Municipal News & Jobs

Mayor Ronnie Price stated, “This appointment is an effort to ensure continuity for the community, the city staff, and operations. Jolene is already up-to-speed on the outstanding work happening in our community and will carry that momentum forward.” Graham’s breadth of leadership, strategic judgment, and operational expertise has already been demonstrated in Andover during the last three years while she served as the Andover Assistant City Administrator.
Read more: City of Andover

Hoisington residents were told to stay alert this week after a rattlesnake was seen in the city. Hoisington Police Chief Jay Bachar has lived in Hoisington for 27 years and said this type of sighting is not normal. He said that the reported encounter came from a concerned mom. But before authorities could get involved, the family took matters into their own hands. “She goes, ‘Well, I have it.’ And she goes, ‘My husband had already cut the head off of it,’” Bachar said.
Read more: KSN-TV

New rules surrounding data centers advanced in Butler County on Tuesday, but not without protest from the public. The Planning and Zoning Board approved regulations that outline the application process for companies and set guidelines for where and how these facilities can be built in the county. The board’s approval does not mean these rules are set. The Butler County Commission will discuss and vote on them at future meetings. If the regulations are approved, they will be added to the county’s current comprehensive plan as an amendment.
Read more: KSN-TV

Sedgwick County Fire District 1, its member cities and the cities of Cheney, Clearwater, Colwich, Mount Hope, Mulvane and Valley Center implemented a burn ban on Wednesday, Sept. 2, in response to extremely dry conditions, higher-than-normal temperatures, low humidity and windy conditions, Sedgwick County announced.
Read more: The Hutchinson Tribune

In a recent show of solidarity, citizens of Pittsburg rallied against the installation of parking cameras downtown that would charge violators $5 for every violation. In response to public input, the commission unanimously denied the request to install those cameras. But other cameras are already in use. Made by Flock Safety, these are not enforcement cameras that notify police of traffic violations or parking infringements. They are license plate readers. There are nearly 40 installed throughout Crawford County, with 32 of them within the city limits of Pittsburg.
Read more: Morning Sun

In hundreds of Kansas towns, the distance between neighbors is growing — not just in miles, but in access to the things that make community life possible. As more families consider moving to urban centers, communities across the state face a new question: How do you ensure people can reach work, healthcare and everything they need when the roads between them feel longer and the resources to maintain them are limited? One University of Kansas School of Engineering program is helping towns across the state maintain safer roads, preserve essential services, expand reliable transit and strengthen the ties that hold communities together.
Read more: University of Kansas Press Releases

At the Franklin County Commission Meeting on Sept. 2, the commission unanimously approved a temporary moratorium on data center activities in the county’s unincorporated areas from the meeting through Dec. 31, 2028. According to the commission, this means there is a temporary stop to the planning, establishment, construction, and applications for special use permits for data centers, or related activities and components associated with data centers. This was said in the agenda of the Sept. 2 commission meeting.
Read more: The Ottawa Herald

Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland today announced the launch of the Building Local Opportunity through Coordinated Kansas Investment (BLOCK) program, a competitive placemaking initiative designed to help one Kansas community dramatically transform the appearance of a downtown block. A total of $500,000 is available through this pilot program. One award will be made. The BLOCK application period will open September 11, 2026, and close September 30, 2026. The award will be announced by October 10, 2026, and all funded improvements must be completed before December 15, 2026.
Read more: Kansas Department of Commerce

The 10-year U.S. Treasury note yield — the key benchmark for mortgage borrowing, auto loans and credit card debt — was up 1.7 basis points at 4.857%. The 2-year Treasury note yield, which is typically more sensitive to short-term Federal Reserve interest rate decisions, increased 1 basis point to 4.436%. The longer-dated 30-year Treasury bond yield, which moves in line with broader geopolitical risks, was up more than 2 basis points at 5.307%. One basis point is equal to 0.01%, and yields and prices move in opposite directions. U.S. yields increased on Wednesday, after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the department will buy back $6 billion of longer-dated government bonds. With the 10-year note yield touching its highest level since November 2023, investors are now looking ahead to key wholesale and consumer price data, due Thursday and Friday, respectively, for clearer insights into the U.S. inflation picture and next week’s Federal Reserve interest rate decision.
Read more: CNBC Bonds

Data centers are popping up all over Kansas, but not in Cowley County. Amid growing anti-data center sentiment, the CT spoke with managers of area cities and other government jurisdictions to learn whether any data center plans were brewing locally. None are, at least not at the moment. None appear to be putting in restrictions for potential projects, either. Critics worry about how much power and water data centers consume, the noise they generate and the general advancement of artificial intelligence that data centers support. Others equate the opposition to something of a moral panic, and cite the potential economic benefits especially in poor, rural areas.
Read more: www.ctnewsonline.com

