The Matrix Design Group ruffled some feathers after releasing their research on the Economic Impact to the Flint Hills Region of Force Reductions on Fort Riley.

Ben Bennett, Geary County Commissioner, was not pleased.

“As I listened last week and as I’ve looked at the report, they didn’t tell us anything we didn’t already know – they just confirmed the things that we know,” said Bennett.

Bennett says in his 10 years as County Commissioner that studies like these have been done before.

“When I came in to office 10 years ago, we were right in the middle of doing this very same thing; we were looking at what changes could be made and would be made and how that would affect our situation here in Geary county, and Junction and the region,” said Bennett. “We were endaunted with the fact that we needed to work together on this because we were all going to be under the same process.”

That process once again is upon the residents of the Flint Hills Region and Bennett doesn’t think the Matrix Design Group provided the mystery reveal that members of the public hoped for.

“The only people who were really getting fat off of this whole study were the consultants,” said Bennett.

Remaining adamant that the study did little in awareness, but moreso brought issues to light, Bennett disagrees with the Matrix Design Group’s assesment that this area lacks regionalism and that specifically Manhattan and Junction City do not get along – and it shows.

“It depends on who you listen to; those of us that have worked with the regionalization and the cooperation feel like we’ve made some huge steps but it can be damaged real quickly by some individuals who don’t feel like that’s necessary…I call it the greed of ownership,” said Bennett. “You’ve got these things and you need to continue to make it grow, and as it grows it looks good, but you also bring a lot of huge problems in to the area when you grow and those are things that we also are continuing to fight because we need to make sure that all those families that area here are secure and safe in all areas of security and safety.”

Bennett discussed this and other topics as a guest on 1420 AM – The Talk of JC’s show ‘JC Now’.

Tell us what you think:  Did the growth in Manhattan bring more crime? Looking at the current state of Geary county – the high crime rate, and soaring jail population – what does this say about the future and economic growth?

We’d love to hear from you; respond in the comments.