MARC JACOBS
Hutch Post
The Hutchinson City Council will meet for a regularly scheduled meeting at Hutchinson City Hall on Tuesday evening at 5:30 p.m.
On the agenda, the city council on Tuesday will consider a resolution declaring its intent to levy a property tax that exceeds the state-calculated revenue neutral rate for the 2026 budget.
According to the resolution included in the council’s agenda packet, the Reno County Clerk has determined the city’s 2026 revenue neutral rate to be 38.612 mills. The budget currently proposed by the council would require a higher mill levy of 42.395 mills — an increase of about 3.78 mills — to meet projected funding needs for the city’s General Fund and Bond and Interest payments.
Under Kansas law, any local government that intends to exceed its revenue neutral rate must hold a public hearing and allow taxpayers to provide input. The resolution sets that hearing for September 2 at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall, 125 E Avenue B, Hutchinson.
Once published, the proposed mill levy may not be increased but could be lowered before the final budget is adopted. The Finance Director is authorized to provide the approved resolution to the Reno County Clerk to meet state notice requirements.
A full draft of the proposed 2026 budget will be posted on the city’s website for the public to review ahead of the September hearing. City staff are recommending approval of the resolution to ensure legal compliance and to give residents an opportunity to comment on the proposed tax rate.
On the consent agenda is a request from Steven Petermann of Salt City Brewing to hold Salt City Fest on Main Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. The request asks for the consumption of alcohol on roadway and sidewalks on July 18 from the hours of 8 a.m. July 18 to 12 a.m. July 19. Also on the consent agenda is the approval of the June 2025 financial reports.
Also on the agenda is an update two locations, the commercial structure at 2100 South Bonebrake and 3405 East Fourth Ave.
In addition, the council will consider the approval of a bid for the long-awaited repairs to the Avenue C Bridge on the Woodie Seat Freeway corridor — a project identified nearly a decade ago as needing significant upgrades.
While initial plans called for postponing the Avenue C Bridge repairs until 2027 because of budget constraints, city officials determined the bridge’s existing conditions warranted moving the timeline forward. Although the bridge is not technically classified as “deficient,” city engineers have noted that the median, guardrail, and deck require significant repairs to address known safety and maintenance concerns.
The upcoming project will involve full-depth repairs to the bridge’s center median and outside barriers, bridge deck patching, and a Portland cement concrete overlay. JEO Consulting Group designed the project, which will be carried out alongside a portion of the Woodie Seat Freeway Phase II work. Construction is expected to begin this fall and reach substantial completion by June 28, 2026.
The approved 2025 budget allocated $1 million in general obligation bonds for the Avenue C Bridge repairs. Because the final bid came in at approximately $1.46 million, an additional $459,096 will be added to the bonded amount. Fortunately, funding is available because the Woodie Seat Phase II project came in significantly under budget in 2024.
During construction, the Woodie Seat Freeway from Avenue A to Avenue F will remain closed, but the Avenue A roundabout is expected to reopen to east and west traffic once Phase II is complete.
The bid by Wildcat Construction is for just under $1.5 million.
The city council will meet in the council chambers at City Hall at 5:30 p.m.