We get a lot of questions about taxes. It is understandable, we all work hard for our money and want to know where it is going and how it is being used. Of the taxes you pay, only a small portion actually goes to the City of Hutchinson. The money the City does get is used for public safety like Hutchinson Police and Hutchinson Fire; Public Works which give us things like clean water to drink, clear streets to drive on and the levee system that protects us from flooding; infrastructure investments; economic development funding; the parks and trails system; and [...]

On Tuesday September 22, 2020, just before 0900, the Hutchinson Fire Department received a request for mutual aid through the Kansas Forestry Service for assistance at a growing fire in Wyoming. Orders were received to arrive in Laramie, Wyoming by 1800 on September 23, 2020. The Hutchinson Fire Department deployed a team of three wildland certified firefighters and one brush truck at 0600 on September 23rd. The growing fire is named the Mullin Fire. The Mullin Fire is only 2% contained and growing rapidly with high winds expected on Thursday and Friday. The Mullen Fire is burning in the Medicine Bow [...]

Reno County Health Department joins Governor Laura Kelly, KDHE and CDC in recommending use of cloth face coverings when in public places. The recommendation is for cloth coverings, not N95 or surgical masks which are used by healthcare workers and first responders. You can find instructions on how to make a cloth mask on the CDC website at www.cdc.gov. New evidence suggests that some people without COVID-19 symptoms can transmit the virus before getting sick. Using a cloth mask can help keep the virus from spreading from a person who may be infected and is not aware to others they are come [...]

The City of Hutchinson’s General Fund Balance is projected to decline by $1.3M for the remainder of 2020 largely due to a drop in sales tax revenue in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. City Manager John Deardoff, working closely with department heads, has developed a measured approach to addressing the inevitable financial impact. “We are fortunate to have a strong fund balance, which we have made a priority in recent years. While that exists for unexpected downturns like this, it would be irresponsible to rely solely on that reserve while so many others in our community are tightening their belts,” [...]

The Reno County Health Department has released a self-reporting form hosted on its COVID-19 Information Center (https://www.renogov.org/741/COVID-19). As a result of Reno County’s last confirmed COVID-19 case coming from confirmed community transmission, the Health Department seeks to mobilize residents to self-report their symptomology through the self-report form to better assist in quantifying and tracking case contact and spread within the county. (Read more: Hutchinson, KS - News Flash)