By KALEY LYON klyon@dailynews.net

HDN: What is your stance on the proposed Ellis County wind farm projects? What benefits or concerns do you foresee?

DP: "As far as my stance on the wind farm, I am very much in favor of it. I think it's a coming thing.

"It seems like, reading the local newspaper, almost everyone wants a wind farm.

"Just recently there was an article in the Hays Daily again about counties in western Kansas forming a coalition to encourage or seek wind farms.

"And when I travel east to the Lincoln Smoky Hill wind farm, I think it's just a tremendous sight. I think it's just an asset to any county that can get them.

"From the economic standpoint, the $600,000 dollars a year, plus the 2 percent escalation clause every year thereafter would be a great benefit to Ellis County, possibly reduction of property taxes, whatever.

"Also in the process the wind farm people are willing to put $176,000 in an escrow account for decommissioning of the wind farm, whenever that happens.

"My question is when does a wind farm quit operating? When the wind quits blowing, and when does the wind quit blowing in Kansas?

"They also want to blacktop seven or eight miles of the Golf Course road for us. I'm not sure, but I'm guessing that would be in the neighborhood of $200,000 a mile, which again is a great asset for Ellis County.

"So that pretty well is my stance on the wind farm."

When the wind farm came before county commissioners last September, Pfannenstiel voted in favor of the issuing the conditional use permit.

What are your thoughts on the current county-wide zoning process?

DP: "As far as county-wide zoning, basically I think we definitely need county-wide zoning. When I first ran for county commission eight years ago, I basically ran being opposed to zoning.

"All of the things that have transpired over the years changed my mind, and I think there's definitely a need for Ellis County's county-wide zoning and I think it can work.

"There's been some people opposed, and one of the things that they're saying, the only reason we implemented this was to get the wind farm in place, which is the complete opposite.

"Without county-wide zoning, this wind farm would probably be in operation already.

"And if you recall, shortly before we implemented county-wide zoning, we had a moratorium in place.

"If we wouldn't have had that moratorium in place at that time, we would probably have a landfill seven, eight, nine miles north of Hays. At that time I remember we had a planning room standing-only crowd voicing their opposition to this landfill.

"Without the moratorium in place, we'd also probably have a landfill many people were very opposed to. I think we definitely need county-wide zoning.

"County-wide zoning does not affect the agricultural, the farmer. Agriculture is exempt totally. I think the only exception in the agriculture part is if there's a setback from the county roads if they want to put up a building of some sort.

"Other than that, it has no affect on agriculture. I definitely do think we have a need for it."

HDN: Any changes you would propose?

DP: "As far as for the changes, we've had open meetings of the planning commission. There have been many changes proposed.

"Some changes good, some I don't think are as good, but the planning commission took this under advisement and most of it they have passed, and are going to give the county commissioners.

"Their recommendation is to approve it. I've attended most of those meetings and I am in favor of most of the changes."

HDN: What do you perceive the relationship between the county commission and the planning commission to be?

DP: "Definitely, I think we have a good planning commission in place. I've been to most of the meetings and I think we have, or can have, a good working relation with the planning commission.

"And that's what their job is, to go through these permits that are asked for, and that they make their decision and recommendation or opposition to the commission."

HDN: What are your thoughts on the space needs issue and the proposed Hadley Center relocation?

DP: "I've been on the commission almost eight years now. And the space needs problem or concern surfaced at that time, and probably prior to my being on the county commission. I definitely think we need to make a move.

"I think the Hadley Center is a very good project, and yes, I believe some of our existing administrative offices are a bit overcrowded.

"But my reasoning for the move would be to make room for an additional courtroom. We have no jury rooms, we have no rooms at the courthouse at this time for attorney/client privileges.

"Many times we walk through the courthouse at meetings on Mondays, and we see prisoners being brought through the courthouse, which is not a safe environment.

"We definitely need to do more to secure our local courthouse. And with the administrative offices in there, every person has access to the courthouse at this time. "By moving these administrative offices to Hadley Center, we could do a much better job of securing the courthouse.

"I know there is some opposition out there about it. Some of the concerns I have with it, one of them is basically we're leasing office space across the street from the courthouse from Mr. Schibi at a tune of $18,000 a year.

"By moving court services from that office to the courthouse, we can save basically $18,000 dollars.

"We also have an added deputy placed at that location now for security reasons, which possibly could be eliminated should we make the move to Hadley."

HDN: How do you view relations between Ellis County and the communities within? Do you believe anything could be done to improve city/county relations?

"I think over the past years, we've had a fairly good working relation with the city of Hays and also Victoria and Ellis, Schoenchen.

