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CITY OF GARDEN CITY, KANSAS

General Information

Location and Size

Garden City, Kansas, is located near the center of the world's largest winter wheat producing area, 75 miles east of the Colorado State line and 200 miles west of Wichita, Kansas. The City encompasses 8.25 square miles of land in Finney County, Kansas. With a current population of approximately 28,500, the City continues to grow and prosper.

Government

The City of Garden City was incorporated in 1883 and became a city of the first class in 1974. The City operates under a Commission-Manager form of government with commissioners having staggered terms. The Mayor is elected to a one-year term by the Commissioners. The five members of the City Commission are elected to overlapping four-year terms of office. An election for City Commissioners is held every odd-numbered year.i

The City Manager is appointed by the Mayor and City Commission as the chief administrative officer of the City and is charged with the efficient and effective administration of the City. The following tables list the principal elected and appointed officials of the City.

Elected Officials

Name	Title	Commission Term Expires
Reynaldo R. Mesa	Mayor	April, 2005
Tommy Austin	Commissioner	April, 2005
Gary Fuller	Commissioner	April, 2007
Juana Perkins	Commissioner	April, 2007
Jeff Whitham	Commissioner	April, 2005

Appointed Officials

Name	Title
Robert M. Halloran	City Manager
Matt Allen	Assistant City Manager
Melinda A. Hitz	Finance Director
Randall Grisell	City Attorney
Gus Esquivel	Aviation Director
Daniel Baffa	Park and Zoo Director
James Berry	Human Resource Director
Bob Bluml	Golf Course Superintendent
Mark Eisenbarth	Water/Wastewater Superintendent
Steve F. Cottrell	City Engineer
Cliff Sonnenberg	Electric Superintendent
Sam Curran	Street/Solid Waste Superintendent
James F. Hahn	Cemetery Sexton
John Washington	Recreation Commission Director
Patrice Vagher	Housing Authority Director
James Neblett	Planning and Development Director
James Hawkins	Chief of Police
Allen Shelton	Fire Chief
Jean Payne	City Clerk

Population

The City of Garden City is the fastest growing city in the western half of Kansas and its population has increased from 14,709 in 1970 to 28,500 in 1996. Much of this growth occurred during the early 1980s and 1990s. The 1970 U.S. Census of population for Garden City indicated there were 14,709 persons residing in the corporate limits. By 1980, this had increased 24% to 18,246 persons or an average of 2.4% per year. According to 1990 U.S. Census statistics, the population increased 33% to 24,318 persons, or an average of 3.3% per year. The median age in Garden City is 27.7 years. The 1990 Census also indicated a total of 8,072 total housing units with an average of 2.93 persons per household.

The City's and County's historic and projected population trends are shown in the following tables:

Based on the U.S Census for 2000 Garden City's overall population is 28,451 and is divided out in the following categories:

Sex

Male	Female
14,403	14,048

Race

Race	Population
One race	27,674
White	19,574
Black or African American	425
American Indian & Alaskan Native	301
Asian	1,009
Asian Indian	29
Chinese	23
Filipino	18
Japanese	7
Korean	28
Vietnamese	704
Other Asian	200
Native Hawaiian & other Pacific Islander	27
Grammarian or Camorra	21
Native Hawaiian	1
Samoan	2
Other Pacific Islander	3
Other Race	6,338
Two or More Race	777

Source: U.S. Census Bureau 2000

Income

Garden City is located in Finney County, Kansas. The following tables provide statistical information for Finney County and Kansas.

Income in 1999	Population	%
Households	12,987	100.0
Less than $10,000	965	7.4
$10,000 to $14,999	797	6.1
$15,000 to $24,999	2,134	16.4
$25,000 to $34,999	1,961	15.1
$35,000 to $49,999	2,638	20.3
$50,000 to $74,999	2,628	20.2
$75,000 to $99,999	1,093	8.4
$100,000 to $149,999	459	3.5
$150,000 to $199,999	141	1.1
$200,000 or more	171	1.3

Families	9,883	100.0
Less than $10,000	491	5.0
$10,000 to $14,999	362	3.7
$15,000 to $24,999	1,498	15.2
$25,000 to $34,999	1,496	15.1
$35,000 to $49,999	2,113	21.4
$50,000 to $74,999	2,276	23.0
$75,000 to $99,999	985	10.0
$100,000 to $149,999	397	4.0
$150,000 to $199,999	118	1.2
$200,000 or more	147	1.5

