By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
Hays city commissioners said no Thursday to the Ellis County Historical Society's request for doubled city funding in 2025.
In an appearance before the commission last month, executive director Amanda Rupp presented the group's request, one of nine nonprofit groups asking for city funds.
The historical society requested $42,272, slightly more than double the amount it was allotted in 2024.
Although each of the commissioners expressed praise for the historical society's progress in improving the deteriorating museum building at 100 W. Seventh and increasing self-generated funding, they were most supportive of the CARE Council asking for $180,000, an increase of $10,000 from last year.
"As our community grows, there's always going to be other issues," said Mayor Shaun Musil, "and with inflation, people on the lower end of the earnings scale have more requests to the CARE Council.
"It's not a lot more that they're asking for to fulfill those needs. It's broken into many different groups."
The social service groups funded in part by the CARE Council are ACCESS Transportation, First Call for Help, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Hays Senior Center, Western Kansas Child Advocacy Center, Options Domestic and Sexual Violence Services, CASA of the High Plains, Cancer Council, and Western Kansas Association for Concerns of the Disabled.
Concern was also expressed about city sales tax collections being slightly down this year.
"I think it makes all of us a little nervous that sales tax was down, although not significantly," said Alaina Cunningham, city commissioner. "But it still affects the budget and makes us stay within our means."
City staff expects sales taxes to rebound 2% next year over the 2024 projections. The city's general fund is primarily financed with the local sales tax.
Commissioners will review the 2025 draft budget at their next work session. The public hearing will be Sept. 12.
City growth through new housing and business developments also took steps forward during the work session.
The final plat and rezoning of the property located at 27th and Main will be voted on at the next meeting.
The lot was originally purchased to be the site of a future police station. However, an agreement with Astra Bank was reached to convert their existing building, 1100 Fort, into the new Hays police station and municipal court facility. In return, Astra Bank will move its operations to 27th and Main and develop the property to include residential multi-family housing and a neighborhood shopping district.
The property will have access along Fort Street, Main Street, and 27th, as well as from the planned extension of 26th Street through the center of the development.
Also to be voted on next week is the approval of the final plat for the Depot Addition near 10th and Walnut.
Hays developer Michael Graham has proposed the development of a multi-family apartment complex on the city-owned property, which is the site of the former train depot.
The Grove multi-use housing development north of HaysMed on Canterbury Drive will also be moving forward.
The property is owned by Grow Hays and has been annexed, rezoned and platted.
The planned development of the retiree-focused project will be approved next week, the final step before infrastructure bids can be taken. Design is underway, and construction of the community/senior center/daycare facility will start late this summer.
A groundbreaking for the new Bob and Pat Schmidt Community Center occurred last week.
Preliminary housing plans include 12 six-plex structures, eight duplexes, and 50 single-family homes.
The development will also extend the city’s multiuse path network by constructing a one-mile connector from the juncture of 22nd Street and the existing HaysMed path, north to the Sternberg Museum of Natural History.
A public hearing is expected to be set for Sept. 12 to establish a reinvestment housing incentive district requested by Grow Hays. The developer has proposed that the city finance and construct the project infrastructure. The incentive district revenues would be derived from incremental property tax revenues collected on the project site.
In other business, commissioners agreed to move on to next week:
• Charter ordinance allowing the city to issue general obligation bonds to finance projects in its capital improvements plan by simple adoption of a resolution
• Nuisance abatements for 1700 Marshall Road and 515 E. 11th