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As property valuation notices are mailed out this week, not everyone is happy with what they are seeing. Most home valuations in Sedgwick County are up this year, and homeowners are worried about how it could affect the bottom line on their taxes. The assessed value of a home, which is the smaller number on a property valuation notice, plays a big role in determining how much you pay for your property taxes. It’s multiplied by the mill levy rate to decide how much you pay. Source: KSN-TV

Sedgwick County's election commissioner testified in Topeka on Monday about a bill that limits special elections. Laura Rainwater supports the bill that restricts special elections to one day in March, as well as during the primary and general elections. Sedgwick County has four special elections on three days in the first half of this year. Rainwater says that this many elections can confuse voters. "You cannot imagine how many emails and phone calls we got from people that show up to wrong polling places because we couldn't get the polling place for that special election or even early voting places where [...]

As part of Olathe’s efforts to reimagine its downtown, the city has taken the first step toward setting up a special sales tax district that will aid in the redevelopment of a prominent collection of downtown storefronts. The special 2% Community Improvement District sales tax would cover the storefronts between 114 N. Cherry St. and 126 N. Cherry St., directly adjacent to Johnson County Square, at the heart of downtown Olathe where the former courthouse stood. Source: Johnson County Post

Last summer, a zoning ordinance was put into effect in Clay Center. It was adopted after the Planning Commission recommended a revision to the city’s Zoning Ordinance. With No. 2467, a special permit is needed to open certain types of businesses within city limits. Notably, the amendment refers to healthcare facilities, including a critical access hospitals, independent diagnostic testing facilities, counseling services, surgical centers, etc. would all need a special permit approval, which includes a public hearing, before opening within Clay Center. The amendment was added after other towns saw healthcare chains replicate services. In recent years, Emporia, Newton, and Lawrence [...]

The City of Manhattan will be reintroducing e-scooters to the Little Apple after the last scooter service was shut down. Assistant City Manager Jared Wasinger said the Manhattan City Commission approved an agreement with Veo Ride back in January following a request for proposals by Kansas State University. The city will start with a fleet of 400 e-scooters and hopes to bring e-bikes to the area next year. Wasinger said the e-scooters can be ridden on campus and around city limits. Source: KSNT 27 News

Dale Davis is being remembered as a person with a huge impact on Emporia following his death this past weekend. Noting his time on the Emporia City Commission, Regional Development Association of East Central Kansas and Emporia Enterprises, Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Jeanine McKenna says Davis did his best to help Emporia grow and thrive. Among his many honors, Davis’ contributions led to the Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce bestowing its Lifetime Achievement Award on him in 2015, and the Kansas Chamber gave Davis its Ad Astra Award. Dale and his wife, Carolyn, earned the zoo’s Lifetime Advocate Award [...]

A new plan for encouraging cities and counties to hold down spending while giving taxpayers a new weapon to challenge bloated budgets moved to the full House on Wednesday. The bill would essentially recreate a fund that once was intended to help local governments hold down property taxes but empowers taxpayers to fight excessive spending. Source: Sunflower State Journal

Synopsis: K.S.A. 8-1575 prohibits a person from driving a golf cart on a sidewalk. Whether a particular pathway constitutes a “sidewalk” depends on the facts. A city may not exempt itself from this statute by enacting a charter ordinance. Source: Kansas Attorney General Opinions

The City of Towanda is getting ready to start working on a big project to repair a water leak that has caused the city to lose $128,000 in the last three years. "We can not continue to lose this water long term," said Towanda City Administrator Andy Newbrey while talking about why it is so important the city work to address this. Source: KAKE

...the open house will present information about the Traffic Management Program, including highlighting the usage of traffic calming devices like speed humps, chicanes and curb extensions... Source: LJWorld