CAPTION: Sparkle Faidley, President of the Reno County Farmer’s Market Board, talks to the Reno County Commissioners Wednesday, asking to work with them on the amount of funding the county gives to the Farmer’s Market. CREDIT SANDRA MILBURN/RENO COUNTY
By Ainsley Trunkhill
As the 2025 fiscal budget discussions ensued for Reno County, county commissioners are faced with the task of supporting the workforce of the county while making strategic budget cuts.
Hidden between the figures of large county expenses, one local organization made their plea to the board to not cut the small amount of funding annually allotted to them.
The Reno County Farmers Market represents a curation of local pride, where art, music, and food intersect to foster a vibrant community, according to Sparkle Faidley, the president of its board of directors.
The proposed 2025 budget cuts discussed at Wednesday’s Reno County Commission meeting threatened to remove the county’s funding of the market, which Faidley said places local entrepreneurs in jeopardy. Faidley explained in a public comment that the money goes entirely towards supporting the market’s live music and local musicians.
“It doesn’t go anywhere else in the Farmers Market,” Faidley said. “It’s creating a job for them.”
Faidley brought with her testimonies of musicians expressing their “deep concern” over the budget, displaying the reach of impact even a small cut could make.
The budget cuts would take funds away that the organization receives to pay musicians who perform during the market.
“By cutting funding for local performances, we risk diminishing the very qualities that make our county special,” Faidley said, reading a testimony from one artist. “I cannot overstate the importance of maintaining and supporting these cultural events.”
Another testimony revealed that the change could harm the county’s economy by pushing artists and, by extension, consumers, towards other opportunities, turning the town into a “bedroom community.”
“Do we want to be able to offer a good set of attractions to the county or not?” Faidley said.
Several commissioners, including Daniel Friesen and Ron Hirst, expressed their sympathy for the market and demonstrated a willingness to reach a compromise.
While the original budget would reduce funding from $4,000 to $0, the new proposal offered a decrease of only $1,000. The compromise was met with gratitude by Faidley, who noted her qualms lay not in the original cut, but in its severity.
“We understand budget cuts. . . but to completely cut the amount off is a huge thing,” she said.
Commissioner John Whitesel was less willing to use government money to support the arts, stating that the announcement of funding cuts was made a year ago, giving ample time for the Farmers Market to make necessary changes.
Whitesel, along with his fellow commissioners, suggested that other arenas, such as the non-profit sector, would be a better source of funding. Commissioner Don Bogner echoed this consideration.
“Like John said, you were forewarned,” Bogner said.
Ultimately, Bogner and the commissioners reduced the cuts from $4,000 to $1,000 in an attempt to recognize what the Farmers Market brings to the community and respect those who make their voices heard.
In addition to the Farmers Market, the Reno County Museum received a significant cut, according to County Administrator Randy Partington. The total cuts to property taxes reached around $200,000, for a reduced mill levy. Despite a reduced mill levy, however, it remains above the revenue-neutral rate, meaning the commission has budgeted an increased property tax revenue for the upcoming year.
The budget passed in a 4-1 vote, with Whitesel voting against it.