Maura Dwyer of Baltimore, Md., was one of the passengers who ended up stranded in southwest Kansas on Sept. 11, 2001 as the air space over the United States was shut down due to the terrorists attacks. She was one of the passengers transported to Dodge City after landing at Garden City Regional Airport. Here’s a look at her recounting the event and now wanting to go back to Dodge City in a Baltimore Banner story.
Read more: Dodge City Daily Globe

The City of Dodge City has released a comprehensive update on the proposed data‑center developments in Ford County, outlining what is known, what remains uncertain, and what must be addressed before any large‑scale projects move forward. According to the City, its involvement is limited to evaluating potential water and wastewater service, while land‑use approvals, development agreements, taxation, and electric‑service decisions fall under Ford County and other responsible entities. As the document notes, “Information below reflects current discussions and is subject to change as projects develop.”
Read more: Dodge City Daily Globe

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. Every issuer’s credit is different, and other financing sources may be available. To obtain comprehensive Financial Advisory services for your local government, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor, Larry Kleeman, or Henry Schmidt.

B. J. Collins points out the ring of white tape on a utility pole across from her home on Wenonga Lane in Leawood. The tape, more than waist-high, is the high water mark from a particularly bad year of heavy rain a few years back. “Lake Wenonga,” her neighborhood is sometimes called — a reference to the muddy runoff that has at times pooled up in the basin created by her street’s topography. On the same day, in another flood-prone area, Jane and Bill Leverich were bracing for a different kind of water problem. Their house in Leawood Estates, just north of Interstate 435, gets water, too, when the rain hits hard enough. Spring rains this year went easy on the Wenonga and Leawood Estates, but as changeable fall weather and a strong El Niño approach, residents in Leawood’s flood-prone zones may once again be casting a nervous eye toward the weather radar and checking on their standing supply of sandbags. In the coming weeks, city leaders may also consider asking voters for a special tax to raise money to replace the failing corrugated pipes.
Read more: Johnson County Post

Five independent Kansas hospitals are joining forces to improve care in rural communities, the collaboration announced on Tuesday. The group is called Astra Health. It is the result of a partnership between Amberwell Health, LMH Health, Salina Regional Health Center, Newman Regional Health and The University of Kansas Health System. Together, the hospitals serve more than 500,000 patients every year and cover nearly every county in Kansas.
Read more: KSN-TV

Fort Scott City Commissioner Matthew Wells spoke with us Sunday looking to clarify some decisions made by commissioners to preserve the historic nature of downtown. He says he and fellow commissioners have gotten concerns from the community regarding a year old ordinance made to protect historic buildings downtown. The ordinance gives the city’s code department the ability to fine people for what’s called “demolition by neglect” where an old building is not properly taken care of and eventually falls into disrepair.
Read more: KSNF/KODE | FourStatesHomepage.com

Downtown building owners told the Fort Scott City Commission during their Sept. 1 meeting that the penalties in the city’s historic preservation ordinance could push businesses out of the district. Commissioner Julie Buchta opened the discussion, saying she had spent two weeks visiting downtown businesses after the codes department told her it had been directed to enforce Ordinance 3782 “to the full degree.” The 2025 ordinance created the Fort Scott Historic Preservation and Resource Commission under the state’s Certified Local Government program, or CLG. Buchta read from the enforcement section of the version then posted on the city’s website, which made any violation a Class B misdemeanor “punishable by up to a $1,000 fine or six months in jail, or both,” with each day a violation continued counting as a separate offense. “In the hands of someone extreme, this is an absolute sledgehammer to the temple of our businesses,” Buchta said. “I know that is a dramatic statement, but this is a dramatic ordinance.”
Read more: The Bourbon County Monitor

Riley County commissioners considered significantly higher penalties for short-term rentals operating without a valid license as part of proposed changes to the planning and development fee schedule during a work session on Thursday. Short-term rentals (also called vacation rentals) are commonly rented on sites like Airbnb and VRBO. The proposal is intended to encourage compliance rather than generate revenue, Riley County planning and special projects director Amanda Webb said.
Under the proposal, an unlicensed short-term rental would face a $500 penalty. If the owner does not pay the assessment or resolve the violation within 30 days, the penalty could increase to $1,000.
Read more: themercury.com

A member of Topeka’s administration will be leaving at the end of the year. Deputy city manager Braxton Copley announced his retirement Sept. 2. “I have been honored by the opportunity to serve Topeka for more than 20 years in various roles for the municipal government,” Copley said. “I am grateful for the many people I have had the opportunity to work with and for the experiences I have gained throughout my career. It has been a privilege to serve the City of Topeka and its residents.” His official last day will be Jan. 4.
Read more: Topeka Capital-Journal

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. Every issuer’s credit is different, and other financing sources may be available. To obtain comprehensive Financial Advisory services for your local government, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor, Larry Kleeman, or Henry Schmidt.

