LYONS — 
Seth Cordell, Libertarian candidate for Kansas Governor, will visit Brew 56 in Lyons from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday to kick off his campaign. The event will include a beer tasting from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. and ranked-choice voting demonstration.

Free market food, criminal justice reform, and civil liberties are primary issues for Cordell. He also opposes government mandates surrounding COVID protocol. The candidate will take questions after his speech Friday.

Attendees may participate in the beer tasting with a $25 donation to the campaign. Five different brews with corresponding colors will illustrate ranked-choice voting.

The event is free and open to the public.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635355666413.jpeg" alt="Seth Cordell-Libertarian for Governor" />
 <figcaption>Seth Cordell-Libertarian for Governor</figcaption>
 </figure>LYONS — 
Seth Cordell, Libertarian candidate for Kansas Governor, will visit Brew 56 in Lyons from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday to kick off his campaign. The event will include a beer tasting from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. and ranked-choice voting demonstration.Free market food, criminal justice reform, and civil liberties are primary issues for Cordell. He also opposes government mandates surrounding COVID protocol. The candidate will take questions after his speech Friday.Attendees may participate in the beer tasting with a $25 donation to the campaign. Five different brews with corresponding colors will illustrate ranked-choice voting.The event is free and open to the public.

Libertarian candidate for Governor holding kickoff event Friday in Lyons

TOPEKA, Kan. — The State of Kansas is paying a man after he served time in prison for a contempt of court charge in Reno County that was overturned by the Kansas Supreme Court.

As first reported by the <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/10/27/kansas-pays-133000-to-former-inmate-unlawfully-subjected-to-reno-county-judges-wrath/">Kansas Reflector</a>, the State Finance Council found out Tuesday that 40-year-old Jose Delacruz would be paid $123,000 and receive one year of state health insurance benefits and a college tuition waiver. Delacruz also qualified for $10,700 to pay for attorney fees.

The council includes Gov. Laura Kelly and leaders of both parties in the House and Senate.

The Supreme Court reversed the Reno County District Court’s finding in 2018 that Delacruz was in direct contempt for refusing to testify at Anthony Waller's jury trial related to the killing of Joshua Haines on April 10, 2010.

Delacruz contended, and the Supreme Court found, that he was entitled to invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, because the state's immunity offer was not broad enough. The court held that the offer did not cover all of the possibilities in which Delacruz’s testimony could have been used against him.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1632997855753.jpg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. — The State of Kansas is paying a man after he served time in prison for a contempt of court charge in Reno County that was overturned by the Kansas Supreme Court.As first reported by the <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/10/27/kansas-pays-133000-to-former-inmate-unlawfully-subjected-to-reno-county-judges-wrath/">Kansas Reflector</a>, the State Finance Council found out Tuesday that 40-year-old Jose Delacruz would be paid $123,000 and receive one year of state health insurance benefits and a college tuition waiver. Delacruz also qualified for $10,700 to pay for attorney fees.The council includes Gov. Laura Kelly and leaders of both parties in the House and Senate.The Supreme Court reversed the Reno County District Court’s finding in 2018 that Delacruz was in direct contempt for refusing to testify at Anthony Waller's jury trial related to the killing of Joshua Haines on April 10, 2010.Delacruz contended, and the Supreme Court found, that he was entitled to invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, because the state's immunity offer was not broad enough. The court held that the offer did not cover all of the possibilities in which Delacruz’s testimony could have been used against him.

State compensating man after Supreme Court overturned contempt conviction

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — There are still a few tickets left for the Hutchinson Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting. This year's meeting is set for Nov. 4 at the Meadowlark Building on the Kansas State Fairgrounds. According to the chamber, only about 50 tickets remain.&nbsp;

This year's annual meeting will feature Denise Lee Yohn, an expert on brand leadership for national media outlets, an in-demand keynote speaker and consultant, and influential writer.&nbsp; The event will also feature a newly expanded Sponsor Expo for the social and networking portion of the evening in the Sunflower South Building on the Fairgrounds.

Tickets are $80. For more information go to <a href="https://hutchpost.com/">hutchchamber.com</a>.

<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the HutchPost mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily HutchPost email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635351049170.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — There are still a few tickets left for the Hutchinson Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting. This year's meeting is set for Nov. 4 at the Meadowlark Building on the Kansas State Fairgrounds. According to the chamber, only about 50 tickets remain.&nbsp;This year's annual meeting will feature Denise Lee Yohn, an expert on brand leadership for national media outlets, an in-demand keynote speaker and consultant, and influential writer.&nbsp; The event will also feature a newly expanded Sponsor Expo for the social and networking portion of the evening in the Sunflower South Building on the Fairgrounds.Tickets are $80. For more information go to <a href="https://hutchpost.com/">hutchchamber.com</a>.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the HutchPost mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily HutchPost email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Just a few tickets remain for Chamber annual meeting


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
There's a survey ongoing for Reno County entrepreneurs from the Reno County Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Partnership, according to Jackson Swearer with StartUp Hutch.

"That's a group that StartUp Hutch is involved with that also includes the county, the city of Hutchinson, the community foundation, the chamber of commerce, our friends over at NetWork Kansas out of Wichita and SCKEDD, as well as local entrepreneurs and local bankers and other local resources for entrepreneurs."

This used to be called the entrepreneurship task force, when it started in 2017. They want some new information.

"We're trying to do an update on that survey, to see and compare from 2017," Swearer said. "We're going to keep that survey open through November 15th. You can find information about that on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/startuphutch">StartUp Hutch Facebook page</a> and on <a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/377KNW3">startuphutch.com</a>."

The goal is to get entrepreneurs that maybe weren't around when the survey started, or those who have ideas but haven't started yet, to respond.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599831307342.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>
By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
There's a survey ongoing for Reno County entrepreneurs from the Reno County Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Partnership, according to Jackson Swearer with StartUp Hutch."That's a group that StartUp Hutch is involved with that also includes the county, the city of Hutchinson, the community foundation, the chamber of commerce, our friends over at NetWork Kansas out of Wichita and SCKEDD, as well as local entrepreneurs and local bankers and other local resources for entrepreneurs."This used to be called the entrepreneurship task force, when it started in 2017. They want some new information."We're trying to do an update on that survey, to see and compare from 2017," Swearer said. "We're going to keep that survey open through November 15th. You can find information about that on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/startuphutch">StartUp Hutch Facebook page</a> and on <a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/377KNW3">startuphutch.com</a>."The goal is to get entrepreneurs that maybe weren't around when the survey started, or those who have ideas but haven't started yet, to respond.

2021 Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Survey will run through Nov. 15


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
Reno County Commission chairman Ron Hirst notes that there is an opportunity for public input on wind farm regulations again coming up next month before the county's planning commission.

"Basically, there needed to be some wording changes done with both the comprehensive plan and the planning and zoning regulations, so that we would comply with the potential of prohibiting wind conversion systems within the zoned areas," Hirst said. "That seemed to be the direction not only the people in the southeast district, but other folks within the zoned area wanted to have."

The zoning overlay for the rest of the county is another aspect that the public needs to understand.

"If people in the non-zoned areas do want wind energy conversion systems, they would have a say," Hirst said. "Not only they would have a say, the county would have an opportunity to have a say. If we do not have a zoned portion, and that is only for wind, it doesn't apply for anything else, any other zoning, housing or so forth, they would have a say. The county the only say they would have without zoning is a road and bridge contract. With zoning, the county would have some opportunity to have some negotiating strength, if there should be one come in."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/5/1621676876229.jpg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>
By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
Reno County Commission chairman Ron Hirst notes that there is an opportunity for public input on wind farm regulations again coming up next month before the county's planning commission."Basically, there needed to be some wording changes done with both the comprehensive plan and the planning and zoning regulations, so that we would comply with the potential of prohibiting wind conversion systems within the zoned areas," Hirst said. "That seemed to be the direction not only the people in the southeast district, but other folks within the zoned area wanted to have."The zoning overlay for the rest of the county is another aspect that the public needs to understand."If people in the non-zoned areas do want wind energy conversion systems, they would have a say," Hirst said. "Not only they would have a say, the county would have an opportunity to have a say. If we do not have a zoned portion, and that is only for wind, it doesn't apply for anything else, any other zoning, housing or so forth, they would have a say. The county the only say they would have without zoning is a road and bridge contract. With zoning, the county would have some opportunity to have some negotiating strength, if there should be one come in."The meeting is set for November 18.

Hirst: Meeting coming up on wind regs before planning commission

HUTCHINSON — Hutchinson Police officers Dalton Leonard and Stephen Jackson were part of the 284th Basic Training Class at the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center near Yoder that graduated October 22.

Officer Justin Atchison of the Wellsville Police Department was the graduating class president. The speaker for the ceremony was Jeff Hooper, chief of police for the Hutchinson Police Department. James Buettgenbach, KLETC senior instructor of police, was the class coordinator for the 284th Basic Training Class.

Deputy Francisco Guerrero of the Meade County Sheriff’s Office was honored with KLETC’s Fitness Award. Officer Justin Dutcher of the Sac &amp; Fox Tribal Police Department was also recognized during the ceremony for his firearms proficiency as the class “Top Shot.”

Graduates receive certificates of course completion from KLETC and Kansas law enforcement certification from the Kansas Commission on Peace Officers’ Standards and Training, the state’s law enforcement licensing authority. The training course fulfills the state requirement for law enforcement training. Classroom lectures and hands-on applications help train officers to solve the increasingly complex problems they face in the line of duty.

Dennis Zoglmann from the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks in Pratt was part of the class, as well. The officers began their training in July.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/7/1625261126965.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON — Hutchinson Police officers Dalton Leonard and Stephen Jackson were part of the 284th Basic Training Class at the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center near Yoder that graduated October 22.Officer Justin Atchison of the Wellsville Police Department was the graduating class president. The speaker for the ceremony was Jeff Hooper, chief of police for the Hutchinson Police Department. James Buettgenbach, KLETC senior instructor of police, was the class coordinator for the 284th Basic Training Class.Deputy Francisco Guerrero of the Meade County Sheriff’s Office was honored with KLETC’s Fitness Award. Officer Justin Dutcher of the Sac &amp; Fox Tribal Police Department was also recognized during the ceremony for his firearms proficiency as the class “Top Shot.”Graduates receive certificates of course completion from KLETC and Kansas law enforcement certification from the Kansas Commission on Peace Officers’ Standards and Training, the state’s law enforcement licensing authority. The training course fulfills the state requirement for law enforcement training. Classroom lectures and hands-on applications help train officers to solve the increasingly complex problems they face in the line of duty.Dennis Zoglmann from the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks in Pratt was part of the class, as well. The officers began their training in July.

