News – Page 2340 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

Countywide wind regulation in Reno County lacks push

info2018-10-01T06:58:54-05:00October 1st, 2018|

The Reno County Planning Commission spent more than 45 minutes recently discussing how to approach regulating commercial wind farms in the county but ended up forwarding no recommendations to the Reno County Commission. Instead, the board will wait for the commission to give it direction if it wishes to pursue the issue. The idea of countywide zoning that would apply only to commercial wind and solar was suggested a few months ago when the county commission received a preliminary look at a Comprehensive Plan that the planning board was drafting. While zoning for wind developments would be a relatively simple thing [...]

Parsons to consider lease in industrial park in exchange for needed parking lot repairs

info2018-10-01T06:55:24-05:00October 1st, 2018|

Parsons city commissioners on Monday will consider a lease agreement with a waste management company. During its regular meeting the commission likely will vote on the lease of land in Industrial Park No. 1 for Miami Industrial Supply. The company wants to set up a site where it can store empty roll-off dumpsters. Jim Zaleski, economic development director, told commissioners during a Thursday work session that he has discussed the arrangement with the Miami, Oklahoma-based company for five or six months. The company would lease space north of the north parking lot at the city’s Business Incubator Center, 1209 Corporate Drive, [...]

Economic development cooperative effort in Liberal/Seward County set to begin Jan. 1

info2018-10-01T06:50:48-05:00October 1st, 2018|

Discussions of creating a joint economic development corporation for Liberal and Seward County are continuing. The matter was discussed at the Sept. 13 meeting of several local boards, and some of the at large membership positions of the Liberal Seward County Development Corporation (LSCDC) could be filled at Monday’s county commission meeting. At the Sept. 13 meeting, Liberal City Manager Calvin Burke talked about who would head up the corporation, namely having a permanent person being the director. “I don’t want to hire someone in a temporary position to do that,” he said. “That’s not fair to the employees. I would encourage everybody. [...]

Garden City seeking volunteers for CIP committee

info2018-10-01T06:47:27-05:00October 1st, 2018|

The City of Garden City is seeking about 40 volunteers to serve on the Capital Improvement Planning committee, which will provide community input on how the city should prioritize CIP requests and review the order and year in which each project will be completed. The committee will meet seven times between November and February. The 2019 CIP projects include a $2.43 million project to improve a stretch of Farmland Road, the construction of a new $750,000 irrigation system in Valley View Cemetery and a $2.7 million project to reconstruct a segment of Eighth Street. Residents also can suggest CIP projects by [...]

Mission latest JoCo city to propose protecting LGBTQ, other marginalized groups

info2018-10-01T06:46:17-05:00October 1st, 2018|

The city of Mission in Johnson County is preparing to debate new protections for the LGBTQ community, joining Prairie Village in that initiative. In fact, the Mission City Council is expected to discuss a proposed non-discrimination ordinance at a committee meeting on Oct. 3, ahead of the Prairie Village council’s scheduled debate Oct. 15. The Mission proposal was introduced by Councilwoman Sollie Flora. In a memo to her council colleagues, Flora said she wants to ensure uniform legal protections within the city prohibiting discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual [...]

Downtown study shows most new residents expected to come from Wichita

info2018-10-01T06:43:12-05:00October 1st, 2018|

A residential market analyst this week said downtown Wichita could support up to 2,220 new rental and for-sale living units in the next five years. The WBJ wrote about Laurie Volk's findings on Thursday, but one of the questions often asked is where new downtown residents might come from. According to Volk's findings — she studied the downtown Wichita market over the summer in the interest of updating her market analysis from 2014 — most of the people likely to move downtown in the coming half-decade (67 percent) are already in Wichita. So what else did Volk find? For one, she [...]

Labette County economic development effort planned

info2018-10-01T06:38:19-05:00October 1st, 2018|

The city of Parsons and Labette County are working toward an economic development partnership. City of Parsons Economic Development Director Jim Zaleski met with Labette County commissioners Friday to discuss countywide economic development. Zaleski told commissioners he could work on marketing buildings in the county as well as those in the city of Parsons when he speaks with site selectors and those inquiring about expansion opportunities. If Parsons has a building and other areas of the county have available buildings that could fit the need, he would share information on all locations with the industry or manufacturer. If there were no [...]

Decision day for new Prairie Village home design guidelines coming Monday. Here’s what they would mean

info2018-10-01T06:34:11-05:00October 1st, 2018|

Expect the Prairie Village City Council chambers to be a lively place come Monday. After the city’s planning commission unanimously recommended approval for a set of new home design guidelines Sept. 11, the council at its meeting next week will take up whether to formally adopt the new regulations. A group of homebuilding and remodeling professionals have organized opposition to the new guidelines, with several lobbying the planning commission to recommend denial ahead of the vote earlier this month, saying that the regulations would scuttle investment in rebuild projects and would have unintended consequences for existing homeowners. Among the proposed design [...]

Blight in Topeka: City officials walk delicate balance between property rights, maintaining safety

info2018-10-01T06:31:14-05:00October 1st, 2018|

Dilapidated homes and commercial buildings dot neighborhoods throughout Shawnee County, challenging government officials to tackle health and safety issues along with complaints from neighbors who see their property values impacted. But there aren’t easy answers to blighted properties, said Sasha Haehn, director of neighborhood relations for the city of Topeka. As is appropriate, she added, the government can’t ignore the rights of property owners, and if those owners don’t want to take care of their properties, the city or county can only step in when there is a health or safety issue. “The International Property Maintenance Code establishes a minimum standard [...]

New city vehicle changes Roeland Park curbside leaf pickup program

info2018-10-01T06:29:03-05:00October 1st, 2018|

The city of Roeland Park has announced changes to its decades-old city leaf collection program. The city will soon debut a brand new leaf vacuum that changes the way curbside leaf pickup is done. In the past, residents had been instructed to sweep leaves into the street, and a city vehicle would come by and sweep them up. Starting this November, residents will rake leaves to their curb, and a brand new machine will come by and vacuum them up. City leaders say the new method should keep more leaves and debris out of storm drains, and it’s more durable than [...]