News – Page 2392 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

Shawnee moves forward with new community center planning though some members raise concerns about property taxes

info2018-08-13T07:04:55-05:00August 13th, 2018|

After reviewing the initial master plan and feasibility study for a new community center, the Shawnee council committee has agreed to move forward with next steps. Councilmember Lindsey Constance, echoed by other councilmembers, said she thinks the city should look into how much the Mill Levy should be increased to accommodate a 6- or 8-lane lap pool. Neil Holman, director of parks and recreation, said the mill levy involves heavy discussion with the De Soto School District. Councilmember Eric Jenkins voiced several concerns about plans for the new community center. As a representative of Ward 2, which has a median [...]

Neosho County resolving over-payments to taxing entities

info2018-08-13T06:59:34-05:00August 13th, 2018|

Neosho County over-paid local taxing districts by nearly $3 million in June, and cash balances have not been reconciled since April, a county commissioner said Friday morning. Second District Commissioner David Bideau raised the issue at Friday morning’s commission meeting. He also said the office has failed to prepare and publish quarterly cash statements, required by state statutes, since October. “I’m definitely not happy about the treasurer’s operations,” Bideau said. County offices in addition to the treasurer’s office are training and transitioning to a new computer software system provided by CIC. Treasurer Sydney Ball attributed the problem to the transition, [...]

Great Bend Police Department will soon be fully staffed

info2018-08-10T11:28:48-05:00August 10th, 2018|

The Great Bend Police Department has come a long way since last summer in attempts to bulking up its staff. In June of 2017, it was reported that the Police Department was operating with 25 employees, five short of a full staff. Great Bend City Administrator Kendal Francis says the Police Department hired another officer and will be fully staffed near the end of the month. The Great Bend City Council approved additional officer positions within the budget, and now the Police Department has 33 officers. The 33rd officer will start on August 27, meaning that four of the 33 officers [...]

Wellington woman requests neighborhood watch; but crime in town is still down

info2018-08-10T11:27:21-05:00August 10th, 2018|

The recent spat of high-profile thefts and robberies brought a Wellington woman to the council meeting in quest of initiating a neighborhood watch program. Tunie Caudillo-Sparman addressed the council at its regular meeting this week asking that a neighborhood watch initiative be set up in which neighbors and citizens work together to stop what is perceived to be a dramatic increase in crime. Wellington Police Chief Tracy Heath said he is all for a proactive stance against crime, and is open to suggestions. However, statistically, crime is not up in Wellington. In fact, it is down from 2017. (Read more: Sumner [...]

New voting system saved time in Pratt

info2018-08-10T11:26:15-05:00August 10th, 2018|

Determining how the voters in Pratt County marked their ballots Tuesday took a lot less time than it did to determine who won the Republican race for governor in Kansas. With Kris Kobach and Gov. Jeff Colyer in a virtual tie at 41 percent of the votes, it may take some time to officially declare a winner in the race that has Kobach with a 191 vote lead over Colyer. It may take some time to determine the winner but determining the Pratt city and county election results only took about an hour and a half thanks to some new voting [...]

Roeland Park police credit crime prevention tactics with reduced incidents in business district

info2018-08-10T11:23:55-05:00August 10th, 2018|

Roeland Park’s business district experienced a 24.5 percent decline in crime incidents from January through July 2018 following implementation of a Crime Prevention Initiative, police officials reported this week. The $7,500 initiative placed officers in the business district for 10 hours per week with rotating times and locations, with a special focus on Lowe’s, Price Chopper, and Walmart. Funds went toward paying officers’ overtime. The city also utilized a donated Ford Mustang “Retail Crime Enforcement Unit” to demonstrate police presence. Chief of Police John Morris called the crime decrease “dramatic.” “We’re pretty pleased with how it worked,” Morris said. Morris said [...]

Leavenworth purchases downtown building

info2018-08-10T11:20:48-05:00August 10th, 2018|

When they met Tuesday, Leavenworth city commissioners approved the purchase of a downtown building for $52,500. City Manager Paul Kramer said city officials plan to tear down the building located at 301 Delaware St. and look for economic development opportunities for the site. The city is purchasing the building from Triple R Properties, a limited liability company based in Leavenworth. “We would close Friday,” Kramer said. Kramer said the City Commission has taken similar actions in the past. He pointed to the purchase of properties in the area of Fourth Street and Metropolitan Avenue. Those properties later were sold to a [...]

Late resident’s proposed projects laid out at Tonganoxie City Council meeting

info2018-08-10T11:17:01-05:00August 10th, 2018|

Per Larry Meadows’ wishes, his wife, Lois Meadows, spoke before the City Council during open session about two projects Larry hoped could be done in the coming years. Larry Meadows, an involved community member for several years, died last month at the age of 76. In his final days, he worked with others in the community and his wife to pitch a couple ideas to the council. The first one Lois, a former Tonganoxie mayor herself, pitched to the governing body was a community center. Larry thought the community was in need of such a facility, which he envisioned having a [...]

Chetopa cabins for homeless raise concerns

info2018-08-10T11:48:14-05:00August 10th, 2018|

The little cabins being built on the west end of Chetopa are part of a homeless mission. Judy Wilson asked Chetopa City Council members during a regular meeting on July 17 why the small buildings were being kept a secret. City officials explained that James Inman inquired about building permits for the cabins on North 13th Street but was told that because of the size of the cabins he planned to build was under 100 square feet, a permit was not needed. According to the minutes of the meeting, it was noted that policy wasn’t consistent with the wording in the [...]

Shawnee County Commission learns utility companies delaying work on bridge project

info2018-08-10T11:49:57-05:00August 10th, 2018|

Shawnee County commissioners learned Thursday that four utility companies haven’t yet moved their utilities out of the way for bridge work on S.E. 29th Street over Dover Creek. Tom Vlach, director of the public works and solid waste departments, said Cox Communications, Kansas Gas Service, Westar Energy and AT&T weren’t working with the county to move their utilities so the two-phase project can begin. Topeka Water is the only utility service that has had a contractor on board to move its water lines, he told commissioners. Contract agreements would have had relocation of the utility lines begin in June. After that [...]