Two Hutchinson officers hear from chief as speaker at KLETC graduation

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Hutchinson USD 308 and the union representing its teachers will meet once again on Wednesday to work through two sticking points that stand between them and a new collective bargaining agreement.

The two sides will meet with a mediator after they declared an impasse in August. According to Director of Human Resources Dr. Dawn Johnson, the sticking points have to do with the salary schedule for teachers, a new discipline procedure and how such matters are handled.&nbsp;

Johnson said they expect the meeting to last through the evening and hope both sides can come together on a new contract.

Thursday's meeting begins at 4 p.m. at the USD 308 Administration Center at 1520 N. Plum.

<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/2/1581820278331.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Hutchinson USD 308 and the union representing its teachers will meet once again on Wednesday to work through two sticking points that stand between them and a new collective bargaining agreement.The two sides will meet with a mediator after they declared an impasse in August. According to Director of Human Resources Dr. Dawn Johnson, the sticking points have to do with the salary schedule for teachers, a new discipline procedure and how such matters are handled.&nbsp;Johnson said they expect the meeting to last through the evening and hope both sides can come together on a new contract.Thursday's meeting begins at 4 p.m. at the USD 308 Administration Center at 1520 N. Plum.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;

USD 308 and teachers union meet Wednesday

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The USD 308 Board of Education heard a presentation from the Hutchinson High School Theater Department during the Program Highlight segment on Monday.

Tobie Henline, theater teacher at Hutchinson High School, presented alongside students Magnolia Foster (junior), Caroline Miller (junior), Mariana Inchauriga (junior), Emily Baker (sophomore), and Noah Buller (senior) about the importance of performing arts in education.

During their presentation, students performed a number from their recent performance of Little Women: The Broadway Musical and Henline gave examples of how theater encompasses other academic subjects.

Also Monday, the board approved the COVID retention bonuses for administrative and classified staff. The funds were set aside in the 2022 budget. The board approved the purchase of a rooftop AC unit for the high school. The board also got an update on the virtual school program that was started by USD 308 this school year. The virtual format was put in place after many studied at home during the pandemic.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1598350401105.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The USD 308 Board of Education heard a presentation from the Hutchinson High School Theater Department during the Program Highlight segment on Monday.Tobie Henline, theater teacher at Hutchinson High School, presented alongside students Magnolia Foster (junior), Caroline Miller (junior), Mariana Inchauriga (junior), Emily Baker (sophomore), and Noah Buller (senior) about the importance of performing arts in education.During their presentation, students performed a number from their recent performance of Little Women: The Broadway Musical and Henline gave examples of how theater encompasses other academic subjects.Also Monday, the board approved the COVID retention bonuses for administrative and classified staff. The funds were set aside in the 2022 budget. The board approved the purchase of a rooftop AC unit for the high school. The board also got an update on the virtual school program that was started by USD 308 this school year. The virtual format was put in place after many studied at home during the pandemic.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;

USD 308 approves COVID retention bonuses 

In studio with us this morning, the incumbent running once again for the at-large seat on the Hutchinson city council. Sara Bagwell is with us this morning. Good morning, Sara.

So asking this pretty much as much as I can, the same questions to everybody running for city council, everybody has an issue. That's the reason they're running. Now, granted, this is a time running as an incumbent for you, but when you ran the first time, what was the issue that caused you to say, I want to run for city council?

Well, I really think it was my children. I have three children and I just wanted to make sure that they had an opportunity when they got to my age or in their twenties and they're starting out their life and they have the ability for the American dream and to work hard and get to where they're going. And I felt that the way that some of the policies that were happening within the city were probably going to deter that. And I know that from personal experience, because my mother is a 30 year resident of Hutchinson, Kansas. My father is, or was, he passed away in 2018. But, he was a California resident. So I actually grew up in California in the nineties and the early two thousands. And so I got to see what bad policy can do to an economy and I've seen it firsthand. And so I started kind of seeing those things here in Hutchinson and really decided I needed to just, I was a nine to five mom grinding it out like everybody else. That's why I say I'm here for the hard working people of Hutchinson to represent them. And for those voices that can't be heard because they're busy taking care of their families and just to make sure that our children have a future.

That is a separate issue that we hope to get to later. But just some basic questions. Do you currently owe any obligations to any taxing entities for any years prior to this one?

Did you vote in the last city council election?

I mean, that's an obvious, but obviously got to ask the question anyway...so

Yeah, I think it's very important to vote in local elections, especially when you're running in local elections.

So, what can be done to reduce regulation on businesses coming to town?

To reduce regulation on businesses coming to town? Well, I think a lot of it has to do with our willingness to be flexible. I know just recently there was a business that was wanting to open up and he was needing a variance and I was actually really, I felt bad because he wanted to get a variance. And so the city council actually couldn't give it to them right then and there, it has to go through the committee first. And so then I asked the committee, well, when are you meeting next? And they said, well, if we have, I don't know, because if we don't have enough on our agenda and we're probably won't meet next month. And I thought, well, if there's even one item that can be on the agenda, meet, meet the next week. If you have to publish it today and meet next week, that's what that committee needs to be for and understand that that might be hard, but it's not, if you have light agendas in your council and your council committees in different months, but then we have a month where, you know, you might have to meet four times in one month, because it's a busy season. I think that's what you should be there for. And so it was very disheartening to find out that how long a process can take just to get a variance. And that had just happened recently. And so I definitely think that's something we need to look at, to do in the future to kind of help with not being so dead set on the rules and maybe having a little bit of flexibility because I don't think a one size fits all is good when you're trying to grow.

So what's a proper level of bonding for a city Hutchinson's size? In other words, how much debt should a city carry? What do you think about that after having been through the budget process?

Well, our bonding is actually very healthy and you can see that through our bond rating. So, if you want to get down into the numbers, we actually have less bonded right now than we had in 2018. So in 2018, we had about $76.8 million in total indebtedness. That's with, you know, principal and interest. 2019, we went down to about $ 65.9 million total indebtedness and in 2020, it was $68.9 million. So if you put an average of 40,000 population, that's a debt per person of, um, right now, $1,700 and some change. In 2019, it was a little shy of $2,000 per person. So we have a very good bond rating. I actually will say, I think our problem is what are we bonding and where are we deciding to prioritize our funds? I believe that is the issue at hand.

Sarah, it's important for people to know that the budget process is something that's difficult for lots of folks to understand. So, you at least have taken a somewhat, at least I think a novel approach to trying to figure out how to help with that process.

Yeah. So when I decided to look at the budget, I actually look at the audits. So you have previous year audits that tell you the actual spending dollars. And so I won't look at the budget year to year. I will look at the previous audits. So you have, you can go out there and they have the files. You have your 2018, 2019, 2020 audits, which tell you the real numbers, real things that happen. And I really look at that when deciding on the next budget, because budgets are really just projections and audits are the actual numbers.

So with that in mind, so one of the biggest things that most taxpayers still think cities ought to spend money on is streets. So the city street program is on a schedule. Now, what length should that be? Is eight years, right? More, less, what do we know about that?

Well, I know that it's a good program to want to rotate like that. The problem is that we have a policy in place that we aren't following through with, because we're not funding it at the $3.5 million that's intended for that process to work properly. So that's why you see our roads conditions declining, because if you take the last 10 years and we've underfunded by a million dollars, that's a deficit of $10 million into our infrastructure just on that road piece.

Okay. So with that in mind, are you for or against taking the money from the federal government to put roundabouts in at the Woodie Seat freeway?

So this one's a hard one because I'm just going to let you know that I don't think double roundabout is the solution, but do we need to do something? Absolutely. So I kind of take a different stance on this. I understand that the people...I went out and talked to the people in there and I told him exactly what I, what I thought about how I don't like the roundabouts, but we also need the federal funding. And I had a lot of feedback. So we had I know Garza did two sessions with them. I know the city manager did a session with them and, but it was like the city council already had its mind made up because I'll be honest with you. We need the federal funding, but I don't think we need the roundabouts and why I say that is because I asked them the first time around. So the first time, which would actually be the second time that it was passed through council, I asked them, can we come up with a different proposal, one with a more traditional? And they said, well, it needs to be innovative. So that's why we did the roundabouts to apply, to be able to be applicable for it. Well, I said, can't, we still do something more traditional, but maybe put in some green space or some other, something else that could still fall within the purview of the grant? And it is a dead end of a freeway and, or a highway or sorry. And, um, the Woody seat freeway it's the dead end of it. And a lot of times when they have the dead end of a freeway, they just reduced the speed and they put those ruts in that wake people up and it comes down to a stoplight and you can turn left and you can turn right. And I didn't understand why we couldn't do that. Alleviate both bridges, so future expense costs would be lower and maybe we could create some kind of green space in the area to still fall within the purview of those federal grants. So I thought if we tried it before and it didn't work, why not try a different proposal? And one with more feedback from the community and then apply for the federal grants, but they would not alter their course. So that's what I had a problem with.

Okay. So talk to me about the stormwater utility that's in place. We're still working on that big, long project down toward the south end of town, which Daveline keeps asking about quite frankly. And, uh, so what, what do you see as the future of that? Of using the stormwater utility fee for the long-term drainage uses in the city?

When they implemented it, it was an absolute mistake. You have to realize that we need to get this done, but you know, normally when you hike a fee that high, you would put it in steps so that businesses can have time to adjust their budgets in order to operate. You know, we almost lost a fair over the storm water utility fee when hiked almost a $50,000 annual fee. Walmart went from 12, about $1,300 a year to $12,000 a year in and, and target went up to about $450 a month. And you gotta realize that when you have these businesses, they have a lot of parking area. They have a lot of roof space. So I believe it was structured irresponsibly. I believe that it was implemented irresponsibly. You cannot go from collecting $600,000 a year and then the next year, $2.2 million to $2.4 million on a budget that some of these businesses are operating with slim margins. So I would say that I understand it was meant to catch up basically from poor funding in the past, but sometimes you have to integrate those things in, so businesses have the opportunity to slowly adjust their budgets. So I definitely think we need to restructure it for one, and I understand the need for it, but not at the rate that it's currently at and not at the structure that it's currently at.

Okay. So even if you're reelected, you're going to have at least two other council members that are new. How do you intend to work with the council to try to figure out a way to get some of this stuff done?

