info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Sales tax passes in Chanute

info2018-11-08T06:44:31-06:00November 8th, 2018|

Chanute voters passed a proposal to extend a quarter-cent sales tax for economic development, and incumbent county commissioner Paul Westhoff appeared to have won re-election in Tuesday’s elections in Neosho County. Thayer-area voters appeared to favor a school bond proposal for USD 447, but the measure failed on opposition from Cherryvale voters. In the results counted Tuesday evening, the Chanute sales tax question passed 1,308 in favor to 849 against. The proposal will extend an existing sales tax, due to sunset at the end of March, which supported the Maring Aquatic Center construction. The new sales tax to fund economic development [...]

Derby businesses featured on new board game “Derby-Opoly”

info2018-11-08T06:39:24-06:00November 8th, 2018|

Mark Staats sported a smile worthy of a kid on Christmas morning when he looked over the first copy of a new board game, Derby-Opoly, last week. “I’m impressed,” said Staats, president and CEO of the Derby Chamber of Commerce, as he went through the box. As the name implies, it’s based on the best-selling and world-famous game of Monopoly, but it’s a strictly local endeavor. Or as Staats put it: “Everything has a Derby connection.” Chamber officials picked up on the game concept and decided it would be a good fit for Derby and its businesses. They were right on [...]

Voters approve expansion of Leavenworth County Commission

info2018-11-08T06:36:50-06:00November 8th, 2018|

The Leavenworth County Commission will expand to five members. A ballot question seeking to increase the commission from three members to five passed in Tuesday’s election, according to the unofficial results. There were 15,662 “yes” votes in favor of the expansion, and 9,357 “no” votes. The question was placed on the ballot in Leavenworth County after a group calling itself Give Me Five collected the necessary signatures earlier this year. Now that the measure has passed, county commissioners will approve the boundaries for five commission districts. The county will have a special election to determine who will fill the two additional [...]

City of Pittsburg may buy trucks to improve ice, snow removal

info2018-11-08T06:31:25-06:00November 8th, 2018|

The city of Parsons could begin pre-treating streets prior to winter storms instead of just reacting to the slick mess that follows. On Monday evening, city commissioners gave permission to the city staff to spend up to $35,000 on two trucks with brine tanks. All of the public works employees attended a snow removal seminar in Burlington recently in which among other things the Kansas Department of Transportation described how the highways are treated with brine before storms. Brine, which is a mixture of salt and water, lessens the ability of ice and snow to adhere to roads, making it much [...]

Derby names new deputy city manager

info2018-11-08T06:29:30-06:00November 8th, 2018|

Kiel Mangus has been selected from a competitive pool of candidates to be Derby’s deputy city manager, a newly created position. The city received 55 applications for the position during the application process in August and September. That group was narrowed to the best 12 qualified candidates and of those, five were interviewed by a team of City Manager Kathy Sexton, City Attorney Jacque Butler and Police Chief Robert Lee. “The quality of the applicant pool was exceptional,” said Sexton. “Selecting from the best of the best was a challenge.” Magnus, who starts his job on Nov. 19, has a strong [...]

Beyond Agriculture: Kiowa, Kansas Makes Hay Out of Becoming a Manufacturing Hub

info2018-11-07T09:55:26-06:00November 7th, 2018|

With just more than 1,000 residents, the agricultural city of Kiowa is known for its wheat, milo and canola crops. In fact, according to City Administrator Lou Leone, Kiowa has such a bountiful crop yield, the State of Kansas uses the town’s crops as a gauge to tell how the harvest is fairing in the entire state. But agriculture isn’t the only business Kiowa wants to be known for. According to Leone, the city is hoping to attract more manufacturing jobs, such as ammunition manufacturing, telecom or even a data center. “We have at least three locations that would be good [...]

Reno Commission may take up wind moratorium later this month

info2018-11-07T06:54:57-06:00November 7th, 2018|

The Reno County Commission in a couple of weeks will likely consider issuing a moratorium on the development of wind farms in Reno County, Commissioner Dan Deming advised. “I think it will be granted,” Deming said of a proposed moratorium. “The question is its length.” The commission previously agreed more regulation needs to be in place to protect the entire county during wind development and tasked the Reno County Planning Commission with drafting proposed regulations. Less than half of the county is currently zoned, so existing zoning regulations can only control development in those parts of the county. A consultant helping [...]

Topeka citywide half-cent sales tax for streets passes by significant margin

info2018-11-07T06:51:15-06:00November 7th, 2018|

Topeka voters by a significant margin Tuesday evening approved a 10-year extension of a citywide, half-cent sales tax used to finance the maintenance and improvement of existing streets. Complete, unofficial results showed 26,117 voters, or 61.51 percent, cast ballots in favor of the proposal while 16,346, or 38.49 percent, voted against it. “It’s a good day for Topeka, to get this thing passed,” said Jim Parrish, chairman of the nonprofit group Future Forward, which ran an advertising campaign to promote passage of the question. No groups were formed to actively campaign against it. Parrish said the margin of victory suggested that [...]

Liquor-by-the-drink passes in Bourbon County

info2018-11-07T06:49:29-06:00November 7th, 2018|

A liquor-by-the-drink ballot question passed by more than 1,200 votes...according to unofficial results of Tuesday’s general election. The ballot question, which deals with requirements for food sales in public drinking establishments, passed with 2,949 “yes” votes and 1,725 “no” votes tallied. The question passed 63 percent to 37 percent. (Read more: Fort Scott Tribune)

County clerk assumes role of Ness Co. sheriff after resignations

info2018-11-07T06:47:46-06:00November 7th, 2018|

The Ness County Sheriff’s Office is in a state of upheaval Tuesday, as the majority of the department turned in their resignations. According to a social media report, the undersheriff, three deputies and a dispatcher resigned as of 10:50 a.m. Tuesday. With a vacancy in the sheriff’s position after former Sheriff Bryan Whipple resigned following federal firearms charges, and Undersheriff William Sutton’s resignation today, the position of sheriff falls upon Ness County Clerk Renee Kerr. “Due to the resignation of the undersheriff and the majority of the department, County Clerk Renee Kerr has assumed the duties of sheriff, per KSA 19-804a,” [...]

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