City issues request for proposals to demolish 320 N. Main

Published on July 09, 2025

320 N Main

At Tuesday’s meeting, the City Commission took the next step toward demolition of the old Dillon’s building at 320 N. Main.

The Commission approved issuing a request for proposals to demolish the building, which is owned by the City, with bids due at 10:30 a.m. July 31.

For years the City has been negotiating a reimbursement agreement with BNSF Railway for the demolition and cleanup of the property. Soil samples from the site were found in 2016 to be contaminated from a fuel spill in the adjacent railyard. By state and federal law, the contaminated soil must be cleaned up before the property can be redeveloped.

The City is nearing completion of the negotiations with BNSF and expects the Commission to consider the agreement at an upcoming meeting.  

Olympus Filters

The Commission approved an economic development grant for Olympus Filters, an industrial filter manufacturer leasing a facility in the Newton Industrial Park. Typically a new industry would request a tax abatement from the City, but because the company does not own its property, the City agreed to provide annual grants equal to the City’s assessed property taxes, up to $20,000, subject to the company’s continued operations.

Harvey County Economic Development Director Beth Shelton said the project includes a capital investment of about $875,000 and seven employees over 10 years.

2026 Budget

The Commission voted to notify the County Clerk that the City intends to exceed the Revenue Neutral Rate (RNR) in 2026. To remain revenue neutral and take in the same amount of revenue as in 2025, the City would need to lower its mill levy by 3.403 mills. Keeping the mill levy flat will allow the City to capture the additional revenue generated by the increase in assessed valuation.

The Commission will hold a public hearing on the RNR as well as the official 2026 budget hearing on Aug. 26.

In other action, the City Commission:

  1. Approved a grant agreement with the Kansas Department of Transportation, a construction contract with Dondlinger Construction, and an engineering contract with HNTB for reconstruction of Runway 8-26 at Newton City/County Airport.
  2. Approved an agreement with Olsson to develop a new 10-year Comprehensive Plan. The City’s last Comp Plan, ReNewton 2030, was developed in 2010, and the goals and objectives have generally been accomplished. The plan will focus on Newton’s future growth, especially land use, infrastructure, transportation, housing diversity, and urban design.
  3. Held a public hearing and levied special assessments for public infrastructure projects for Fox Ridge Addition and the First and Spencer traffic signal project.
  4. Approved issuing a request for qualifications for action planning services as part of the City’s Safe Streets for All (SS4A) grant.
  5. Approved an agreement with the Kansas State Historic Preservation Office for continuation of the City’s Certified Local Government status, which allows the City to perform state-level reviews administratively and through the Historic Preservation Commission.
  6. Approved a temporary alcohol permit for a fundraiser for ComfortCare Homes on July 20 at Sand Creek Event Center.

 

 

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