I really think we need to have more open meetings. So I don't think the twice a week...because I get the information on Thursday and we have to make decisions on Tuesday. So I have the weekend, and I honestly think that there needs to be better communication about what's coming down the pipeline. So I've always thought that we needed some kind of Google docs so that we have like things that we know are going to come up. So we know about it ahead of time and have a shared thing for the council, like Google docs, but it's not anything that we could communicate with each other, but the city manager and staff can put upcoming agenda items, upcoming bonding projects, things that they have in their works for us to be able to see it and then have the open meeting. So we could have where we have the public meetings, the first and third Tuesday, but then why don't we start also meeting on maybe every other Thursday on the opposite weeks and just have, not a public meeting...

Study sessions over and over, a series of set study sessions where we can sit down and talk about what are our issues in Hutchinson? Where, where do we need to fix this budget? I don't think the budget process is long enough. And I got told a bunch of times when I wanted to implement things early, they told me, well, that's really a budget time session question. So you need to wait until we start the budget season to really start addressing those things. Because I was trying to address things right away. And I was told, well, that's really maybe something we should just get in budget time. And then I get to budget time. And they're like, well, maybe that's something we need to address, you know, during a special session. And I said, which one is it? Because I know there's a lot of work that needs to be done.

Sarah Bagwell running as an incumbent for the at-large seat on the Hutchinson city council.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1606778412552.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Nick Gosnell (00:00):In studio with us this morning, the incumbent running once again for the at-large seat on the Hutchinson city council. Sara Bagwell is with us this morning. Good morning, Sara.Sara Bagwell (00:09):Good morning, Nick. All right.Nick Gosnell (00:11):So asking this pretty much as much as I can, the same questions to everybody running for city council, everybody has an issue. That's the reason they're running. Now, granted, this is a time running as an incumbent for you, but when you ran the first time, what was the issue that caused you to say, I want to run for city council?Sara Bagwell (00:30):Well, I really think it was my children. I have three children and I just wanted to make sure that they had an opportunity when they got to my age or in their twenties and they're starting out their life and they have the ability for the American dream and to work hard and get to where they're going. And I felt that the way that some of the policies that were happening within the city were probably going to deter that. And I know that from personal experience, because my mother is a 30 year resident of Hutchinson, Kansas. My father is, or was, he passed away in 2018. But, he was a California resident. So I actually grew up in California in the nineties and the early two thousands. And so I got to see what bad policy can do to an economy and I've seen it firsthand. And so I started kind of seeing those things here in Hutchinson and really decided I needed to just, I was a nine to five mom grinding it out like everybody else. That's why I say I'm here for the hard working people of Hutchinson to represent them. And for those voices that can't be heard because they're busy taking care of their families and just to make sure that our children have a future.Nick Gosnell (01:50):That is a separate issue that we hope to get to later. But just some basic questions. Do you currently owe any obligations to any taxing entities for any years prior to this one?Sara Bagwell (02:03):No, I don't.Nick Gosnell (02:04):Did you vote in the last city council election?Sara Bagwell (02:07):Yes, I did.Nick Gosnell (02:08):I mean, that's an obvious, but obviously got to ask the question anyway...soSara Bagwell (02:12):Yeah, I think it's very important to vote in local elections, especially when you're running in local elections.Nick Gosnell (02:17):So, what can be done to reduce regulation on businesses coming to town?Sara Bagwell (02:23):To reduce regulation on businesses coming to town? Well, I think a lot of it has to do with our willingness to be flexible. I know just recently there was a business that was wanting to open up and he was needing a variance and I was actually really, I felt bad because he wanted to get a variance. And so the city council actually couldn't give it to them right then and there, it has to go through the committee first. And so then I asked the committee, well, when are you meeting next? And they said, well, if we have, I don't know, because if we don't have enough on our agenda and we're probably won't meet next month. And I thought, well, if there's even one item that can be on the agenda, meet, meet the next week. If you have to publish it today and meet next week, that's what that committee needs to be for and understand that that might be hard, but it's not, if you have light agendas in your council and your council committees in different months, but then we have a month where, you know, you might have to meet four times in one month, because it's a busy season. I think that's what you should be there for. And so it was very disheartening to find out that how long a process can take just to get a variance. And that had just happened recently. And so I definitely think that's something we need to look at, to do in the future to kind of help with not being so dead set on the rules and maybe having a little bit of flexibility because I don't think a one size fits all is good when you're trying to grow.Nick Gosnell (04:00):So what's a proper level of bonding for a city Hutchinson's size? In other words, how much debt should a city carry? What do you think about that after having been through the budget process?Sara Bagwell (04:12):Well, our bonding is actually very healthy and you can see that through our bond rating. So, if you want to get down into the numbers, we actually have less bonded right now than we had in 2018. So in 2018, we had about $76.8 million in total indebtedness. That's with, you know, principal and interest. 2019, we went down to about $ 65.9 million total indebtedness and in 2020, it was $68.9 million. So if you put an average of 40,000 population, that's a debt per person of, um, right now, $1,700 and some change. In 2019, it was a little shy of $2,000 per person. So we have a very good bond rating. I actually will say, I think our problem is what are we bonding and where are we deciding to prioritize our funds? I believe that is the issue at hand.Nick Gosnell (05:16):Sarah, it's important for people to know that the budget process is something that's difficult for lots of folks to understand. So, you at least have taken a somewhat, at least I think a novel approach to trying to figure out how to help with that process.Sara Bagwell (05:34):Yeah. So when I decided to look at the budget, I actually look at the audits. So you have previous year audits that tell you the actual spending dollars. And so I won't look at the budget year to year. I will look at the previous audits. So you have, you can go out there and they have the files. You have your 2018, 2019, 2020 audits, which tell you the real numbers, real things that happen. And I really look at that when deciding on the next budget, because budgets are really just projections and audits are the actual numbers.Nick Gosnell (06:06):So with that in mind, so one of the biggest things that most taxpayers still think cities ought to spend money on is streets. So the city street program is on a schedule. Now, what length should that be? Is eight years, right? More, less, what do we know about that?Sara Bagwell (06:25):Well, I know that it's a good program to want to rotate like that. The problem is that we have a policy in place that we aren't following through with, because we're not funding it at the $3.5 million that's intended for that process to work properly. So that's why you see our roads conditions declining, because if you take the last 10 years and we've underfunded by a million dollars, that's a deficit of $10 million into our infrastructure just on that road piece.Nick Gosnell (06:53):Okay. So with that in mind, are you for or against taking the money from the federal government to put roundabouts in at the Woodie Seat freeway?Sara Bagwell (07:03):So this one's a hard one because I'm just going to let you know that I don't think double roundabout is the solution, but do we need to do something? Absolutely. So I kind of take a different stance on this. I understand that the people...I went out and talked to the people in there and I told him exactly what I, what I thought about how I don't like the roundabouts, but we also need the federal funding. And I had a lot of feedback. So we had I know Garza did two sessions with them. I know the city manager did a session with them and, but it was like the city council already had its mind made up because I'll be honest with you. We need the federal funding, but I don't think we need the roundabouts and why I say that is because I asked them the first time around. So the first time, which would actually be the second time that it was passed through council, I asked them, can we come up with a different proposal, one with a more traditional? And they said, well, it needs to be innovative. So that's why we did the roundabouts to apply, to be able to be applicable for it. Well, I said, can't, we still do something more traditional, but maybe put in some green space or some other, something else that could still fall within the purview of the grant? And it is a dead end of a freeway and, or a highway or sorry. And, um, the Woody seat freeway it's the dead end of it. And a lot of times when they have the dead end of a freeway, they just reduced the speed and they put those ruts in that wake people up and it comes down to a stoplight and you can turn left and you can turn right. And I didn't understand why we couldn't do that. Alleviate both bridges, so future expense costs would be lower and maybe we could create some kind of green space in the area to still fall within the purview of those federal grants. So I thought if we tried it before and it didn't work, why not try a different proposal? And one with more feedback from the community and then apply for the federal grants, but they would not alter their course. So that's what I had a problem with.Nick Gosnell (09:14):Okay. So talk to me about the stormwater utility that's in place. We're still working on that big, long project down toward the south end of town, which Daveline keeps asking about quite frankly. And, uh, so what, what do you see as the future of that? Of using the stormwater utility fee for the long-term drainage uses in the city?Sara Bagwell (09:40):When they implemented it, it was an absolute mistake. You have to realize that we need to get this done, but you know, normally when you hike a fee that high, you would put it in steps so that businesses can have time to adjust their budgets in order to operate. You know, we almost lost a fair over the storm water utility fee when hiked almost a $50,000 annual fee. Walmart went from 12, about $1,300 a year to $12,000 a year in and, and target went up to about $450 a month. And you gotta realize that when you have these businesses, they have a lot of parking area. They have a lot of roof space. So I believe it was structured irresponsibly. I believe that it was implemented irresponsibly. You cannot go from collecting $600,000 a year and then the next year, $2.2 million to $2.4 million on a budget that some of these businesses are operating with slim margins. So I would say that I understand it was meant to catch up basically from poor funding in the past, but sometimes you have to integrate those things in, so businesses have the opportunity to slowly adjust their budgets. So I definitely think we need to restructure it for one, and I understand the need for it, but not at the rate that it's currently at and not at the structure that it's currently at.Nick Gosnell (11:13):Okay. So even if you're reelected, you're going to have at least two other council members that are new. How do you intend to work with the council to try to figure out a way to get some of this stuff done?Sara Bagwell (11:28):I really think we need to have more open meetings. So I don't think the twice a week...because I get the information on Thursday and we have to make decisions on Tuesday. So I have the weekend, and I honestly think that there needs to be better communication about what's coming down the pipeline. So I've always thought that we needed some kind of Google docs so that we have like things that we know are going to come up. So we know about it ahead of time and have a shared thing for the council, like Google docs, but it's not anything that we could communicate with each other, but the city manager and staff can put upcoming agenda items, upcoming bonding projects, things that they have in their works for us to be able to see it and then have the open meeting. So we could have where we have the public meetings, the first and third Tuesday, but then why don't we start also meeting on maybe every other Thursday on the opposite weeks and just have, not a public meeting...Nick Gosnell (12:30):Like a study session?Sara Bagwell (12:31):Study sessions over and over, a series of set study sessions where we can sit down and talk about what are our issues in Hutchinson? Where, where do we need to fix this budget? I don't think the budget process is long enough. And I got told a bunch of times when I wanted to implement things early, they told me, well, that's really a budget time session question. So you need to wait until we start the budget season to really start addressing those things. Because I was trying to address things right away. And I was told, well, that's really maybe something we should just get in budget time. And then I get to budget time. And they're like, well, maybe that's something we need to address, you know, during a special session. And I said, which one is it? Because I know there's a lot of work that needs to be done.Nick Gosnell (13:19):Sarah Bagwell running as an incumbent for the at-large seat on the Hutchinson city council.

