City to annex six properties

The city council moved forward with plans to annex six properties adjacent to the city’s boundaries at Tuesday’s meeting, but left 21st Century Equipment out of the mix.

Land planned for annexation includes the new Love’s travel stop, which will be constructed south of the Holiday Inn, the White Bluffs Veterinary Hospital on 11th Ave., the Jensen family estate, located to the west of the Love’s site and Anderson Forrest Products just south of the city landfill. Both the Love’s company and the Jensen estate requested that their property be annexed into the city. Other property to be annexed include Verde Lane dam, just north of the veterinary hospital and the city land fill, which are both already owned by Sidney.

The council decided against annexing 21st Century Equipment, located on the east side of link 17J. The planning commission had already recommended against annexing this property.

The 21st Century building is hooked to city water and sewer, but Wheat Belt Public Power District supplies its electricity. When the building was constructed seven years ago, the company paid to extend the city water and sewer across the link road to its facility, but the city fronted the bill to upsize the utilities for future use, because of their proximity to the industrial park.

“It was actually quite a good partnership for both of us,” said Gary Dible, who represented 21st Century at the meeting.

When arguing his point against annexation, Dible stressed that no tax dollars were used in building his company’s facility or to fund the infrastructure surrounding it. Dible’s major concerns, if the city decided to annex the property included higher property taxes and maintenance of the gravel road south of the 21st Century property.

“It would be the only gravel street that the city has in that area,” he said.

He expressed worry that the city wouldn’t be able to keep up the road.

“Honestly, in my opinion, yes we can maintain the road just as well as the county has,” said Public Services Director John Hehnke.

None of the other properties surrounding 21st Century were put forth for annexation, Dible pointed out.

“It kind of looks like we’re being singled out,” he said.

Even though the state legislature recently decided to end the sales tax on agriculture parts, Dible believes that the state could reinstate this tax at any point and that additional city sales tax would hurt business in that case.

“Just to call a spade a spade, we’re feeling a little targeted,” he said.

City Manager Gary Person acknowledged that there were many areas outside the city limits currently served with city utilities, these include Anderson Forest Products, the Windy Meadows subdivision and the Sioux Army Depot.

The city also provides sanitation and landfill services to many areas of the county. All customers pay the same rates whether inside or outside boundaries. Maintenance is paid through fees, not tax dollars.

Councilman Mark Nienhueser said he was willing to defer adding this property to the city limits, as long as it was brought up for discussion at a later time, when any development occurs at the industrial park.

“My concern is that I look at this and from my perspective I guess, we have a commercial business that’s contiguous to city boundaries, that’s receiving city services and I guess my philosophy is that if you’re receiving city services then you should be expected to develop and maintain those city services,” said councilman Roger Gallaway.

All councilmen voted in favor of adding all properties up for annexation excluding 21st Century Equipment with the exception of Gallaway, who voted against.