By NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Reno County Administrator Randy Partington is still watching warily where the budget might go in 2021.
"I think the big concern at the county for me on the budget is, we didn't have a sales tax decrease during 2020, which is great," Partington said. "We don't know if that was because people were at home more, or were not traveling to the bigger communities to shop. We're hoping that the sales tax doesn't take a big hit in 2021."
It's also important that people remain in their homes so that property tax revenues can remain consistent.
"Until we know more about the virus and how we can slowly eradicate it, hopefully we can eradicate it, there definitely is unknowns about what assistance the county is going to receive, businesses are going to receive, so that we can continue to live life to our fullest and operate at 100%," Partington said.
Partington knows that with a new commissioner coming on the board in Daniel Friesen in January, there will be some learning curve as he explains how the county's processes work, as he had to do with Dr. Mark Steffen when he joined after the death of Bob Bush this year.