News – Page 2135 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

Council formed to fight food insecurity in Lyon county

info2019-05-13T09:11:54-05:00May 13th, 2019|

The Lyon County Commission unanimously agreed to sign a resolution Thursday forming the Lyon County Food and Farm Council in partnership with Healthier Lyon County. The council aims to tackle the problem of food deserts in the county. According to Teresa Briggs, who spoke on behalf of Healthier Lyon County, there are a lot of them. Food deserts exist wherever grocery stores and farmers markets don’t. If a person has to travel more than a mile to find a source of fresh, affordable produce such as a grocery store, that constitutes a food desert. Many of the county’s smaller communities don’t [...]

Neosho County Commissioner: Energy firm could sue

info2019-05-13T09:02:12-05:00May 13th, 2019|

A newly appointed Neosho County commissioner took a stand in favor of the Neosho Ridge Wind project if a good deal is possible and also warned the county could face a lawsuit over the issue. Commissioner David Orr, appointed after the resignation of ex-wife Jennifer Orr, said Thursday evening that he is in favor of the project if officials can put the right deal together. But he warned he does not think the developer, Apex Clean Energy, will simply go away if officials cannot agree on agreements for road use, decommissioning and payments in lieu of taxes. “Apex is not going [...]

Spring Hill seeking resident input for Parks Master Plan

info2019-05-13T08:57:59-05:00May 13th, 2019|

The City of Spring Hill’s Park Advisory Board and the Spring Hill Recreation Commission have commissioned the development of a master plan for parks and recreation. Community input is an important part of this process and helps the City and Recreation Commission best tailor the plan to reflect the community’s desires and needs. The City and Recreation Commission invite all residents to provide feedback and input on the draft master plan at a public open house. (Read more: City of Spring Hill news)

Johnson County manager’s proposed budget would hold property tax rate steady for 2020

info2019-05-13T08:55:33-05:00May 13th, 2019|

The county budget envisioned by County Manager Penny Postoak Ferguson Thursday proposes keeping the tax rate at a constant 26.013 mills for 2020 — although property values are expected to continue to climb. The $1.265 billion budget calls for a $934.5 million in total spending, with $331.4 million in reserves. That number includes the wastewater and airport budgets, which are funded by user fees; parks and the library, which have their own property tax levies; and expenditures supported by grants or other funds. When those expenses are removed, the county would spend $410.3 million. The spending proposed by the county manager [...]

Mayor, council to consider three-year contract with firefighters

info2019-05-13T08:53:21-05:00May 13th, 2019|

A proposed three-year employment agreement with Topeka firefighters is among matters being considered when city and county elected officials hold their regular meetings this coming week. The city’s mayor and council on Tuesday will consider approving a contract covering the years 2019 through 2021 with Topeka firefighters represented in collective bargaining by Local No. 83 of the International Association of Fire Fighters. The proposed agreement would increase base pay for beginning firefighters this year by 9.8 percent, to $15 an hour from $13.66 an hour, and would otherwise provide pay increases of 2 percent in 2019, 2 percent in 2020 and [...]

New Shawnee County Sheriff Brian Hill brings new ideas to office

info2019-05-13T08:51:53-05:00May 13th, 2019|

Shawnee County Sheriff Brian Hill has wasted no time bringing new ideas to that office. The week after he was sworn in, Hill kicked off a cross-training program aimed at getting street officers better acquainted with the work detectives do. Hill became sheriff April 23 after being chosen by the Shawnee County Republican Precinct Committee to replace Sheriff Herman Jones, who resigned to became superintendent of the Kansas Highway Patrol. Hill said he has since made a point to talk to the officers who are out working the street. “They have good ideas,” he said. On the day he was sworn [...]

Visit Topeka wants community members to assist them in bringing more events to Topeka

info2019-05-13T08:49:16-05:00May 13th, 2019|

Visit Topeka is starting a new initiative that it hopes will bring more people to Shawnee County. Endorse Topeka encourages community members to connect the Visit Topeka sales team with key decision makers who are responsible for booking large events throughout the region. During a news conference Friday, Visit Topeka Vice President Mike Bell said the idea behind Endorse Topeka is to help community members get involved in helping the quality of life and place in Topeka. “The beauty of Endorse Topeka is it can be about anything,” Bell said. “Everybody belongs to something, so it can be a church function [...]

Manhattan to study costs, benefits of Blue Township annexation

info2019-05-13T08:47:21-05:00May 13th, 2019|

Manhattan is seeking more data on what would be the costs and benefits of extending the city limits east by annexing a portion of Pottawatomie County’s Blue Township. The City Commission unanimously approved requesting proposals from private contractors to study the topic at its Tuesday meeting. The area in question is the Green Valley portion of Blue Township, falling in the Blue Township Sewer District for which the county contracts water and sewer services from the City of Manhattan. The area has seen significant growth in residency as well as commercial activity, leading the Pottawatomie County to work on a governance [...]

Moundridge residents provide input during Community Open House

info2019-05-10T09:30:24-05:00May 10th, 2019|

In coming to a Community Open House, Greg Fast said he and his wife, Tammy, talked about the need for additional housing options in the Moundridge community. “Our community is in need of some medium-priced housing,” Fast said. “I’m not sure what those prices look like. We need to bring in more housing to get more young families to move into town.” The Fasts were among the local residents who were supplying input to the Community Steering Committee that is working to update the community strategic plan. The open house took place Thursday, May 2, at Greer Gymnasium, at 321 E. [...]

Garden City sets CID, TIF hearings

info2019-05-10T09:14:55-05:00May 10th, 2019|

The Garden City Commission on Tuesday approved public hearings to consider the creation of a Community Improvement District, or CID, and Tax Increment Financing, or TIF, for an upcoming more than 11-acre commercial development on East Kansas Avenue. Earlier this year, the city approved a memorandum of understanding with developer 2107 E. Kansas LLC, which proposed to develop the land across the street from the Garden City Plaza shopping center into a seven-plot commercial development, plus parking, anchored by a new First National Bank building. Several other separate commercial buildings would also be included. The CID and TIF are both tools [...]