Transcript: Sara Bagwell Interview


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
Chuck Marohn, the founder and president of Strong Towns is in Hutchinson Tuesday for a follow-up presentation to one originally given in 2018.

"Since then, we've had a lot of different work and those concepts in action," said Amy Conkling with Hutch Rec. "He will be making a return visit to Hutchinson tonight at the Fox Theatre. He'll focus more on our transportation system with the Strong Towns concept. That's at 6 p.m. at the Fox Theatre and its free and open to the public."

There are many facets to transportation, but one is the active transportation with walking or bicycling. The Hutchinson City Council has supported a bicycle boulevard on Washington Street recently to assist in that area.

"That's the active transportation piece," Conkling said. "Having that Washington Boulevard is so important, because it is one block off of Main, one block off of Adams. It's that mindset that people can access a Main Street to where they need to get groceries or go to appointments or other things. They can do that on a bike, or they can do it by foot, too."

The presentation is open to the public and includes a 75-minute presentation followed by an open question-and-answer time with Marohn. The presentation is hosted by the Hutchinson Healthy Neighborhoods Initiative and funded through Pathways to a Healthy Kansas grant received from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas. Hutchinson Healthy Neighborhoods is a partnership among Hutch Rec, the City of Hutchinson, and the Hutchinson-Reno County Chamber of Commerce.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1631304709593.jpeg" alt="Chuck Marohn-Courtesy Strong Towns" />
 <figcaption>Chuck Marohn-Courtesy Strong Towns</figcaption>
 </figure>
By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
Chuck Marohn, the founder and president of Strong Towns is in Hutchinson Tuesday for a follow-up presentation to one originally given in 2018."Since then, we've had a lot of different work and those concepts in action," said Amy Conkling with Hutch Rec. "He will be making a return visit to Hutchinson tonight at the Fox Theatre. He'll focus more on our transportation system with the Strong Towns concept. That's at 6 p.m. at the Fox Theatre and its free and open to the public."There are many facets to transportation, but one is the active transportation with walking or bicycling. The Hutchinson City Council has supported a bicycle boulevard on Washington Street recently to assist in that area."That's the active transportation piece," Conkling said. "Having that Washington Boulevard is so important, because it is one block off of Main, one block off of Adams. It's that mindset that people can access a Main Street to where they need to get groceries or go to appointments or other things. They can do that on a bike, or they can do it by foot, too."The presentation is open to the public and includes a 75-minute presentation followed by an open question-and-answer time with Marohn. The presentation is hosted by the Hutchinson Healthy Neighborhoods Initiative and funded through Pathways to a Healthy Kansas grant received from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas. Hutchinson Healthy Neighborhoods is a partnership among Hutch Rec, the City of Hutchinson, and the Hutchinson-Reno County Chamber of Commerce.

Strong Towns founder at Fox Tuesday evening

Release from Kansas Department of Transportation


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
Melissa Poe recalls that she was a 20-year-old “just fresh out of college” when she interviewed for a human-resources-assistant job at KDOT’s District Five Office in Hutchinson.

The interview lasted about 15 minutes. It was so short, it seemed, that Melissa’s mother was surprised when she returned to the car where her mother waited outside the office building. Then that afternoon, Melissa received a call asking if she would accept the job offer. “And, of course, I said, ‘Yes,’” Melissa recalled. That was October 1996. And now Melissa – District Five Accountant -- is celebrating 25 years of service to the state.

“So I’ve been at KDOT over half my life,” she said.

As District Five Accountant, she handles every kind of financial transaction. It’s a long list, including expense reports, vouchers, inventory, auction sales, purchase orders and requisitions.

Over the years, Melissa has seen quite an evolution in the computers she has used. “I had one of those big, box computers when I first started working there,” she said. “It seemed like it was bigger than me.”

Her favorite aspect of her job? “The people that I work with,” she said. “They’re amazing. And we all work together. It’s all about teamwork in my position. It makes the job fun.”

Melissa and her spouse, Kara, live in Hutchinson. The family includes their children, Katelyn, DeShaun and Keaton -- and three cats, three dogs and a bearded dragon.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635270792672.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Release from Kansas Department of Transportation
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
Melissa Poe recalls that she was a 20-year-old “just fresh out of college” when she interviewed for a human-resources-assistant job at KDOT’s District Five Office in Hutchinson.The interview lasted about 15 minutes. It was so short, it seemed, that Melissa’s mother was surprised when she returned to the car where her mother waited outside the office building. Then that afternoon, Melissa received a call asking if she would accept the job offer. “And, of course, I said, ‘Yes,’” Melissa recalled. That was October 1996. And now Melissa – District Five Accountant -- is celebrating 25 years of service to the state.“So I’ve been at KDOT over half my life,” she said.As District Five Accountant, she handles every kind of financial transaction. It’s a long list, including expense reports, vouchers, inventory, auction sales, purchase orders and requisitions.Over the years, Melissa has seen quite an evolution in the computers she has used. “I had one of those big, box computers when I first started working there,” she said. “It seemed like it was bigger than me.”Her favorite aspect of her job? “The people that I work with,” she said. “They’re amazing. And we all work together. It’s all about teamwork in my position. It makes the job fun.”Melissa and her spouse, Kara, live in Hutchinson. The family includes their children, Katelyn, DeShaun and Keaton -- and three cats, three dogs and a bearded dragon.

Hutchinson’s Melissa Poe celebrates 25 years with KDOT


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
The Board of Reno County Commissioners will be meeting on Wednesday, November 3, instead of Tuesday, November 9 and Commissioner Ron Sellers made comments at Tuesday's meeting explaining why he sees that as one of the reasons there should be more than three commissioners.

"We just talked about that we're moving a county commission meeting, due to the fact that one commissioner can't be here," Sellers said. "I don't think it's in the interests of the county to just have two commissioners so I suggest that this is a good reason to have five commissioners, because there's always going to be times that one commissioner can't be there. You have conflicts, you have illness, you have vacations and so forth and so I think that's an excellent reason."

Commissioner Daniel Friesen was not there Tuesday and county administrator Randy Partington wanted to see if the other two commissioners could assist so that he didn't miss two meetings in a row and they agreed to do that. 

As for the three to five issue, Commissioner Ron Hirst believes that is still ultimately a decision for the voters on Nov. 2.

"We should put the information out there," Hirst said. "Despite our views on whether we should or should not go three to five, whether we should or should not do other things as they come up, I think we should be responsible for putting the information out there and then let the public decide. I don't feel that it's my place to promote one thing or the other. I think we need to put it out there and that's just my personal opinion."

The commission has had challenges in recent years when down to two commissioners to make decisions as happened on several occasions during the illness of the now deceased Bob Bush.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635265383192.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>
By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
The Board of Reno County Commissioners will be meeting on Wednesday, November 3, instead of Tuesday, November 9 and Commissioner Ron Sellers made comments at Tuesday's meeting explaining why he sees that as one of the reasons there should be more than three commissioners."We just talked about that we're moving a county commission meeting, due to the fact that one commissioner can't be here," Sellers said. "I don't think it's in the interests of the county to just have two commissioners so I suggest that this is a good reason to have five commissioners, because there's always going to be times that one commissioner can't be there. You have conflicts, you have illness, you have vacations and so forth and so I think that's an excellent reason."Commissioner Daniel Friesen was not there Tuesday and county administrator Randy Partington wanted to see if the other two commissioners could assist so that he didn't miss two meetings in a row and they agreed to do that. As for the three to five issue, Commissioner Ron Hirst believes that is still ultimately a decision for the voters on Nov. 2."We should put the information out there," Hirst said. "Despite our views on whether we should or should not go three to five, whether we should or should not do other things as they come up, I think we should be responsible for putting the information out there and then let the public decide. I don't feel that it's my place to promote one thing or the other. I think we need to put it out there and that's just my personal opinion."The commission has had challenges in recent years when down to two commissioners to make decisions as happened on several occasions during the illness of the now deceased Bob Bush.

Potential absence of Friesen raises issue Sellers sees as vital to 3 to 5 vote 

HAVEN, Kan. — One single personnel matter will be taken up by the Haven USD 312 School Board when they meet in a special session on Thursday.

The board will take action to release Haven High School Principal Travis Moore from his contract. The matter will be discussed in executive session before action is taken.&nbsp;

The board will then go into executive session for a second time to discuss what direction the district will go from there. Moore has been the principal at Haven High School for three and a half years.&nbsp;

Thursday's meeting begins at 6 p.m. at the Haven USD 312 offices at 414 W. Main.

<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the HutchPost mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily HutchPost email news update&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1587053540131.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HAVEN, Kan. — One single personnel matter will be taken up by the Haven USD 312 School Board when they meet in a special session on Thursday.The board will take action to release Haven High School Principal Travis Moore from his contract. The matter will be discussed in executive session before action is taken.&nbsp;The board will then go into executive session for a second time to discuss what direction the district will go from there. Moore has been the principal at Haven High School for three and a half years.&nbsp;Thursday's meeting begins at 6 p.m. at the Haven USD 312 offices at 414 W. Main.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the HutchPost mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily HutchPost email news update&nbsp;&nbsp;

Haven USD 312 School Board to meet in special session Thursday

HUTCHINSON, Kan.— Though not entirely driven by positive factors, sales tax for Reno County was up again for October compared with the same period in 2020.

While most of the solid numbers in 2020 were due to strong shopping trends during the pandemic, most of the 2021 numbers are being driven by inflation.

Sales tax revenue for October was $468,202 compared with $428,350 in 2020. It's the eighth month this year that sales tax numbers have been above the $400,000 mark. To date the county has taken in $4.2 million in sales tax. October numbers reflect shopping trends for the month of August.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/8/1565223563029.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan.— Though not entirely driven by positive factors, sales tax for Reno County was up again for October compared with the same period in 2020.While most of the solid numbers in 2020 were due to strong shopping trends during the pandemic, most of the 2021 numbers are being driven by inflation.Sales tax revenue for October was $468,202 compared with $428,350 in 2020. It's the eighth month this year that sales tax numbers have been above the $400,000 mark. To date the county has taken in $4.2 million in sales tax. October numbers reflect shopping trends for the month of August.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the HutchPost mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily HutchPost email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Sales tax numbers up again for October

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Archer Daniels Midland continued their impressive run through the fiscal year with another strong earnings report.

The oil seed company reports third quarter earnings of $548 million or $0.97 per share compared with $0.89 per share in 2020.

