Dr. Adam Katschke said in meetings he and County Building and Planning Administrator Cory Lytle have recently attended with Coyote Springs Investments and Western Elite, and after hearing some of the counter proposals both side have put forth, “What came out of all this is that the issues basically come down to money.”
He said, “Coyote Springs has a huge development agreement with Clark County. As soon as there are a certain number of houses built there, they have to pay for passing lanes to be put in at the U.S. 93 and I-15 interchange. “Frankly, it’s more than they want to pay,” he said, “and they think with increased truck traffic going to Western Elite, if they begin hauling Class I wastes, Western should also be responsible for some of that.”
Another idea that has been discussed, he said, is splitting the host fees, in that Western Elite would pay half the fee to Coyote Springs and the other half would go to the County Landfill Committee.
He said a new development agreement proposal has been prepared by Coyote Springs to be presented to the Planning Commission meeting April 9. “And Western Elite is totally in favor of it,” he added. “And after it goes to the Planning Commission, it is coming to us (County Commissioners).”
Katschke said Coyote Springs has also listed “some things they would like to have changed in the agreement, things they would like to have put in, and things they would like to have taken out.”
He noted one segment which they would like removed are some of the very expensive power development agreements, and another is “when they start building in Lincoln County they have to pay $250,000 to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department.” Coyote questions the reason for that Katschke said, “because the Sheriff’s department covers all of the county and those people up north don’t have to pay $250,000.”
Another proposed change is “changing the Lincoln County-Coyote Springs GID tax rate, currently at .9115 to .15, with the feeling that the GID doesn’t need all that money to operate right now and that it would go back up as soon as there is one resident in Coyote Springs.”
Katschke said the proposals he reviewed, “did not seem to be really out of line, and that it is definitely all negotiable. What we don’t want to do is to prevent Coyote Springs from ever building because it is too cost prohibitive.”
Commissioner Paul Donohue said the only way the County should reopen the development agreement “is if it is to our benefit,” and he did not believe the host fees should be split with Coyote. Commissioner Phillips stopped the discussion from going any further saying it was best saved for another time.
Considering on whether or not the development agreement should be reopened is likely to be on the agenda for the March 16 County Commission meeting. Lytle said they can certainly apply for the reopening, but that is no guarantee.
Katschke said Coyote Springs Investments would like to get some model homes out there eventually, “and if the price is right, it could be on the Lincoln County side and not the Clark County side.”
He said Coyote Springs Investments is not making much money, “but rather running in the red every month, and are looking for anything to help them substantiate why they need to build and how they can afford to build.”
Lytle said while the Planning Commission will hear the proposals and requests for change and additions, they are only an advisory group to the Board of County Commissioners who make the final decisions.
