The City itself is not under investigation
HUTCHINSON, Kan. – [August 11, 2026]- The Hutchinson City Council voted Tuesday afternoon to send a formal letter to the board that oversees the Hutchinson Recreation Commission, letting the board know that the Kansas Attorney General’s office is investigating the Recreation Commission and two related nonprofits.
The letter, signed by Mayor Scott Meggers on behalf of the Council, was sent to the six members of the Recreation Commission Board of Commissioners immediately after the Council’s vote at a special meeting.
The Council took this step because it does not appear that the Recreation Commission Board has been told about the investigation, even though the Attorney General’s office issued subpoenas several weeks ago. The two nonprofits named in the subpoenas are the Hutch Rec Foundation and the Dillon Nature Center Foundation.
The City has an ongoing role with the Recreation Commission. The City appoints its board members, sets the tax levy that funds it, and receives its annual audit. Kansas law also provides that the City’s treasurer is to serve as the ex officio treasurer of the Recreation Commission, with responsibility for keeping records of money and property received and spent and for reporting regularly to the Board.
These responsibilities give the City a continuing interest in how the Recreation Commission is governed and in making sure information about the Commission flows accurately between the Commission, the City, and the citizens both serve. That is why the Council believed the Board should be informed.
The Council’s letter also addresses the arrangement under which a Councilmember has historically served on the Board in place of the treasurer role that the statute provides for. That arrangement comes from the Recreation Commission’s bylaws, not from the statute. In the past, the City raised this inconsistency with the Recreation Commission. The Commission expressed a preference for keeping the bylaw arrangement, and the City accepted that arrangement in the interest of a productive working relationship. The fact that the Councilmember on the Board was not told about the Attorney General’s investigation for several weeks illustrates why the statute was written the way it was. Going forward, the City intends to move to the statutory structure and will work with the Board on how to implement it.
The Council wants to be clear that the City has no desire, now or in the future, to take over the Recreation Commission or the services it provides to the community. The City merely wishes to follow the statute and to do what Kansas law requires of it. The Recreation Commission and its Board continue to run the recreation system, and that is not changing.
The Council also wanted to clear up a rumor that has been going around town. Some people have heard that the City of Hutchinson is being investigated by the Attorney General. That is not true. The City is not under investigation. The Recreation Commission and the two related foundations are the subjects of the investigation, not the City.
The City does not know the specifics of what the Attorney General is looking into. Investigations by the Attorney General’s office are confidential while they are ongoing, and the City respects that. What the City does know, and what the letter shares with the Board, is that the investigation is happening and which entities have received subpoenas.
The letter also reminds the Board that its members have serious responsibilities to the Recreation Commission, and that those responsibilities are especially important when the organization they oversee is under investigation. The letter suggests some things the Board may want to think about, such as getting independent legal advice, considering whether someone independent should be overseeing how the Recreation Commission responds to the investigation, making sure records are preserved, and making sure the Board itself stays informed as things develop.
The Council took the actions described in this release because it believes the public and the Board should have accurate information about a matter of legitimate community concern. The letter is now part of the public record of the August 11 special meeting. The City has provided the information it has to share, and the substance of the investigation itself is a matter for the Attorney General’s office.
