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John “Jack” Helin
(Articles are in reverse chronological order)
TAB 5
Helin wrote in his report that Basehor was not required to have its comprehensive plan "mimic"
that of Leavenworth County, as Garcia and Slaugh believed. "We told them that none of the
three counties we are in (Leavenworth, Wyandotte and Johnson) had anything to do with the
creation or approval of our comp plan - but apparently we were unconvincing."
Also, Helin said, Garcia and Slaugh stated that Basehor had informal agreements with Lansing
and Tonganoxie for future growth boundaries and that it was possible to have such agreements
with those cities because they're in Leavenworth County and Bonner Springs is in Wyandotte
County. The fact that Bonner is partly in Leavenworth County did not convince them, Helin said.
Helin said Kansas statute 12-2901 empowers local municipalities to make interlocal agreements.
The statute states it permits "local governmental units to make the most efficient use of their
powers by enabling them to cooperate with other localities, persons, associations and
corporations on a basis of mutual advantage and thereby to provide services and facilities in a
manner and pursuant to forms of governmental organization that will accord best with
geographic, economic, population and other factors influencing the needs and development of
local communities." "We're just trying to identify future growth areas," Helin said. "It really
only kind of impacts future planning for future infrastructure : You don't want to lay a water line
on one side of the road and then have the other guy lay one on the other side."
County backs Basehor
Chris Dunn, director of planning for Leavenworth County, backed up Garcia and Slaugh's
position. "The county is the one that sets the comprehensive-use plan," he said Tuesday, "as long
as it's rural." Furthermore, though he couldn't give a legal opinion, Dunn said, "I don't think
Basehor can give away responsibility for areas under our jurisdiction."
Dunn said the county spent a year in the process of devising its comprehensive plan and taking
public input on it, and if Bonner Springs city officials had a problem with the plan "they sure
forgot to tell the county about it." The comprehensive plan for Leavenworth shows Basehor's
growth area stretching just south of Kansas Highway 32 west of 142nd Street.
Bonner frustrations
"We were never invited to participate in their process," Helin said. "That's some of our
frustration: We're in Leavenworth County and we're treated like we don't exist."
Although Bonner's footprint in the county constitutes a small portion of it and the town is mostly
outside the county, "we should be treated like any other" town in it, Helin said. "I can tell you
Johnson County treated us" like its other cities, and invited Bonner to participate in its future
growth planning, despite the fact that the only part of Bonner Springs that is in Johnson County
is the industrial park east of Kansas Highway 7, just north of Shawnee.
On the ultimate consequences of Basehor's refusal to settle on an informal agreement for each
town's future growth boundary, Helin said, "it just sort of leaves it (future planning for the area)
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