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City seeks dismissal of lawsuit claim against police officer

2019-05-03T08:55:55-05:00May 3rd, 2019|

The city of Topeka asked a federal judge Wednesday to dismiss the claim against Topeka police officer Christopher Janes cited in a federal lawsuit being pursued by Timothy Harris, who suffered a broken jaw last year in an incident involving Janes. Shelly Starr, the city’s chief of litigation, filed a motion contending Janes is entitled to qualified immunity because his use of force wasn’t an “arbitrary governmental action” and didn’t violate Harris’ constitutional rights. Qualified immunity shields government officials performing discretionary functions from liability for civil damages if their conduct doesn’t violate clearly established statutory or constitutional rights of which a [...]

Dodge City’s Comprehensive Plan closer to completion

2019-05-03T08:55:05-05:00May 3rd, 2019|

Feedback from the community is now being taken into consideration for the comprehensive plan project being made by Dodge City officials. City staff conducted stakeholder meetings, public workshops, utilized engagement software and a general online survey during February and March and will be put into a draft plan that will be taken before the City Commission and Planning Commission and presented at a public hearing. “A Comprehensive Plan is a roadmap that a community can use to define its collective goals and desires, ultimately expressing the fundamental image and direction of the community,” said city planning and zoning administrator Nathan Littrell [...]

Overland Park committee reviews designs for proposed murals, art installations downtown

2019-05-03T08:51:43-05:00May 3rd, 2019|

Thirty-four years ago, Overland Park was nationally recognized as the city that almost decided white was not a tasteful enough color to allow on the White Castle burger restaurants that had begun to spring up around town. Some city officials wanted beige instead. This year business color schemes are once again on the city docket – this time as city planners decide whether vivid murals splashed over the sides of buildings can be an allowable exception to the downtown city code. The murals are one part of several art works that will further change the downtown landscape, if approved. Also included [...]

Haysville to launch bus service

2019-05-03T08:50:42-05:00May 3rd, 2019|

After recently receiving a grant, the city of Haysville plans to start a paratransit bus service. The grant of $125,800 will be used to purchase a bus, as well as pay for operating costs. At the April 22 Haysville City Council meeting, Mayor Bruce Armstrong said the city plans to connect the service with Wichita’s bus system, so residents can travel from Haysville to Wichita. The Haysville Sun-Times reports the service will be wheelchair accessible. It will primarily focus on the elderly and disabled but will be available to all residents. (Read more: DerbyInformer.com - news,news/)

$7.1 million park in Derby is a go

2019-05-03T08:49:55-05:00May 3rd, 2019|

After years of discussion and planning, the city’s latest recreational resource, Decarsky Park, has a contract to begin construction. At its April 23 meeting, the City Council authorized proceeding with a $7.1 million contract with Multicon Construction to build the park in southeast Derby. There was one other bidder, Dondlinger Construction, which submitted a proposed quote of $7.4 million. The project includes construction of two roads within the park, Line Drive, which will have a traffic signal at Rock Road, and Rover Lane. The emphasis in this park is going to be on active sports, specifically softball and baseball. There will [...]

Hospital town halls continue in Hiawatha

2019-05-03T08:47:31-05:00May 3rd, 2019|

A large crowd gathered at the First Baptist Church in Hiawatha last Thursday for a town hall meeting on the hospital sales tax issue. This was No. 24 out of 29 total town halls that began the first of April and are scheduled to go into next week in the county. The meetings are facilitated by Hiawatha Community officials for the purpose of providing information on why they say the hospital needs financial assistance through a sales tax to keep from losing services, staff and possibly eventually the hospital. This week’s town hall was a little different. HCH invited Tom Bell, [...]

As 2018 audits are finalized, a reminder … submit your annual continuing disclosure … or, let us do it for you.

2019-05-02T09:03:05-05:00May 2nd, 2019|

As 2018 audits are being finalized, it's a good time to remind many local governments that they may be subject to continuing bond disclosure. Typically this applies to bond issues whose original amount was over $1 million – regardless of how much remains outstanding. This “continuing disclosure” involves preparing an “annual report” (which includes financial and operating data) and filing it with the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (“MSRB”) via the Electronic Municipal Market Access system (“EMMA”). If you are not sure if you need to submit a report, or would like assistance doing so, contact Beth Warren. Click here for more [...]

Will Shawnee get a community center with pools, gyms, more? Ballots go out this week

2019-05-02T08:32:25-05:00May 2nd, 2019|

Drive by the yard signs and flyers in Shawnee neighborhoods or read online community forums and you’ll find a city divided this spring. The issue? An upcoming mail-in election about a proposed community center. On one side, a “Vote Yes” group — yes to a proposed plan to raise property taxes to pay for building a 68,000-square-foot community center with indoor swimming pools, gyms, a track, a half-mile outdoor walking loop that links to the Clear Creek Trail and other amenities. And in opposition: “Vote No” citizens who have decried the center as a waste of taxpayer dollars, questioned its ability [...]

Merriam residents discuss future of historic Irene B. French Community Center

2019-05-02T08:31:16-05:00May 2nd, 2019|

Merriam residents want to preserve the history of the Irene B. French Community Center. But what exactly that looks like for the future remains to be seen. Now that construction of the city’s new community center at Vavra Park is underway, the city of Merriam and residents are turning their attention to the current facility at 5701 Merriam Drive. The city formed a committee of residents, business owners and city leaders to lead discussions and look into options for the building’s future. Originally built in 1911 with multiple additions over the past century, the historic building was formerly the home of [...]

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