“Agile execution across our tightly integrated supply chain amid an environment of strong demand and robust crush margins, and continued impressive growth in nutrition, drove our eighth consecutive quarter of year-over-year adjusted operating profit growth,” Chairman and CEO Juan Luciano said. “Our team’s great ability to leverage the favorable operating environment, and the consistent implementation of our strategic plan, have put ADM on track for a strong fourth quarter culminating in a second consecutive year of record earnings per share.”

Total operating profit hit the $1 billion mark as the company was able to stave off any supply chain issues that have plagued the country in the past three months. ADM spent most of 2020 combining departments and cutting expenses to fight off sluggish numbers. It also idled most of its rail car fleet during 2020 but has since taken them out of mothballs.

ADM operates five elevators around Hutchinson employing around 60 workers.

<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the HutchPost mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily HutchPost email news update.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/1/1580159000381.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Archer Daniels Midland continued their impressive run through the fiscal year with another strong earnings report.The oil seed company reports third quarter earnings of $548 million or $0.97 per share compared with $0.89 per share in 2020.“Agile execution across our tightly integrated supply chain amid an environment of strong demand and robust crush margins, and continued impressive growth in nutrition, drove our eighth consecutive quarter of year-over-year adjusted operating profit growth,” Chairman and CEO Juan Luciano said. “Our team’s great ability to leverage the favorable operating environment, and the consistent implementation of our strategic plan, have put ADM on track for a strong fourth quarter culminating in a second consecutive year of record earnings per share.”Total operating profit hit the $1 billion mark as the company was able to stave off any supply chain issues that have plagued the country in the past three months. ADM spent most of 2020 combining departments and cutting expenses to fight off sluggish numbers. It also idled most of its rail car fleet during 2020 but has since taken them out of mothballs.ADM operates five elevators around Hutchinson employing around 60 workers.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the HutchPost mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily HutchPost email news update.

ADM posts strong third quarter


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — StartUp Hutch launched a new recognition program for Reno County businesses, “The Double Dare Challenge.” This recognition will be awarded to any Reno County business who doubled in number of employees from January 1, 2019 through Dec 31, 2021.

“We want to recognize job growth in all shapes and sizes,” said Jackson Swearer, Entrepreneur Navigator and Program Director of StartUp Hutch. “We’ll be honoring companies who have gone from employing 1 person who now have 2, or companies who had 50 employees and now have 100. Each of these jobs are fuel for our local economy, and from the perspective of a startup – making the leap from 1 to 2 employees or 2 to 4 is an enormous leap in volume that deserves attention.”

Those interested in submitting a business for this recognition may do so online at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.startuphutch.com/post/reno-county-double-dare-challenge" target="_blank">https://www.startuphutch.com/post/reno-county-double-dare-challenge</a>. Swearer will also be available at the Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting on November 4 and the Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce’s Ignite! Business Expo on November 5 to accept submissions in person.

Submissions for this year’s recognition will be accepted until early February 2022, and those who qualify will be honored at that time.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599831307342.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — StartUp Hutch launched a new recognition program for Reno County businesses, “The Double Dare Challenge.” This recognition will be awarded to any Reno County business who doubled in number of employees from January 1, 2019 through Dec 31, 2021.“We want to recognize job growth in all shapes and sizes,” said Jackson Swearer, Entrepreneur Navigator and Program Director of StartUp Hutch. “We’ll be honoring companies who have gone from employing 1 person who now have 2, or companies who had 50 employees and now have 100. Each of these jobs are fuel for our local economy, and from the perspective of a startup – making the leap from 1 to 2 employees or 2 to 4 is an enormous leap in volume that deserves attention.”Those interested in submitting a business for this recognition may do so online at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.startuphutch.com/post/reno-county-double-dare-challenge" target="_blank">https://www.startuphutch.com/post/reno-county-double-dare-challenge</a>. Swearer will also be available at the Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting on November 4 and the Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce’s Ignite! Business Expo on November 5 to accept submissions in person.Submissions for this year’s recognition will be accepted until early February 2022, and those who qualify will be honored at that time.

 StartUp Hutch to Recognize Reno County Job Growth

Thunderstorms are expected to develop over western Kansas late this afternoon and early evening, developing into a line of storms as they move northeast across central and south central Kansas late this evening and overnight. 

Severe storms capable of damaging wind gusts to 65 mph will be possible for locations primarily along and west of a Salina to Wichita to Arkansas City line. A few strong storms with wind gusts to 50 mph will be possible later in the night across the Flint Hills and southeast Kansas.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635249212434.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Thunderstorms are expected to develop over western Kansas late this afternoon and early evening, developing into a line of storms as they move northeast across central and south central Kansas late this evening and overnight. <figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635244030901.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Severe storms capable of damaging wind gusts to 65 mph will be possible for locations primarily along and west of a Salina to Wichita to Arkansas City line. A few strong storms with wind gusts to 50 mph will be possible later in the night across the Flint Hills and southeast Kansas.

Severe weather possible tonight


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — The active case count for COVID-19 is down to 220 as of Monday. We were last at 220 cases on August 12.

As of Monday, according to Hutchinson Regional Healthcare System, they only have three COVID patients. Two of those are vaccinated. There are two vaccinated patients in the ICU and one unvaccinated and one vaccinated person on respiratory support.

There are a total of 60 patients in the hospital for all causes. The death count remains at 164 of 10,192 resolved cases, for a death rate of 1.6%.

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 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635242803635.jpeg" alt="" />
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HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — The active case count for COVID-19 is down to 220 as of Monday. We were last at 220 cases on August 12.As of Monday, according to Hutchinson Regional Healthcare System, they only have three COVID patients. Two of those are vaccinated. There are two vaccinated patients in the ICU and one unvaccinated and one vaccinated person on respiratory support.There are a total of 60 patients in the hospital for all causes. The death count remains at 164 of 10,192 resolved cases, for a death rate of 1.6%.

COVID case count continues to fall

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Hutchinson Public Works announced Monday afternoon that North Adams from West 28th Avenue to West 30th Avenue will be closed for approximately two weeks because of a water main break.&nbsp;

Weather permitting, the street is scheduled to reopen on Monday, Nov. 8.

Questions, comments or concerns may be referred to the Water Maintenance Division of Public Works at 620-694-1900.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635194027541.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Hutchinson Public Works announced Monday afternoon that North Adams from West 28th Avenue to West 30th Avenue will be closed for approximately two weeks because of a water main break.&nbsp;Weather permitting, the street is scheduled to reopen on Monday, Nov. 8.Questions, comments or concerns may be referred to the Water Maintenance Division of Public Works at 620-694-1900.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;

North Adams closed from 28th to 30th for water main break

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Tuesday is the final day you can request a mail-in ballot for the&nbsp;Nov. 2 election.

According to Elections Clerk Jenna Fager, 748 ballots have gone out by mail since advance voting began. If you have a mail-in ballot, it must be postmarked by election day and be in the county clerk's office by Friday, Nov. 5.

Fager says, as of Monday at noon, 370 residents have cast a ballot at the annex office.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1604603852873.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Tuesday is the final day you can request a mail-in ballot for the&nbsp;Nov. 2 election.According to Elections Clerk Jenna Fager, 748 ballots have gone out by mail since advance voting began. If you have a mail-in ballot, it must be postmarked by election day and be in the county clerk's office by Friday, Nov. 5.Fager says, as of Monday at noon, 370 residents have cast a ballot at the annex office.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Mail-in ballots must be requested by Tuesday

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Scuba diving to train for spaceflight, moon and Mars landing simulations, and training for a Martian settlement mission 650 feet below the surface of the earth are part of the Cosmosphere's&nbsp; 2022 summer camps for next summer.

Elementary students entering 3rd grade and above can explore the complexities of living in space while having fun meeting “their people” in a STEM-centered environment.

Students entering 7th-12th grades practice teamwork and problem-solving, making friends for life in mission teams while learning about the variety of professions engaged in STEM and aerospace industries.

Cosmosphere camp registration opens Tuesday with limited-time offers, including exclusive Holiday Gift Bundles with boxed surprises for gift-giving, available through Nov. 27, and a Holiday Special allowing parents to register campers for only $70 down before Dec. 31, 2021. Many of the camps sell out each year.

Building on a rigorous base of Next Generation Science Standards and work readiness skill development, Cosmosphere camp participants learn how a broad range of skills, from journalism to health care and agriculture, contribute to the excitement and success of living and working in space.

This year's camps have added Java Code to the lineup of activities that includes programming robots, designing rockets, flying drones and even learning to fly real planes.

For information and registration, go to <a href="http://cosmocamps.org">cosmocamps.org</a> or call 620-222-0201.&nbsp;

<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/3/1584388004236.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Scuba diving to train for spaceflight, moon and Mars landing simulations, and training for a Martian settlement mission 650 feet below the surface of the earth are part of the Cosmosphere's&nbsp; 2022 summer camps for next summer.Elementary students entering 3rd grade and above can explore the complexities of living in space while having fun meeting “their people” in a STEM-centered environment.Students entering 7th-12th grades practice teamwork and problem-solving, making friends for life in mission teams while learning about the variety of professions engaged in STEM and aerospace industries.Cosmosphere camp registration opens Tuesday with limited-time offers, including exclusive Holiday Gift Bundles with boxed surprises for gift-giving, available through Nov. 27, and a Holiday Special allowing parents to register campers for only $70 down before Dec. 31, 2021. Many of the camps sell out each year.Building on a rigorous base of Next Generation Science Standards and work readiness skill development, Cosmosphere camp participants learn how a broad range of skills, from journalism to health care and agriculture, contribute to the excitement and success of living and working in space.This year's camps have added Java Code to the lineup of activities that includes programming robots, designing rockets, flying drones and even learning to fly real planes.For information and registration, go to <a href="http://cosmocamps.org">cosmocamps.org</a> or call 620-222-0201.&nbsp;<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.

Registration for Cosmosphere camps begins Tuesday

In studio with us Charles Johnston, he is running for the at-large seat on the Hutchinson city council. Both Charles and Marla Jean are running against Sarah Bagwell. She is the incumbent in that race. She will be with us tomorrow morning here on BW, but for Charles, first of all, good morning. How are you doing?

So far, so good. So as we've said, everyone has an issue that is the reason that they're running for city council. What city policy was the one that made you decide to run in the first place?

