What we did in 2018
While the document is a tool to show staff how far their work reached this past year, it also is a good barometer for everyone in the county to get a sense of what projects are done, or are being done, in the county. Some focus on efficiency, some on preparedness, some on new ideas.
You can find the entire list here. It begins in chronological order, then moves to a breakdown by department.
County, City of Newton agree to renovations for Law Enforcement Center
The agreement was made during a joint city-county meeting on Dec. 20.
There are several projects included in the remodel, such as: a new HVAC system, new front entryway stairs and ADA ramp, new card reader door access locks, new windows, doors, carpet and paint, additional parking and more.
The tentative timeline includes:
- Jan. 4: Architect sends out Requests for Bid
- Jan. 17: Mandatory contractor pre-bid meeting (9 a.m. to noon at LEC)
- Feb. 6: Receive bids at Newton City Hall at 10:30 a.m.
- Feb. 11-12: City and County award bids
- March: Begin construction
- May-June 2020: Complete construction
The Law Enforcement Center will remain open during construction, with some operations temporarily moving as needed to expedite construction time.
The project cost was set at $3,129,500.53. That figure was split proportionally by project areas. The City was assigned $2,121,948.34 of the cost. The County will fund $1,007,552.19.
The Law Enforcement Center houses the Newton Police Department and Harvey County Sheriff's Office, as well as Harvey County Emergency Management and Communications.
Election board completes general election canvass
The board canvassed 381 provisional ballots. Of those, 303 were counted, 72 were not counted and six were sent to the voter's correct county (four to Sedgwick, two to Reno).
The 303 counted provisional ballots come from a variety of reasons: those that moved in the county but did not re-register (104), a name change (13), an in-county move and name change (8), voters that received a mail ballot but instead voted at a poll site (165), office or poll site error (2) and those that voted at the wrong poll site (11, of which votes are partially counted).
The 72 ballots that were not counted were because the voter was not registered in the County.
There were 13,888 ballots cast in Harvey County out of 22,371 registered voters for this election. Harvey County had a 62.08 percent turnout.
The election board is typically comprised of the three Harvey County commissioners - Randy Hague, Ron Krehbiel and George "Chip" Westfall. Westfall recused himself from this vote canvass, citing himself being a candidate in the election. He was replaced by North Newton Mayor Ron Braun.
Two races included county offices. In the First District county commission race, Westfall received 1,958 votes (45.69 percent) to win re-election. He was opposed by Dan Harms (1,217) and Greg Nickel (1,104). Emily Nichols ran unopposed to fill the remainder of the term for county treasurer, receiving 11,319 votes.
Harvey County voters helped determine two state representative seats. Stephen Owens ran unopposed for the 74th District, receiving 3,978 votes. The 72nd District was tightly contested, with incumbent Tim Hodge getting 4,496 votes in the county, compared to Steven G. Kelly's 4,287. The 72nd District also includes a precinct in Butler County.
Kansas voters elected Laura Kelly as their next governor. Kelly was the top vote-getter in Harvey County, receiving 6,450 votes.
To see complete election results, click here.
Commission sets county staff holiday schedule for 2019
County holidays for 2019 are:
- New Year's Day: Tuesday, Jan. 1
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Day: Monday, Jan. 21
- Presidents' Day: Monday, Feb. 18
- Good Friday: Friday afternoon, April 19
- Memorial Day: Monday, May 27
- Independence Day: Thursday, July 4
- Labor Day: Monday, Sept. 2
- Veterans' Day: Monday, Nov. 11
- Thanksgiving holiday: Thursday and Friday, Nov. 28-29
- Christmas: Wednesday, Dec. 25.
Additionally, Columbus Day, Monday, Oct. 14, will be used as an employee in-service day.
Advanced voting for general election begins Oct. 23 in Harvey County
Advanced voting will be conducted at the Harvey County Courthouse, located at 800 N. Main St. in Newton. Voting will be held in the community room, located on the basement floor of the Courthouse.
Voters can vote at the Courthouse Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Courthouse will also be open Saturday, Nov. 3 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. for voting. Advanced voting will end Monday, Nov. 5 at noon.
Election Day for the general election will be held Tuesday, Nov. 6. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. that day. You can find your local polling location by clicking here.
To vote in advance by mail, please fill out this form and return it to the Harvey County Clerk's Office.
You can find a sample ballot by clicking on your designated voting precinct here.
Voter registration for the general election ended Oct. 16. To verify if you have completed registration to vote, click here.
