Nonpartisan · Hays City Manager
Sources for Toby Dougherty
25 public sources used in researching this candidate. Every claim in the profile traces back to one or more of these URLs.
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
