It’s unanimous. All 108 people who voted in the Neosho Rapids election Tuesday want the city to sell its natural gas business to Black Hills Energy for $64,664.
The votes are official after this morning’s canvass by the Lyon County Board of Election Canvassers. A total of 102 voters voted Tuesday and an additional six provisional votes were cast. This morning the provisional votes were counted and the result is the same — unanimous support for the sale. Lyon County Counselor Marc Goodman said the number qualifies as a majority of the 158 qualified voters that live in the area. Goodman recommended the board of canvassers, which consisted of Lyon County Commissioners approve the canvass. The canvass was approved unanimously.
The next step in the sale will be scrutiny of the purchase agreement by attorneys. That may take a week or two, Howard said; he anticipates the city council will be able to vote on the sale contract at its May meeting.
Black Hills then will submit a proposal to the Kansas Corporation Commission for approval, to ensure that the transaction will not unduly burden the company’s current customers.
“I’d say probably July before it’s all said and done,” Howard said.