Lyon County commissioners discussed increasing penalties for commercial truck drivers who use county roads posted as "No Thru Commercial Traffic" during Thursday morning's action session, saying the current $75 fine does little to discourage violations. The discussion stemmed from ongoing complaints from residents along Allen, Burlingame and Americus roads, where county officials say through truck traffic has increased, particularly because of highway construction and detours. County Engineer Wayne Scritchfield said his office routinely receives calls from residents concerned about heavy trucks using roads that were not designed for that type of traffic. Undersheriff John Koelsch said the Sheriff's Office has conducted [...]

A proposed utility-scale solar project near the Emporia Energy Center is continuing to move through the early planning stages, even as Lyon County has temporarily paused new solar development applications while officials review and strengthen local zoning regulations. Evergy says the proposed Emporia Solar Project has been in development since 2022 and is designed to provide electricity for the company's approximately 1.7 million customers across Kansas and Missouri. The company also stressed the project is not related to the proposed Flint Hills Digital Campus. The project would be located near the existing Emporia Energy Center, where Evergy already has transmission infrastructure [...]

Arkansas City commissioners this week unanimously approved a request to rezone a property at 519 West Skyline Road from residential to agricultural to accommodate the landowners chicken keeping. City Planner Josh White said the Planning Commission held a public hearing for the request in May and recommended against the rezoning in split vote, after a neighbor expressed concerns about roaming chickens that have since been resolved. White said the property was annexed by the city in 1986 and was briefly zoned for commercial use. Since the Rudman family has owned the property it’s been treated as agriculture but not zoned as [...]

The City of Salina has completed a new policy to assist utility customers who are experiencing water quality issues, such as discoloration, rust colored water, sediment, or staining. The City is now beginning the process of signing up eligible customers for assistance under the new program. The policy is part of the City’s continued effort to respond directly to customer concerns, document problem areas in the water distribution system, and provide practical support while longer term infrastructure improvements are evaluated. The City’s water continues to meet applicable drinking water health standards established by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and enforced [...]

According to Tim Beims, Executive Director of the Economic Development Agency of Cloud County, population has been in a slow, steady decline due to changes in rural economy in northern Kansas. To combat that trend, Cloud County implemented the County Level Incentive Program, known as CLIP, funded by the Innovation Center and Dain G. Hansen Foundation. “And the goal, the ultimate goal, and it’s a grand objective, is to ultimately increase population throughout the Northwest Kansas region,” Beims said. The program offers money incentives to individuals, especially recent college and trade school graduates, from outside of northwest Kansas if they accept [...]

Southeast Kansas voters have decided on four municipal tax measures that will fund essential services and infrastructure improvements in their communities. The measures represent local decisions about how cities will invest in their futures, from emergency services to street maintenance to economic development. Read more: www.koamnewsnow.com - RSS Results in news/local-news of type article

A hundred people packed the Sedgwick County Commission Chambers and even more filled an overflow room on Wednesday as county leaders considered approving two major solar projects. After an 11-hour meeting where commissioners heard more than 100 public comments, they denied both solar projects. Solar project discussions like this have been happening across the state, drawing a large community response. Both of these projects were considered despite the Sedgwick County Commission passing a six-month moratorium on new applications for large-scale solar projects in June. Commissioners said the projects would be used as a case study to test regulations and the application [...]

The Pratt city manager said Wednesday that city projects will continue without the 1% sales tax that voters rejected in the primary election. The final vote for the sales tax was 841 “no” votes to 563 “yes” votes. City manager Regina Goff said that money for city functions and future projects had already been budgeted. The goal of the sales tax was to relieve the burden of property taxes. She said that there had been robust debate between community members, so city leadership was not entirely surprised by the outcome of the vote. “There really were pros and cons to both, [...]

Voters in Towanda want the city to establish a 1.5% sales tax. More than three-quarters of those who cast ballots in Tuesday’s election voted for the tax. The city administrator said the sales tax is estimated to bring in $275,000 a year. The revenue from the sales tax will be used to improve roads. The city currently has a 1% sales tax that funds these projects, but it ends in 2027. The money could also be used to start the city’s own police department. Right now, law enforcement services are handled by the Butler County Sheriff’s Office. The city administrator said [...]

A $15 million school bond in a small Kansas town got a thumbs-down in Tuesday’s election. Voters in Lakin, a city of about 2,200 people west of Garden City, rejected the bond issue by about 63% to 37%, according to the most recent results. The money would have gone toward repairs and improvements at the district’s facilities. Tony Salcido, president of the USD 215 board, said there is a lot that needs fixed at the district’s facilities. The high school needs new windows and doors and roofing upgrades, according to Salcido. He said the grade school has similar needs. Plumbing and [...]