News – Page 2259 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

The University of Kansas Public Management Center announces graduates of Certified Public Manager Program

info2018-12-27T13:01:20-06:00December 27th, 2018|

The University of Kansas Public Management Center has announced this year’s graduates of the Kansas Certified Public Manager program, who represent the 25th anniversary class. The graduation ceremony took place last month in the House Chamber at the Capitol in Topeka. The 85 graduates, who began their coursework in January, represent local, county, state or federal agencies from across Kansas. They participated in classes held in Topeka, Olathe and the KU Edwards Campus. Of these participants, 21 are graduates of the Law Enforcement Leadership Academy (LELA) Command School who completed their CPM certification through classroom instruction and online work. While they [...]

Ellis County needs residents’ input for planning

info2018-12-27T12:58:00-06:00December 27th, 2018|

Ellis County wants input from county residents on a comprehensive plan being designed for the area, according to Karen Purvis, environmental sanitarian and zoning administrator for the county. Ellis County has been working with Marvin Planning Consultants, Inc., David City, Neb., and MSA Professional Services, Ankeny, Iowa, since September. The project is now undergoing the countywide public participation phase. In this phase, residents can guide the process with their thoughts and vision, including through a survey now available online. (Read more: News - The Hays Daily News)

Edgerton considers employees’ pay increase

info2018-12-27T12:56:31-06:00December 27th, 2018|

There was spirited debate at the Edgerton city council meeting Dec. 13 over a proposed city staff pay raise. Beth Linn, city administrator, presented the results of a compensation and benefits study that compared Edgerton’s city employees’ pay scales to those of employees in other cities in the region. The study looked for cities that mimicked Edgerton in several categories including economic growth, workload and quality of life. Linn told the council that Edgerton has unique characteristics that presented challenges in selecting the most comparable cities to conduct the study. “Similar to the unique characteristics of having small town charm in [...]

Salina City Commission selects Schrage to be city manager

info2018-12-27T12:51:19-06:00December 27th, 2018|

Mike Schrage was chosen Friday to become Salina’s next city manager. The Salina City Commission voted unanimously about 12:30 p.m. Friday to extend a job offer to Schrage, who in June was appointed interim city manager, and to authorize the preparation of an employment contract that will be part of the agenda for the commission’s next meeting Jan. 7. Schrage said he looks forward to continuing to serve the city. “I am very honored, and I know I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me,” he said. “I look forward to working with this commission and future commissions to move [...]

Cedar Point Fire Station construction continues

info2018-12-27T12:12:58-06:00December 27th, 2018|

Steve Fillmore and Thom Kirk met with the Chase County Commission to provide an update on the Cedar Point Fire Station. “By this time next year, we want it built,” Commissioner Tony Hazelton said. “Can you tell us where we are at?” “We are working on the pad,” Kirk said. “I’m trying to get the pad built up to the elevation Steve wants. When we are ready we can make arrangements for the water lines.” “We need to let the pad sit for a little bit, a couple months at least,” Steve Fillmore said. Both men expressed they are making progress [...]

County working to resolve issue with IRS

info2018-12-27T12:06:18-06:00December 27th, 2018|

Neosho County officials are working to avoid a $61,000 penalty from the Internal Revenue Service. Human Resources Manager Christy Hofer told commissioners Friday morning that the IRS notified her about the penalty for 2016 because of the Affordable Care Act. The county is in compliance with the ACA, but Hofer said the problem stems from errors made in forms filed for the year that made the IRS think the county had not met requirements. She said she has received an extension and is working to resolve the issue. (Read more: The Chanute Tribune - news,news/)

Ottawa becomes first mindful city in the nation

info2018-12-27T12:02:11-06:00December 27th, 2018|

City of Ottawa Fire Chief Tim Matthias wasn’t sure what to think when he first heard about a stress management program being offered in Ottawa. “Truthfully, I was hesitant to commit to the class because I did not know what to expect,” he said. “The first two classes that I attended, I still had that mindset of, ‘What does this have to do with me or for me?’ It wasn’t until the third class that I started to realize the true meaning of mindfulness and the benefits that can come from having this in your everyday routine.” In 2017, Matthias, along [...]

Former police officer sues Hutchinson

info2018-12-27T11:49:17-06:00December 27th, 2018|

A former Hutchinson Police Department officer is charging the city of Hutchinson with employment discrimination and retaliation. In a lawsuit filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Topeka, Devin Berman said he was open with the city and the department about his disability, Tourette’s syndrome, when they decided to hire him in late 2013. However, he claims, he “quickly began experiencing acts of discrimination based on his disability.” He “was incessantly made fun of at work by other employees in ways such as name-calling, mimicking, and being compared to disabled individuals, such as individuals with autism. No adverse action was taken [...]

Saying problems with voting system have been resolved, Election Commissioner recommends completing purchase

info2018-12-27T11:44:35-06:00December 27th, 2018|

Convinced that problems with the new electronic voting machines have been resolved, Election Commissioner Ronnie Metsker told county commissioners that he is ready to sign the papers and cut the check to vendor ES&S. Payment on the $10.6 million system is expected to go through as soon as the county legal and tech departments give it the final okay, Metsker said. Metsker said his office is satisfied that the problems that slowed the vote reporting software to a crawl in the August primary have been successfully addressed. The coding problem that led to hours of delay in reporting vote totals was [...]

Johnson County to pilot $250,000 micro-transit program in Overland Park, Merriam, Shawnee and Lenexa

info2018-12-27T11:43:26-06:00December 27th, 2018|

The Bridj van-hailing service that debuted with the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority two years ago ended in failure because of low ridership. Eventually, the company closed down. Nevertheless, KCATA and Johnson County are willing to give micro-transit another shot, this time with a similar test program in parts of Overland Park, Merriam, Shawnee and Lenexa. County commissioners on Thursday approved spending $250,000 on a six-month pilot program to see if it will eventually provide a viable and more sustainable alternative to the full-sized city buses that now serve the suburbs. This time around, the micro-transit service will be offered through [...]