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. Every issuer’s credit is different, and other financing sources may be available. To obtain comprehensive Financial Advisory services for your local government, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor, Larry Kleeman, or Henry Schmidt.

The city’s current regulations establish a local tobacco retail licensing program that allows it to monitor sales and conduct compliance checks. The city currently has no limit on the number of licenses that can be issued.
Read more: LJWorld

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. Every issuer’s credit is different, and other financing sources may be available. To obtain comprehensive Financial Advisory services for your local government, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor, Larry Kleeman, or Henry Schmidt.

The developer will renovate an elementary school, build a community center + rec park, preserve farmland, train workers, build trails + solar, buy a fire truck, and it replaces an idle aluminum smelter. As stated in the agreement, also known as a Developer Rights and Responsibilities Agreement or DRRA (that promises the county $110 million for schools, parks and other public projects) the developer would be protected from rezonings, downzonings, or land removals that would prevent the completion of the data center campus.
Read more: Baltimore Sun via MSN

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. Every issuer’s credit is different, and other financing sources may be available. To obtain comprehensive Financial Advisory services for your local government, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor, Larry Kleeman, or Henry Schmidt.

Warsh at Jackson Hole gave a more hawkish reading of the economy than he had in July. He said elevated prices needed to be the Fed’s main focus and described financial conditions as not being broadly restrictive, a change from his July press conference, when he said they were uneven. He did that while swiping back at his critics and insisting his policy of deliberate ambiguity about Fed policy is here to stay. “We can be held accountable for delivering on our remit — the only true test of our credibility,” Warsh said, dismissing widely echoed critiques that he had come across as not credible at his July press conference.  The Fed won’t meet to set rates until mid-September, and Warsh didn’t explicitly say how the Fed would handle interest rates. But he dived into several of the critiques recently leveled at him. 
Read more: CNBC Bonds

Riley County officials recommended commissioners designate data centers and battery storage systems as “special use,” allowing for review by county staff, the planning board and the county commission while also allowing for public input. The standards for data centers and battery energy storage systems would differ from those for wind and solar energy, but Riley County planning and special projects director Amanda Webb said creating specific criteria would be consistent with the county’s existing approach to specialized land uses.
Read more: News Radio KMAN

Continuing ongoing discussion regarding the development of data centers in Sedgwick County, the Sedgwick County Commission considered — and ultimately approved — a third extension of the interim development control period on data centers at its latest meeting on Sept. 2. Initially, the commission imposed an interim development control on Jan. 14, 2026, as some potential data center developments were being explored. At the time, it was found that Sedgwick County had no formal regulations in the Wichita -Sedgwick County Unified Zoning Code addressing data centers.
Read more: www.derbyinformer.com

This time, the town hall is revolving around asking the questions and not being told what is needed. On Wednesday, Sept. 19, an open town hall meeting will take place at 6:30 p.m. in the Hesston Performing Arts Center to discuss if a farm-fresh market is a viable and sustainable option in Hesston. This joint effort is in collaboration between the United Way of Harvey and Marion Counties and the Healthy Harvey Coalition, with the Hesston Chamber of Commerce, Kansas Horizon Foundation, and Harvey County Food and Farm Council.
Read more: Harvey County Now

On August 27, the cities of Hays and Russell filed a motion with the Kansas Water Transfer Panel asking that group to hold the hearing for the final approval of the R9 water transfer application. Hays City Manager Toby Dougherty announced the filing at the end of last week’s City Commission Meeting. He reminded commissioners that the R9 water transfer application was approved in February 2025; however, the Water Transfer Panel delayed the final step of approval, a statutorily required hearing. “They [the Water Transfer Panel] used the Supreme Court case as justification to hold off on their final hearing. We’ve pointed out in previous motions that these two cases are separate legal matters,” Dougherty said.
Read more: Hays Daily News

Mortgage holders know interest rates have risen over the past year. But they’re not alone: governments and business borrowers are facing the same pressure. In the United States, 10-year interest rates sit around 4.7%, surging nearly half a per cent just this year, while the benchmark 30-year bond is near a two-decade high. In the UK, 10-year bond rates on Tuesday hit the highest level since the global financial crisis. In Australia, the Reserve Bank of Australia also lifted the cash rate to fight inflation. That government now has to offer investors more than 5% on its 10-year bonds, which hit a 15-year high on Tuesday after a long period of low interest rates since the global financial crisis in 2008. Higher rates mean higher interest payments for governments too, leaving less room for other spending or for tax cuts. This trickles down to state and local communities.
Read more: Kansas Reflector

