Nonpartisan - Hays City Manager
Sources for Toby Dougherty
25 public source entries are attached to this profile. Primary records, reporting, and public online activity are grouped separately so readers can inspect the record.
3
primary
22
secondary
Primary Records
3 sources- Toby Dougherty is Hays City Manager
- He was appointed city manager on 2007-08-01
- He previously served as assistant city manager since March 2005
- City management staff administer City Commission policies by coordinating, directing, and reviewing municipal operations
- The office page lists Toby Dougherty as City Manager
- The office page lists Collin Bielser as Deputy City Manager
- City Page: haysusa.com/directory.aspx?eid=6
- City of Hays: Toby Dougherty
- City of Hays: Dougherty
Reporting and Public Context
22 sources- Open
Hays Post - 2026-05-19
Hays water project manager: R9 pipeline, wellfield designs completehayspost.com
- R9 pipeline and wellfield designs were complete
- 115 of 130 easements had been acquired
- If final approval arrived by mid-year, bidding could occur by year-end, construction could begin in April 2027, and completion could come in summer 2029
- Open
HPPR / KLC Journal - 2026-05-19
Long battle over west Kansas water nears end. The stakes? Survivalhppr.org
- R9 is described as a $140 million project still delayed by legal challenges
- Hays had spent $11 million over 11 years, including $8 million in legal fees
- Dougherty described R9 as hugely important and existential to Hays and Russell
- Open
Hays Post / Kansas Reflector - 2026-05-19
Kansas wildfire scorched 1,500 acres after city's burn; official cause undeterminedhayspost.com
- A 1,500-acre Edwards County fire followed an April 15 controlled burn on city-owned R9 Ranch land
- The Kansas State Fire Marshal deemed the cause undetermined and did not draw a connection between the two fires
- The controlled burn began around 8:20 a.m. and finished by 1:30 p.m. on April 15
- Dougherty said Hays did not have much budget fluff and takes care of what it has
- The retreat discussed future costs including an eastside fire station and refuse collection
- 2025 commission retreat: Dougherty said Hays did not have much budget "fluff"; in capital planning discussion, he noted an eastside fire station would mean more capital, equipment, and six firefighters, and suggested cu...
- Open
Hays Post - 2026-05-19
City manager: 2026 Hays budget will not expand; federal grant programs drying uphayspost.com
- Dougherty said the 2026 preliminary budget would be maintenance-focused and non-expansionary
- He cited inflation, federal grant uncertainty, tariffs, vehicle costs, and recession risk
- He said Hays remained in good financial shape and the budget maintained staffing, programs, and operations
- Open
Hays Post - 2026-05-19
Hays City Commission hears more on planned travel plaza, 2027 draft budgethayspost.com
- City staff discussed 2027 budget preparation, cost increases, and sales-tax growth lagging inflation
- Dougherty said Hays has maintained high service standards
- Dougherty said service levels may need to be reduced somewhat if current standards are not sustainable
- Dougherty defended exceeding the revenue-neutral rate by arguing city costs increase over time
- Existing local research summarized his view that static tax collections are not sustainable
- On budgeting, Dougherty's public style is cautious and maintenance-first. He defended exceeding the revenue-neutral rate in 2024 by saying city costs rise over time and that static tax collections are not sustainable. I...
- Open
KCUR / Kansas News Service - 2026-05-19
This city in Kansas really conserves its water, but that still might not be enough to survivekcur.org
- Dougherty said Hays had looked to Las Vegas, Tucson, Phoenix, and Utah for water-conservation ideas
- The article describes cash-for-grass, drought-tolerant demonstration gardens, landscaping rules, wastewater reuse, and customer conservation tools
- Strong Towns described Dougherty as Hays city manager
- The page quoted him on difficult public conversations and challenging paradigms
- The page chrome showed 0 Likes
- Open
Hays Post / City of Hays - 2026-05-19
City of Hays names new director of Convention and Visitors Bureauhayspost.com
- The City of Hays named Michelle Nikki Brown as CVB director beginning June 15
- Dougherty said Brown's background and community connections positioned her to promote Hays
- Dougherty said the CVB supports tourism, local business activity, and the broader community
- Existing local research captured Dougherty's explanation that a PR manager role would improve public communication about city initiatives, activities, and services
- Dougherty also publicly emphasizes communication and professional administration. In 2025, he announced a new city public relations manager role as part of an effort to give residents clearer information about city init...
- 2025 public relations manager: Dougherty described the new PR role as an effort to foster comprehensive and effective communication so the community is well-informed about city initiatives, activities, and services. Sou...
- "I felt like the dumbest kid in the classroom out there." Source: Hays Post / Kansas News Service, 2022-05-26, https://hayspost.com/posts/6003cad5-e6bf-4ab2-87a9-fd03d8a5750c, topic: water conservation realization.
- Hays Post: "California of Kansas" water conservation
- The conservation message is just as consistent. In Kansas News Service/Hays Post coverage, Dougherty said Hays had looked to Las Vegas, Tucson, Phoenix, and Utah for water-management ideas. The city points to cash-for-g...
- HaysPost: Forward Ever - Toby Dougherty
- The dominant theme is water. Dougherty consistently frames the R9 Ranch project as a long-term survival issue for Hays and Russell, not a discretionary expansion. In 2025, he and Mayor Sandy Jacobs described R9 as the c...
- Hays Post: Mayor/CM discuss 2025 projects
- 2025 R9 priority: In a Hays Post/KAYS interview, Dougherty and Mayor Sandy Jacobs said the R9 project remained the city's number one focus in 2025; Dougherty described legal and panel steps and hoped for quick transfer-...
- Strong Towns: Toby Dougherty 2015
- Strong Towns: Toby Dougherty
- Hays Post: R9 delays costing millions
- His R9 language is also defensive and procedural. He argues that Hays and Russell have followed the state process, that irrigation-to-municipal water-right conversions include reductions to protect nearby users and the...
- 2023 R9 delay/costs: Dougherty told commissioners the R9 process had been slowed by appeals, said Hays and Russell were moving forward, and explained that converted irrigation rights are reduced to protect neighboring w...
- The visible attention around Dougherty is issue-driven, not social. No reliable social engagement metrics were found for a Dougherty-controlled account. The strongest public-attention signal is the repeated coverage of...
- > -- KWCH / Hays water coverage, 2025-04-03, https://www.kwch.com/2025/04/03/city-hays-awarded-15m-grant-secure-long-term-water-supply/
- "source": "KWCH / Hays water coverage, 2025-04-03, https://www.kwch.com/2025/04/03/city-hays-awarded-15m-grant-secure-long-term-water-supply/"
- ZoomInfo: Toby Dougherty
- That same operating philosophy shows up in infrastructure comments. In Strong Towns material, Hays is presented as a city using data to prioritize sewer maintenance, street improvements, transportation changes, civic bo...
- 2015/2016 Strong Towns fiscal lens: In a city-submitted Strong Towns entry, Dougherty and city staff described Hays as geographically isolated, increasingly multi-modal, and focused on sewer-system data, local boards, c...
- Strong Towns archive - Hays entry submitted by Dougherty and city staff/commissioners
- 2025 revised budget: Dougherty explained the transient guest tax estimate adjustment and noted staff confidence based on recent disbursements. Source: Hays Post, Aug. 9, 2025.
- Strong Towns Podcast
- The Post Podcast - Forward Ever category, Toby Dougherty episode listing
