NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Speaking philosophically, South Hutchinson City Administrator Joseph Turner wants to help not only his city, but government generally, do what it must, but be limited in scope.
"My power, as a city manager, is not for me to be a tyrant or a dictator and do whatever I want to do," Turner said. "My power comes from a mandate given to me by my elected officials, my governing body. That's where the power rests. The people give their power to the governing body to be led. That's my job. Essentially, when it gets down to brass tacks of being an anti-federalist and a capitalist, I view my purpose in life as a city manager, city administrator, is to run the City of South Hutchinson as efficiently and effectively as possible within the mandate of objectives provided to me by my governing body."
Turner sees South Hutchinson's growth as being farther to the south in the coming years.
"Obviously, the growth pattern would be south along K-96," Turner said. "When you look at South Hutchinson, in the last 20 years or so, you would say the natural, inevitable growth pattern should be toward Wichita along the K-96 corridor."
The Hutchinson and Reno County Chamber of Commerce wants to put a new industrial park in that area, but South Hutchinson doesn't have enough water right now to let that growth happen.
"If we want to grow, I think we have to grow toward Wichita," Turner said. "There has to be some sort of recognition that we need to get water to that area in order for growth to occur. The question is, how is that done? Who pays for it? Who is responsible for it, so forth and so on. These are all difficult questions that need to be answered."
The city of Hutchinson has access to additional water, but the studies have not been done to see if there is enough surplus to send it that far south yet.