You know, I ran in 2019 because I saw that people weren't being listened to and ultimately the race I was running in, Steve Garza won, and I think that was actually a really good fit for the time and when I thought about running this year. It's because I feel like I'm the right fit for the time. And there are lots of issues that are out there. But the one that I think strikes me the most is the city does not lead with vision. We play whack-a-mole over all sorts of different issues. So the thing I think I would bring to council is not only an understanding of issues on a macro level though, um, or excuse me, on micro level though, to be, in full disclosure, there are some things I'm not quite as familiar on as I'd like to be, but also to lead the city through some of these bigger decisions, thinking about what Hutchinson's going to look like in 20, 30, 40, 50 years from now, not just next year.

Do you currently owe any obligations to any taxing entities for any years prior to this one?

Did you vote in the last city council election? That seems ironic to ask.

I certainly did, both in the primary and in the general.

All right. What can be done to reduce regulation on businesses coming to Hutchinson?

So when I think about what can be done to relieve businesses, to make our economy more friendly and to help our chamber and the city department in charge of recruiting businesses is to make sure that they don't have barriers. And the barriers that I constantly hear from both current developers and potential developers is the fact that our code system is not in good shape. It's not consistent, which to me perhaps is the largest problem because I hear that from residents too, that codes that are on the city books get reinforced or enforced over here while for someone else it doesn't. And, to me, that's a problem. So I'd be very interested in establishing some basic guidelines for how codes are approached for businesses and for individuals. The biggest gap, I think that I can point out that speaks to this today is the fact that there's a local business that has been here for 50 years, out in the Carey Park area that has been under constant threat of losing their property because it's out of shape.

The ironic thing is that we're going to spend $1.5 million on a similar developer to take care of a problem. That's been here for almost 10 years, developing to the full point in 2019, where we lost it. And of course I'm talking about the Atrium Hotel. From my perspective, I would not have supported the action that the current city council is taking, because I think that's rewarding bad behavior. If I think about the things that $1.5 million could have been spent on, I have a lot different priorities. And the thing is, I don't believe we used all of the punitive actions available to us to be able to resolve that problem, or to at least give us the opportunity as a city to not spend as much money to solve it.

To a certain point, I presume that you're referring to the Barnard's property, you're talking about the one on the other end of town. So to follow up on that, just a moment, to a certain point, the Atrium is I'm not going to say an easier decision politically, but it's one that may be more palatable to the general public because you can tax the people that are coming into town for that through bed tax rather than rather than taxing, at least for the most part, the people that live here, which if you tried to do the same sort of rehabilitation project, it would be very difficult to use bed tax, to help on the other end of town. Right or wrong, um, that, that may have made it an easier decision politically.

Sure. Although I would argue that because, the sales tax generated off of Bernard's catering business is actually more consistent, uh, at least in past when they were operating as a business, more consistent and feeds into our economy, better along with the property tax that they pay, because a lot of people don't know this, but because of my experience, with the bed tax, you can only use that for specific things. Sales tax can be used for any variety of things, property tax can be used, for any variety of things. So while yes, there's benefit to the specific areas where bed tax is used, that doesn't, I appreciate the, how should I say this, the point and the contrast that you're trying to draw, but for me, it is discongruent to reward someone for taking advantage of our market, because, let's be clear that hotel has been in trouble since the day it opened. Since the first time I was aware of it, which was probably in high school in 1999, it's gone through, I don't know, maybe six different chains, ultimately leading to this one, which we saw the developer dealing with in Salina and knew the writing on the wall when we gave it to him. So, for me, as a person who supports tourism, and knows that to the point of the president and CEO of the NJCAA, excuse me, coming to town and saying, you've got to fix this. You're going to lose our business. It just frustrates me.

What's a proper level of bonding for a city Hutchinson's size, what percentage of the city's budget should be debt service?

I answer this with the knowledge that, on the early part of the conversation, I'm not an accountant, I'm not a financial advisor, so that is not my area. However, I will say that one of the reasons our form of government exists here in town is because the council is responsible for hiring professionals to take care of these issues for us, the city manager and the director of finance are both responsible for advising us with the best decisions. Now, I'm fortunate enough to remember John Deardoff coming to the city council, this was back in, I think, 20 15, 2016 and saying, we have to have a larger general fund because if we don't, our debt rating is going to go down. And as you know, because of the consumer, excuse me, the consumer familiarity with a credit score, the better credit score you have, the better interest rates you can get. And I think that as a city, right now, we have to be focused on maintaining the best debt rating as possible so we can get the best deals.

And I would also say that historically right now, our bonding rates are so low that it almost makes more sense to borrow money and make sure that we get our value right now. I would say that I am not comfortable doing bonding for projects that we can pay for on their own. However, we do have to have some sort of balance. And for me, I am not a person who supports excessive taxes on the people. So, a way that we can relieve some of that tax obligation is to spread out some of the costs of those larger projects through bonds.

What length should the city's street maintenance program be? We're finally to a set length, at least I believe it's eight years at this point. Is that right? Wrong? Do we need to take a look? How's that work?

So I hear constantly from people I speak to about the quality of streets around town. My spouse will often comment about how he's tired of hearing about potholes. I am pleased to say that the cities finally have a tool to be able to address that. So we're making progress, but the bottom line is that there are parts of town that simply have awful streets. I think of the College Grove area in town, where we have historic brick streets that are simply decaying. And when you think about streets that are on our maintenance plan, I actually live down south of town at 1022 East Sherman, and it had been a dirt road for years and years and years was turned into a asphalt road, probably a decade and a half ago. And it's never been touched since except for repairs. So from my perspective, I would like to re-examine that street schedule, knowing that the arterial streets, you know, 11th, Severance, 17th, need to be maintained at a level that's acceptable to people who are coming to visit, but also recognize that, you know, when we have a five foot hole, that's a exaggeration, but more like a foot hole in one of our brick streets that we have to put a cone in so that people don't drive their cars into, that's a problem. I know that part of the quarter-cent sales tax that funds the Cosmosphere and Strataca also goes to street work. I do have a question about when that goes away or when it comes back up, are we going to be able to pass it for the taxpayer so that we can continue to maintain our streets? I'm concerned, because if we don't, we're going to fall behind even more than we already are.

Are you for or against taking the money from the federal government to put roundabouts in at the Woodie Seat Freeway? Let us know what you think about that issue?

I love that you're bringing this up because this is another area that I am so frustrated on. And it's one of the reasons I decided to really dip into the race this year, because it's emblematic of a problem of our city government. And that is that a few people who feel like they know best about what should happen on a city level, proceed without actually talking to the people that it's going to cause the biggest impact to. I appreciate the opportunity to spend federal dollars to offset some of our costs as a city. However, to do that in this case is going to completely isolate Southwest Bricktown. And that, to me, particularly since residents, weren't really notified that they're going to lose Avenue B, one of their thoroughfares. It's a problem. On the other hand, we also have a bridge problem where if we don't deal with it, it's going to be unsafe for the amount of truck traffic. So it's a conundrum, but from my perspective, we have to deal with our residents first, so we know what they need and want, and if we can't accomplish what they need and want exactly, can we come up with a compromise where they feel good about the decision that has to be made? Again, we have to engage residents before we make decisions like this. And that is what is not happening on a city government level right now.

Now to the infrastructure under the city's streets, the storm water utility fee is in place. And, so, should it stay while we continue the work that, we're still trying to get that big project done, but have the railroads to deal with first?

That's I think critical to important, too, for people to understand as well that sometimes our barriers are not just the city, it's the partners that we work with and the Union Pacific and BNSF are great partners, but there are certain things that from time to time, they cause us to be able to deal with. I think about the, uh, Walnut closure right now that no one's been able to use for almost three weeks. So, when we're talking about the storm water utility fee, one of the problems is that an exorbitant fee like that causes businesses to not be able to come into town, because depending on the size parking lot that they get, that's really the bottom line about what they have to pay. And when you're dealing with, for example, a business that has a small business that has maybe 50 employees, who's trying to come into this building that has this huge parking lot, they can't make a reasonable profit. And so I think we need to re-examine that storm water fee and figure out how we can make it more business friendly.

All right. Well, I'm not going to get to all my questions, but I do want to ask about this and give you a chance to talk about yourself a little bit. How will you build consensus with the other members of the council?

