Nabholz Construction’s Senior Project Superintendent Brett Stevens reported to the USD489 Board of Education (BOE) on May 12, 2025, that Nabholz is expects to turn over five substantially completed areas of new HHS to the District on July 7, 2025.
HFD receives BSA Community Service Award, competes Rope Rescue Training
Near the end of the May 22, 2025, Hays City Commission Regular meeting, all Commissioners urged anyone who can to contact their legislators regarding the 52% cut in funding cut to the Essential Air Services (EAS) Program, in the proposed Federal 2026 Budget which the U.S. House of Representative recently passed by a small margin.
As Ellis County Commissioners devoted over one third of their nearly three-hour long May 20, 2025 Meeting to Subdivision Road Infrastructure and included Mr. Ty Wilson (from Stonewood Estates North Addition) in 20 minutes of this discussion as the previously scheduled “Ongoing Subdevelopment Conversation” with residents.
When President Trump made deep cuts to the National Endowment for the Humanities earlier this year, grants were cancelled and programs across the country were suspended. In Kansas City, one oral history project for Vietnam War veterans had to be scaled back.
According to the Minutes of the May 8, 2025 Ellis County Commission Special Session for a Commission Retreat, one of the ideas on how to fund the work that homeowners would like done in their sub-developments was from County Counselor Bill Jeter, regarding a Special Tax Assessment. County Counselor Jeter explained that there is a statutory process whereby homeowners could petition the Commission, so long as 51% of the sub-development homeowners signed a petition which laid out what they wanted to accomplish with their roads, the County does the work and the costs are assessed back to the homeowners as a Special Tax Assessment.
On May 20, 2025, during an approximately 40 minute discussion on Subdivision Rural Infrastructure, Ellis County Commissioners directed Public Works (PW) Director Brendan Mackay to draft a Standard for County Road Maintenance Policy and to compile, prioritized by needs, complete subdivision/development road data. They requested that PW Director Mackay indicate in the data whether residential subdivisions/developments had Homeowners Associations (HOAs) and also requested that commercial subdivisions/developments be included in the data.
County’s First Draft of 2026 Budget to be presented June 3
Drought-stricken governments in west-central Kansas have escalated their fight for water rights from state to federal court, which could impact how cities across the state handle future disputes.
Classic car lovers and automotive history buffs are gearing up for an exciting week as the Kaiser Frazer Owners Club International roll into Hays, Kansas, from June 22nd through June 27th. This annual event brings together enthusiasts, collectors, and historians to celebrate the legacy of Kaiser and Frazer automobiles, known for their innovation and distinct post-war designs.