Brown County commissioners review neighborhood revitalization maps, order clearer applicant checks

Brown County commissioners spent the bulk of their Jan. 1 meeting reviewing proposed Neighborhood Revitalization Program (NRP) maps and the list of parcels excluded from the county plan.

The county appraiser and staff presented the draft maps and noted several parcels that other municipalities have already excluded under their own NRP or development plans. Commissioner (Speaker 4) said the city of Seminole’s plan appears to include some properties on the county map, and commissioners asked staff to check exhibits (including exhibit e and exhibit g) and to confirm whether city exclusions still stand.

Commissioners agreed to ask the county attorney and to direct the county’s legal counsel to draft clarifying language if necessary so the county’s exhibit descriptions reflect their intent. Commissioner (Speaker 6) said the simplest path to restore parcels that were removed would be to have the county’s counsel prepare amendment language for the exhibit.

The board also directed staff to tighten the applicant process so prospective applicants do not pay fees and wait only to learn their property is ineligible. "We want a form letter that goes and says that we have accepted your letter and we'll be reviewing and we will get back to you," Commissioner (Speaker 6) said, adding later, "I wouldn't accept any money for it until we decided if it falls within or without." Staff agreed to begin issuing prompt acceptance/denial letters and to explore a hard-stop eligibility check in intake procedures.

To make eligibility checks easier, staff and commissioners asked the GIS team to develop a parcel layer that highlights the NRP boundary. "If we develop a layer for our GIS system that has that layer in it, it will be a lot easier for her or whoever to go to that," a staff member (Speaker 4) said; commissioners agreed that, when available, staff should use that layer to verify eligibility before accepting money or advancing applications.

The board asked staff to check with the cities of Horton and Sabetha regarding prior exclusions and to return with recommended amendments and the proposed GIS layer at a future meeting.