info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Reno County Commission questions shift in TECH spending

info2018-09-20T09:39:58-05:00September 20th, 2018|

Reno County Commission Chairman Ron Hirst voiced objection Tuesday to the Technology and Evaluation Center of Hutchinson shifting $60,000 in county funding from its former early childhood education program for infants and toddlers into expanding its art program and its children and family services budget. TECH, however, shifted the proposed spending after it and the Reno County Education Cooperative severed a longstanding agreement under which TECH oversaw in-home programs for children birth to age 3, while RCEC ran programs for children 3 to 5. The dollars, which come from a county mill levy designated for programs to support the developmentally disabled, [...]

Committee offers recommendations on bond, fees in Kansas municipal courts

info2018-09-20T09:37:14-05:00September 20th, 2018|

In an effort to increase equity in Kansas municipal courts, a committee offered 18 recommendations Wednesday on bond, fines and fees. The ad hoc committee was formed about a year ago at the direction of the Kansas Supreme Court. Economically disadvantaged people are disproportionately jailed because of their inability to post bond or pay court fees, Chief Justice Lawton Nuss said. Some municipal courts use a bond schedule that lists a crime and a bond amount. “Just to take a bond schedule, which is one size fits all, and not look at the individual characteristics of each defendant is a problem,” [...]

Ellis County discusses policy of free dumping at waste station for non-profits

info2018-09-20T09:30:48-05:00September 20th, 2018|

The agency that supports Special Olympics in Hays is spending a good deal of money hauling trash to Ellis County’s municipal waste transfer station. The nonprofit would like to dump it for free like other non-profit organizations, said Jim Huenergarde, board president for the local Arc chapter. The problem is due to a big jump in donated household goods that can’t be sold but that are dropped off at Arc of Central Plains locations. Arc’s request spurred Ellis County Public Works Director Bill Ring to ask the County Commissioners how they want to handle the county’s free dumping policy for nonprofits. [...]

Hutch inviting proposals for hotel/convention center

info2018-09-20T09:27:40-05:00September 20th, 2018|

The city of Hutchinson is taking another swing at bringing an “upscale or upper midscale” franchise hotel and adjacent convention center to town. The 11-page request for proposals does not specify the dollar value for potential public aid, but states that the city “is prepared to offer incentives.” Possibilities range from a developer identifying the Hutchinson Mall or the Kansas State Fairgrounds as a location for a hotel and convention center - to the chance that no one submits a formal plan before the deadline arrives. “We have not had a lot of inquiries,” said Hutchinson City Manager John Deardoff, about [...]

Chetopa continues study of animal zoning

info2018-09-20T09:26:49-05:00September 20th, 2018|

The city of Chetopa continued discussion of a proposed ordinance outlining where farm animals can be kept within city limits. During a Sept. 4 city council regular meeting, Chetopa resident George Davis asked the council to adopt a zoning ordinance restricting farm animals now and then work out the regulations later. The council discussed the proposed ordinance, and members of the audience expressed their concerns. The council received a copy of a petition with no signatures on it so that members could read the wording. Shane Adamson, the city’s attorney, received a copy of the city of Parsons ordinance governing animal [...]

Heavy rains cause sewer issue in Parsons

info2018-09-20T09:24:54-05:00September 20th, 2018|

A small group of neighbors talked about sewage problems during heavy rainfalls, including foul odors and bits of toilet paper found in yards, during a Monday evening Parsons City Commission meeting. City Manager Debbie Lamb said the city staff was unaware of the problem, but they will see what can be done to solve the problem. The issue is a prime example of the problem the city is trying to solve to satisfy an Environmental Protection Agency compliance order. Broken and long-neglected sanitation sewer pipes around town have allowed the infiltration of stormwater, inundating the sewer system and the wastewater treatment [...]

Salina city commissioners accept resignation of animal shelter director

info2018-09-20T09:22:56-05:00September 20th, 2018|

In a decision Salina City Commissioner Melissa Hodges called the “worst vote I’ve ever cast,” the commission approved granting the interim city manager the ability to deviate from personnel policy and accept the resignation of Salina Animal Shelter manager Vanessa Cowie, who was placed on administrative leave Aug. 15. Cowie’s resignation is effective Sept. 30. Commissioners called a special executive session at 6 p.m. Tuesday after Cowie contacted interim city manager Mike Schrage to submit her resignation Monday evening. (Read more: News - The Hays Daily News)

Mission council approves CID start date delay; construction still on schedule

info2018-09-20T09:18:56-05:00September 20th, 2018|

The Mission council has granted Tom Valenti’s request to delay the start date for an additional sales tax for Mission Gateway. After initial concerns two weeks ago, the council unanimously approved the delay, which pushes back the community improvement district’s 1 percent sales tax start date from Jan. 1, 2019, to July 1, 2020. Valenti and others on the Gateway team indicated that the delay would “align with the completion of development and the beginning of retail activity.” Councilmembers in their Wednesday meeting said concerns they had voiced in a community development committee meeting two weeks ago are now assuaged. (Read [...]

Why Wichita’s economy shrank last year while other Kansas cities grew

info2018-09-20T09:17:33-05:00September 20th, 2018|

Wichita’s economy shrank in 2017. It was the only major metro area in Kansas that didn’t grow last year, according to new federal data. And despite positive growth in some cities, the Kansas economy shrank overall. Wichita and the state can’t find enough workers, in turn limiting the ability of companies to grow and boost the economy. Across the state, job vacancies increased by 9.1 percent last year. Local leaders emphasize the need to attract workers to the region. Data released by the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis, or BEA, this week shows that the Wichita area gross domestic product — [...]

Lenexa council approves updated plans for Sikh gurdwara

info2018-09-20T09:15:14-05:00September 20th, 2018|

The Lenexa City Council approved the final plan for a new, $4.5 million Sikh temple — the Midwest Sikh Gurdwara — at its Tuesday night meeting. The council had put plans for the project on hold at its April 17 meeting because of concerns about the project’s design expressed by some Lenexa City Council members and nearby residents. The Lenexa Planning Commission had recommended approval of the project’s preliminary plan at its April 2 meeting. The building’s exterior will comprise precast concrete panels and brick, and three ornamental, golden domes in Sikh-style architecture will sit atop the building. The building’s parking [...]

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