Municipal News & Jobs

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 Dodge City Commission is being asked to approve a $10 million agreement to purchase thousands of acre-feet of water rights, a proposal city officials say would help secure the community’s water future for decades. According to city documents, the proposed contract would allow Dodge City to purchase 3,732 acre-feet of water rights from JR Farms and Reinert Partnerships. City staff describe the acquisition as a significant investment that could benefit local residents “for generations to come.”
Read more: Dodge City Daily Globe

With the latest policy in relation to the proposed Flint Hills Digital Campus set to be considered by Emporia City Commissioners Wednesday afternoon, Emporia City Manager Trey Cocking discussed the steps taken thus far since the potential project’s announcement two weeks ago. Cocking’s latest comments on the matter came during the monthly Q&A with Trey segment on KVOE’s Talk of Emporia Tuesday morning, where he addressed many of the comments and concerns that have been expressed in recent weeks by those opposed to the development. Specifically, Cocking was asked his response to the common statement that the project is a “done deal” despite leadership stating the opposite, with residents pointing to the previous annexation of land by Emporia City Commissioners as an example of leadership taking steps to accommodate the project. Cocking would use a previously stated analogy of “baking a cake” to outline the city’s perspective on Tuesday, saying the city is “thinking of baking a cake,” noting the cake has not yet been put in the oven. He elaborated, saying that while the city has not greenlit the project as of yet, it is doing its due diligence to ensure it has the “right ingredients” to accommodate such a project if it were to move forward.
Read more: KVOE

Kevin Warsh’s first meeting as Federal Reserve chairman concluded Wednesday with no change in interest rates and a nod to possible hikes ahead. The meeting also saw the removal of key language indicating a bias toward future cuts within a dramatically shorter policy statement. The Federal Open Market Committee voted unanimously to keep its benchmark overnight borrowing rate anchored in a range of 3.5%-3.75%. The federal funds rate has held there since the central bank lowered rates by three-quarters of a percentage point in the latter part of 2025. With a bevy of intrigue over Warsh taking the central bank helm, the meeting followed the same pattern as the others this year regarding rates but differed otherwise.
Read more: CNBC Bonds

The Reno County Commission met for a special session Monday evening at the courthouse to discuss potential regulations for Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) and Data Centers. Despite lengthy debate, the commission failed to reach a consensus on new policies or conditions for either industry. As a result, no specific guidance was provided to the Planning Commission, and the status quo remains in place. Future applications for these facilities will continue to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
Read more: Ad Astra Radio

At the center of the financing logic behind a STAR Bond project is a simple premise: the project has to generate visitors — and ideally, visitors from outside Great Bend. That’s not just the city’s goal. It’s the state’s requirement. The STAR Bond project has been in development since 2022, when Great Bend Economic Development began collaborating with designers to shape what the Expo Complex expansion could look like. STAR Bond financing was created by the Kansas Legislature in 1999 as a tool for cities and counties to develop major commercial, entertainment and tourism areas.
Read more: Great Bend Tribune

A concentrated effort spanning multiple agencies helped the Hesston Police Department solve the most recent burglary at Dan’s Cycle. On May 6, a white cargo van crashed into the front entrance of the business, and five dirt bikes were quickly loaded at 4 a.m. by four individuals. By the time HPD responded, the suspects were gone. “We went through some camera footage and found a tag,” Police Chief Chris Eilert said. “It was a stolen van out of Kansas City, but we’re not sure why it wasn’t indicating on Flock. We were able to track it using Flock back to Kansas City. Unfortunately, no one was able to intercept it.” Eilert explained it’s hard to track the exact location, because once it goes past the camera, law enforcement is playing catch-up, depending on the camera location. Eilert also said they were able to identify a chase car with the van, a car which was sighted in Hesston days before the break-in at the establishment. The use of Flock cameras was instrumental in solving this crime. Eilert said the cameras have helped solve this crime, burglaries at AGCO and a few others.
Read more: Harvey County Now

Scooter safety was on the minds of both county and city commissioners last week. Ellis County Commission Chair Neal Younger commented during his personal time on June 9 that more training may be called for because “kiddos are just flying” and driving down highways. He suggested that the city and the county may need to work together regarding scooter safety. Hays City commissioners Sandy Jacobs and Shaun Musil also used their personal comment time on June 11 to state their scooter use concerns. “I’m just going to say it — somebody’s going to get killed. So I’m going to say it as loud as I can. I don’t know what we’re going to do about it,” Jacobs said. She reported that, prior to the commission meeting last Thursday, she saw two serious incidents on Hays streets involving unsafe scooter use. One was a little boy she believed to be around age 7 who had his 2-year-old sister sitting in front of him as they “were just barreling down Hall Street.” Jacobs said she understands scooter safety is a parenting issue and pleaded with parents to know how their children are behaving on scooters.
Read more: Hays Daily News

The Edgerton City Council has denied a temporary ban on data centers, making it the second community in Johnson County to consider and deny a moratorium this month. Next door in Gardner, the city council considered but ultimately denied a similar proposed six-month ban on June 1. The Edgerton City Council on Thursday voted 3-2 to deny a six-month moratorium, which would have temporarily prevented applications for facilities where the primary use was a data center. After City Attorney Todd Luckman provided a brief clarification on the measure’s language, Councilmember Josh Lewis immediately made a motion to deny the six-month ban. Edgerton resident Kim Twente said she’s disappointed in the decision, adding that the community’s worked hard to get a moratorium passed.
Read more: Johnson County Post

