By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
Five candidates, including the three incumbents, participated in Monday night's Hays City Commission Forum at the Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center on the Fort Hays State University campus.
Reese Barrick, Sandy Jacobs, David Koshiol, Shaun Musil and David Vilaysing answered questions ranging from the budget and the R9 long-term water project, to low-income housing and economic development needs.
Candidates Samuel Allen, Justin Choitz and Candace Hathaway were not present for the forum. Kelly Ancar will be on the ballot for both a city and school board seat, but she has said she is only pursuing a school board seat.
R9 WATER PROJECT DELAYS
Each of the three incumbents, Barrick, Jacobs and Musil, said they were running again in part to see the R9 water line, long-delayed by the judicial system, go online.
"I believe it's going to happen," said Musil, a Nex-Tech sales representative. "Our community and region is going to continue to grow. We're not taking away from Kinsley. We bought the water. ... We have by far the lowest water usage rate per person in the state, and we will continue to do that."
"We're getting extremely close to bringing sustainable water to Hays for the next 75 years," Sternberg Museum of Natural History Executive Director Barrick said. "In the recent past, we've had discussions with the governor's office, which has made water a priority for her administration. ... I think we need to have more discussions with the people of Edwards County and let them know we are being good neighbors."
"We've done everything by the book from day one," retired banker Jacobs said. "We're using water sustainably. ... The legal system is failing us. ... We've won everything substantive that Edwards County sues for."
"If I were elected," answered Vilaysing, "the first thing I would do is sit down and meet with all the parties involved to figure out where we're at and develop the game plan to push forward. ..."not just 10 years down the road but within the next four years."
Vilaysing, a retired Hays Police officer, owns a private company that trains first responders across the country in effective communications.
Koshiol, a plumber for Auman Company, said he had changed his original stance on the situation, feeling that Hays was taking water from someone else.
After looking at other possibilities, Koshiol said he doesn't see any other viable options.
"I think, at this point, we should leave it at litigation until it is settled. I think we've spent enough on this project," Koshiol said.
CITY BUDGET
There was mostly consensus among the candidates that the city budget is streamlined, with no unnecessary spending.
Barrick said "priorities may shift," while Jacobs said "efficiencies can always be found." Vilaysing wanted to "get more out of the resources the city already has."
Koshiol specifically mentioned the bike lanes, saying he hears a lot of negative comments about the street markings.
"I know they're spoken about highly in public, but behind the scenes, I don't know many people who appreciate them.
"We can stop maintaining them," Koshiol said, "and it's just a little more money we can utilize for something that the bulk of the community will use."
Musil turned his focus to parks, noting that the ARC Park is the most utilized.
"I think we need to reprioritize on what we're putting in the parks, and it is something we're going to be talking about very soon," Musil said. "... I think we need to look at what we're maintaining and what we're sticking in the parks."
CITY COMMISSION PAY INCREASE
The lone audience applause of the night came when Vilaysing said he thought city commissioners should do their job without payment.
In January 2024, commissioners began receiving a $10,000 annual pay increase. Their vote for the increase was unanimous.
"We did it in an effort to attract younger people, who are probably working, to run for the commission," Jacobs said.
Koshiol said he didn't think the pay was necessary, but understood the "carrot and stick approach" to young people.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR YOUNG FAMILIES
Although there are some projects that have moved forward in the affordable housing area, including the former Washington Grade School, Barrick said, "we do have some issues."
He said, "just getting started building houses will allow us to build more affordable housing in the future."
Jacobs thinks the city is already causing affordable housing to be built "as it can," but "we need to first really understand what affordable housing means. Asking a developer to build affordable housing in today's market with the cost of goods is just impossible. ... What we're doing today is causing housing to be built, which is freeing up (other) housing in our community."
Koshiol said there are a number of options for the city. He suggested working with a land bank, flipping foreclosed homes, or purchasing vacant lots to invest in the community.
"We're trying to grow, but we're forgetting the bulk of our community," Koshiol said. "The working class, the elderly, and our young adults are having a hard time finding a place that's affordable here."
Several development groups have come before the city asking for a letter of support in applying for federal or state funds to build affordable housing, but the developers have been turned down by those agencies, Musil said.
"Our goal is to build more houses and hopefully that opens up housing that is more affordable," he said. ... "City staff is working on (affordable housing planning) now, but it's a lot harder than it seems."
The most recent housing built in Hays is priced for the top 25 percent of income earners, Vilaysing said.
"The RHIDs (Reinvestment Housing Incentive District) leave it open to the developer to build whatever they want. I would suggest putting in a stipulation that you get the RHID if you build 'x' number of houses, and then you build one more house which meets the income qualifications of the medium to low-income people of the city of Hays," Vilaysing said.
He also suggested bringing modular homes into the city.
FUNDING LOCAL NONPROFITS
Each of the commissioners agreed the city should continue funding support for local nonprofits.
Musil said he'd like the total to be more, but that would "probably require a mill levy increase."
The Hays mill levy has remained at 25 mills or less for 17 years.
The forum was live-streamed by the FHSU Tiger Media Network and presented by the American Democracy Project, FHSU Student Government Association, FHSU Docking Institute of Public Affairs, Tiger Media Network and the Chamber in Hays.