info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Johnson County’s rural towns are growing. Do they need new libraries?

info2023-10-27T10:29:03-05:00October 27th, 2023|

Spring Hill Councilmember Wendy North has been on a mission to Johnson County Library officials this fall. Her message: Don’t spend $4 million next year to upgrade the tiny Spring Hill library branch. Save the money to build a new one four miles north and east, where more houses are likely to go up. North has told county commissioners and the library board that an informal offer from a developer of single-family homes would allow the city to acquire land near Spring Hill High on 199th Street that could eventually become a new municipal center with an adjacent library similar to what Lenexa [...]

Manhattan holds one of the highest ranking floodplain management programs in the state

info2023-10-27T12:01:27-05:00October 27th, 2023|

The stormwater compliance engineer said the city’s floodplain management program is one of the highest rated programs in the state. During Tuesday’s Manhattan City Commission meeting, stormwater compliance engineer Bill Heatherman gave an update to fulfill an audit requirement. The program will have an audit on Nov. 8. The floodplain management program creates plans and projects that help the city improve the floodplains in the area. The city is a member of the National Flood Insurance Program. The city also adheres to the Community Rating System, an elevated set of requirements through the Federal Emergency Management Agency. There is a ranking [...]

Osawatomie power outage likely to continue into Saturday

info2023-10-27T10:24:47-05:00October 27th, 2023|

Osawatomie officials are confident that a transformer acquired from Garden City, Kan., will fix the power outage problem that has been ongoing since the evening hours of Tuesday, Oct. 24, but it is not estimated to be online until the afternoon of Saturday, Oct. 28. Meanwhile, an estimated 250 to 300 residents remain without power, according to city news release updates. A critical failure at the city of Osawatomie’s power plant substation caused the initial power outages in the overnight hours of Tuesday, Oct. 24, into Wednesday, Oct. 25. On Wednesday morning, power was restored to some neighborhoods through the city’s [...]

Overland Park to formally end old city staff pay structure

info2023-10-27T12:02:22-05:00October 27th, 2023|

Overland Park is taking more steps to update its city employee salary structure and get rid of its old system. Last week, the Overland Park City Council Finance, Administration and Economic Development Committee voted 6-0 to recommend the city council rescind a 2002 resolution that formalized the old compensation system. With the city manager shifting city employee pay into a new compensation structure, the old system was obsolete and no longer needed. The committee’s recommendation to get it off the books would make it official. Source: Prairie Village Post

Clay Center debates lifting pit bull ban

info2023-10-27T12:02:49-05:00October 27th, 2023|

The Clay Center City Council is asking for feedback on whether the city should lift its ban on pit pulls. Councilwoman Karla Sweet reported at last week’s council meeting that the council’s Administrative Committee is considering the change, but wants to hear more about it from the public. Sweet said she received an email about it, but hasn’t heard much from constituents. Over the course of about 50 minutes, council members also debated whether to add more breeds to the ordinance, whether to modify it by requiring DNA testing of a suspected pit bull and discussed what makes pit bull attacks [...]

Local business owners transforming historical building into event center for Halstead

info2023-10-25T12:04:05-05:00October 25th, 2023|

Reba Lee, and her husband, Jeremy, are turning the former Harvey County Independent building, located at 220 Main Street, into an event center for the community to rent out. The Lees originally bought the building, intending it to be an office for Jeremy Lee, but after trying to host a birthday party for their children, they realized the town was missing an event center for community members to host parties. “I said, ‘Hey we just bought this building; let’s just have the kids’ birthday party up there,’” Reba Lee said. She said this led to the idea of using the space [...]

Halstead schools one of first in the state to get electric buses

info2023-10-25T12:01:40-05:00October 25th, 2023|

The Halstead School District expects to replace half its diesel buses with electric buses within a couple of weeks. The district ordered three electric buses, and after the charging stations are finished, the electric buses will be added to the daily routes. Dr. Ron Barry, Halstead superintendent, ordered the electric buses after discovering a federal grant known as the Clean School Bus Program. The grant is being offered on a five-year rotation through the Environmental Protection Agency, as a way to reduce emissions from older buses that are larger pollutants. Barry said this aligned with the bus replacement program Halstead was already on. “I [...]

Wichita plans to spend $4.9M to change downtown streets, make them more walkable, bikeable

info2023-10-25T11:57:36-05:00October 25th, 2023|

When voters approved a 1-cent sales tax in Sedgwick County, part of the money was supposed to go to relieve traffic congestion. Now, 38 years later, the city of Wichita wants to use local sales tax dollars to fund a plan that intends to slow down traffic. The Wichita City Council is set to vote Tuesday on whether to use $4.9 million in local sales tax to fund the Wichita Downtown Street Plan. The council approved the project concept in February and hired a design firm in August. The downtown street plan aims to decrease motor-vehicle lanes in downtown Wichita and increase lanes for [...]

Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission delays action on proposed wind regulations after 8-hour meeting

info2023-10-25T12:07:44-05:00October 25th, 2023|

Planning commissioners asked many questions but opted not to take any final action on proposed wind regulations at 2:37 a.m. Tuesday after hearing from 80 people and one peregrine falcon. The Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission in January 2022 asked city staff members to review existing regulations for wind energy systems, particularly commercial ones, to better align them with recently adopted solar regulations. City staff members produced a draft of new regulations in January 2023. The planning commission voted in March to form an ad hoc committee to help revise that into a second draft. Get a look at the draft and how [...]

Lawrence eyes changes to Mass Street from 14th to 23rd; community meeting coming up

info2023-10-25T12:08:34-05:00October 25th, 2023|

The City of Lawrence is studying options to change a stretch of Massachusetts Street with a goal of better accommodating drivers, people on foot, wheelchair users, bicyclists and transit riders. The city is conducting a multimodal corridor study on Mass from 14th Street south to 23rd Street, according to a recent news release. The road is part of the priority bikeway network under the Lawrence Bikes Plan. The study will include “safety, efficiency, and equity considerations for all modes of transportation,” according to the release. “A roadway reconfiguration can improve safety, calm traffic, provide better mobility and access for all road [...]

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