Abilene – Week of April 27 2025
City manager contract renewed; $9.15M infrastructure funding approved; Falls lead EMS calls; Water levels spark concern; Free property-fraud alerts offered
Abilene City Commission Approves Amended City-Manager Contract Despite Opposition
Abilene Commission Approves Contentious $9.15 Million Funding Plan for Infrastructure and Recreation
County EMS Services Report Highlights Falls as Top Call Type
Local Officials Voice Concerns Over Declining Water Levels
County Offers Free Property-Fraud Alert System to Combat Deed Scams
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1. Abilene City Commission Approves Amended City-Manager Contract Despite Opposition
ABILENE, KS – At its April 14 2025 meeting, the Abilene City Commission voted 2-1 to approve an amended employment agreement for City Manager Ron Marsh that eliminates mandatory quarterly performance reviews. The contract, presented by City Attorney Aaron Martin, removes language requiring quarterly evaluations while retaining the annual review and the commission’s ability to call additional assessments at its discretion. During a heated discussion, Commissioner John Kollhoff opposed the change, calling it reduced oversight, while Commissioner Trevor Witt defended the amendment. The tension escalated when Kollhoff walked out during a subsequent vote on a $9.15 million funding package for industrial-park infrastructure and a recreation project—an episode that underscored ongoing public debate over the city manager’s performance and the commission’s oversight role.
Source: City of Abilene
2. Abilene Commission Approves Contentious $9.15 Million Funding Plan for Infrastructure and Recreation
ABILENE, KS – Later in the same April 14 2025 session, the Abilene City Commission sparred over a proposed $9.15 million financing package covering industrial-park infrastructure, the C-CLIP 2026 Buckeye Avenue (K-15) project and recreation improvements. Commissioner John Kollhoff argued dedicated revenue streams should precede any borrowing and favored a pared-down Buckeye repair using $800,000 in KDOT reimbursement funds instead of spending an extra $1.1 million on drainage and sidewalks. City Attorney Aaron Martin outlined the city’s bonding authority, while Commissioner Trevor Witt and Mayor Brandon Ryan countered that tackling all issues while the road is open is more efficient. After Kollhoff walked out, Ryan and Witt approved the funding package 2-0.
Source: City of Abilene
3. County EMS Services Report Highlights Falls as Top Call Type
ABILENE, KS – Dickinson County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) reported that falls were the leading reason for ambulance calls in 2024, accounting for 19 percent of all incidents, according to the annual report presented to county commissioners on April 24. EMS Director John Hultgren said the department handled 2,337 calls last year, 1,308 of them originating from Abilene. Most patients from the Abilene station were transported to Memorial Hospital, while 138 went to Salina Regional Health Center. Commissioners learned that the closure of Herington Hospital has shifted many transports to Junction City. Hultgren also outlined a forthcoming community-paramedicine program designed to cut unnecessary ER visits by providing on-site care.
Source: Dickinson County
4. Local Officials Voice Concerns Over Declining Water Levels
Dickinson County commissioners expressed concern about regional water supplies during their April 10 meeting after a radio interview in which Abilene City Manager Ron Marsh urged residents to voluntarily suspend yard and garden watering because of low well levels. Commissioners noted the issue extends beyond city limits, as Abilene also supplies the rural water district. They referenced similar worries raised at a Kansas Association of Counties work-session and the rapid decline of the Ogallala Aquifer in western Kansas. Commissioners plan to invite a conservation-district representative for further insight and stressed the importance of water conservation, with one noting that “water is a resource we need to protect.”
Source: Dickinson County
5. County Offers Free Property-Fraud Alert System to Combat Deed Scams
Responding to recent fraud attempts, Dickinson County officials are urging property owners to enroll in the county’s free Property Fraud Alert service. During the April 17 2025 commission meeting, Register of Deeds Rose Johns explained that the program emails owners whenever a document affecting their property record is filed, enabling immediate action if a deed is recorded without their knowledge. The alert—available more than a year—offers the same protection as third-party “title-lock” services that charge $80–$90 annually. Johns said a recent attempt to sell land without the owner’s consent was caught by a vigilant real-estate agent and title company and has been referred to the sheriff’s department for investigation. Property owners can sign up online or at the Register of Deeds office.
Source: Dickinson County
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