NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Board of County Commissioners in Reno County passed on Wednesday what one of the commissioners said is one of the most important things to ever come before that body.
"This was drafted by a group called the Kansas Natural Resource Coalition, which I've worked with primarily in Barton County," said Reno County Counselor Patrick Hoffman. "It's a response to the concern a lot of county local government has had about federal agencies getting involved in conservation of land and water resources, and very specifically to be honest, it's a reaction to the situation at the Quivira Wildlife Refuge in Stafford County, which does have at least one or two sections into Reno County. But what it does is, by resolution, puts in place a procedure for Reno County to require a federal agency to go through what they call coordination with us if in the future there is ever a federal agency action which we did not agree with."
There isn't a specific issue right now that this has raised, but they want to get it covered.
"The federal agencies are required under federal statutes to coordinate with local agencies, but only if there is a written resolution in place that requires them to do so," Hoffman said. "By adopting this today, there would be no immediate result from it, however, if ever in the future any of the federal agencies that might be involved in water policy in Reno County took an action that the commissioners in the future did not agree with, we could request and require them to come to a meeting like this one and explain their actions and answer questions and be held accountable for it. So I believe, in my opinion, it's a good thing to put in place just in case that ever happened."
Commissioner Don Bogner was all for the action.
"If we don't OK this, we've stripped ourselves certain city entities and individuals of Reno County, we've stripped ourselves and them of their right to ask for public hearings and other meetings," Bogner said. "I think it's one of the most important things that's ever come before us. And if we fail to pass this, we have hurt ourselves, our cities, and our individual voters of certain rights that they have under the law by not passing this, and anybody that's involved in farming knows about the takeover by federal agencies."
The resolution passed unanimously.