HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Reno County Commissioner Ron Hirst, who was in favor of allowing the Reno County Extension Office to become a part of a joint district with Stafford, Rice and Kingman counties, gave a motion to approve the plan but failed to get a second on his motion.

Both commissioners Dan Deming and Bob Bush were against the plan because it would mean an immediate tax increase for Reno County residents. They also didn’t like the fact that they couldn’t cap any increase in the mill levy and that Reno County would have only four members on the board for any meetings.

Commissioner Deming, understanding the local extension office budget issues, left open the possibility of adding to the local extension office budget for 2019. He noted the cuts by K-State over the past few years by as much as $12,000.

Officials believe the other three counties may still form a district. Hirst argued that if Reno County at some point in the future wanted to join the district, the county would have less influence.