"I know we've assisted the city of Ellis and also Victoria in working on their streets and mutual aid. I mean, they need help.

"We visited with the Ellis Council and Vernon also has been to the Victoria Council and if the need arises to do street maintenance, many times the city of Ellis or Victoria furnishes the materials, and we use our county road crew and equipment to do the actual working for the repairing of the streets.

"With the city of Hays, we've met basically semi-annually with the City of Hays in trying to get projects going which would benefit both the city and the county.

"As far as improvement we have just put in a new dispatch center, which has definitely helped the dispatching.

"Ellis County owns the dispatching equipment and we give the City of Hays the space, and the City of Hays employees are the ones that man the dispatch center. So I think we're working real well in that aspect.

"One thing I would like to see, and I know I visited briefly with the former mayor about the existing army reserve center, and possibly, if the move would be made to the Hadley Center, that we could relocate the senior citizens into the existing army reserve building.

"And that's one of the things I would like to bring up at our next city/county planning meeting."

HDN: With taxes on the rise from last year to this year, and local property values also increasing, how does this affect the local budget? What are your thoughts about the current finance formula?

DP: "With the increase of the price of oil, it's definitely going to put more money into our coffers.

"During budget sessions, many of the agencies who have presented their budget to us showed a very slight or null increase with the exception of the increase in salaries, or personal services.

"So all in all, I think by looking at the budget, I think we're not going to see the drastic increase that a lot of people are maybe expecting.

"With the increase in the oil, we may, or at least I would like to see the mill levy increase as little as possible. And hopefully by the increase in oil and things, that we can keep that low.

"As far as the Ellis County mill levy... We are basically one of the lowest. I think there's five counties, which are larger in population than us that have a mill levy slightly lower than ours.

"You look at the mill levy, I don't care if it's Rooks, Trego, Russell, Rush county, it's probably double or more what Ellis County's mill levy is.

"I think in the past we've done a pretty remarkable job of keeping the mill levy as low as we can possibly set it and still do the services and things the citizens of Ellis County are in need of."

HDN: Should the mill levy be reduced to compensate for increased valuation?

"I'm in favor of reducing the mill levy if at all possible, but still when we look at the increase in the price of our fuel and gasoline for our road and bridge department, our sheriff's department, our EMS department, it may be impossible to do it and still give the services to the citizens of Ellis County that they deserve.

"I'm definitely in favor of reducing it if at all possible.

"But I don't like to see one year making a drastic reduction to the mill levy and the next year do a drastic increase. In other words, say we reduce five percent this year and next year we end up having to raise it 10 percent.

"I'm not in favor of anything like that. But if we can keep it with a 1 or 2 mill increase or decrease, I think it's better for everybody involved."

HDN: Why did you decide to run for office?

DP: "The reason I decided to run for office again, I definitely think there are projects that have been started in my term of office and I would definitely like to see those completed.

"Basically, one, the Hadley Center, the wind farm. Those two I would definitely like to see through.

"And I'm a retired person. I have, not ample time, but enough time to do the job that I think I need to do.

"Anybody who decides they want to take this job, and think it's a part-time job, it may sound like it's part-time, but it's basically a full-time commitment.

"As far as meetings, if you want to do the job correctly, you could probably go to a meeting every day. There's days I have two or three meetings.

"Anybody that thinks this is a pud job, I'd have to disagree with them. To do the job correctly, you've got to commit a lot of time.

"And as one of my opponents came out in the paper a couple weeks ago, there's more to being a county commissioner than taking care of county roads and bridges and spraying weeds."

HDN: Any other issue you would like to address?

DP: "I would just like to talk about some of the accomplishments I think we've made in the past.

"In my past two terms, some of the accomplishments I think we have made is at the fairgrounds, connecting the two buildings.

"And thus creating very good meeting places for large groups, which has been witnessed by the Shrine Bowl and also the Knights of Columbus convention over the past years.

"I think we have done a remarkable job as far as getting the RPM raceway underway. It was a large undertaking, which there again our county crews did a lot of work to make this happen.

"We had tremendous support by our fair board. They've done a remarkable job in getting both the race track and also the fair buildings operational.

"Also I think another thing that has happened with the new dispatch that was moved into the former EOC room, again I think working with the city, their dispatch people.

"I think we have one of the best or almost the best dispatch center in the state. There's some comparable, but I think we have one of the best.

"I think the addition of the two emergency dispatches at Fort Hays State was a great help to the citizens of Ellis County in case of an emergency.

"We also helped the town of Munjor getting their grant for re-construction of their existing sewer system. I think that was a help to another small community.

"That's just some of the things that have taken place since I've been in office."