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HISTORY OF LINN VALLEY, KANSAS
This informational piece has been produced to provide the property owners
of Linn Valley Lakes and the Citizens of the City of Linn Valley an insight
as to the purpose of developing a city and the services that the City
of Linn Valley provides.
On November 23rd, 1998, at the request of the Property Owners
Association, the Linn County Commissioners voted to establish the City
of Linn Valley. Approximate population of Linn Valley at the time was
375 residents, of which 165 were registered voters. The Property Owners
Association established a petition, and 74 property owners signed the
petition requesting the incorporation of a city of the third class. The
first election of the Governing Body of the City of Linn Valley was held
and the newly elected officers were administered the Oath of office on
April 17. 1999. Officers elected were: Mayor- Bill Hardesty Council Members-
Ann Keffer, Jeanne Dwyer, Gordon Haggard, Ralph Fitch, and Susan Pease.
Employees appointed were:
City Clerk- Joyce Virgin, City Treasurer-Russ Ruth.
When establishing the ordinances, the council was guided
by the Property Owners Association Covenants -Restrictions and Bylaws.
To date, 83 Ordinances, 23 Resolutions and 4 Charter Ordinances have been
adopted by the City Council.
Prior to the cities existence, the Property Owners Association was hampered,
and in certain cases prohibited, from enforcing the Covenants and By-laws
of their association. The City, as authorized by the Kansas Statutes,
has the legal right to enforce ordinances while the Property Owners Association
has only two courses of action. They could request support of the Sheriff's
Department in criminal matters and in situations other than criminal they
could file civil charges in the District Court of Linn County. That process
takes time and was very costly to the Property Owners. Options open to
the City of Linn Valley have saved the association both money and time.
The city has brought about relatively short-term solutions to the community
problems needing to be addressed and corrected.
FIRE DEPARTMENT
Our City Fire Department is staffed by volunteers and operates under the
City's umbrella. The City Fire Department was adopted by the City Council
on October 14, 2002. There were 12 Volunteer Firefighters under the direction
of Fire Chief, Stan Giles. Prior to the development of the City of Linn
Valley, the Fire Department was funded solely by lot owner's contributions.
With the demand for better equipment and the projected residential growth
in the community, the future of the Volunteer Fire Department was in jeopardy.
As a result of the Cities adoption, the Fire Department was awarded a
$40,000 FEMA Grant for purchase of new equipment. The cities portion of
the matching grant was 5%. The current ISO classification # for Linn Valley
is a 9. In order to lower the classification # and decrease insurance
premiums for Linn Valley there are several improvements to be made. One
is the capability to pump 200 gallons of water per minute for 20 minutes.
The current water supply system available is incapable of supplying water
at that rate. Also, in order to lower the classification # to 8B, a total
of 6 firefighters need to respond to structure fires at all times. There
are several other ISO restrictions that need to be met in order to lower
the classification number. In checking with the County Fire Marshall,
the classification number varies throughout the county from an 8 to a
9. Most of the Class 8 cities are equipped with Fire hydrants systems.
FOR EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE FROM THE FIRE DEPARTMENT -
DIAL 911
POLICE DEPARTMENT
Prior to the incorporation of the city, the Property Owners Association
and the Linn County Sheriff furnished the security at Linn Valley. It
was noted that the P.O.A.'s patrol security and the guards on the gate
were not commissioned officers and did not have authority to arrest. The
Linn County Sheriffs Department provided protection for certain types
of offenses, such as D.U.I's. and felonies, but did not provide traffic
law enforcement or enforcement for violations of the P.O.A's covenants
and by-laws. In addition, the response time from the County Sheriff's
office was inconsistent. With the Incorporation of the City and the hiring
of Police Officers, the Property Owners Association has been relieved
of the dollars spent from the assessments for salary of the security at
Linn Valley.
The City Police Department was established on June 28th, 1999. Richard
George was hired as the first Police Chief for Linn Valley. The first
year of existence the Police Department was allowed roughly $20,000 for
expenses to include the salary of the Police Chief. Chief George was responsible
for initializing the formation of the Police Department and the policies
for the department, the establishment of animal control and assisting
in the adoption for the law enforcement ordinances. The first police car
was purchased from the Kansas Highway Patrol in the amount of $14,100.
Police Chief George resigned from duties on August 31, 2001.
On October 1st, 2001, Officer Lee Orr, of Mound City, was hired to replace Officer George. Police Chief Orr was instrumental in forming the Major Case Squad within the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department. He was previously employed for 24 years, as Master Detective, by the Kansas City Police Department. Police Chief Orr was responsible for recommending the city adopt the Uniform Public Codes for enforcement. It was also Police Chief Orr's recommendation for the city to pursue the enforcement of speed on Ullery Road, outside the gates. The second police car to be used for animal control was purchased, by the city, during Chief Orr's tenure. This car was a 1996 four door Jeep Cherokee, purchased for $6500. As of the year 2006, both police cars are still being used by the Linn Valley Police. Three reserve officers were hired under Police Chief Orr's supervision. Due to health problems, Chief Orr resigned from the Police Chief position on February 28, 2003.
