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John “Jack” Helin
(Articles are in reverse chronological order)
TAB 5
The Chieftain (Bonner Springs, KS)
August 14, 2008
Bonner, Basehor Dispute Unresolved
Author: Jesse Truesdale
Tensions between Basehor and Bonner Springs over the future growth boundaries for each town
are still running high.
During the workshop before its regular meeting Monday evening, Bonner Springs City Manager
John Helin told the City Council he was "pretty disappointed" at the outcome of a July 31
meeting he and Mayor Clausie Smith attended with Basehor Mayor Chris Garcia and Basehor
City Administrator Carl Slaugh.
The meeting was to discuss Basehor's efforts to have some addresses in unincorporated
Leavenworth County that have Bonner Springs postal addresses be changed to Basehor
addresses, and the recent announcement by Basehor that it would not stick to an informal
agreement the two cities had struck in November. That agreement would have made Interstate 70
the boundary for Bonner Springs' northward future expansion and Basehor's southward
expansion.
"My head almost exploded," Helin said. "It was a very frustrating meeting." A basic point of
misunderstanding on Basehor's part, Helin said, was that "future growth just means responsible
planning. I pointed out it's not about annexation, but planning: My head's sore from that brick
wall I've been beating it against." Garcia has another take. "I don't know why the Bonner
Springs is asking the city of Basehor to make an agreement," Garcia said later. "It's not the city
of Basehor's land or growth area to give, and the decision should go through the Leavenworth
County commissioners."
Calls prompted request
Garcia said his city's request to the U.S. Postal Service was prompted by calls from residents at
the addresses in question. The callers, Garcia said, complained their insurance rates were higher
because their insurers considered them to be living in Wyandotte County because of their 66012
ZIP code.
Helin told the Bonner Springs Council that in addition to Basehor's refusal to negotiate an
agreement, Slaugh had the "chutzpah" to ask for Bonner's support of its address-change request.
The meeting ended with Slaugh and Garcia refusing an agreement of any kind to establish
Interstate 70 as a boundary for Bonner's northern and Basehor's southern growth areas.
Unconvincing argument
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