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

[Diane Amberg]

I know what you mean about that chicken and egg thing with labor and business. Do you think the little towns can continue to survive as they are? I like your area too, but I think I'm too old and spoiled now to handle the water problems. I'd rather live out in the country there than in town... or maybe next door to Toots!

[Ross]

You know Ross ,when you get right down to it, people like you shouldn't count! Or me either.

Diane that is just plain poppycock!

I pay my taxes in this county there for I count.
Your right about yourself --- you don't pay taxes here.
Therefore, it is my County Government and not your county government.

Now I did not mean that one little bit ugly. But it appeared to me you were saying I had no right to speak out about county government actions as being wasteful of taxpayers and being more or less directed by Elk Konnected, LLC for the benefit of just a small handful of county residents and not to the benefit of all taxpayers.

Plain and simple, no twisting of the words.

But that is how I see it, plain and simple.

My simple opinion and I have no obejections to others having their opinions.

I stand partially corrected by Patriot in his post second above yours. And I appreciate that.

And Hummpy I agree with you and I like your little town of Longton, too.

We all want what is best for Elk County and each and every person living here.
Not just the few.

[Diane Amberg]

My poppy cock comment had nothing to do with taxes or having a voice, but being in a different category of people and until I sold my part of the family property I did pay taxes out there. You have portable income that will go with you no matter where you choose to live. Employed people there who depend or their customers or jobs ,or want jobs are in a different situation, that's all. Not picking on you, honest.

[Ross]

You keep saying "a few people" this or that, but aren't they the back bone of your community? They  have invested the time and money to keep your communities going!

It's a weak back bone if it is. They appear to be only interested in themselves. Suggested by keeping things that should be public knowledge, seceret. Also by publishing letters written by themselves to themselves patting their selves on the back.

The back bone of this county is every person in it, unless they want to be abused or they want there county government to be abused. That my opinion. Also the word leadership is loosley used. Good leaders will leave it of to the people they work for, not lord it over them.

Are you assuming they all think as you do in all things?
Do you have some positive suggestions that could actually be implemented to grow the area?

No Diane I do not think any two people think alike. And if they think like I do, I pitty them, LOL.

No, Diane I have no suggestion for growth for this area. This is farm country with less than 3,000 people and very little housing.
I would guess there are plenty of that 3000 population are either retired or going to grade/middle/highschool and the rest work in Independence or Winfield. I know of at least two that work in Wichita. So where would you find any kind of work force in Elk County?
None of which is conducive to luring a large manufacturing company or a medium sized or even a small one here.
What does farm country look like to you?

I support the local merchants as much as possible.
I feel my money should stay at home.
So, I do contribute to the local economy.

But two years of great expenses for Economic Development has done absolutly nothing to change that Economic conditions in this county.
What does Our Economic Development have to offer. Nothing.
Oh, wait a minute they can steer you to other gov't agency's for help.
Just look on our County web site. nothing, zip. Unless something got put up there today.

But is what is going on Economic Development for the County or just a few? I think the later.

[Ross]

My poppy cock comment had nothing to do with taxes or having a voice, but being in a different category of people and until I sold my part of the family property I did pay taxes out there. You have portable income that will go with you no matter where you choose to live. Employed people there who depend or their customers or jobs ,or want jobs are in a different situation, that's all. Not picking on you, honest.

I wasn't offended Diane.
It's just that my finances have nothing to do with the politics in this county.
I have no plans of moving from here, much the same as all the other retired folks that live here.
My income is just as fixed as the oother retires in this county.
So my source of income is irrelevant, I hope you understand that.

So rest assured I was not offended, just pointing out that it does not apply.

[Janet Harrington]

 When we were out there for a week in 1996 for Grandma Dessie's funeral, we stayed at the Silver Bell as there was no place closer and had a hard time finding places in the area to eat because no one place was open every day. It wasn't very hospitable or convenient at all!  Howard didn't even have a drug store then.
   

Diane, I am only going to pick on this one part of your post. Howard has had a drug store for many, many years. I can tell you that I worked for Batson's Drug Store in 1977, 1978, and 1979. The drug store was here when I was in high school and well before that. I wish I could tell you how long it has been here. Anyway, to get to my point, when you were here in 1996, there certainly was a drugstore here. The same one, Batson's Drug Store. I don't know when Julie and Patrick Perkins took it over from John Batson, but it was here when you were here in 1996. I don't know why you didn't get to visit it. It is and was open Monday through Saturday. Could you maybe just have missed seeing it and visiting it?

[jprxmkt]

This thread is just like the soap opera I used to watch back in college.  You could stop watching for months then watch for 5 seconds and realized you haven't missed a thing!

"But two years of great expenses for Economic Development has done absolutly nothing to change that Economic conditions in this county.
What does Our Economic Development have to offer. Nothing.
Oh, wait a minute they can steer you to other gov't agency's for help."


