By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
The Barton County Commission held its final meeting of 2023 at the Barton County Courthouse Wednesday. But the work does not end there. As part of the HVAC renovation project, the commission will call the building at 1500 Kansas Ave. in Great Bend its home for the foreseeable future. County Counselor Patrick Hoffman thanked the commission for another change that takes effect in July.
"For the last year and a half, you've met on Wednesdays and you've done it mostly to accommodate my schedule," he said. "I can't tell you how much I've appreciated that. It's always bothered me you had to meet me on a day I could be instead of vice versa. I'm really excited that you guys are able to meet on Tuesdays starting next month. Again, I just can't say thank you enough for letting that happen for me."
Several forces have conspired to change the time and location of the next commission meeting. In May, the commission passed a resolution moving meeting days back to Tuesdays after June 30. The first Tuesday in July is Independence Day, so the first meeting was moved to July 11. Several commissioners plan to attend the groundbreaking for the new daycare center in Great Bend that morning, so the meeting has been moved from its normal 9 a.m. start to 10:30 a.m. Meetings have been moved to the old shoe department in the former JC Penney building until HVAC renovations are completed at the Barton County Courthouse.