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Butler County lawmaker: “Butler County taxpayers are subsidizing the education of Sedgwick County students”

info2019-02-08T07:02:14-06:00February 8th, 2019|

State Rep. Kristey Williams, R-Augusta, is not happy with the mill levy imposed on Butler County property owners to support a community college that largely serves students who live outside the county. This week, she introduced House Bill 2144 that would require greater public access to community college spending. “Accountability and transparency remain cornerstone issues for me this legislative session,” Williams wrote in her “Capitol Highlights” on Tuesday, the day she introduced the “Community College Taxpayer Transparency” bill. Leaders at Hutchinson Community College and other two-year institutions around Kansas say while they support transparency in spending, this bill goes too far. [...]

Hiawatha Commission debates over hospital committee

info2019-02-08T06:44:05-06:00February 8th, 2019|

Needing to make a formal appointment to the joint city-county committee working on funding the Hiawatha Hospital, much of Monday’s Hiawatha City Commission meeting was spent discussing the correct way for the commission to handle the meetings. Mayor Collins, who was eventually officially appointed to the committee, was adamant that the committee move quickly but carefully to find a suitable solution. Commissioner Becky Shamburg expressed her interest and desire to observe the meetings and said she believed it would be wise for all commissioners to attend to stay abreast of the situation. Appointing another commissioner was discussed, but it was decided [...]

Shawnee city leaders consider changes to unique loan program, will focus on reinvestment in downtown Shawnee

info2019-02-08T06:40:07-06:00February 8th, 2019|

Shawnee is considering a series of changes to the unique Shawnee Entrepreneurial and Economic Development program that allows it to provide business loans to promote employment in the city. The discretionary fund, which has been in place since 2012, is a city-led effort with the Shawnee Chamber of Commerce that focuses on job creation and retention in the city. “It has also been useful in attracting new employers that have led to millions of dollars of investment and the creation of hundreds of jobs in the community,” city manager Nolan Sunderman wrote in a memo to the council. Shawnee Chamber of [...]

Baxter Springs city operations temporarily relocating because of mold

info2019-02-08T06:30:36-06:00February 8th, 2019|

Baxter Springs City Hall is temporarily closing and its operations moving next week after mold was discovered in the building’s walls and ceilings. “We had it recently tested, and the results weren’t very good,” Mayor Randall Trease said. “The recommendation was to evacuate the building and go from there.” The City Hall operation, currently at 1145 Military Ave., will be closed on Monday and will transfer to the former Empire District Electric Co. building at 1011 Military Ave. City Hall services will be closed down next week. Officials said if they’re not moved in by Friday, Feb. 15, then late fees [...]

Sedgwick County Commission moves to hire familiar face as new manager without a search

info2019-02-07T10:13:14-06:00February 7th, 2019|

Negotiations for the highest unelected position in Sedgwick County government will happen without a job search. Commissioners say a search for a new county manager would be a waste of time and taxpayer money because they already have the best man for the job: Interim County Manager Tom Stolz. Some commissioners suggested Stolz should have been chosen as county manager in 2015 over Michael Scholes, who was paid $205,427 to leave in December. Stolz is now in negotiations with the county to drop “interim” from his job title. A vote to approve the contract could come as soon as next week. [...]

Moundridge USD 423 proposes smaller bond issue; uses area contractors

info2019-02-07T10:05:49-06:00February 7th, 2019|

Ballots should appear in the mailboxes of Moundridge USD 423 voters this week. Ballots must be back in the McPherson County Clerk’s office by noon Feb. 26, according to the McPherson County Clerk staff. Postage for the return mailing is included, so voters will not have to supply a stamp, staff said. Moundridge USD voters rejected a $23.8 million bond issue in 2016 and a second one, smaller but also over $20 million, in 2017. The new proposal costs less, uses area contractors, and addresses Greer gym - three issues USD 423 patrons said they wanted, according to school district officials. [...]

Water flow study approved for Ellis sewer system

info2019-02-07T10:02:37-06:00February 7th, 2019|

The sewer system in Ellis has problems with inflow and infiltration and the city council has agreed to pay for a month-long flow monitor study to determine what’s wrong. Alan Scheuerman, public works director, told council members Monday twice as much water is entering the sewer system than is produced, causing it to work over capacity and resulting in excess chemical cost. Wilson & Company will conduct the flow study at a cost of $22,646 to determine the location of the infiltration. (Read more: Hays Post)

Former city clerk pleads guilty to theft

info2019-02-07T10:35:16-06:00February 7th, 2019|

Rick Voisin, the former Towanda Municipal Court and utility clerk accused of stealing more than $186,000 from the city, pleaded guilty to two charges Friday morning in Butler County District Court. In August of 2016 after a customer received an overdue notice on a utility bill that had been paid and providing a cancelled check, Towanda City Administrator Matt Engels and then-treasurer Andy Newbry, contacted the sheriff’s office after finding several manual adjustments to utility accounts. Through investigation, the Sheriff’s department discovered several checks manually endorsed and not run through the point of sales system and other discrepancies with the accounts. [...]

Dodge City approves panhandling ordinance

info2019-02-07T10:00:20-06:00February 7th, 2019|

Dodge City commissioners have approved an ordinance establishing a Chapter XI, Article 7 of the Code of the City of Dodge City for prohibiting pedestrians from entering or staying upon a designated roadway to facilitate a transfer of anything from pedestrian to vehicle occupant would be prohibited. What is being referred to as the “Panhandling Ordinance,” it states that pedestrians stepping out into the roadway or for those that remain along side a designated roadway, to complete a transaction, would be prohibited. Therefore, anyone that goes into the roadway or along side the roadway and approaches a vehicle stopped on the [...]

Paola crime rate drops 20 percent

info2019-02-07T09:59:09-06:00February 7th, 2019|

The Paola Police Department has released its year-end statistics for 2018, and the total reported criminal offenses dropped from 692 in 2017 to 549 in 2018, a reduction of 20 percent. Capt. Eric Jenkins said the department leaders were particularly pleased to see a reduction in preventable offenses, such as burglaries (down 21 percent), theft (down 33 percent) and automobile theft (down 30 percent). “As in the past, we attribute these reductions to the citizens of Paola taking crime prevention more seriously,” Jenkins said in a news release. “Crimes such as these are typically a crime of opportunity. While we all [...]

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