RENO COUNTY, Kan. – The Reno County Board of Commissioners met on Wednesday, with Commissioners Randy Parks, Ron Hirst, and Ron Vincent in attendance. The session began with unanimous approval of the consent agenda, which included routine operational items such as equipment surplus, vouchers, and various infrastructure projects, including a sewer camera for Public Works and a concrete project for extension offices. Additionally, the Board accepted the City of Turon’s bid to purchase the former fire station at 208 N Burns street in Turon, relieving the County of maintenance costs and benefiting the local community, and granted a six-month extension to Meadowlark Renewables to finalize project easements.
Business items on the agenda included an executive session concerning real estate acquisition and eminent domain, which was postponed due to the absence of the County Counselor and Commissioners Bogner and Winger. Additionally, discussions regarding a transient guest tax, specifically linked to the Salt Lick Golf and Hunting Resort, were tabled until the August 26th meeting, as commissioners sought clarification on exemption applications and administrative uniformity. Separately, the Board authorized participation in two federal legal matters via the Kansas Natural Resource Coalition to defend the repeal of certain Endangered Species Act regulations.
Budgetary discussions for the 2027 fiscal year remained a priority, with County Administrator Randy Partington reporting $581,975 in identified cuts since July. Despite these reductions, the current projected levy of 39.486 mills remains above the revenue-neutral rate of 35.704. In other financial business, commissioners reviewed a $27,300 proposal for an ICMA-TV marketing video but ultimately decided to research local, more cost-effective production alternatives, aiming for a figure closer to $10,000 to promote Reno County.
