Hutchinson local news summary

Commission Approves Fast-Track Plan for New Evergy Plant Roads

Sheriff’s Office to Acquire High-Tech Forensic Computers with State Grant

Commission Chair Forcefully Defends County Transparency Against Criticism

County Appraiser’s Office Earns Perfect Score from State

Financial Report Shows County Revenues on Track to Exceed Budget

Commission Approves Fast-Track Plan for New Evergy Plant Roads

RENO COUNTY - The Reno County Commission unanimously approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Growth, Inc. to expedite the development of roads essential for the new Evergy power plant. The county will act as a subrecipient for grant funds to cover the engineering and design of three miles of roadway, including sections of McNew Road and Mills Avenue. Currently designated as township roads, the routes will be upgraded to county-road standards to handle heavy construction traffic. County Administrator Randy Partington assured the commission that the initial design phase will be covered by the grant, with the full construction costs to be paid by Evergy under a future development agreement, resulting in no direct cost to county taxpayers for the project.

Sheriff’s Office to Acquire High-Tech Forensic Computers with State Grant

RENO COUNTY - The Reno County Sheriff’s Office is set to receive two new forensic computer systems after the commission approved the acceptance of a $25,000 grant from the Kansas Attorney General’s Office. The specialized computers, costing approximately $10,200 each, are designed to rapidly process massive amounts of digital evidence from modern smartphones. Detective Keaton Berger explained to the commission that current desktop computers struggle with the large data transfers, sometimes involving up to 290 gigabytes from a single device. The new equipment will significantly speed up investigations involving digital forensics. The grant covers the entire cost of the hardware, ensuring no local taxpayer funds are used for the upgrade.

Commission Chair Forcefully Defends County Transparency Against Criticism

RENO COUNTY - In his closing remarks, Commission Chairman Don Bogner issued a strong defense of the county’s transparency policies, directly responding to a recent newspaper article that he said labeled the board’s actions as “stupid.” Bogner contrasted the criticism with praise from a commissioner in a neighboring county, who reportedly called Reno County’s practices a model to be emulated. Bogner highlighted that full meeting agendas, complete document packets, and live and archived video streams are readily available on the county website. He argued that press releases should be reserved for urgent public service announcements, not for routine items that the media can cover by accessing the wealth of available information. “I have great confidence in the voters of Reno County,” Bogner stated. “They can make their own decision on who, if anybody, deserves to be called stupid.”

County Appraiser’s Office Earns Perfect Score from State

RENO COUNTY - The Reno County Appraiser’s Office is in full compliance with state guidelines, having earned a perfect 100% score from the Kansas Department of Revenue’s Property Evaluation Division for 2025. The results were shared as part of the appraiser’s annual report presented to the commission. While County Appraiser Michael Plank was unable to attend, commissioners reviewed his detailed written report and expressed confidence in the office's performance and budget management. Commissioner Ron Hirst encouraged citizens to review the comprehensive report on the county’s website to better understand the property appraisal process.

Financial Report Shows County Revenues on Track to Exceed Budget

RENO COUNTY - The county’s finances are in a strong position, according to a financial report delivered by County Administrator Randy Partington. As of the report, overall revenues for all funds have reached 98% of the budgeted amount for the year, indicating the county is on pace to collect more than anticipated. Expenditures were reported at 57% of the budget. Partington noted that while the cash balance in some funds, like Youth Services, appeared low, it was due to internal fund transfers that have not yet been completed. He stated the general fund cash balance remains healthy.

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