By NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson City Council will have its organizational meetings going forward at its first meeting in January.
"We're just having the terms of the council match the schedule that the state requires," said City Attorney Paul Brown. "Currently, we have a gap."
The statute when it was originally enacted in 2015, asked for terms to start on the second Monday in January, but Hutchinson's City Council doesn't meet then. In 2019, they gave cities more options.
"They gave some flexibility to have the terms start anywhere from December 1 to the second Monday in January." Brown said.
The Council discussed the options and because of the holidays, they wanted to stay away from December.
"Then we can swear in the Mayor and Vice Mayor as we normally do," Brown said. "It will change the date of the annual organization meeting. That's all we're doing is trying to eliminate the gap. I would have done that earlier, but we were still transitioning through those extended terms."
The council approved the change to the charter ordinance unanimously.