News – Page 1069 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

State and local government workforce facing worst challenges in 50 years

info2022-06-08T01:51:56-05:00June 8th, 2022|

State and local governments are experiencing recruitment and retention challenges not seen on this scale in fifty years. That’s according to panelists at the Government Finance Officers Association’s annual conference on Sunday, where panelists discussed the widespread challenges the public sector is facing with respect to recruitment and retention experienced since the onslaught of COVID-19 beginning in February 2020. “Simply put, what we're seeing right now is one of the most challenging single workforce situations in the past 50 years,” said Joshua Franzel, managing director, research and thought leadership, MissionSquare Retirement. Outgoing GFOA President Michael Bryant recently said that GFOA is [...]

Wichita to offer program to boost ownership of single-family homes

info2022-06-08T01:50:35-05:00June 8th, 2022|

Wichita City Council members have voted unanimously to approve a two-year program that is aimed at improving access and affordability for housing in the community. Interim assistant city manager Kathy Sexton told the council Tuesday that the current housing market is being challenged by low supplies and a rapid increase in home prices, and the market has had a very short supply of homes available for sale. Wess Galyon, executive director of the Wichita Area Builders Association, said the biggest challenge in the market is entry-level housing. The new program is intended to improve the affordability of newly-constructed single-family homes in [...]

Political signs not allowed on highway right of way

info2022-06-08T01:45:51-05:00June 8th, 2022|

It’s a sign of the season – political campaigning and the posting of campaign signs. The Kansas Department of Transportation reminds the public that all political campaign signs or billboards are prohibited from being placed on state right of way. By law, all right of way on state highways is exclusively for public highway purposes. Only regulatory, guide signs and warning signs placed by KDOT are allowed on the 9,500-mile state highway system. KDOT has jurisdiction over all interstate, Kansas and U.S. routes. When KDOT maintenance crews find political or business advertising on state right of way, the signs will be [...]

Communities In Schools Programs Receives Grant to Assist Students

info2022-06-08T08:04:33-05:00June 8th, 2022|

Two Bourbon County school districts recently received a $10,000 grant each for student support from Walmart to help with the Communities In Schools programs. The mission of Communities In Schools is to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life, according to https://www.communitiesinschools.org/. The name of the grant is the Walmart Community Grant – Communities In Schools Programming in Uniontown and Fort Scott, Kansas. Rhonda Hoener is the Student Support Coordinator for Communities In Schools at Uniontown, and wrote the grant proposal. Source: Fort Scott Biz

Johnson County Commission amends regulations guiding solar farm developments

info2022-06-08T01:28:38-05:00June 8th, 2022|

The Johnson County Commission absorbed conflicting public comment Monday before voting to soften development regulations to allow individual solar projects as large as 2,000 acres, solar fields as close as 1.5 miles from city boundaries and operational permits of 25 years in length. The commission voted 6-1 at the conclusion of a three-hour special meeting to approve revised planning and zoning regulations for unincorporated areas of the county for construction of solar collectors and battery storage facilities. More conservative limits recommended by the county’s planning commission were rejected, including a maximum farm size of 1,000 acres, a 2-mile buffer from cities [...]

Wichita placed under boil water advisory for second time in eight months

info2022-06-08T08:08:24-05:00June 8th, 2022|

Wichita has been placed under a boil water advisory, as of 4:15 p.m. Tuesday. At a press conference, city officials said the earliest the advisory could be lifted is Wednesday evening. “During routine maintenance at the water treatment plant, for a short period of time, an unexpected water quality change occurred, resulting in a slight increase in turbidity,” a city news release states. A news release from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment termed the condition high turbidity and said the advisory would remain in effect “until the conditions that placed the system at risk of bacterial contamination are resolved.” [...]

Parsons approves vacant building ordinance

info2022-06-08T08:09:10-05:00June 8th, 2022|

Parsons city commissioners Monday approved an ordinance related to registration of vacant buildings and properties in the city. The ordinance also outlines procedures related to maintenance and inspections of empty buildings. Commissioners wanted to remove a section of the ordinance that said the city provides commercial and residential solid waste removal, electric, water and sewer service at no cost for 60 days. It now reads that the city will provide these services (minus the electric portion) at a discounted rate of 50% for the 60 day period. The cap is set at $200, officials said. The electric portion was removed in [...]

Overland Park taps Johnson County native, former city official as new city manager

info2022-06-08T01:16:16-05:00June 8th, 2022|

Following a months-long search, the city of Overland Park has found its new city manager to replace Bill Ebel, who retired earlier this year. Who is it? At Monday’s meeting, the Overland Park City Council announced Lori Curtis Luther as the new permanent city manager, just the city’s sixth in its history. Curtis Luther is not completely new to Overland Park, having served as assistant city manager from 2001 to 2005. She currently serves as the city manager in Beloit, Wisconsin, a position she’s held since 2015. She graduated from Olathe North High School and has a Master’s degree in public administration [...]

Leawood to look at amending city code following complaints about pickleball noise

info2022-06-08T01:12:51-05:00June 8th, 2022|

On Monday, the Leawood City Council unanimously voted to have city staff review the city’s sports court ordinance after receiving noise complaints about a backyard pickleball court. Background: Concerns about the ordinance were brought to the council’s attention by Councilmember Debra Filla, who said she had received complaints from residents in northern Leawood about a neighbor’s private backyard tennis court being used for pickleball. “This was approved for a tennis court,” Filla said. “The sound differential for pickleball is like having a ping pong ball on steroids. It is not a soft tennis ball.” She said there have also been issues with how [...]

Leawood names experienced interim manager following sudden death of city administrator

info2022-06-08T01:10:25-05:00June 8th, 2022|

Following the unexpected death of longtime city administrator Scott Lambers, the Leawood City Council on Monday unanimously voted to approve local business executive Patrick Geschwind as interim city administrator. Who is he? Geschwind served as an area manager for AT&T for 25 years before becoming a performance-based consultant with a specialty in interim management. He is the owner and senior consultant at Patrick Geschwind & Associates. Geschwind as served in prominent interim managerial roles before, including as interim city administrator for Roeland Park and interim CEO for Visit KC, Kansas City, Missouri’s visitors and tourism bureau. Source: Prairie Village Post