Downtown building owners told the Fort Scott City Commission during their Sept. 1 meeting that the penalties in the city’s historic preservation ordinance could push businesses out of the district. Commissioner Julie Buchta opened the discussion, saying she had spent two weeks visiting downtown businesses after the codes department told her it had been directed to enforce Ordinance 3782 “to the full degree.” The 2025 ordinance created the Fort Scott Historic Preservation and Resource Commission under the state’s Certified Local Government program, or CLG. Buchta read from the enforcement section of the version then posted on the city’s website, which made any violation a Class B misdemeanor “punishable by up to a $1,000 fine or six months in jail, or both,” with each day a violation continued counting as a separate offense. “In the hands of someone extreme, this is an absolute sledgehammer to the temple of our businesses,” Buchta said. “I know that is a dramatic statement, but this is a dramatic ordinance.”
Read more: The Bourbon County Monitor

Riley County commissioners considered significantly higher penalties for short-term rentals operating without a valid license as part of proposed changes to the planning and development fee schedule during a work session on Thursday. Short-term rentals (also called vacation rentals) are commonly rented on sites like Airbnb and VRBO. The proposal is intended to encourage compliance rather than generate revenue, Riley County planning and special projects director Amanda Webb said.
Under the proposal, an unlicensed short-term rental would face a $500 penalty. If the owner does not pay the assessment or resolve the violation within 30 days, the penalty could increase to $1,000.
Read more: themercury.com

The city’s current regulations establish a local tobacco retail licensing program that allows it to monitor sales and conduct compliance checks. The city currently has no limit on the number of licenses that can be issued.
Read more: LJWorld

The developer will renovate an elementary school, build a community center + rec park, preserve farmland, train workers, build trails + solar, buy a fire truck, and it replaces an idle aluminum smelter. As stated in the agreement, also known as a Developer Rights and Responsibilities Agreement or DRRA (that promises the county $110 million for schools, parks and other public projects) the developer would be protected from rezonings, downzonings, or land removals that would prevent the completion of the data center campus.
Read more: Baltimore Sun via MSN

Riley County officials recommended commissioners designate data centers and battery storage systems as “special use,” allowing for review by county staff, the planning board and the county commission while also allowing for public input. The standards for data centers and battery energy storage systems would differ from those for wind and solar energy, but Riley County planning and special projects director Amanda Webb said creating specific criteria would be consistent with the county’s existing approach to specialized land uses.
Read more: News Radio KMAN

Continuing ongoing discussion regarding the development of data centers in Sedgwick County, the Sedgwick County Commission considered — and ultimately approved — a third extension of the interim development control period on data centers at its latest meeting on Sept. 2. Initially, the commission imposed an interim development control on Jan. 14, 2026, as some potential data center developments were being explored. At the time, it was found that Sedgwick County had no formal regulations in the Wichita -Sedgwick County Unified Zoning Code addressing data centers.
Read more: www.derbyinformer.com

This time, the town hall is revolving around asking the questions and not being told what is needed. On Wednesday, Sept. 19, an open town hall meeting will take place at 6:30 p.m. in the Hesston Performing Arts Center to discuss if a farm-fresh market is a viable and sustainable option in Hesston. This joint effort is in collaboration between the United Way of Harvey and Marion Counties and the Healthy Harvey Coalition, with the Hesston Chamber of Commerce, Kansas Horizon Foundation, and Harvey County Food and Farm Council.
Read more: Harvey County Now