HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Two longtime members of the Hutchison City Council will be sitting in their last meeting on Tuesday when the city council meets in regular session.
John Daveline and Nancy Soldner will be stepping away from the council and replaced by newly-elected member Greg Fast representing the Southwest District and Jon Richardson, who takes the seat for the northwest district. Once that is finished, the council will go through the process of appointing a mayor and vice mayor for the next year.
Once the council gets down to business, it will consider an ordinance changing the qualifications for those serving on the city planning commission. Currently, the commission is made up of nine members with seven in the city limits and two others within three miles of the city limits. The two rural representatives were there due to the city’s ability to exercise its right to extra territorial jurisdiction (ETJ), which extended three miles beyond the city limits. But over time, the city planning department has determined that ETJ is not feasible considering the city’s growth history and felt the city would be better off with a clear annexation plan for the future.
With ETJ out of the picture, the commission feels the two positions governing outside the city limits are no longer needed. Under the new ordinance, the planning commission will now be made up of seven members all living within the city limits.
Tuesday's Hutchinson City Council meeting begins at 9 a.m. at the Hutchinson city offices.
CLICK HERE to download the Hutch Post mobile app.
CLICK HERE to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.