Setting the Levy
The Lathrop R-II School District sets its tax levy for this fiscal year || PAGE A6
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Thursday, August 22, 2024 | Plattsburg • Lathrop • Gower • Cameron | FREE |
“Covers Clinton County Like Dew”
CITY OF PLATTSBURG
Crews act fast to fix Plattsburg’s major water leak by brett adkison leader editor
A major leak in the City of Plattsburg’s water system had users boiling their water over the weekend and into this week. The city issued a boil
advisory on Friday, August 16, after finding a substantial break in the municipality’s 12-inch transmission line between the town and its water treatment plant in Trimble (approximately seven and a half miles
to the southwest). Crews with the City of Plattsburg Public Works Department and Decker Construction worked throughout the night to replace a 20-foot section of pipe that had failed. The repair was finished
Saturday morning, but not before the city’s standpipe water storage tank on the west side of town (Shaver Road and 116 Highway) was nearly emptied. Plattsburg City Administrator Steve Garrett said that the stand-
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pipe filled some throughout the day Saturday, and filled substantially overnight into Sunday as demand dropped. The city collected samples throughout town on Monday and sent them to the Department of Natural
Resources (DNR) Kansas City office for safety testing. DNR declared the samples safe the following day and the boil advisory was lifted. Between the size of the leak and its hardly-accessi||Continued on A2
CAMERON
City considers cost-cutting ahead of its big expenses by jamey honeycutt leader publisher
Concerns over how financial needs will be met were front and center during the budget discussion Monday night during the Cameron City Council meeting. City Manager Steve Rasmussen laid out a timeline for approving a budget on schedule and Councilman John Feighert III led questions and comments. He had serious concerns regarding the timeline and how much belt-tightening was needed in light of recent expense revelations. “We need to cut budgets, across the board (except police, fire and park board) by 10 percent,” said Feighert. Next, he questioned the need to shop financial fund advisors to get a better return for the city. Then he questioned city attorney Padraic Corcoran regarding the “dope tax” and the possibility of clawing more funds from those visiting the local marijuana dispensary. Unfortunately, Corcoran advised the councilor that the constitution prohibits additional taxation on marijuana. That line of questioning highlights the difficult times the city may experience as bills begin to come due on city hall renovations, crumbling infrastructure on Third Street and an approaching connection to the new water pipeline from American Water (St. Joseph). The stark reality had Councilman John Breckenridge, up in arms, as well. Breckenridge expressed concern that the parks department budget would be “insolvent” without a $120,000 annual transfer from the water department to cover the salaries of work-
Students throughout Clinton County return from summer break The 2024-2025 school year is officially underway, as local districts headed back to the classrooms earlier this week. The East Buchanan School District in Gower returned to session on Monday, August 19, while both Lathrop, Plattsburg and Cameron all returned on Tuesday, August 20. (Pictured) Tigers in the making! Students at Ellis Elementary hit the ground running on Tuesday morning as they returned to school from summer break. brett adkison | the clinton county leader
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CLINTON COUNTY
Change opens door to tax breaks for electric plant The proposed electric generation plant north of Lathrop could receive local tax abatements after Clinton County officials in the last week cleared a path for consideration through the county’s enhanced enterprise zone (EEZ).
The county’s EEZ board met last Thursday, August 15, and approved a recommendation for an amendment to the EEZ order to add fossil fuel electric power generation businesses to the list of eligible applicants. The Clinton County Commissioners approved the recommendation
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by brett adkison leader editor
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the following Tuesday. Associated Electric Cooperative Incorporated (AECI) plans to build a 900-megawatt electric generation plant on 288th Street west of Breckenridge Road, approximately two miles southwest of Turney (about four miles north of Lathrop). Last year, Clinton
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County approved a zoning change for the 94-acre property from agricultural use to heavy industrial. AECI provides energy to nearly a million homes and businesses in three states through more than 50 local cooperatives. The plant could be brought online sometime between
2026 and 2027. The EEZ—which includes specific rural areas around Lathrop, Plattsburg, Gower and the north central portions of Clinton County—was established in 2011 ahead of a proposed wind turbine installation in the northern section of the county. Clinton County later
Dept. Adds Rapid Response Truck
This Week’s Sheriff ’s Report
The Cameron Fire Department has a new took in its arsenal when responding to emergencies.
See which calls for service came through the Clinton County Sheriff ’s Dispatch for the previous week.
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went on to ban large-scale commercial wind and solar operations. Through the EEZ, eligible businesses could receive a maximum of a 70-percent tax abatement over a 10year period. Much of that depends on the number of jobs the project will create, ||Continued on A2
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VOL. 129, NO. 43