So, I have a proven track record of being able to do this. My background here in town is primarily as a nonprofit executive from 2013 to 2019, I ran Stage 9 and we grew the theater with the cooperation of volunteers and board members by, from a budget perspective, about 300%, um, excuse me, 150% three times. So we were able to increase that budget and the way we were able to do it is because we worked together. Ultimately, as a council member, I realized that it takes three to be able to play. So we have to get consensus between the three of us. Can you do that in a council meeting? Yes. Is there background relationships that have to be able to be built? Yes. And so I think there's relationship work to be done because from my perspective, relationships equal progress, because if you can have good relationships, it's going to make everything easier and progress better.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1609255107994.jpeg" alt="City hall.jpg" />
 <figcaption>City hall.jpg</figcaption>
 </figure>Nick Gosnell (00:00):In studio with us Charles Johnston, he is running for the at-large seat on the Hutchinson city council. Both Charles and Marla Jean are running against Sarah Bagwell. She is the incumbent in that race. She will be with us tomorrow morning here on BW, but for Charles, first of all, good morning. How are you doing?Charles Johnston (00:17):I'm very well. Nick, how about you?Nick Gosnell (00:18):So far, so good. So as we've said, everyone has an issue that is the reason that they're running for city council. What city policy was the one that made you decide to run in the first place?Charles Johnston (00:31):You know, I ran in 2019 because I saw that people weren't being listened to and ultimately the race I was running in, Steve Garza won, and I think that was actually a really good fit for the time and when I thought about running this year. It's because I feel like I'm the right fit for the time. And there are lots of issues that are out there. But the one that I think strikes me the most is the city does not lead with vision. We play whack-a-mole over all sorts of different issues. So the thing I think I would bring to council is not only an understanding of issues on a macro level though, um, or excuse me, on micro level though, to be, in full disclosure, there are some things I'm not quite as familiar on as I'd like to be, but also to lead the city through some of these bigger decisions, thinking about what Hutchinson's going to look like in 20, 30, 40, 50 years from now, not just next year.Nick Gosnell (01:27):Do you currently owe any obligations to any taxing entities for any years prior to this one?Charles Johnston (01:31):No, I do not.Nick Gosnell (01:33):Did you vote in the last city council election? That seems ironic to ask.Charles Johnston (01:37):I certainly did, both in the primary and in the general.Nick Gosnell (01:40):All right. What can be done to reduce regulation on businesses coming to Hutchinson?Charles Johnston (01:46):So when I think about what can be done to relieve businesses, to make our economy more friendly and to help our chamber and the city department in charge of recruiting businesses is to make sure that they don't have barriers. And the barriers that I constantly hear from both current developers and potential developers is the fact that our code system is not in good shape. It's not consistent, which to me perhaps is the largest problem because I hear that from residents too, that codes that are on the city books get reinforced or enforced over here while for someone else it doesn't. And, to me, that's a problem. So I'd be very interested in establishing some basic guidelines for how codes are approached for businesses and for individuals. The biggest gap, I think that I can point out that speaks to this today is the fact that there's a local business that has been here for 50 years, out in the Carey Park area that has been under constant threat of losing their property because it's out of shape.Charles Johnston (02:56):The ironic thing is that we're going to spend $1.5 million on a similar developer to take care of a problem. That's been here for almost 10 years, developing to the full point in 2019, where we lost it. And of course I'm talking about the Atrium Hotel. From my perspective, I would not have supported the action that the current city council is taking, because I think that's rewarding bad behavior. If I think about the things that $1.5 million could have been spent on, I have a lot different priorities. And the thing is, I don't believe we used all of the punitive actions available to us to be able to resolve that problem, or to at least give us the opportunity as a city to not spend as much money to solve it.Nick Gosnell (03:40):To a certain point, I presume that you're referring to the Barnard's property, you're talking about the one on the other end of town. So to follow up on that, just a moment, to a certain point, the Atrium is I'm not going to say an easier decision politically, but it's one that may be more palatable to the general public because you can tax the people that are coming into town for that through bed tax rather than rather than taxing, at least for the most part, the people that live here, which if you tried to do the same sort of rehabilitation project, it would be very difficult to use bed tax, to help on the other end of town. Right or wrong, um, that, that may have made it an easier decision politically.Charles Johnston (04:34):Sure. Although I would argue that because, the sales tax generated off of Bernard's catering business is actually more consistent, uh, at least in past when they were operating as a business, more consistent and feeds into our economy, better along with the property tax that they pay, because a lot of people don't know this, but because of my experience, with the bed tax, you can only use that for specific things. Sales tax can be used for any variety of things, property tax can be used, for any variety of things. So while yes, there's benefit to the specific areas where bed tax is used, that doesn't, I appreciate the, how should I say this, the point and the contrast that you're trying to draw, but for me, it is discongruent to reward someone for taking advantage of our market, because, let's be clear that hotel has been in trouble since the day it opened. Since the first time I was aware of it, which was probably in high school in 1999, it's gone through, I don't know, maybe six different chains, ultimately leading to this one, which we saw the developer dealing with in Salina and knew the writing on the wall when we gave it to him. So, for me, as a person who supports tourism, and knows that to the point of the president and CEO of the NJCAA, excuse me, coming to town and saying, you've got to fix this. You're going to lose our business. It just frustrates me.Nick Gosnell (06:07):What's a proper level of bonding for a city Hutchinson's size, what percentage of the city's budget should be debt service?Charles Johnston (06:13):I answer this with the knowledge that, on the early part of the conversation, I'm not an accountant, I'm not a financial advisor, so that is not my area. However, I will say that one of the reasons our form of government exists here in town is because the council is responsible for hiring professionals to take care of these issues for us, the city manager and the director of finance are both responsible for advising us with the best decisions. Now, I'm fortunate enough to remember John Deardoff coming to the city council, this was back in, I think, 20 15, 2016 and saying, we have to have a larger general fund because if we don't, our debt rating is going to go down. And as you know, because of the consumer, excuse me, the consumer familiarity with a credit score, the better credit score you have, the better interest rates you can get. And I think that as a city, right now, we have to be focused on maintaining the best debt rating as possible so we can get the best deals.Charles Johnston (07:15):And I would also say that historically right now, our bonding rates are so low that it almost makes more sense to borrow money and make sure that we get our value right now. I would say that I am not comfortable doing bonding for projects that we can pay for on their own. However, we do have to have some sort of balance. And for me, I am not a person who supports excessive taxes on the people. So, a way that we can relieve some of that tax obligation is to spread out some of the costs of those larger projects through bonds.Nick Gosnell (07:53):What length should the city's street maintenance program be? We're finally to a set length, at least I believe it's eight years at this point. Is that right? Wrong? Do we need to take a look? How's that work?Charles Johnston (08:10):So I hear constantly from people I speak to about the quality of streets around town. My spouse will often comment about how he's tired of hearing about potholes. I am pleased to say that the cities finally have a tool to be able to address that. So we're making progress, but the bottom line is that there are parts of town that simply have awful streets. I think of the College Grove area in town, where we have historic brick streets that are simply decaying. And when you think about streets that are on our maintenance plan, I actually live down south of town at 1022 East Sherman, and it had been a dirt road for years and years and years was turned into a asphalt road, probably a decade and a half ago. And it's never been touched since except for repairs. So from my perspective, I would like to re-examine that street schedule, knowing that the arterial streets, you know, 11th, Severance, 17th, need to be maintained at a level that's acceptable to people who are coming to visit, but also recognize that, you know, when we have a five foot hole, that's a exaggeration, but more like a foot hole in one of our brick streets that we have to put a cone in so that people don't drive their cars into, that's a problem. I know that part of the quarter-cent sales tax that funds the Cosmosphere and Strataca also goes to street work. I do have a question about when that goes away or when it comes back up, are we going to be able to pass it for the taxpayer so that we can continue to maintain our streets? I'm concerned, because if we don't, we're going to fall behind even more than we already are.Nick Gosnell (09:50):Are you for or against taking the money from the federal government to put roundabouts in at the Woodie Seat Freeway? Let us know what you think about that issue?Charles Johnston (09:59):I love that you're bringing this up because this is another area that I am so frustrated on. And it's one of the reasons I decided to really dip into the race this year, because it's emblematic of a problem of our city government. And that is that a few people who feel like they know best about what should happen on a city level, proceed without actually talking to the people that it's going to cause the biggest impact to. I appreciate the opportunity to spend federal dollars to offset some of our costs as a city. However, to do that in this case is going to completely isolate Southwest Bricktown. And that, to me, particularly since residents, weren't really notified that they're going to lose Avenue B, one of their thoroughfares. It's a problem. On the other hand, we also have a bridge problem where if we don't deal with it, it's going to be unsafe for the amount of truck traffic. So it's a conundrum, but from my perspective, we have to deal with our residents first, so we know what they need and want, and if we can't accomplish what they need and want exactly, can we come up with a compromise where they feel good about the decision that has to be made? Again, we have to engage residents before we make decisions like this. And that is what is not happening on a city government level right now.Nick Gosnell (11:20):Now to the infrastructure under the city's streets, the storm water utility fee is in place. And, so, should it stay while we continue the work that, we're still trying to get that big project done, but have the railroads to deal with first?Charles Johnston (11:34):That's I think critical to important, too, for people to understand as well that sometimes our barriers are not just the city, it's the partners that we work with and the Union Pacific and BNSF are great partners, but there are certain things that from time to time, they cause us to be able to deal with. I think about the, uh, Walnut closure right now that no one's been able to use for almost three weeks. So, when we're talking about the storm water utility fee, one of the problems is that an exorbitant fee like that causes businesses to not be able to come into town, because depending on the size parking lot that they get, that's really the bottom line about what they have to pay. And when you're dealing with, for example, a business that has a small business that has maybe 50 employees, who's trying to come into this building that has this huge parking lot, they can't make a reasonable profit. And so I think we need to re-examine that storm water fee and figure out how we can make it more business friendly.Nick Gosnell (12:35):All right. Well, I'm not going to get to all my questions, but I do want to ask about this and give you a chance to talk about yourself a little bit. How will you build consensus with the other members of the council?Charles Johnston (12:45):So, I have a proven track record of being able to do this. My background here in town is primarily as a nonprofit executive from 2013 to 2019, I ran Stage 9 and we grew the theater with the cooperation of volunteers and board members by, from a budget perspective, about 300%, um, excuse me, 150% three times. So we were able to increase that budget and the way we were able to do it is because we worked together. Ultimately, as a council member, I realized that it takes three to be able to play. So we have to get consensus between the three of us. Can you do that in a council meeting? Yes. Is there background relationships that have to be able to be built? Yes. And so I think there's relationship work to be done because from my perspective, relationships equal progress, because if you can have good relationships, it's going to make everything easier and progress better.

Transcript: Hutchinson City Council candidate Charles Johnston


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — Reno County EMS announced Monday that Monika Heller has been promoted to Special Projects Chief. 

Chief Heller will be taking on current and new projects that are vital to the growth and mission to provide high quality and up-to-date pre- hospital care for the citizens of Reno County. 

One project in particular that Chief Heller will be heading is the goal for Reno County EMS to become accredited by The Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS), a status that is recognized as the gold standard for ambulance services. 

"We can’t begin to fully describe Chief Heller’s dedication to our agency, our staff, and our community," the agency said Monday. "Whether she is analyzing data, working on process improvement projects, coordinating uniform purchases, teaching continuing education, planning PR events, treating patients, or working on billing, she is constantly tying up the loose ends to ensure we operate efficiently."

Chief Heller celebrated her 19th employment anniversary with Reno County EMS on Sunday. She began her career as a PRN EMT. 

She graduated with her Paramedic degree from HCC in 2005 and started her full time Paramedic career in 2006 on Team 3. Chief Heller served in that capacity until 2016 when she was promoted to Division Chief of Team 3. 

In the midst of all that, she also became a Registered Nurse, and is currently completing her bachelor’s degree in EMS Administration. 

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HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — Reno County EMS announced Monday that Monika Heller has been promoted to Special Projects Chief. Chief Heller will be taking on current and new projects that are vital to the growth and mission to provide high quality and up-to-date pre- hospital care for the citizens of Reno County. One project in particular that Chief Heller will be heading is the goal for Reno County EMS to become accredited by The Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS), a status that is recognized as the gold standard for ambulance services. "We can’t begin to fully describe Chief Heller’s dedication to our agency, our staff, and our community," the agency said Monday. "Whether she is analyzing data, working on process improvement projects, coordinating uniform purchases, teaching continuing education, planning PR events, treating patients, or working on billing, she is constantly tying up the loose ends to ensure we operate efficiently."Chief Heller celebrated her 19th employment anniversary with Reno County EMS on Sunday. She began her career as a PRN EMT. She graduated with her Paramedic degree from HCC in 2005 and started her full time Paramedic career in 2006 on Team 3. Chief Heller served in that capacity until 2016 when she was promoted to Division Chief of Team 3. In the midst of all that, she also became a Registered Nurse, and is currently completing her bachelor’s degree in EMS Administration.

