> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.citizenjournal.us/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # South Hutchinson approves $273,235 Main Street design contract, rebids mini-excavator after local dealer objects - URL: https://www.citizenjournal.us/south-hutchinson-approves-273-235-main-street-design-contract-rebids-mini-excavator-after-local-dealer-objects/ - Published: 2026-10-09T13:43:54.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-09T13:43:54.000Z - Description: Dealer said the original bid request wasn't comparable; city administrator asks whether to add a local preference - Author: Rica Simpson - Tags: Hutchinson, dnn, #news Sign up for our free newsletter and never miss a story. [Sign up free](https://subscribe.citizenjournal.us/?ref=citizenjournal.us) South Hutchinson agreed to pay JEO Consulting $273,235 to design a mill-and-overlay of Main Street when the City Council voted 4-0 Monday, Sept. 28, at a joint meeting with the planning board. Mayor Kyle Cokeley was absent. Council President Matthew Elliott and council members Valerie Griffin, Heather Gaines and Joshua Pettay passed every action item 4-0, including the mini-excavator rebid and several public-works and utility measures. The routine consent agenda passed 3-0 while Griffin briefly stepped away. ### Main Street In a mill-and-overlay, crews grind off the worn top layer of a street and lay a new surface. Elliott moved to approve the design contract and Pettay seconded. Griffin returned for the discussion and vote. During citizen comments, Mike Engel of Powered by Me asked the city to approve his bid to repair Main Street. According to the minutes, he said doing the repairs first would make the mill-and-overlay much faster and save money, because crews would not have to keep stopping to fix the roadbed. The minutes record no council action on his bid. Public Works Superintendent Matt Mock's September report lists concrete work on Main Street among upcoming projects. The report does not say whether that work is connected to Engel's proposal. The minutes do not say which stretch of Main Street the design covers, what construction would cost, how the project will be paid for or when it would be bid. ### Mini-excavator rebid Allison Ott of Wichita Tractor asked the council to cancel a previously approved mini-excavator bid and put the purchase back out for bid. According to the minutes, she said Wichita Tractor has spent a lot of time, money and taxes to be in South Hutchinson. She said the city says it supports local businesses but does not buy from them, and that the original bid request was not an apples-to-apples comparison for each business. The council voted to cancel the earlier approval and rebid the purchase with what the minutes call the proper specifications. Elliott made the motion and Griffin seconded it. The minutes do not say when the original bid was approved, who won it or for how much. City Administrator Jeff Schenk gave the council the city's procurement policy to review. He asked whether the city wants to add a local preference. If it does, he said, the city will need to define what local means. ### Water, streets and safety The council voted to put repainting of the water tower out to bid. The minutes say council members want a written warranty on the work. Council members approved a quote to replace the tornado siren on Des Moines. The minutes do not record the amount or the vendor. They approved an agreement with JEO to design a new striping plan for all of the city's concrete streets. No cost is recorded. They passed Ordinance 26-14, which requires water service when a property is connected to the city sewer. ### Comprehensive plan Lance Onstott of Wichita-based Professional Engineering Consultants, or PEC, led a presentation and workshop with the council and planning commission on the city's comprehensive plan, the long-range document that will guide future city decisions. The plan's survey will go out by mail only, to every registered address in the city. Onstott said the city will need about 400 responses for the results to be statistically valid, so promoting the survey before it arrives will be key. Residents should watch their mailboxes for it. ### Other business The city is redirecting money it had set aside for a strategic plan with the University of Kansas to a two-day leadership retreat in South Hutchinson for department heads. According to the minutes, the retreat will cover communication skills, teamwork and personality assessments, and KU will work separately with Schenk on communicating with the council. Schenk told the council he has been talking with the Bob Scott family about the city acquiring some of Scott's property on Scott Boulevard. According to the minutes, council members favored the idea, and the property has a lot of potential. According to the amended agenda, the council is scheduled to consider Ordinance 26-17 at its meeting Monday, Oct. 12\. The ordinance would authorize $1.5 million in taxable industrial revenue bonds for the Wichita Tractor Project, a commercial facility the city would own and lease to Tremac, LLC, whose lease payments would repay the bonds. The draft says the bonds would not be repaid by taxes, and the project would be exempt from property taxes for 10 years, though not from school district levies. The ordinance does not say how Tremac is related to Wichita Tractor. *This article was written using our proprietary AI system, Cronkite. The final decision to publish this article was made by a human. For more info, read our* [*AI policy*](https://www.citizenjournal.us/ai-policy/)*.* --- --- Found a mistake? Have a news tip or feedback to share? Contact our newsroom using the button below: [Contact Us](https://www.citizenjournal.us/contact/) ---