Remediation steps to put out a smoldering fire at the Galena Landfill were successful, and the landfill operator will continue work to meet other state requirements, a health agency spokeswoman said Tuesday. The fire that has been alight at the landfill for weeks to months was still smoldering during a June 24 inspection, said Jill Bronaugh, Kansas Department of Health and Environment spokeswoman, in an email. But excavation work completed since then by landfill operator Jordan Disposal indicate the fire is out, she said. HOWEVER, Jordan wasn’t able to complete the required foot of soil cover over the area that KDHE asked for after the June inspection, as more time was needed for re-grading the area after the excavation, she said.
Read more: The Iola Register

City commissioners on Tuesday unanimously approved a two-year moratorium on large-scale data centers in Lawrence, extending an original one-year proposal, while city staff study longer-term code changes. The commission also initiated a text amendment to the city’s land development code related to data centers. The code currently would allow massive data centers to be developed in several zoning areas around town by right, without a public process through which residents could object. Planning and Development Services Director Jeff Crick told commissioners the temporary moratorium is intended to give staff time to study the issue and draft regulations. He said the work could require significant staff resources and could delay or suspend other long-range and special projects. 
Read more: The Lawrence Times

Wichita-area cities have moved to regulate duplex construction after community pushback over neighborhood density and design. Goddard just adopted new rules, and Derby approved its own in May. Maize might consider changes.
Read more: Wichita Eagle

A letter written by Marysville Mayor Todd Frye, asking Marshall County to join Marysville in enacting a moratorium on data centers in the county and in the city was approved Monday night by the Marysville City Council. Concerns Frye outlined in his letter include loss of farmland, skyrocketing power bills, water depletion, increased noise, decrease in property values and changes in local economies.
Read more: www.marysvilleonline.net

City staff began developing a possible framework to provide relief for those who have “verified water quality impacts” associated with the city’s water system. Of the about 22,000 water customer accounts, the city said based on complaint history and staff’s understanding of the water infrastructure, fewer than 100 accounts may be eligible for such relief.
Read more: Salina Journal

A landlord registry presents itself in many forms across the state and country. However, the main intention is to keep a detailed list of rental properties and/or landlords within a community. Kansas communities that have landlord registries or a rental leasing process include Lawrence, Overland Park, Leavenworth, Girard, Kansas City, Lenexa, Manhattan and Wichita.
Read more: CJonline

“The proposed ordinance provides time for staff to research Data Center uses and provide the City Commission with information so they may make a decision on altering the Land Development Code via a text amendment,” Jeff Crick, director of planning and development services for the city, wrote in a memo to the commission.
Read more: The Lawrence Times

After the federal government stopped making pennies last November, at least one municipal government in Kansas stopped accepting them. The city of Liberal is rounding up all payments for cash transactions to the nearest nickel, it said on its website, adding that customers could avoid paying extra by paying with a check or card.
Read more: Salina Journal