-up and revitalize lakes and recreation sites - 1 (Big Idea's)

Historical preservation, Swinging Bridge and Elevator Museum - 1 (Big Idea's)
Rebuild public squares in each community - 1 (Big Idea's)

Airport - Heliport - 1 (Big Idea's)

Centralized community facility w/ transportation-Ig and sm meeting rms, commercial kitchen, fitness center, indoor pool,
(cont.) physical therapy (Moline Rodeo Grounds) (Big Idea's)

Improved/more housing (Big Idea's)

Certify/Train a group of local residents to work on wind mills - 1 (Top 3 idea's)

Services

Youth Facility - 9 (Idea's)

More $ invested for youth in each town - 1 (Big Idea's)
Invest in Youth Activities - 1 (Top 3 idea's)

Assisted Living - 3 (Idea's)
Assisted Living - 2 (Big Idea's)

Assisted Living and Daycare - 4 (Top 3 idea's)
Community Wide day care facility - 1 (Big Idea's)

Community Building -1 (Idea's)

Centralized community facility w/ transportation--lg and sm meeting rms, commercial kitchen, fitness center, indoor pool,
(cont.) physical therapy (Moline Rodeo Grounds) (Big Idea's)

Funds for each community for improvements - 1 (Big Idea's)

Improving parks - community centers - 1 (Idea's)

Improvements in each community. Clean-up, repair roads and buildings etc. (Idea's)
Countywide clean-up - 3 (Big Idea's)

Clean-up and revitalize lakes and recreation sites - 1 (Big Idea's)

Safe Shelters - 2(Idea's)

Broad brand initiative countywide - 2 (Big Idea's)
Libraries - 2 (Idea's)

Scholarships with the obligation to return after school- 2(Top 3 idea's)
Transportation for elderly and children - l(Idea's)

Transfer Station - 1 (Idea's)

Historical preservation, Swinging Bridge and Elevator Museum - 1 (Big Idea's)

Rec center w/\ indoor pool- 1 (Big Idea's)
New swimming pool and golf course - 1 (Big Idea's)
Professional golf course tournament - 1 (Top 3 idea's)

New ambulance - 1 (Idea's)

Food Services to elderly - l(Idea's)
Grocery store in Moline - 1 (Idea's)
More Tourist Attractions (Idea's)
Airport - Heliport - 1 (Big Idea's)

Centrally located county fairgrounds with 1 fair - 1 (Big Idea's)


Education

Schools - 5 (Idea's)
Libraries - 2 (Idea's)

Scholarships - 2 (Idea's)

Sponsor scholarships for trade within county - 1 (Big Idea's)
Scholarships with the obligation to return after school- 2(Top 3 idea's)
Enrich the education - 1 (Big Idea's)

More $ invested for youth in each town -1 (Big Idea's)

Be able to keep and reopen schools in small towns as population grows _ 1 (Big Idea's)

Miscellaneous

Drug Test before can get food stamps or welfare - 1 (Idea's)
Spend within our budget - l(Idea's)

Get engineer - 1 (Idea's)

Unified Gov't (w/in the county) to save money and become more unified (do away with city gov't, councils­
(cont.) all centrally located-one managing body) (Big Ideas's)

Invest in Stock Shares - 1 (Top 3 idea's)

Raise taxes on brushy residential land - 1 (Top 3 idea's)

[srkruzich]

WOW  Looks like the money is spent for the next 200 years.

[srkruzich]

You're right we got some high rollers thinking here.
After all Howard has an Elk Konnected health and exercise buisness and I here they are doing a bang up business with maybe 8 patrons. Perhaps if they build a multi-million dollar facility at the fair grounds they can get more people to come and pay a hundred bucks a month dues plus daily fees to use it. Indoor swimming pool and every thing.

You know, the only ideas that make fiscal sense in this is 1. pay off debt, 2. lower taxes drastically and make the government live off of a tightly controlled budget i.e. only necessary services that Government is supposed to provide, 3. let free market provide all other services that are not responsibility of government and invest in a infrastructure that along with reduced taxes would draw business into the county just for the low taxes.  

IF you could get jobs and low almost nonexistant taxs, you would see a growth in the county and everyones bottom line would go up.  
But it looks like the money much like pure brown heroin coming off the burrows back has gotten the folks dazed at the prospects of getting new toys to play with.
For Gods sake, a GOLF COURSE??  ROTFLMBO  i can see it now yelling FORE whilest the cows are scattered across the fairways.

BTW if the Golf course would be such a good investment don't anyone think that Denis Griffiths (of Jack Nicolas Properties) would be out here buying up the 1000 acres to develop the course?

[redcliffsw]

Well said there, Srkruzich.  And you've proven that one doesn't need a committee or an organization to think.

Best to you boys.  Stay right in there.

[W. Gray]

Back in 2007 under the Good Old Days section of this forum was a discussion of the Howard Golf Course.


http://www.cascity.com/howard/forum/index.php/topic,1963.0.html

[Patriot]

1925.  Of course, the county had a considerably different population & demographic profile then.

[srkruzich]

Not only that but it appears that it was a private corporation or entity that started it and maintained it through private membership fees and dues.  couldn't have been government funded as it was a restricted membership course.   
IF folks want a golf course then by all means start up a company to own it, and fund it through memberships and sales and the good ole fashioned way by earning it.  Not taking taxpayer monies. 

[Wilma]

Who says any of this money will go for a golf course?  Why don't you stick to real issues?  Like taxes and road improvement.  Our commissioners aren't going to put in a golf course until they fix the road so they won't get stuck getting to it.  A golf course?  Really!!!!

[Sarge]

I think the county should take some of the money and buy gold coins. I don't think dollars are going to be worth much if everything keeps going the way it is now.

[Ross]

They failed to print this whole thing in the newspaper.
Especially this part
"Unified Gov't (w/in the county) to save money and become more unified (do away with city gov't, councils­
(cont.) all centrally located-one managing body) (Big Ideas's)"