Construction

Garden City formally adopted an updated general plan in May of 1994. The purpose of the general plan is to provide guidelines for decision makers in regard to community values, ideals and aspirations about the best management of the natural and built environments. The plan describes actions to take to achieve the City's view of its desired future. It establishes policies and programs which address natural resources, land use, housing, economic development and public infrastructure to manage community changes facing the City. The current five-year Capital Improvement Program (CIP) calls for expenditure of approximately $29,999,680 from 1998 to 2002. It is anticipated that bond issues and grant awards will finance approximately 58% of the expenditures and the remainder will come from other available funding sources, if and when available.

Industry

The City of Garden City, in conjunction with the Garden City Area Chamber of Commerce, has established an economic development program. A director is employed to promote industrial and commercial growth in Garden City and Finney County. (1989 was the first year for this program.) Garden City has 5 business parks located in or around the City that provide ample space for business and industrial type development. Since 1972, the City has issued 32 industrial revenue bond issues for a total amount of approximately $386,318,000. This debt is secured by leases from the third parties and the City has no obligation to repay the debt.

Economic Activity

The City's economic activity is divided between supply and maintenance activities for agriculture and beef production for western Kansas, and commercial and supply activities for the natural gas and petroleum industries in a large surrounding area. In 1995, Finney County had the largest number of cattle on feed of the 105 Kansas counties and was the third largest corn for grain producer with a production of over 12,920,000 bushels. The County is a large producer of sorghum grains, sorghum for silage, wheat for grain, corn for silage and is ranked first in the production of alfalfa hay. It is estimated that the County has more area under irrigation (over 300,000 acres) than any other county in the state. In 1995, Finney County had approximately 520 farms totaling approximately 750,000 acres with estimated value of field crops of $93,392,900 and estimated value of livestock and poultry production of $111,466,000.

Because Finney County has excellent cattle feed production and beef cattle production, Iowa Beef Processors, Inc., located the largest beef processing plant in the world, at a cost in excess of $164,000,000, just eight miles west of Garden City; and Monfort, Inc., with a plant value of $90,000,000, located two miles east of the City. Both Iowa Beef Processors, Inc. and Monfort, Inc. have continued to expand their facilities in recent years. Iowa Beef Processors' and Monfort's locating in Finney County led to supporting industries which have built new plants. Two of these are Inland Container Corporation, a Temple Inland, Temple, Texas, subsidiary, manufacturers of packing and shipping containers, and Freezer Services, Inc., a large freezing and cold storage plant.

The commercial and industrial growth of the area is greatly responsible for Garden City and its environs recently having one of the highest percentage of population growths in the State. This growth was the reason for Sunflower Electric Cooperative (a generating cooperative made up of distribution cooperatives) to locate its $460,000,000 coal-fired generating plant seven miles west of Garden City. The Cooperative spent in excess of $100,000,000 for pollution control equipment alone to maintain a clean air environment. This plant has been on line since 1983.

In 1996, the City was a recipient of a Community Development Award presented by the Kansas Department of Commerce to six entities across the state. The criteria is the promotion of the economic aspects of Garden City.

Major Employers

Garden City offers an excellent working environment for industrial, office and retail firms. Hundreds of small and medium-sized businesses are located in the City. Some of the major employers are presented in the following table:

Business	Product	Approximate No. of Employees
Iowa Beef Processors, Inc.	Beef products	2,800
Monfort, Inc.	Beef products	1,800
Unified School District No. 457	Public school system	1,100
St. Catherine Hospital	Hospital	500
Dillons Stores	Grocery	347
Wal-Mart	Retail shopping center	260
Finney County	County government	250
City of Garden City	City Government	241
Wheat Lands Corp.	Motels & restaurants	192
Brookover, Inc.	Feedyards & country club	190
Southwest Developmental Services, Inc.	Social services	189
Sunflower Electric Power Corp.	Utilities	185
Garden City Community College	Community college	185
Garden Valley Retirement Village	Nursing & assisted living	160
Garden Medical Clinic	Family medical services	152
Target Store	Retail shopping center	130
U.S.D. No. 363 - Holcomb	Public school system	110
Social Rehabilitation Services	Social services	105
McDonalds Restaurants	Fast food	100
Garden City Co-op	Agri products & services	100
United Building Center	Building supplies	86
Garden City Plaza Inn	Hotel and restaurant	85
Heyco/Oswalt Livestock Systems	Equipment manufacturer	85
Inland Container Corporation	Shipping containers	85
Palmer Manufacturing	Tank manufacturer	80
Terrace Garden Care Center	Nursing home	80
Golden Corral	Family dining	65
Fidelity State Bank	Banking services	65
Western Uniforms & Towel	Commercial cleaning	65
Garden City Telegram	Newspaper	61
J.C. Penney Company	Clothing retailer	60
Bank IV	Banking services	57
Northern Natural Gas Company	Natural gas producer	55
United States Post Office	Postal services	53
Burtis Motor Company	Auto sales	50
Acra Plant	Equipment manufacturer	43
Lewis Motors	Auto sales	31

