The Kansas Department of Health and Environment recently made over 30 updates to the regulations for childcare. Tammy Deppershmidt is a childcare licensing provider for the Reno County Health Department, which is in charge of licensing for Harvey County, as well. Deppershmidt said, in her opinion, the changes were necessary. “The licensing law was outdated for child care,” Deppershmidt said. “It was time to get it up to date with new stuff.” Deppershmidt said the state department reached out to providers for feedback on what changes needed to be made. “The process was started to make it public and to have input,” Deppershmidt said. The regulations changed how many children a childcare provider could take in at each age and updated the age range for infants. Previously, any child under 18 months was considered an infant. Now the department dropped the age to 12 months. Deppershmidt said this change is especially beneficial. “The biggest need is infants,” Deppershmidt said. “This opens up more spots for infants to go.”
Source: Harvey County Now

From the thriving, fast-paced, big city life of San Diego then Boise, new Bentley City Clerk Lisa Frederick had no idea the small town Kansas lifestyle was going to come calling. But it did, and the new face in the Bentley City Office has embraced the slower pace. “I am a project manager by trade, which is high stress, quick response, patience to manage many trades, budgets, timelines,” she said. “When this position opened, I thought, ‘Wow, maybe that is something I would be able to do and just down the street from my home. Who could ask for more?’ I was at the point in my career that I was ready to leave the stressful position of project management and really try something new. I wanted to be a part of our community, so I thought this would be a great way to serve the people and be a part of this fantastic town.” Frederick wasn’t exactly a stranger to Kansas. She and her husband had followed their son to Kansas from Idaho to be closer to their three granddaughters. The couple had been living with their son for about a year to make sure Kansas was where they wanted to be and to find what they thought could be the perfect location.
Source: Harvey County Now

After four years of work, the Harvey County Planning and Zoning Department has revealed a new comprehensive plan. “It’s the big picture of what direction the county wants to go,” said Karen Rothe, director of the planning and zoning department. The county is holding a public hearing on Tuesday, Oct. 8, at 7 p.m. in the county courthouse. Rothe said this is an opportunity for members of the public to give more feedback before the plan is finalized. “This is a chance for people to speak up and say, ‘I saw this was a goal in here, and I don’t agree with it,’” Rothe said. Rothe said if a majority of people expressed dislike for part of the plan, the board would go back and do more research before passing it. If the board decides to approve the plan, it will move on to the county commission for final approval. The county uses the plans as an outline for the next 20 years.
Source: Harvey County Now