by Hutchinson Tribune Staff
HUTCHINSON—Little information has been announced by the City of Hutchinson following the sudden resignations of City Manager Enrico Villegas and City Attorney Cody Smith on Wednesday morning.
The Hutchinson City Council held a special meeting on Wednesday afternoon, which solely consisted of an hour-long closed executive session for the stated purpose of discussing city manager matters.
After the executive session, Mayor Scott Meggers read from a prepared statement.
“The city is aware of a statement issued today by City Manager Enrico Villegas and City Attorney Cody Smith,” he read. “At this time, neither has formally submitted a resignation to the city. The governing body is requesting formal, written resignations so the city can appropriately move forward. We do not have any further information to share at this time.”
The council then adjourned its meeting with no further discussion.
The Tribune asked Meggers about his reaction to the resignations following the meeting, to which Meggers replied he had no comment. Meggers also didn’t have anything to share regarding the city’s next steps to fill the vacant positions.
“At the moment, we have no comment because there’s been nothing delivered,” he said, referencing formal resignation letters.
He added the city just doesn’t have enough information to know where it stands on the issue.
Villegas had worked for the city since May of 2024, and Smith had worked there for just a few months, according to Public Information Officer Jessica Woodyard.
Rumors of a Leave of Absence
On Friday, the Hutchinson Tribune heard tips from multiple sources that Hutchinson City Manager Enrico Villegas was taking a leave of absence with intentions to sue the city for discrimination. We reached Villegas on Friday afternoon, and he denied the rumors.
“I’ve been called, I don’t know, five, 10 times now about me being on leave. I’m like, ‘Guys, I’m just on vacation,” he said on Friday.
At that time, Meggers confirmed that it was just a vacation on Friday afternoon, as well.
“Your information is incorrect,” Meggers said Friday. “I think he’s gone away with his family for the weekend, for a little holiday getaway, basically just taking a little personal time to spend some time with his family. That’s all I know.”
On Wednesday morning, the Hutchinson Post of Eagle Media was contacted directly by Villegas and Hutchinson City Attorney Cody Smith, saying they are leaving their positions immediately and claiming it was due to harsh working conditions. The Post reported that Hutchinson City Council Member Stacy Goss was a primary reason they chose to leave now. After seeing the information from The Post, The Tribune requested the statement, and it was provided by Smith later in the morning. The full statement is at the bottom of this post.
After Tuesday’s special city council meeting, the Tribune asked Meggers when he had first heard of the two resignations. He said it was mid-morning on Tuesday.
When asked about the rumors going around town last Friday, Meggers said to the best of his knowledge at that point, Villegas was only on vacation.
“I even called (Villegas) on it,” Meggers said. “[…] I told him I just wanted to ask the question. You know about as much as we do.”
The Tribune has been filing FOIA requests and asking for comments about several issues regarding the city for weeks and has had slow response times and often no response at all to those requests. Goss declined to comment when contacted Wednesday morning.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
Statement Regarding Our Departure
From Enrico Villegas, City Manager and Cody Smith, City Attorney
Today, September 9, 2026, is our last day as City Manager and City Attorney for the City of Hutchinson.
We would have preferred to continue serving the City, and we have not reached this decision lightly. Following the concerns we raised regarding the Hutchinson Recreation Commission, the Hutch Rec Foundation, and the Dillon Nature Center Foundation, the working environment became increasingly hostile and untenable. In our experience, Council member Stacy Goss’s continued conduct has been a principal contributor to that environment.
The cumulative effect of these circumstances has left us feeling that we have no reasonable choice but to leave.
We are proud of the work we have done for the City and the Hutchinson community, and we are grateful for the opportunity to have served.
Our departure does not change or diminish the concerns we raised. We believe those concerns remain important and should be addressed through the appropriate channels.
Enrico Villegas, Cody Smith
Editor’s note: This story was updated with additional information following the special city council meeting on Tuesday afternoon.