Because of the Elk County Economic Development Department, this side of the county has a grocery store.  The economic Development department was a huge help in getting that ball rolling.  They gave me contacts I needed, people to talk to and ideas I hadn't thought of.  Quad county, another tax sucking entity (in your opionion) and Jack Newcombe were also very instrumental in the project.  Some may not think a grocery store in Howard helps the whole community.  I see it very differently.  Every business in Elk county helps the whole community in the sales tax that it collects.  !%  of all sales goes directly to the county for local services.  If that isn't Economic Development I don't know what is.  As far as you thinking you should know everything and everyone that the Econ Dev dept is working with. I disagree.  It is personal business when working on these types of endeavors.  Certainly not everyone else's business.  If they were handing out blank checks to anyone who wanted to start a business, then I would agree with you, but that is not happening.  They are simply giving people the tools they need.
You say you like this community the way it is but do you not see it is slipping away? Every year our population drops more and more.  New ideas are the only way we will be able to maintain the services were have now.  Trying and testing new options are critical at this point!

Do you have some positive suggestions that could actually be implemented to grow the area?
   

People who just complain about the problems are part of the problem.  They are certainly not offering any soutions.

[jprxmkt]

We moved back in 1995.  At that time we were open on Saturdays until noon.  After a my first child in 1997, the pharmacy was no longer open on Saturdays until we put in the grocery store in 2006.

[frawin]

Awesome response Julie.

[Ross]

People who just complain about the problems are part of the problem.  They are certainly not offering any soutions.

Since when is asking legitiment questions complaining?
Since when is asking legitiment questions, vile?

What solutions does Elk konnected, LLC have to offer.
I have yet to see Elk Konnected, LLC accomplish anything other then to ask for money,
from our county government and our school district,
so they can pay their dues to a Wichita County LLC.
That is simply exporting Elk County taxpayers dollars out of Elk County.
Isn't that economic development for Wichita County?
It sure doesn't bring money into Elk County,
but exports it to Wichita, County.

It appears to me that Elk Konnected, LLC does more complaining then anyone. They even mad it public.
Elk Konnected, LLC  in a round about way siad they didn't like it ,
that a couple of community's wanted to run their own affairs
and that is why they started up.
Isn't that complaining?

The problem's, I see being discussed on this thread is if our County Government believes in transparency and if Elk Konnected, LLC is running our County Government. There doesn't appear to be a line drawn between the two. But neither one, seem to want to enter into an honest, open dialog.

Elk Konnected is mandated by the people they pay dues to, to beg money, from our school district and our county government on a yearly basis. And two out of three Elk County Commissioners are Elk Konnected, LLC so Elk Konnected, LLC  won't be refused the money will they?

According to the attidue by at least one County Commissioners at a County Commissioners meeting,
apparently if a person doesn't volunteer to work for Elk Konnected, LLC
whatever good they do for any of our neighbors here in Elk County
and not advertised as doing it for Elk Konnected, LLC doesn't count.

Julie, I happen to like your store and I spend considerable money there.
and considerably more then what comes out of my wallet, I bring my medical insurance in with me almost every time, I walk through the door which pays 80%. And I happen to enjoy the service, I recieve and I lkie your employees. I really  wouldn't want to go anywhere else, I enjoy the neighborly atmosphere in your store.

But the pproblems people complain about should be addressed with something other than a County Commissioner changing the subject to, "I will Defend Elk Konnected, LLC", during a county commissioner's meeting.

Also, the only thing that our county commissioner could say was he had no clue what economic development is. Our tax paid employee said she was working on a secret project.
I have simply asked who authorized her to enter into a secret contract with anyone?

As I also said, the project she is working on and who she is working with is not a question of confidential information.  
The companies financial information would be confidential or secret, but no one appears to be asking that.
To say that  who and what she is working on issecret would be like saying your ownership of the drug store is secret or confidential information or the fact the Mr. Black owns one of the the Vetrinary Clinics in Howard or to say who own's the hardware store is secret.

By Economic Development just providing information on the county web site saying:
"This office is dedicated to improving the quality of life for the citizen of which can be found by a simple s of Elk County.  The focus of this office is to attract new business and retain existing business."     doesn't accomplish anything.

Listing the web pages of other agencies for business to go to for help, all of which can be found by a grade school student with a simple google search,      is doing nothing.

By telling people where to spend the night, where to buy groceries, where to buy fuel that's not economic development. That is just a simple courtesy.

Do we have so many business in Elk County that our economic development employee cann't make it around to all of them and introduce herself and explain what our county has to offer to help them with their business?
Two years and really nothing, except the present secret.

Do you pay your employees to keep secrets concerning your business secret from you?

If an employee of your's was not to be found with in the shop for a couple of hours while being paid and you asked them where they were, would you accept an answer of that's secret?

I don't think so?

Elk County Economic Development is an employee of all the taxpayers of Elk County.
Consequently, the taxpayers that pay the wages of the Elk County Government don't pay their employees to keeep secrets from them either.

There is absolutly no excuse for this type of secret. Who she is working with, (if she is really working with someone), and what the project is, (if there really is one) these are not a matters of confidetiallity.

Again, nobody is asking for confidential financial information.

Is it that Elk Konnected, LLC and our local government do not believe intransparency in government?

In my opinion, Our county government definitly needs change in much the same way our federal government needs change.

And I think or at least hope and pray that both change for the best. Governments that are leaner and more responsible to all of it's citizens and more conservative.