Abilene city manager, police chief resigning; they worked in Sedgwick County, Wichita

Ron Marsh, Abilene city manager, last week told the Reflector-Chronicle he has turned in his resignation.

He also confirmed that Anna Hatter, Abilene police chief, had submitted her resignation.

Marsh has declined to comment further at the present time. His last day is June 27.

The Reflector-Chronicle has reached out to Hatter for an interview. She was out of the office last week. Her final day is May 30.

Marsh joined the city of Abilene as the city manager in June 2021.

Marsh’s experience before joining Abilene included 21 years of management experience at the city and county level. He worked as the city administrator in Clearwater, Kansas, for three and a half years.

He also worked in Sedgwick County’s public works management for 17 years.

Marsh resigns after John Kollhoff, city commissioner, has called for his resignation over the past seven months.

Kollhoff has accused Marsh of several mistakes and shortcomings as a city manager publicly since early 2024.

Abilene hired Hatter for the police chief role in 2020.

Hatter previously spent 26 years with the Wichita Police Department before coming to Abilene.

In Wichita, she served in the roles of community policing officer and Special Community Action Team (SCAT) officer and lastly as deputy chief.

Hatter and Marsh are the second and third high-end city employees to submit their resignations this year.

The city’s former finance director Leann Johnson is no longer with the city as of April 25.