Reno County Commission approves $100,000 USGA support, health grants and zoning measures; appoints planning commissioner

The Reno County Commission approved several items at its meeting, including a $100,000 county contribution toward hosting the U.S. Senior Open at Prairie Dunes in 2029, authorization to apply for state public-health grants totaling roughly $975,950.27 plus a $320,000 pass-through program, the appointment of a planning commission member, and adoption of new commercial solar regulations along with a prohibition on commercial solar projects within a mapped watershed area.

Why it matters: The county’s $100,000 pledge is intended to support a high‑profile national golf championship that local organizers say will generate tens of millions in economic activity and increase long‑term visitation. The health grants fund ongoing public-health programs and a Healthy Families outreach program run by the Kansas Children’s Service League. The land‑use actions create rules for commercial solar projects in the zoned portion of the county and bar such projects inside a designated watershed; the commission also moved to carry the county’s broader solar moratorium forward while it considers rules for currently unzoned areas.

Votes at a glance: the commission recorded the following outcomes on the record during the session:

- Prairie Dunes / U.S. Senior Open (Memorandum of Understanding and county contribution of $100,000): motion to authorize the county administrator to sign the MOU…