By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
"Happy with the turnout and happy with the comments from the Hays and Russell participants," is how Toby Dougherty, Hays city manager, described last week's public comment hearing for the cities' R9 Ranch water project in Edwards County.
Mayor Shaun Musil commended Dougherty and other city staff for their work leading up to the hearing at Fort Hays State University before Kansas Administrative Law Judge Matthew Spurgin.
"It was nice to hear both sides of the story. Some of it was maybe a little stretched, the truth, we believe, but that's why we have [the hearing]," Musil said.
The audience of about 100 people was much bigger than Vice-Mayor Sandy Jacobs anticipated.
"I appreciate the citizens speaking on our behalf," she said.
Jacobs also said she found it "hard to see the other side."
"We're not doing anything outside the law. We're going beyond what the state statute requires. We own the land. We're not taking anything from anybody.
"I get a little testy about that, especially when we've made the concessions we have with the amount of water we're going to take out."
"It's not like some big shadow entity is coming in and taking the water," said Mason Ruder, commissioner.
"It's staying right here in the region, right here in western Kansas where people need it."
The R9 Ranch water case involving the cities of Hays and Russell has been remanded back to district court by the Kansas Supreme Court.
An appeal by the Water Protection Association of Central Kansas, commonly known as Water PACK, was filed June 20 prior to the public comments hearing in Hays that night.
The formal public hearing is still scheduled to begin July 19 in Wichita and last for 10 days.
Dougherty is out of his office and is prepping for the hearing alongside the Wichita attorneys representing Hays and Russell.
Deputy City Manager Collin Bielser will oversee city business until the hearing ends.