Source: Finney County Economic Development Corporation.

Employment and Labor Force

The total labor force and number of persons employed in the City of Garden City have increased in proportion to the City's growth in population. Garden City's rate of growth in both the total labor force and total employment has increased proportionately to the rate of growth for Finney County as a whole. This trend has established Garden City and Finney County as a major regional economic subcenter in Western Kansas.

Total Labor Force and Total Employment
Garden City

Year Labor Force Percent Change Total
Employment Percent Change Unemployment
Rate

1986 12,514 (2.17) 11,942 (3.15) 4.57

1987 12,569 0.44 12,109 1.40 3.66

1988 12,881 2.48 12,456 2.87 3.30
1989 13,141 2.02 12,706 2.01 3.31
1990 12,516 (4.76) 12,115 (4.65) 3.10

1991 12,713 1.57 12,324 1.73 3.06
1992 13,296 4.59 12,863 4.37 3.26
1993 13,366 0.53 12,848 (0.12) 3.88

1994 13,039 (2.45) 12,509 (2.64) 4.06
1995 13,307 2.06 12,930 3.37 2.83

Finney County

Year	Labor Force	Percent Change	Total Employment	Percent Change	Unemployment Rate
1986	17,688	(2.17)	16,806	(3.14)	5.00
1987	17,766	0.44	17,041	1.40	4.10
1988	18,207	2.48	17,529	2.86	3.70
1989	19,402	6.56	18,776	7.11	3.20
1990	17,691	(8.82)	17,048	(9.20)	3.60
1991	17,969	1.57	17,343	1.73	3.50
1992	18,793	4.59	18,102	4.38	3.70
1993	18,892	0.53	18,081	(0.12)	4.30
1994	18,429	(2.45)	17,602	(2.65)	4.50
1995	18,808	2.06	18,276	3.83	2.80

Source: Kansas Department of Human Resources, Labor Market Information Services 1987 - 1996.

Ten Major Taxpayers

Name	Type of Business	1995 Assessed Valuation Within City Limits	Taxes Levied to be Paid in 1996	Percent of Taxes Levied
Southwestern Bell	Communications	2,267,457	298,148	15.25
Target	Retail shopping center	1,209,328	159,015	8.13
Dillons	Grocery	1,066,384	140,219	7.17
Wal Mart	Retail shopping center	1,058,407	139,170	7.12
Peoples Natural Gas	Retail gas	993,953	130,695	6.68
Inland Container Corp.	Shipping containers	873,416	114,845	5.87
Wheat Lands Motel	Motel & restaurant	805,354	105,896	5.42
CBL & Associates	Public shopping center	782,955	102,951	5.27
Garden City Co-op	Agri products & services	739,917	97,292	4.98
Garden City Plaza Inn	Hotel & restaurant	671,798	88,335	4.52
Other taxpayers		92,151,248	578,539	29.59
Total		102,620,217	1,955,105	100.00

Source: Finney County Clerk's Office

Financial Institutions

There are four banking institutions and four federal savings banks located in Garden City.

Churches

There are 41 religious institutions located in Garden City.

Health and Retirement Facilities

St. Catherine Hospital serves Garden City and area residents and provides a total of 132 licensed beds. Many amenities also are offered at Terrace Gardens Care Center, Garden Valley Retirement Village and Homestead Assisted Living Center, which are retirement centers located in Garden City. St. Catherine Hospital is also developing additional treatment facilities, including a cancer treatment center, an ambulatory surgery center and an imaging center.

