info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Branding Iola: City Council will let community decide flag

info2023-12-15T12:23:54-06:00December 15th, 2023|

Local artist Max Grundy presented six options for a city flag during Monday evening’s Iola City Council meeting. Noting that he’s not originally from Iola, Grundy said his inspiration for the artistic renderings came mostly from his appreciation of the area’s natural beauty. The flag presentation unfolded as council members expressed varied opinions on the designs, with options ranging from a clock tower to five representations of Iola’s scenic landscapes. The favorite among council members depicted the old Allen County courthouse’s clock tower. Grundy added that the time on the clock is set to 3:04 — significant because Kansas became the [...]

Junction City and Geary County at odds over ambulance costs

info2023-12-15T12:21:13-06:00December 15th, 2023|

Junction City and Geary County are at odds over who should pay the EMS bill. In 1967, the two governments agreed that the Junction City Fire Department would handle EMS calls in Geary County, and not just in the city limits. The non-reimbursed costs for the service to the county are split with one-third paid by the city and two-thirds paid by the county. Geary County officials announced in July they no longer wished to continue the agreement at that cost split. A new agreement was discussed but no action could be taken, due to the 2024 budget already having been completed. Junction City [...]

Wamego officials planning for demo of “Not” Chrysler House

info2023-12-15T12:19:45-06:00December 15th, 2023|

Wamego city officials were unable to find an interested buyer for the building locals refer to as “Not the Chrysler House,” at the southeast corner of Highway 99 and US 24. The historic house, once thought to be the birthplace of automotive industry executive Walter Chrysler, sits on property deeded to the city years ago from the Kansas Department of Transportation. City Manager Stacie Eichem. Eichem says city staff are exploring best options for future public use of the property, but admits the location, at the corner of two highways, creates a tricky situation. Community members raised funds to move the [...]

Leawood Mayor Peggy Dunn is passing the torch after 27 years in office

info2023-12-15T12:17:12-06:00December 15th, 2023|

Leawood, Kansas, will swear in a new mayor next month for the first time in 27 years. Mayor Peggy Dunn announced in June that she wouldn't run again. Dunn first entered public office in 1993 as a city councilmember, and after two terms in that role, she was elected mayor in 1997. Among her most significant contributions to the city were establishing major commercial shopping areas, like Park Place and Town Center, which allowed the city to keep property taxes down. "I kept running because I enjoyed it so much, and the city was in a time of historic growth," Dunn told KCUR's Up [...]

Kansas Amelia Earhart Museum contender for top new museum in the United States

info2023-12-15T12:15:05-06:00December 15th, 2023|

The Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum is in the final stretch of online voting as one of 16 new museums across the United States nominated for the “Best New Museum” by USA Today's Reader’s Choice Travel Awards for 2024. “With thousands of Amelia Earhart fans and admirers casting their vote for us — every day — until Christmas Day — we think the Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum can soar to the top spot,” said Mindi Love Pendergraft, the museum’s executive director. Celebrating Earhart’s aviation legacy in aviator’s Atchison, Kansas, hometown, the Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum is the only museum in the Midwest among [...]

Amid enrollment declines and aging buildings, Wichita district could shutter some schools

info2023-12-15T12:12:32-06:00December 15th, 2023|

Consultants hired by the Wichita school board say the district has too many small elementary schools and can’t afford to maintain them all. The consulting firm is developing a proposal that could recommend closing some school buildings. It plans to present options to the Wichita board before the end of this school year. David Sturtz, a partner with Ohio-based Cooperative Strategies, said nearly half of Wichita’s 54 elementary schools have fewer than 350 students, which is inefficient and costly to maintain. Twelve elementaries have fewer than 300 students. “Having a few schools that are that low (enrollment), you can supplement (budgets),” [...]

City shuts off water at some Towne West Square businesses for non-payment

info2023-12-15T11:58:22-06:00December 15th, 2023|

Some stores in Towne West Square are without water after the City of Wichita disconnected service for not making payments on their bill, a city official said. “Two businesses at Towne West Mall had water turned off yesterday and one business was shut off today,” city communications manager Tyler Schiffelbein said. “The property manager for these businesses has not been making payments.” No other businesses will be impacted or have their service interrupted until the city makes contact with the property manager. “The Water Utility is reaching out to the property manager regarding significant lapsed payments for water service at the [...]

JoCo Notes: Johnson County merges 988 and 911 call centers

info2023-12-15T11:55:54-06:00December 15th, 2023|

Call takers at Johnson County’s Mental Health Center and Emergency Services have merged into one centralized location. On Tuesday morning, county officials celebrated the merger with a ribbon cutting and hosted an open house at the County Communications Center, 11880 S. Sunset Dr., in Olathe. This means Johnson County callers dialing 911 for emergency help or he 988 for a mental health crisis will be directed to the same dispatch center. County officials say the merger will make way for infrastructure and technology improvements for 988, and allow 911 dispatchers and mental health professionals to work more closely together on calls [...]

Funding gap for water sector remains despite federal assistance, Fitch says

info2023-12-15T11:54:27-06:00December 15th, 2023|

Despite the significant infusion of funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), Fitch Ratings said it estimates a funding gap in excess of $85 billion over the next five years for water and sewer utilities that will need to be covered by paygo or additional debt. According to Fitch, federal funding under ARPA and the BIL is supportive of water utility credit quality as it helps maintain and improve existing infrastructure, thereby moderating increases in Fitch’s life cycle ratio, a measure of the age of capital assets. Federal grants under these laws also offset some [...]

Board approves land transfers with two neighboring districts

info2023-12-15T11:45:39-06:00December 15th, 2023|

After months of public discussion, speculation and closed-door conversations among the Prairie Hills USD No. 113 Board of Education (BOE) members and their attorneys, land transfer agreements have been made with two of the three neighboring school districts. After 55 minutes of executive session during their regular board meeting on Monday, Dec. 11, the Prairie Hills USD No. 113 board of education members — Leslie Scoby, Kathy Lippert, Phillip Buessing, Jim Scoby, Doug Renyer, Stan Keim and Kent Saylor — unanimously approved Memorandum of Settlement Agreements (MOSA) for land transfers with Vermillion USD No. 380 and Jackson Heights USD No. 335. [...]

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