City Manager Toby Dougherty led commissioners in a discussion on possible water restrictions during the commission meeting on Thursday night. Dougherty said he and the city office staff have received numerous calls asking whether the city will prohibit outdoor watering this summer.

“The likelihood of reaching a level where outdoor watering is banned is not very probable but I can’t say for sure because we just don’t know what the summer is going to bring. We do not know. If you want to take a chance on planting a garden, that’s a chance you’re going to have to take. We can’t predict the future.”

Vice Mayor Henry Schwaller IV said, “I will be frank, I would say do not plant. We are still in a severe drought. Eastern Kansas is not. We are still 9 or 10 inches behind in precipitation. If one has an irrigation system or uses sprinklers and it’s hitting the sidewalk and running off into the street, you are going to get a ticket. These are very tough times and I would not plant a yard this year, it’s not a great time.