HUTCHINSON, Kan. — For years, Reno County has set aside funds for economic development. And most of those years, the funds were not entirely spent. Those leftover funds would go back to the general fund.
On Tuesday, the County Commission changed that with a pair of resolutions it hopes will give a little more flexibility during the budget period and keep that money ready when needed.
The $400,000 was used for incentives and other similar programs to attract new business or to help expand an existing company.
Under the resolution, the county will have an economic development reserve fund. Any money left over from the $400,000 line item would be transferred into the reserve fund. A second resolution allows the county to transfer those funds into the reserve fund instead of back into the general fund.
The hope is to keep the fund in place while allowing the county to hold back in future funding if the reserve is full and the budget is tight. It also allows the county to put more into the reserve fund if it is available.
The resolutions also brought up discussion regarding the county's 5-year comprehensive plan. Commissioners were in agreement that, while the plan looks good on paper, very little has been done to attain the goals outlined in the plan. The commissioners were in consensus that the plan needed to be looked over and there should be a discussion on how to either fix the plan or take action on the plan.
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