Transportation

Rail transportation is provided by the main-line of the Santa Fe/Burlington Northern Railroad which transects the County. Amtrak passenger service is available at Garden City. The County is also served by the Garden City Western Railway and the Garden City Northern Railway, private railroads serving the wheat and other grain growing areas, as well as industrial, manufacturing and processing centers. There are active interstate truck line carriers, including Graves Truck Line, Santa Fe Trail Transportation, Beaver Express and others. U.S. Air Express and United Express provide five scheduled flights; three round trips to Kansas City, Missouri, and two round trips to Denver, Colorado, daily. The County is served by U.S. Highways #50, #83 and #400, and Kansas Highway #156.

Educational Facilities

Garden City is the location of the offices of Unified School District No. 457 and a majority of its 19 attendance centers which provide complete educational facilities from kindergarten through high school for an enrollment of approximately 7,325 students in the fall semester of 1996. The City is also the location of the Garden City Community College campus. The College district boundaries are coterminous with Finney County, and provide educational facilities for the first two years of college for approximately 2,500 students. The campus is twenty years old and provides on-campus living for area students who prefer not to commute. The curriculum of the College includes vocational-technical and industrial technology programs supported by national and regional industries, as well as liberal arts, fine arts, nursing, etc.

Recreation Facilities

Recreation is diversified with private and municipal golf courses in the County, tennis courts, indoor and outdoor swimming pools. The nearby Colorado Mountains provide skiing, fishing and sight seeing. Four lakes in the area within close driving distance provide water, fishing and hunting recreation, and the County is well known for its fall upland game bird hunting. Finney County is one of the counties in the State that has both an archery and rifle open season for deer. Garden City's Finnup Park contains over 220 acres and is the location of Lee Richardson Zoo, the third largest public attraction in Kansas.

Post Office and Library

The U. S. Postal Service maintains a Garden City facility at 6th Street and Pine.

The Finney County Library is located at 3rd Street and Walnut. This 20,000 square-foot facility was built in 1986.

City Administrative Center, Recreation Commission and Senior Center Occupancy of the City Administrative Center, located at 301 N. 8th Street, occurred in 1980. It provides modern facilities for the proper administration of an expanding and growing city.

The City currently employs 241 full-time employees with overall totals reaching near 290 during the summer months.

The Garden City Recreation Commission opened their doors to a remodeled facility at 6th Street and Laurel in March, 1995. Their offices are located there along with an abundance of program space for their activities.

A Senior Citizen Center is also located in Garden City at 907 N. 10th Street.

Police Facility and Fire Protection

Garden City has 60 commissioned police officers and 34 civilian employees providing continuous full-time police service to the community as well as specialized service in the areas of criminal investigation, crime prevention, Drug Awareness Resistance Education, tactical operations, traffic unit and warrant service. The Police Department Headquarters is at 302 N. 9th Street.

Garden City currently has two fire stations. The Garden City Fire Department has a staff of 31, of which 17 are full-time firefighters providing round-the-clock protection for the City. Fire fighting equipment totals 10 vehicles, including six pumper trucks, one ladder truck, one tanker truck, two rescue vehicles and one command vehicle. The City of Garden City presently has a Class-5 fire protection rating. Fire protection ratings are on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the highest and the best.

Municipal Services and Utilities

Garden City owns its municipal water and sewage system, swimming pool, airport, park system and a network of 110 miles of improved streets. Other utility services are available as shown:

Electric generating and distribution system - The City has owned its electric distribution facilities since 1918, and in 1960 constructed a municipal generating plant at a total cost of $3,100,000. The City's generating plant is operated under an agreement by Wheatland Electric Cooperative and is presently not being utilized. In 1983, Sunflower Power Corporation, of which Wheatland Electric Cooperative is a member, constructed a coal-fired electric generating plant at a cost of $460,000,000.

Natural gas service - Distribution of natural gas is provided by Peoples Natural Gas Company, a subsidiary of Utilicorp, Inc.

Telephone services - Telecommunication services are provided by Southwestern Bell Telephone Company.

Waterworks, sanitary sewer service and wastewater treatment - These services are provided by the City which owns and operates the facilities.

Municipal trash pick-up - The City also operates its own automated municipal trash pick up and solid waste disposal system.

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