Overland Park could become the latest Johnson County city to require kids on electronic bikes and scooters to wear helmets or else face a fine. It’s the latest step in a long line of discussions among residents and local officials in Johnson County about how to keep kids safe when they ride the increasingly popular devices. Just last month, Overland Park established a new set of city codes prohibiting anyone under the age of 16 from riding class 3 e-bikes, which are throttle-assisted bikes capable of reaching higher speeds. On Wednesday, the Overland Park City Council Public Safety Committee voted unanimously to recommend adoption of a helmet ordinance, as well. The new ordinance, if ultimately approved by the full city council, would take effect Jan. 1, 2027. The city and police department plan to conduct a public education campaign in advance of enforcement.
Read more: Johnson County Post

After a month of deliberation, Edgerton made the move to deny an application Tuesday night for an $860 million data center in Logistics Park Kansas City. The Edgerton Planning Commission voted 3-2 to deny the data center application from Dubai-based DAMAC Digital on Tuesday night. Commissioners Adam Draskovich, Jeremy Little and Jordyn Mueller voted to deny the application, while Commission Chair Tina Mathos and Commissioner Ray Soemer voted against denial. “I feel like it’s a short-term victory,” said Kellie Wakefield, an Edgerton resident. “It’s not completely denied. We’re just going to have to continue voicing our preference for the direction of our city and just protect our resources.”
Read more: Johnson County Post

Yates Center city officials are asking residents to conserve water after Saturday night’s storms. According to a Facebook post by the city, some pumps are not working properly after an electricity outage. While city water crews are working to fix the problem, residents are asked to conserve water as much as possible for now.
Read more: www.koamnewsnow.com

The lines were long but the people were happy Tuesday afternoon on the north side of Oak Park Mall. Sometimes a car or truck driver tapped hello on the horn. Sometimes a small group would spontaneously break out into applause. Who could complain? It was, after all, the line for the buses that would take these ticket holders to the first match in the first World Cup Kansas City has ever hosted. What’s more, Argentinian star Lionel Messi would be playing in what is likely his last World Cup. The vibe was, as they say, chill. Some of the riders had driven hours to see Argentina. Others were in line to support Algeria, a country whose team has been adopted by the people of Lawrence since arriving here earlier this month. Still others just wanted in on the good times and a chance to do something different.
Read more: Johnson County Post

Finney County Economic Development Corporation President/CEO Lona DuVall spoke about data centers during her FCEDC update at the Finney County Commission meeting on Monday. DuVall said she hoped to give a quick timeline of where the county is at right now with data centers looking to come to the area. The FCEDC first contact regarding data centers was in November 2024, when the Lone Bison project and TED Renewables reached out and said they were looking at doing a project, but had not secured leases or anything else yet. They came out and met with Finney County Commissioners in January 2025, DuVall said. It was just preliminary information, giving them a general idea of the area they’re looking at, what size they hoped to be able to build but no other specifics. “They didn’t apply for a permit; they weren’t in a position to do that,” she said. “We didn’t get into any further discussion with them until the new process documents had been designed for those energy systems.”
Read more: Garden City Telegram

Sedgwick County commissioners unanimously approved a six-month moratorium on new applications for large-scale solar projects at their meeting on Wednesday. The temporary red light comes as the county considers two applications for massive solar energy developments, though the pause won’t affect those projects. Commissioners supporting the moratorium said the current applications can be used as a case study to test the county’s regulations and application process. Commissioner Jeff Blubaugh said the public brought several concerns to his attention, which he felt called for more questions and prompted his support of the half-year break.
Read more: KSN-TV

The Salina Police Department is investigating a crash that left an e-bike rider in critical condition. Shortly before 5 a.m. on Wednesday, police and fire crews were dispatched to the area of South Centennial Road and Sunflower Lane for a report of a cyclist struck by a car. Upon arrival, crews found a 66-year-old man with critical injuries. Police said the man was riding an e-bike south on Centennial Road when he was struck from behind by a vehicle.
Read more: KSN-TV

Reno County commissioners spent nearly two hours at Monday’s meeting discussing whether to ban battery energy storage systems and data centers in certain parts of the county. After an intense debate, two proposed motions to impose the bans were ultimately rejected. Community members showed up and spoke from the audience, generating a back-and-forth between them and commissioners.
Read more: KSN-TV

It’s been over a year since half of a Kansas town was wiped out by a powerful EF3 tornado, and now it’s receiving federal funds to help its recovery. On Wednesday, the federal Emergency Management Agency announced that Grinnell is receiving $300,000 for repairs or replacement of roads, curbs and road signs damaged by the May 18, 2025 tornado. The $300,000 was part of $77 million in federal funding approved by FEMA in Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska and Missouri. Jewel Maier, Grinnell’s city treasurer and administrator, told KSN in April that the funding had been held up by staffing shortages at FEMA.
Read more: KSN-TV

At the end of a relatively short meeting early this week, the Girard City Council applauded the efforts of a former city councilman to help the city look its best. Mayor Nick Cheney noted former councilman Dennis Everett’s work to repair the fountain at City Hall. “I want to thank Dennis Everett for buying the pump for the water feature up front and installing it,” said Cheney. “He also fixed the broken light for the flagpole out front.” Summer officially arrives this weekend, which means more activities and more visitors in town.
Read more: Morning Sun

The Topeka City Council discussed recommendations regarding the Affordable Housing Trust Fund that could help create 229 affordable housing units across the city Tuesday night. The Affordable Housing Trust Fund Committee received six applications. Of those, three projects were recommended to receive funding. The three projects include:
SENT, Inc.
Wible Property Development LLC
Highland Park REO LLC
“We have three projects that we are recommending funding, just under a million dollars, that will roughly create around 229 additional affordable housing units in our community,” Carrie Higgins, Housing Services Division director.
Read more: KSNT 27 News