Heller promoted at Reno County EMS

Marla Jean Booher gets to start off. She is running for the at large seat on the Hutchinson city council. Good morning, Marla Jean, how are you?

Good morning. I'm doing Well. How are you doing?

Good so far. She hasn't seen these questions in advance, which is probably going to be, I would bet you that the other six candidates are all probably listening this morning because none of them have seen it. My intent is at least as much as possible to ask initial questions that are the same, but based on your answers, we'll see what we follow up with. That said, to lead off, everybody has an issue that is the reason that they decided to run for city council, so what city policy was the reason that led you to run for this seat?

It really wasn't a policy for me. It was engagement. I think we saw a lot of interest spiking in the past couple of years and maybe a little bit of fracture between the city and the community. And I, when I moved back here in 2009, I did so because where I was at in a big city, I was not feeling as engaged where I was. So, I have spent the last 12 years getting more involved in my community. So I could just be here today, doing exactly what I'm doing, and that is trying to impact our community to engage everyone in the decision making process at this level. And making sure that all voices are heard when decisions are made at the city council level.

All right. Second question. Do you currently owe any obligations to any tax entities for any years prior to this one? Obviously folks haven't paid for this year yet. Maybe in some cases, but, but anything that's outstanding from the past?

Okay. Did you vote in the last city council election in Hutchinson?

Okay. What can be done to reduce regulation on businesses coming to Hutchinson?

Well, that is something I'm learning more about. I do think that that's gonna take a lot of collaboration and delving into, I know that some of that stuff is set higher than the city council. So, I'm not sure how much of that is gonna be able to be changed. ButI do know that there are processes in place that are currently being used. I think we're seeing thatwith Mr. Cooley and the Stevens building, where they have appeals processes and things like that. I do know there is some wiggle room, but there is, there are some things that are, they just law, so...

Sure. So, what's a proper level of bonding for a city Hutchinson's size. In other words, how much debt should a city carry on a year to year basis?

That is something that I would have to educate myself on. I don't know that answer.

Okay. So, then if that's so, if you don't know what the amount of debt service potentially should be,obviously most folks don't, I guess I'll say it that way, but it seems like at the city level, a lot of the things that are planned,that's a big part of the budget is that they say, well, we have, we're planning to bond these projects. We're planning to borrow money, even if it's at low interest rates for this purpose. So, what's your position on saving for projects as opposed to bonding projects and, and it's, there's not necessarily a wrong answer here,especially in the inflationary economy, we have the dollars today probably cheaper than the ones tomorrow.

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 </figure>Nick Gosnell (00:00):Marla Jean Booher gets to start off. She is running for the at large seat on the Hutchinson city council. Good morning, Marla Jean, how are you?Marla Jean Booher (00:07):Good morning. I'm doing Well. How are you doing?Nick Gosnell (00:08):Good so far. She hasn't seen these questions in advance, which is probably going to be, I would bet you that the other six candidates are all probably listening this morning because none of them have seen it. My intent is at least as much as possible to ask initial questions that are the same, but based on your answers, we'll see what we follow up with. That said, to lead off, everybody has an issue that is the reason that they decided to run for city council, so what city policy was the reason that led you to run for this seat?Marla Jean Booher (00:43):It really wasn't a policy for me. It was engagement. I think we saw a lot of interest spiking in the past couple of years and maybe a little bit of fracture between the city and the community. And I, when I moved back here in 2009, I did so because where I was at in a big city, I was not feeling as engaged where I was. So, I have spent the last 12 years getting more involved in my community. So I could just be here today, doing exactly what I'm doing, and that is trying to impact our community to engage everyone in the decision making process at this level. And making sure that all voices are heard when decisions are made at the city council level.Nick Gosnell (01:32):All right. Second question. Do you currently owe any obligations to any tax entities for any years prior to this one? Obviously folks haven't paid for this year yet. Maybe in some cases, but, but anything that's outstanding from the past?Marla Jean Booher (01:46):No, I do not.Nick Gosnell (01:47):Okay. Did you vote in the last city council election in Hutchinson?Marla Jean Booher (01:51):Yes, I did.Nick Gosnell (01:52):Okay. What can be done to reduce regulation on businesses coming to Hutchinson?Marla Jean Booher (01:59):Well, that is something I'm learning more about. I do think that that's gonna take a lot of collaboration and delving into, I know that some of that stuff is set higher than the city council. So, I'm not sure how much of that is gonna be able to be changed. ButI do know that there are processes in place that are currently being used. I think we're seeing thatwith Mr. Cooley and the Stevens building, where they have appeals processes and things like that. I do know there is some wiggle room, but there is, there are some things that are, they just law, so...Nick Gosnell (02:37):Sure. So, what's a proper level of bonding for a city Hutchinson's size. In other words, how much debt should a city carry on a year to year basis?Marla Jean Booher (02:47):That is something that I would have to educate myself on. I don't know that answer.Nick Gosnell (02:52):Okay. So, then if that's so, if you don't know what the amount of debt service potentially should be,obviously most folks don't, I guess I'll say it that way, but it seems like at the city level, a lot of the things that are planned,that's a big part of the budget is that they say, well, we have, we're planning to bond these projects. We're planning to borrow money, even if it's at low interest rates for this purpose. So, what's your position on saving for projects as opposed to bonding projects and, and it's, there's not necessarily a wrong answer here,especially in the inflationary economy, we have the dollars today probably cheaper than the ones tomorrow.Marla Jean Booher (03:40):Yes. So I think that's obviously optimal to save rather than bond. I also think that if we are planning a project like that, it, it would be something that we'd be looking out in the future to. And that it would hopefully be something that we would have feedback from the community on. And that way we would have buy in and hopefully investment from the community, which then would not require bonding or maybe as much bonding. So it would be my hope that we could minimize bonding if not alleviate it at all, by planning ahead, rather than trying to do something more impulsive.Nick Gosnell (04:16):All right. So with that said, one of the things that gets bonded the most is street maintenance. So what length should the city's street maintenance program be? In other words, how many years should it be between times that folks see a crew on their individual street?Marla Jean Booher (04:33):So I, we already have a plan in place. I think it's a rolling eight years for street maintenance. That's just now going through the first iteration. I think we give that time to play out and see how that's workingand how that goes. And if that's a good set time and, and the streets last that long, then I think we stick with it. You know, that is one thing I've noticed is we don't necessarily follow through or stick with something once we've put it in place. So let's let something play out that's been decided.Nick Gosnell (05:03):All right, Marla Jean Booher is running for the at large seat here in the Hutchinson city council, more with Marla Jean coming up.Nick Gosnell (05:09):This is maybe the most specific we will get with policy just because it's been such a big issue for the city over the last while, but are you for, or against taking the money from the federal government to put roundabouts in at the Woodie Seat Freeway? That issue has been up here for a couple of years. They've been trying to get federal grants to help with taking care of the issue with the bridges there, but at least according to engineering staff with the city getting it designed as a pair of roundabouts, rather than replacing the bridges is the best way to get to the federal funding. And so that's what the application was. They put an application in for that, it's not back yet, should be back shortly after election day and before the first of the year. But then the city has to decide if they're gonna accept the money or not. So what do you think about that issue?Marla Jean Booher (06:08):Well that's kind of a loaded question, Nick. So, of course I think that any way we can alleviate taxpayer responsibility on that is great. I wish that we would have, again, engaged the community in the decision making process. There seems to be a lot of feedback that I have gotten in my campaigning that there just wasn't a lot of transparency in this and a lot of involvement in how this was gonna be addressed, how it was gonna be approached, what the timeline was. You know, I think whatever is decided, moving forward, the community has got to be involved. That is a must. It is a must.Nick Gosnell (07:10):If there's been a theme for current mayor, Steve Garza, since he took over as mayor, that's been itI suppose, is that the community just needs to know more about what they're doing with their government. That again is a, it's a hard thing because at least based upon the framework that has been available to us in public meetings, and that doesn't necessarily mean that that's everything that was said to everybody, but it's what I can talk about that it is according to engineering staff, much less expensive to put in the roundabouts than it would be, to put the bridges in because you wouldn't win the federal grant just to replace bridges. At least that's the, that's the theory now, practically speaking, I don't know whether that's true or not, but that's the reason why it's an issue for the city council.Marla Jean Booher (08:20):May, I speak to that last point? Go ahead. I'm sorry. That very well may be. I do, I do feel though in my own experience that even if that is the outcome had that conversation just been had up front, and honesty and openness been had, I, that there could have, there just, would've been a lot more comfort in what's happening. I, I think it's a lot easier to accept a decision when the expectation is laid out from the very beginning.Nick Gosnell (08:51):Sure. So moving on, how do we fix the infrastructure under the city's streets? A storm water utility fee is in place. We've got that large drainage project that they're still waiting on approval for from the railroads to try to figure out exactly what the route is going to be. How do you pay for those long term infrastructure projects in the city?Marla Jean Booher (09:15):Listen, we have to invest in ourselves. We just do, we have to, and we have to accept that when we talk about attracting businesses, that part of that is making ourselves move in ready, you know, a business doesn't wanna come in here and clean up something that we haven't been taking care of. I know it's not a popular opinion, but it was something that we weren't taking care of for a long time. And so it's kind of like the roof on your house. If you haven't been maintaining it for 25 years and you, and you get a hole in it, it's gonna cost you a lot more to fix it. If you just had been maintaining it for that 25 years or what have you. So hopefully we get to a point where the fee becomes more and more nominal and it just becomes a maintenance situation. But until we get to that point, we are, we are back maintaining at this point. And the first iteration of that fee I believe was used to build up our what's it called around the river, the levee. So, you know, we had to do that first before we could start in on the actual infrastructure, so...Nick Gosnell (10:32):Sure. How will you build consensus with the other members of the council? When you disagree, will, will you do it behind closed doors or in the public meeting?Marla Jean Booher (10:42):So, first and foremost, I think you have to build a relationship with each one individually that builds trust that builds confidence and respect. And I think those conversations that you're referring to should happen in private, but then when you get out in, in public, you are to be professional and a unified front. And you could probably respectfully disagree, but to have further conversation should probably respectfully be also done in private.Nick Gosnell (11:22):Is more government or less government generally better. And why, and that's the last question this morning.Marla Jean Booher (11:28):Well, that probably depends on what we're talking about. I don't think that's a universal application. If I had a specific, I'd probably have a better answer for you, but I think to universally apply that across the board is probably irresponsible.Nick Gosnell (11:44):Marla Jean Booher, running for city council at the at large seat and she joins us here on KWBW, Hutchinson, Kansas.

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