By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
The debate over whether to allow backyard chickens in Hays ended quietly Thursday.
After a short discussion, Mayor Sandy Jacobs said there was no consensus among the commissioners on moving forward with a proposed ordinance allowing up to five hens in a fenced-in coop structure.
Vice-Mayor Mason Ruder was concerned about how close a chicken coop could legally be next to another resident's property and spoke of the potential odor. He also didn't want Community Service Officers having to spend their time investigating complaints.
Commissioners Shaun Musil and Reese Barrick, who both grew up around chickens, also talked about the odor if the hens were not properly cared for.
There was no one in the audience to add comment about the issue.
Several commissioners said they'd recently received a large number of negative emails about the proposal.
An online public opinion survey received almost 1,900 responses. Results indicated 58% supported the initiative, 40% opposed it and 2% had no opinion. The city also received 94 written correspondences, with 77% supportive of the policy.
Review of major park amenities
Jeff Boyle, director of parks, presented a review of the amenities in major Hays parks and the future financial considerations for maintenance and upkeep.
"We're fighting the battle to keep everything in as good shape as we can, and we'll eventually lose that battle," Boyle said of the Bickle Schmidt Sports Complex.
The same could be said for all the city's biggest parks.
Boyle praised the many local service groups that financially sponsor individual parks and/or playground equipment, which helps spread the city's dollars further.
There are several funding mechanisms for the parks, from the city itself, sales taxes and a 2002 mill levy increase, to donations from local groups as well as businesses and individuals.
A 2004 park master plan concentrated on improvements in the four quadrants of town at Massey, Sunrise, Aubel-Bickle and Seven Hills parks.
The ARC Park, located at 3300 Hillcrest, is the newest and most popular park in Hays, attracting both out-of-town visitors and local residents to its accessible play equipment and splash pad.
Because of its popularity, lifetimes of the equipment and other structures are not expected to be as long as average and will have to be replaced sooner, Boyle said.
"Within the special parks fund, we'll start losing financial ground in 2032 and won't be able to fund everything we currently have in all the parks," Boyle said.
During the nearly one-hour discussion, commissioners discussed various options.
Those included the premise that not all parks and green spaces require the same amenities, reducing amenities in some areas, transitioning to more affordable amenities, and focusing on maintaining existing amenities rather than adding new ones.
Commissioner Alaina Moore said the city should sustain the parks it has and not close any.
Although he didn't advocate for it, Musil asked about the possibility of a one-mill increase in the parks mill levy.
Toby Dougherty, city manager, said one mill would raise an additional $340,000.
Jacobs suggested getting the public's input on what they want to see in the parks' growth and maintenance.
Access public transportation funding request
The commission had a second look at the draft 2026 budget.
Discussion focused on the new request from Developmental Services of Northwest Kansas for another $107,673, in addition to the $82,500 included in the CARE Council's recommended distributions, to help fund the ACCESS public transportation program.
DSNWK is also requesting an allocation increase from Ellis County.
Jerry Michaud, DSNWK executive director, earlier said the Kansas Department of Transportation has provided some funding for 2026, but it falls short. The gap is about $161,000.
"That increased request from DSNWK is not in our budget today, " said Jacobs.
Dougherty said the city tries not to spend all its general fund money, and a buffer is available if the commission desires to use it.
Barrick said, "If they have to ask for that much money, it behooves us to work with them to look for efficiencies (in their operation)."
Commissioner Musil asked for further details on some smaller budget line items that had increased dramatically from 2025. Most of the higher costs were due to inflation, with some attributed to the cost of new software training.
"This is a focused budget. We're doing well," Ruder said.
The proposed mill levy would remain at 25 mills for the 17th consecutive year.
The draft 2026 budget is available online at haysusa.com.
Musil said he's recently seen a lot of false comments on social media about city operations and its budget.
"We're very transparent, and we're all open. We're here to answer your questions."
At the end of the meeting, Barrick asked for a future work session discussion about fireworks in Hays.
"We're all getting a lot of negative emails about the noise and mess of fireworks," he said. "Hays allows selling and discharge for three days while surrounding communities only allow one day."
A 20-minute special session was called related to the financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts or individual proprietorships.
No action was taken.