CAPTION: Reno County Commissioners John Whitesel, left, Ron Hirst, Randy Parks, Don Bogner and Daniel Friesen at the Jan. 8 meeting held at the Reno County Courthouse. CREDIT SANDRA MILBURN/RENO COUNTY
By Ainsley Trunkhill
In their first meeting of the new year, and the last meeting for outgoing Commissioners John Whitesel and Daniel Friesen, the Reno County Commission took steps towards addressing housing issues in the county and discussed a new approach to landfill fees.
Following projects such as the Hutchinson Community Foundation’s “Love Where You Live” undertaking and amidst national shortages on affordable housing units, Reno County has invested resources into creating a prosperous housing market across communities. In Spring of 2024, the county initiated a housing study in partnership with RDG Planning & Design, and during Wednesday’s meeting, Amy Haase with RDG presented their findings to the commissioners.
The main goals of the study were to both collect data and community input, and determine strategies for moving forward, Haase noted. RDG found that between Hutchinson and South Hutchinson alone there was a demand for 2,000 units, and there is currently significant competition for affordable housing. Additionally, Haase explained that a portion of the thousands of individuals driving into the county for work each day could permanently relocate with the right housing market.
“We think that with jobs, and the opportunities and the investments that are happening here across the county and in all of your communities that there’s a lot of potential to continue to capture some of that growth that employers are saying,” Haase said.
Haase’s summary of the study fell around several key focuses, including gathering resources for young families and first-time home buyers, supporting value stabilization, particularly in rural and underserved areas, and increasing housing designed for retirees and older populations to free up larger family homes. For rental properties, Haase highlighted maintaining basic minimum rental standards and increasing tenant-landlord education.
Commissioner Ron Hirst referred to the presentation as “nice things we already knew,” and expressed a desire to see more specifics as to where money would be going. Chairman Randy Parks, however, remained positive that an innovative approach would generate success for the county.
“If we could alter the way we build and do some things a little bit different, cooperatively, I think we could accomplish some of those things, I really do,” Parks said.
In terms of housing, the commission also passed an agreement for residential housing growth under the Home Buyer Incentive Program and set a hearing date for the Neighborhood Revitalization Program in early February. Both programs offer remedies for the housing shortage by incentivising new homebuyers to purchase a newly constructed residence in the county, and incentivizing property investments and improvements, respectively.
In his last meeting with the board, Friesen led a controversial vote to change the handling of landfill fees. Friesen has consistently advocated for removing the Solid Waste user fee from tax statements by instead creating a fee that haulers would pay, citing the need for a more accurate waste management system and arguing that these charges do not belong on tax statements.
Solid Waste Director Megan Davidson explained that this transition would require a lengthy investigation of various factors to ensure the landfill maintains enough revenue to stay fully funded. Notably, commercial haulers are often on five or ten year contracts and have contracts with various cities, making re-negotiation difficult, according to Davidson.
“There’s a lot that’ll have to be looked into to readjust and reevaluate if this is something that you wanted to go forward with,” Davidson said.
Friesen asserted that the transition would be simple and that Davidson and other staff were merely throwing in “roadblocks.”
“I still struggle with why this is so complicated,” Friesen said. “It seems like a waste to even study this.”
Ultimately, Whitesel made a motion requesting that the landfill fee would be off residential tax statements by Jan. 1, 2026, arguing that this deadline would give them time to conduct a study if needed and make the necessary changes. Both Davidson and County Counselor Patrick Hoffman warned the board that the deadline was not manageable, but Friesen remained steadfast.
“Just figure it out, stop throwing roadblocks on us,” Friesen said. “That happens with every problem, you don’t have a solution yet, it’s your job to figure it out.”
The motion passed in a 3-2 vote, with Commissioners Hirst and Don Bogner dissenting.
Despite a controversial concluding vote, Whitesel and Friesen left the board with fond words and high praise.
“I know we haven’t always agreed on everything, but I really do think we have a very good staff,” Friesen said. “I can’t say enough how appreciative I am.”
District 3 Commissioner Daniel Friesen will be replaced by Republican Ron Vincent, while District 4 Commissioner John Whitesel will be replaced by Republican Richard Winger.