On April 1, 2003, Jack Harris of Mound City, Kansas assumed
the duties of Police Chief. Police Chief Harris was retired from his duties
with the Johnson County Sheriffs Department. He was employed with the
department for 20 years. In August, of 2004, Officer Harris moved his
place of residency to Linn Valley.
In an effort to upgrade the abilities of the department, several grants
were received that provided funding for the upgraded equipment. Also,
donations of equipment from other area law enforcement agencies were received.
These donations and grant dollars were made, as a result, of the efforts
of Police Chief Harris. It is to be noted that there were no charges for
the Linn Valley taxpayers for this equipment. Chief Harris resigned from
his duties as Police Chief in December 2008. Officer John Burnett was
appointed to replace Chief Harris, in January of 2009.
A defibrillator was purchased for use, by the city personnel, in emergency situations. Two certification classes were held over a three- year period. CPR instructions were also included in the training sessions that were provided by qualified employees of St. Lukes Hospital in KC. In February of 2010, an additional defibrillator was donated to the City from St. Lukes Hospital. Mr. and Mrs. William Hunter supplied the new battery and electrodes for the new defibrillator.
In February of 2006, the city purchased a 2006 Chevrolet Impala, for use by the Police Department. The cost of the new police car was $19,317.13. In March of 2008 the City purchased a 2008 Ford Crown Vic. Utilizing a four year lease, the total cost to the City for the Crown Vic was $23,968.05. In addition, in June of 2009, the City Council approved the purchase of a 2008 Honda ATV. The purchase price of the ATV was $9,588.78.
The Police Department is located at the City Hall Office
Building at 22412 E. 2400 Road. City Halls daytime phone number is 913-757-2926.
In Case of EMERGENCY call 911.
BUILDING INSPECTIONS DEPARTMENT
With the adoption of the IBC Residential and Building Codes, the cities
building department was formed. Wally Hook was hired as a Part-time Building
Inspector for the City on May 21, 2001. Mr. Hook resigned from the position
of Building Inspector in October of 2007. Don Ritter was hired by the
council in November of 2007, to replace Inspector Hook.
Revenue generated by Inspections Department is as follows.
2001- From June thru December- $4,226.50
2002-$12,705
2003-$15,520
2004-$14,529
2005-$18,303
2006-$13,670
2007-$15,492
2008-$180477
2009-$12,477
Prior to the City, the Property Owners Association was responsible for the inspections of building in Linn Valley. With the growth pattern that Linn Valley is experiencing, it has become necessary to have some control over the construction stages. See General Information on this web site for a list of Contractors or contact City Hall. All qualified contractors must carry a commercial insurance policy to include products and completed operations liability, with limits of $500,000 in aggregate. Beginning September 1, 2001, no contractor can work in Linn Valley without a license. A $25 license fee, along with proof of insurance, is required to become a qualified licensed contractor. The ability to enforce this requirement is one of the reasons for developing the City. This requirement is crucial and provides protection for anyone (resident or non-resident) building in Linn Valley.
IN GENERAL CITY HISTORY INFORMATION
Following is the appraised valuation within the Linn Valley Lakes Development
in 1997 as per county records.
Improved Properties- $12,456,728
Unimproved Properties- 5,235,010
Personal Properties- 975,454
__________
TOTAL $18,667,192
On August 3, 2001, a group of citizens from Linn Valley
presented the County Clerk, a petition for a vote to determine the status
of the City of Linn Valley, Kansas. The vote was held on August 6, 2002.
According to Kansas Statute 15-111 and the opinion of the Kansas Attorney
General, in order to disband the city, a 2/3rds majority of the total
votes was required. There were a total of 386 votes cast.
FOR THE CITY- 216 VOTES
AGAINST THE CITY- 170 VOTES.
LINN VALLEY REMAINED A CITY OF THE THIRD CLASS.
Governing Body Members at the time of the recall vote were-
Mayor- Ralph Fitch- Council Members-Ann Keffer-Gordon Haggard-Jeanne Dwyer-Ralph
Wallace and Michele Coleman
On, March 3, 2004, due to the actions of a newly elected board, the City was requested to vacate the POA leased office building located at the entrance to Linn Valley. The City was given a ninety-day period to find another location for the City Hall. On June 14th, 2004, the City Hall Office Buildings were relocated to the current office building located at 2400 Road and 69 Highway.
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