Two Phoenix, Arizona, suburbs became the latest municipalities Wednesday to terminate their contracts with Flock Safety, cancelling their use of the company’s automated license plate readers that have drawn widespread privacy concerns. The city of Tempe, which had an $80,000 contract with the company, said it would turn off all of its Flock cameras due to mounting reports of data “misuse” in other regions. Three hours later, the nearby town of Cave Creek also announced it had ended its contract with Flock and completely removed the technology. Flock offers a system able to recognize license plates immediately. The technology uses cameras [...]

A major milestone for people fighting against data centers in El Dorado after a judge ruled on a citizen-led petition to ban them Friday night. The 13th District Judge declared the petition a legislative function of municipal government. This means the city will either adopt the ordinance as written, which would ban data centers and battery energy storage systems (BESS) in city limits, or leave the decision up to a vote. People behind the push to ban them held a watch party for Friday night’s decision and say their fight is not over yet. Read more: KSN-TV

Steve Roberson, chief of the Newton Fire/Emergency Medical Services Department, retired on Friday after more than 30 years of service. Roberson began his career in 1995 with the Newton Ambulance Department, before it merged with the fire department in 1997. He was promoted to deputy chief in 2016 and later to chief in 2019. In 2023, Roberson received the professional designations of chief fire officer and chief EMS officer, becoming one of only 99 people in the world at that time to hold both titles. Read more: KSN-TV

For months in 2003, Morgan Marler had a problem. A blue-green algae bloom had taken over Marion Reservoir, unlike anything the lake had seen before. Hillsboro’s water treatment plant, which gets its water from the reservoir and also supplies water to Peabody, was shut down for nearly a month. Read more: Marion County RECORD

In an overwhelming show of civic unity, Tuesday, citizens of Pittsburg from all walks of life and backgrounds united against the city’s proposal to install parking enforcement cameras along five blocks of Broadway in the downtown area. Read more: The Morning Sun

Although e-scooter and e-bike crashes have led some to advocate for statewide regulations, most regulations are decided on the local level. Ten-year-old Duke Ommert died after an electric scooter crash in Leawood last year when a car struck him as he crossed the street mid-block. Duke’s death, other e-scooter and electric bike injuries (a nearly 300% increase in emergency room visits from 2017 to 2024) and warnings from doctors have led to local authorities passing regulations — but Duke’s parents wanted statewide rules. The deaths and injuries are rising as electric mobility becomes more common and the vehicles are easily available from online retailers. But the issue [...]

The City of Lawrence paid an executive search firm and brought four city manager candidates to town this spring. Here’s what it all cost. Following the search by Strategic Government Resources, four finalists — Majed Al-Ghafry, Joe Fivas, Michael Kovacs and Joseph (Joe) Lessard — visited Lawrence in late May. Lawrence city commissioners on June 9 announced Al-Ghafry as the next city manager. He started working at City Hall in late July, and joined his first city commission meeting Tuesday, Aug. 4. The total cost for all four candidates to stay at downtown’s Eldridge Hotel was $1,448. Here’s the breakdown of how [...]

Three Wichita suburbs have passed regulations on at least some electric or motorized vehicles within the past year. Rose Hill was the first to implement restrictions, and Cheney and Garden Plain have since followed suit. Valley Center is expected to consider its own ordinance in the next 30 to 45 days, and the topic was discussed at an Andover City Council workshop earlier this week. Read more: Wichita Eagle

Regulations would address quiet hours, parking requirements, number of short-term rentals allowed per owner, density requirements, permit requirements and more. Read more: Wichita Eagle

Majed Al-Ghafry thinks the city where he started his municipal government career – Chula Vista, California – has some lessons for Lawrence about growing smart. Read more: LJWorld