info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Winfield chief search on hold

info2018-12-07T09:30:56-06:00December 7th, 2018|

The search for a new Winfield police chief is on hold until a new city manager is hired, interim city manager Brenda Peters said Wednesday. Because the police chief is hired by the city manager, a search cannot commence until a permanent manager arrives, Peters said. The closing date for applications in the city manager search is next week. Since the city commission still has to review applications, interview candidates and make an offer, the police chief search isn’t expected to get under way until next year, Peters said. Advertisements for the police chief job have not been placed yet, Peters [...]

Osawatomie approves mandatory trash service

info2018-12-06T09:48:37-06:00December 6th, 2018|

Osawatomie will soon join the list of area communities that require their residents to use city trash services. Osawatomie City Council members unanimously approved an ordinance establishing mandatory trash service using the city’s contracted service provider at their meeting Nov. 29. The ordinance goes into effect Jan. 1, 2019, and requires every occupied premises or premises with city utilities in Osawatomie to set up the service and “use the solid waste pickup and collection service operated or contracted by the City of Osawatomie,” according to the ordinance’s language. (Read more: The Miami County Republic)

Commission approves vision for Aggieville infrastructure

info2018-12-06T07:51:25-06:00December 6th, 2018|

The Manhattan City Commission unanimously approved phase 2 of the Aggieville Infrastructure Report at their meeting Tuesday. The plan lays out possible features for the business district’s future, incorporating community input that came in the form of surveys as well as focus groups. It included multiple options, ranging from various street and parking designs down Moro and Laramie, a potential pedestrian mall on 12th Street stretching from Laramie to Moro, alley improvements, publicly available WiFi as well as a parking garage at the intersection of Manhattan Avenue and Laramie. None of the features were specifically chosen for approval, the report just [...]

Council hears plans for Olathe Fire Department’s new $4 million training center

info2018-12-06T07:50:13-06:00December 6th, 2018|

The Olathe Fire Department is moving forward with plans to build a $4 million training center that will not only serve the department’s own firefighters but also attract fire departments and rescue agencies throughout the region. Fire Chief Jeff DeGraffenreid on Tuesday laid out plans for the center to the City Council, who still must approve the design and spending on the project. DeGraffenreid said the facility would allow Olathe personnel to train locally while still being able to respond to emergencies nearby. Currently, he said the department has to travel to training facilities in Overland Park and Platte County, Mo. [...]

Wellington Council comes to an agreement with developers on Dollar Tree 17th Street project; developer apologizes to council

info2018-12-06T07:49:23-06:00December 6th, 2018|

The 17th Street project, north of the Dollar Tree store in east Wellington has been pretty well resolved, according to city officials at its meeting Tuesday. Wellington Public Works Director Jeremy Jones told the council he has been in touch with the developers and contractors, and have worked out an agreement for the correction. All but 29 feet of the project will have to be repaved and brought to city specifications. At Tuesday’s meeting, Ryan Kiser, a developer for Ridge Investment Group of Wichita, apologized to the council for paving the road too early, and said: “We didn’t educate each other [...]

Osawatomie’s electric shop to serve multiple functions

info2018-12-06T07:45:47-06:00December 6th, 2018|

The city of Osawatomie’s new electric shop and storage building is taking shape on Ninth Street. “We hope to have it buttoned up soon,” Osawatomie City Manager Don Cawby said. The building will serve multiple functions. “It is the new electric shop, but will also house some of our water equipment,” Cawby said. “Water (department) used to operate out of the sewer plant until the bridge was closed in 2011. We have crammed them in since then.” The new structure also will free up space in the existing building for the fire department’s use, he said. “The primary reason was to [...]

Brown county commission suspends permit for local EMT

info2018-12-06T07:43:06-06:00December 6th, 2018|

The Brown County Commission voted Monday morning to suspend the emergency vehicle permit for a local EMT. The matter came before the commission at the Nov. 19 meeting as EMT Jeremy Stover spoke and asked the county to reconsider keeping his permit. They tabled the decision for a week, noting they had not reviewed the citation issued to Stover. At this week's meeting, Brown County Attorney Kevin Hill said he had reviewed a Hiawatha Police Department report on the Oct. 31 incident involving Stover. Hiawatha Police Chief John Defore joined the meeting via telephone and informed the commissioners that Stover had [...]

Sedgwick County Manager Michael Scholes is out after 3-2 commission vote

info2018-12-06T07:41:44-06:00December 6th, 2018|

Sedgwick County has reached a settlement ending the controversial tenure of County Manager Michael Scholes. On Wednesday, the County Commission approved an agreement paying Scholes $205,427 to leave. In exchange, he’s agreed to drop any claims against the county related to his departure. Scholes is the second top county official forced out by commission action in the past month. On Nov. 19, the commission settled out Counselor Eric Yost for a $77,000 payment. (Read more: Politics & Government News |)

City receives KDOT funding for I-35 and Gardner Road project

info2018-12-06T07:38:48-06:00December 6th, 2018|

The City of Gardner announced today that the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) granted funding for improvements to the interchange at I-35 and Gardner Road. The funding will cover the first and second phase of the project. KDOT will provide $3.925M for phase 1, which consists of the realignment of 191st Street west of Gardner Road and signalization of the intersection ramps. Construction is scheduled to begin in late 2019. An additional $6M will be granted for phase 2 for the replacement of the existing Gardner Road bridge over I-35 with construction starting in 2022. KDOT is currently designing a diverging [...]

Leavenworth commissioner makes motion to end lawsuit expenses

info2018-12-06T07:37:38-06:00December 6th, 2018|

A Leavenworth County commissioner made a motion Tuesday to not spend any more money on a lawsuit that challenged the contract of a former employee. No vote was taken on the motion. Commissioner Bob Holland made the motion after Kansas Senior Judge Edward Bouker issued a ruling in which he declared the employment contract of former Human Resources Director Tamara Copeland invalid. “Given the judge has made the final ruling, the bleeding needs to stop,” Holland said. Bouker issued a written decision over the weekend. He ruled that Copeland’s employment contract with the county “was an attempt to improperly bind future [...]

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