info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Effort to save downtown Overland Park gazebo fails as council votes to move forward with Santa Fe Commons project

info2019-04-16T10:19:01-05:00April 16th, 2019|

A neighborhood group trying to save the 1980s-era gazebo in downtown Overland Park went away disappointed Monday after the city council voted to award a bid for construction. Around 30 people holding “Save Our Gazebo” signs had hoped to stop or at least pause a complete redo of Thompson Park because of the gazebo, which was built with a similar look to the historic carriage house in the park. Council members, however, said they had plenty of chances to object during multiple public input sessions held since last summer. (Read more: Prairie Village Post)

Sharp Hike In Commercial Grain Elevator Valuations

info2019-04-15T10:01:24-05:00April 15th, 2019|

Commercial grain elevator owners in Scott County are protesting a sharp increase in the appraised valuation of their facilities. A change in the formula for determining the value of storage facilities has been put in place, effective with the 2019 tax year, by the Kansas Property Valuation Department. It has added about $1.5 million to the value of the operations in Scott County. Appraisal values are up about $1 million in Wichita County. As expected, the sharp increase in value - and the property tax bill that comes with it - has caught the attention of local operators. Read more: Scott [...]

Some Lawrence residents voice concerns as affordable housing board considers density increases

info2019-04-15T09:45:45-05:00April 15th, 2019|

As the city embarks on a new venture in its affordable housing efforts — one involving the first changes to the local development code — some residents are asking questions about how those changes could affect neighborhoods. If approved, the proposed affordable housing density bonus would be the city’s first land use rules connected to the affordability of homes. Though the draft code changes are preliminary, the concept is to allow two homes to be built on one lot as long as they are designated as affordable housing. That could mean a second home being added alongside an existing home or [...]

Gardner dissolved airport committee, replaced it with advisory board

info2019-04-15T06:45:59-05:00April 15th, 2019|

The city of Gardner has dissolved the city’s airport committee and replaced it with an Airport Advisory Board. In a March 18 meeting, the council approved an ordinance change revoking the legal authority granted to the Airport Commission to form a non profit corporation to supervise the operations of the airport. According to Amy Nasta, city clerk, the advisory board will consist of five members tasked with advising the council on matters pertaining to the growth and improvement of the airport. The board will advise the council on acquisition of property, construction and reconstruction of airport facilities, the institution of programs [...]

City of Edgerton to build community center

info2019-04-15T06:38:34-05:00April 15th, 2019|

Edgerton residents attended an open house on a proposed “Greenspace” Community Center. During the April 4 event at city hall, residents met with city officials and staff and discussed ideas on what they would like to see at the center. The city has set aside $4.1 million for the center which will be located on a vacant lot between the Edgerton Bank of Knowledge and the fire station. According to Beth Linn, city administrator, the proposed building will include at least two floors of approximately 1,500 sq. ft. each with the possibility of a basement. Construction could begin as early as [...]

City seal design will remain on vehicles after new flag is unveiled

info2019-04-15T06:36:40-05:00April 15th, 2019|

The city of Topeka government’s official seal adorns its letterhead and the sides of many of its vehicles. And that won’t quickly change after the design for a new city flag is announced, said Molly Hadfield, the city’s media relations director. City officials plan to retain the seal design on its vehicles, documents and social media while deciding over time whether to incorporate the new flag’s design into those images, she said this past week. Hadfield added that city officials see Topeka’s seal — which is adorned with phrases that include “Golden City” and “The Capital City of Kansas” — as [...]

Riley County Commissioners approve 13 CIP funded requests to improve county buildings and offices

info2019-04-15T06:35:17-05:00April 15th, 2019|

Riley County commissioners gave their approval for 13 department requests to be funded by the Capital Improvement Fund. The commission continued their 2019 first quarter CIP session from last week. The original estimate for all requests was $4.9 million out of the $5.3 million budget authority, but was reduced to $3.7 million. The total cost of the 13 requests is $990,700. Most of the requests come from public works and are facility maintenance for county buildings and offices . A last minute request was made by Public Works Director Leon Hobson for a new truck. This was due to one of [...]

Johnson County micro-breweries hoping to see 30% sales from food requirement lifted

info2019-04-15T06:24:41-05:00April 15th, 2019|

A proposal that would make it easier to run a brew pub in Johnson County is being discussed as a possible ballot issue in upcoming elections. The Johnson County Commission are looking into how soon voters might be able to decide whether to continue a requirement that an establishment must make at least 30 percent of its sales from food in order to also sell alcoholic drinks. The rule has been in place since the mid 1980s and has been a major impediment to craft brewers, which have become a popular draw in other parts of Kansas City. The county’s fledgling [...]

A conversation with Lawrence Mayor Lisa Larsen on city-county cooperation, a new fire chief, downtown growth

info2019-04-15T09:47:29-05:00April 15th, 2019|

Would anyone who lives in rural Douglas County really care if the city and the county merged their information technology departments? Or their purchasing departments? Or their payroll offices? Larsen’s best guess was that most residents wouldn’t object to that type of cooperation. “I would think any citizen would want to have their governments continue to look for efficiencies,” Larsen said. She said some of those administrative functions would be good places to consider for consolidation. After all, is overseeing the computer systems at City Hall really that much different than overseeing them at the Douglas County Courthouse? Such consolidation doesn’t [...]

City of Emporia discusses downtown sound system

info2019-04-12T11:21:56-05:00April 12th, 2019|

City commissioners will soon decide on the installation of a new sound system for downtown Emporia. Emporia Main Street Executive Director Casey Woods spoke to the city commission about the proposed project during a Wednesday morning study session. The system would be used to play music and relay messages downtown. It could also be used to announce emergencies during events. “The downtown speaker system is a project we have been working on in Emporia Main Street for a number of years,” Woods said. “We initially worked on a speaker system with Ed Rathke, the former facilities manager, and the technology didn’t [...]

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