By NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Reno County Administrator Randy Partington is bringing in some voices of experience in Reno County to work on CARES act response.
"I'm working with Joe to get the agreement contract in place, but they've already started working," Partington said Tuesday. "Gary Meagher, the former Reno County administrator and John Deardoff, the former Hutchinson city manager. They're working together with me and creating a task force. I'm meeting with them later this morning and then probably again later this week to start building a task force that will then get together to discuss not only reimbursements for COVID-19 related expenses, but a direct aid plan."
The intent is to get a small city representative, a large city representative, a small school district representative, a large school district representative, a member of the county commission, a member of the city council, the consultants and the administrator all together to give recommendations to the county commission.
"That's really more for the discussion of what's needed in the near future and long term for public entities, which include all cities in Reno County, Reno County itself the organization and all public school districts in Reno County, kind of what they need to be purchasing, or a plan to better prepare for the future, the new future, with COVID-19 playing a role."
Reimbursement requests need to start going in to the state as soon as next month, so there will be a lot of work for the task force in the coming weeks.