HUTCHINSON, Kan. — There were no big surprises at the Reno County Commission meeting as most of the discussion was over some entities requesting funds from the county as part of the 2019 budget process.

The Reno County Museum is requesting $175,200, which would be an increase of $11,700 from the amount it received this year. The museum cites staffing issues and increasing utility costs for the request, which includes work on the heating system — an old boiler.

Mary Grace Clements, Executive Director of the Reno County Historical Society, also discussed the need for roof repair. She wants to purchase a new computer server to hold scanned artifacts.

Clements also talked about the need for an educational spokesperson for an outreach program:

 

Commissioner Dan Deming also proposed possibly working with the museum to display some of its artifacts in the empty space in the courthouse. Clements seemed open to dialogue.

Officials with the Reno County Fair were also on hand. They requested $20,000 to keep that fair operating.

The commission also heard a request from the city of South Hutchinson to enter into an inter-local agreement for the 2018 Neighborhood Revitalization plan.

No decisions were made on any of the items discussed.

Commission Chair Ron Hirst became somewhat emotional when he noted that residents of the county need to remember the military and also law enforcement and firefighters this Memorial Day weekend.