info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

City Council to have more talks on a plan for paid parking downtown

info2024-08-14T11:11:44-05:00August 14th, 2024|

In a marathon, ten-hour meeting Tuesday, Wichita City Council members heard an update and review of a plan to convert to paid parking downtown, as they held their second hearing on the city’s budget for 2025. Assistant City Manager Troy Anderson said the plan to go to a paid system is part of a parking and multimodal plan that was adopted by the Council in 2023. He said the city’s parking fund can cover basic operations but it’s not providing enough to cover needed maintenance and repair of parking garages and facilities. A parking fee is expected to generate over $3 [...]

These 14 Kansas cities lost the most people last year, state report says

info2024-08-14T08:38:10-05:00August 14th, 2024|

The report, which uses data from the U.S. Census Bureau, also shows that 14 Kansas cities lost at least 100 people last year. Most of them are in more rural areas of the state. Source: Hutch News

These 18 Kansas cities gained the most people last year, state budget office report says

info2024-08-13T12:18:28-05:00August 13th, 2024|

...population growth varied widely across the state and even within counties, according to the report, which uses U.S. Census Bureau data. There were 18 cities that gained at least 100 people, with many of the biggest winners being suburbs in the Kansas City and Wichita metro areas. Source: Salina Journal

Crisis City near Salina helps prep medical search and rescue teams for disaster

info2024-08-13T12:17:41-05:00August 13th, 2024|

Search and rescue crews from across the state and U.S. took part in training at Crisis City last week, culminating in a simulated rescue operation Friday night. Twenty-three paramedics and physicians, all of whom are part of urban search and rescue task forces in Kansas and across the country, spent three days of classes and simulations as part of the Medical Team Specialist course from Disaster Medical Solutions (DMS) at Crisis City. Source: Salina Journal

More Topekans are being cited for grass growing too high

info2024-08-13T12:13:59-05:00August 13th, 2024|

The Topeka Police Department's property maintenance unit enforces the ordinance involved, as well other property maintenance ordinances, said Rosie Nichols, public safety communications specialist for Topeka's city government. This year's rise in vegetation violations may be related to an increase in staffing, Nichols said. "In previous years, there were six inspector positions and one field supervisor, and today there are 10 inspectors with one field supervisor," she said. Source: CJonline

Action delayed on solar regulations for Sedgwick County

info2024-08-12T11:09:23-05:00August 12th, 2024|

Sedgwick County Commissioners have delayed action on zoning regulations that would cover large-scale solar projects. Commissioners heard reports at their regular meeting Wednesday on proposed amendments to the Unified Zoning Code on definitions, standards and requirements for commercial solar systems. The county also hired the Virginia firm of The Berkley Group to look over the proposed regulations and look at best practices across the country. Michael Zehner, a representative from the Berkley Group, said the goal is to ensure that Solar Energy Conversion System developments meet community needs and are consistent with best practices. The regulations would prohibit large solar projects [...]

Ark City asks residents to conserve water

info2024-08-12T11:06:20-05:00August 12th, 2024|

Arkansas City residents are being asked to temporarily reduce their water use. City commissioners unanimously approved a resolution Tuesday to implement a class one, stage one, water watch. A stage one designation is generally issued to encourage water conservation awareness during times of drought. The restrictions are not mandatory and citations will not be issued. Environmental Services Superintendent Rod Philo explained why the restriction was being put into place. “It’s mid-summer, we haven’t had any rain, and everybody’s watering,” he said. “This kicks in when our storage is down to 85%. Actually today, we’re down to about 65%.” The city would [...]

Kansas lawmakers use subpoena to force Ford County clerk to cooperate with election audit

info2024-08-12T11:01:11-05:00August 12th, 2024|

The Kansas Legislature’s bipartisan auditing committee voted to issue a subpoena to compel the Ford County clerk to cooperate with the state’s security examination of voting-related documentation and equipment used in the 2022 general election. House and Senate members participating in the committee meeting Monday took the extraordinary step of immediately relaunching the election security audit investigation that had been stalled long ago by Ford County Clerk Debbie Cox. The committee directed Cox to comply with audit team information requests helpful in evaluating accuracy of voting machines relied on during the statewide election two years ago. In addition, Cox must provide [...]

‘Under Five Flags’ documentary premieres at Boot Hill Museum

info2024-08-12T10:49:30-05:00August 12th, 2024|

Dodge City has always been a melting pot of diversity, and the documentary titled “Under Five Flags,” which premiered on Thursday, Aug. 1 at the Boot Hill Museum Mariah Gallery, reflects this rich history. Tracing history, the short film reveals how Ford County has been governed by five different flags in its history: France, Spain, the Republic of Texas, Mexico, and the United States. A collaborative effort between various organizations, including Humanities Kansas, Dodge City Community College (DC3), the City of Dodge City’s Cultural Relations Advisory Board, Main Street Dodge City, and Boot Hill Museum, the documentary condenses more than 500 [...]

Burrton working to attract more industry

info2024-08-12T10:47:52-05:00August 12th, 2024|

With the assistance of Harvey County Economic Development, Burrton is taking steps to start an industrial park. Missy Ducimetiere, mayor of Burrton, said talks began a few years ago but never were finalized. When Ducimetiere took over as mayor in January, the committee reached out to her. When she attended her first meeting, she was immediately interested. “I said, ‘How can we do this?’” Ducimetiere said. The first step is estimating costs to add utilities to areas that aren’t developed. “We’re in very preliminary stages,” Ducimetiere said. She hopes to have the estimates ready for the economic development committee (EDC) by [...]

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