The full article about the meeting between the City and Great Bend Tribune can be found here. 

Good evening, Mayor Schmidt and Council Members.

First, I want to thank you for taking the time to meet with me last week. I appreciate the opportunity to discuss questions that I, and many of our readers, have had regarding Great Bend Economic Development and the Innovation Center. I also appreciate the council members and city staff who participated in that conversation.

Mayor, I want to acknowledge and thank you for your apology. My frustration at the time came from a lack of clarity, and in that moment, I put you on the spot. So, I also want to apologize for my actions during that meeting and as well as my misunderstanding of the policies and procedures governing City Council meetings.

One of the main reasons I wanted to speak tonight is to help share some of the information that was discussed in that meeting, particularly for council members who were not present and for members of the public who have asked similar questions. I believe in full transparency and accountability.

We discussed the history of Great Bend Economic Development and why it was created. City Attorney Allen Glendenning explained that GBED was formed as a partnership between the City and the Chamber of Commerce, structured as a nonprofit corporation with the specific focus of economic development. The intent was to separate those duties from direct city administration, allow for private investment, and provide confidentiality for businesses considering relocation or expansion.

We also discussed governance. Over time, GBED’s structure has evolved. While elected officials once served on its board, changes were made to avoid potential conflicts of interest, and elected officials no longer sit on the board or related organizations. Instead, the City participates through a selection process and through funding decisions, which are reviewed annually.

I do believe there are still unasked and unanswered questions, as well as confusion, about what the City’s actual role and responsibility is when it comes to the Innovation Center. What we learned on Wednesday is that GBED, as the sole member of Great Bend Alive, is responsible for the project, and that the City’s role is limited to providing funds that are requested on an annual basis and, at times, periodically throughout the year if additional requests are made.

It was also acknowledged that certain reporting requirements, specifically quarterly financial and activity reports required to be provided to the City as a member of the corporation, were not consistently completed in the past. City leadership stated that this was an oversight and that steps are being taken to correct it moving forward. I appreciate that acknowledgement and the commitment to improving transparency.

We also discussed public comment at City Council meetings. I appreciate the explanation of why the policy exists and the clarification that public comment is meant to be one-way communication, not a question-and-answer session, and that City Council meetings are not designed to function as town halls. I also appreciate the Mayor’s acknowledgment that the policy could have been explained more clearly at the time.

I want to be clear that my goal, and the Tribune’s goal, is not to create conflict, but to seek understanding and share accurate information with the public. I appreciate the time, explanations, and professionalism shown during our meeting, and I believe conversations like that ultimately benefit the community.

Thank you again for your time and for the opportunity to speak this evening.