Erie, Kansas has maintained the Old Soldiers and Sailors Reunion for 153 consecutive years, making it the longest continuous military celebration in the United States. Founded in 1866 after the Civil War, Erie was established as an affordable place for veterans to purchase land and reconnect with fellow soldiers. The town combines its military heritage with modern attractions including a dinosaur park, local businesses, and community initiatives like a scavenger hunt that celebrates everyday details residents often overlook.
Read more: www.koamnewsnow.com

The Barber County Commission approved a Google data center before a packed chamber during a special meeting on Monday. Commissioners finalized the agreement by a vote of 2-0. One commissioner abstained. The new data center, dubbed Project Helium, is going up north of Sharon and will be 1.7 million square feet and house thousands of computer servers. Google said the data center will create up to 500 new jobs, and most of the positions will be on-site and full-time.
Read more: KSN-TV

Shawnee County leaders are looking for ways to save money as costs rise for a widely-used weight loss drug. Shawnee County commissioners held a work session on Monday, Aug. 31 to discuss issues impacting the county’s employee benefit program. One of the major contributing factors to these problems includes the rising cost of GLP-1 weight loss medications.
Read more: KSNT 27 News

Merriam is welcoming its first grocery store in eight years with a new Trader Joe’s opening Wednesday morning at Antioch and Shawnee Mission Parkway.
The city has been without a grocery store since 2018. Now, residents are getting two at once Trader Joe’s and an Aldi, which is joining Merriam Town Center just a few blocks away.
Read more: KSHB News

After years working as a traveling dentist, Dr. Michael Kemmling was ready to fill a different gap. When a dental broker reached out about an opening in Eudora, he said he jumped at the opportunity to serve a smaller community that still allows him to enjoy his family life in Shawnee. For the past three months, he’s owned Eudora Dental. The move comes six years after he last owned a dental practice. After 10 years of running his own practice in Shawnee, Kemmling sold the business to explore different opportunities in dentistry, like working for a pediatric surgery center before leaving to fill openings in rural areas across Kansas and Missouri. 
Read more: The Eudora Times

During its peak season, Carey Park uses around 400,000 gallons of drinking water a day, mostly irrigating the Carey Park Golf Course. But the City of Hutchinson is making plans to replace that with treated wastewater that would otherwise be released into the Arkansas River, Utilities Department Project Manager Erin Patterson said on Thursday, Aug. 27, at a public meeting about the project. As part of those plans, the city is considering how it could simultaneously enhance the pond north of Stremel Fields for recreation.
Read more: The Hutchinson Tribune

In the meantime, the county will release proposed zoning regulations for data centers to the public on Sept. 24 to gather public feedback and plans to consider whether to continue the pause into 2027 at a meeting on December 2.
Read more: Wichita Eagle

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. Every issuer’s credit is different, and other financing sources may be available. To obtain comprehensive Financial Advisory services for your local government, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor, Larry Kleeman, or Henry Schmidt.

In the early 2000s, city officials at the time decided to “get back to the basics,” with Vision Metcalf, a strategic plan that emphasized building community areas with an emphasis on walkability and community gathering spaces — including the city’s downtown.
Read more at: KC Star

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. Every issuer’s credit is different, and other financing sources may be available. To obtain comprehensive Financial Advisory services for your local government, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor, Larry Kleeman, or Henry Schmidt.

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. Every issuer’s credit is different, and other financing sources may be available. To obtain comprehensive Financial Advisory services for your local government, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor, Larry Kleeman, or Henry Schmidt.

Iola already has many of the ingredients of a strong community. What it needs now, according to the ideas emerging from a community conversation last week, is a clearer plan for bringing those pieces together and creating a future that gives people reasons to stay. By the end of the evening, dozens of ideas had been narrowed to three broad priorities: recreation, kids’ safety and city pride.
Read more: The Iola Register

Kansans are increasingly clashing with local governments and law enforcement over the use of automated license plate readers. Two Kansas communities have terminated their contracts with camera manufacturer Flock Safety following resident pushback.
Read more: CJonline

Andover’s city administrator, Jennifer McCausland, will leave her position at the suburb and begin her new one in Wichita in late October. McCausland has worked in Andover for more than 15 years. She was promoted to the city administrator position in September 2019 after being assistant city administrator for nine years.
Read more: Wichita Eagle