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.

Just shy of 200 residents showed up to the PSU soccer pitch to pose for an aerial photo depicting the number “150” for Pittsburg’s birthday celebration on Wednesday.
Read more: Morning Sun

A majority of Federal Reserve officials at their most recent meeting anticipated that interest rate increases would be necessary if the Iran war continued to aggravate inflation, according to minutes released Wednesday. Though the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee again voted to keep its benchmark rate targeted between 3.5%-3.75%, the meeting featured four “no” votes, the most since 1992, and an apparently heightened level of disagreement about where policy should go. At issue was the impact that the Iran war would have on prices and how that would work its way into monetary policy. Officials differed on how long the war’s impact would last and whether the post-meeting statement should continue to reflect a bias toward cutting rates as the more likely next move.
Read more: CNBC Bonds

A series of fast-moving wildfires fueled by lightning, strong winds, and extremely dry conditions has scorched large portions of southwest Kansas this week, prompting a state disaster emergency declaration and a massive multi-agency firefighting response across the region.
Read more: Dodge City Daily Globe

The City of Emporia announced several leadership appointments Tuesday as officials prepare for the departure of Deputy City Manager Mark Detter and restructure key administrative roles. Detter will leave the city effective May 22 to become city administrator for Rose Hill. City officials thanked him for his service and wished him success in his new position. Following Detter’s departure, Tayler Wash has been promoted to deputy city manager. City officials said the promotion recognizes Wash’s growing leadership role and contributions to several major city initiatives.
Read more: www.emporiagazette.com

People in Great Bend will have one more day to set off fireworks this Independence Day. The Great Bend City Council voted Monday to designate July 3-4 as days to legally discharge fireworks in town between the hours of 10 a.m. and midnight.
Read more: Great Bend Tribune

The four biggest school districts in Johnson County are joining together to prepare for possible legal action against the state of Kansas over what they say is a yearslong failure to adequately fund special education. In a statement on Wednesday, Olathe Public Schools, Blue Valley Schools, the USD 232 De Soto School District and the Shawnee Mission School District said they’ve “reached a tipping point” after 15 years of special education underfunding. Together, the districts serve about 83,000 students and said that they collectively took out more than $119 million from their general education budgets for the 2024-2025 school year to cover the state’s special education funding gap.
Read more: Johnson County Post

A second grocery store appears to be in the works for the city of Merriam. The Merriam City Council on Monday, in a 7-0 vote, set a public hearing for June 22 to consider establishing a community improvement district, or CID, at Merriam Town Center. Councilmember Amy Rider was absent. A CID would create an additional 1% to 2% sales tax levied on purchases at the shopping center that would go towards the district’s improvements. At the center of that improvement plan is an approximately 23,000 square foot grocery store that would be added to the shopping complex that sits near Johnson Drive and Interstate 35.
Read more: Johnson County Post

Overland Park could completely overhaul its trash and recycling collection system in favor of a new framework that gives the city more control and potentially lowers rates for some residents. Though nothing is set in stone yet, Overland Park could look to switch to a completely city-run or city-contracted trash pickup system with one or more haulers. The city could also allow homeowners associations that are content with their current trash collection to opt out. Those are all options pondered in the city’s recently completed Solid Waste Study, which looked at potential improvements to how trash is collected in Overland Park.
Read more: Johnson County Post

Overland Park has placed new restrictions on e-bikes and e-scooters in the city — notably, banning kids from riding e-bikes that can go past 25 mph. It is the latest Johnson County city to update its rules for micromobility devices that have seen a recent surge in popularity among younger riders. The discussion in Overland Park comes months after 10-year-old Duke Ommert died last fall from injuries sustained while riding an e-scooter in Leawood. He was wearing a helmet. Discussion at an Overland Park public safety committee meeting last week struck the tone of balancing safety with kids’ freedom to move about the city.
Read more: Johnson County Post

Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab announced a new system to update state regulations is now working across Kansas. The change is part of a major effort to improve how state rules are created and managed. In 2025, the Secretary of State’s office hired a company called Esper, which builds software to modernize government processes. According to the release, the goal was to replace an old paper-based system that had been used for decades. Officials say the old process was slow and outdated. It relied heavily on paper, which led to problems like missing pages, wasted materials, and human errors. It also made it harder for the public to see and understand what regulations were being considered.
Read more: KCLY Radio

As crews across southwest Kansas fight to contain wildfires, departments in the Sunflower State aren’t the only ones volunteering their time and equipment. Fire departments from Texas, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Montana and Colorado were just some of those that answered the call for help. Several fire departments in Major County, Oklahoma, are on a list that Kansas can call in times of crisis.
Read more: KSN-TV

The Sunflower Foundation said Wednesday that it’s awarding $355,000 in grants to 25 Kansas communities to support the creation and improvement of trails. The Paving the Way grant program offers funding, customized support and virtual learning opportunities to support communities in different stages of trail development. “We’re incredibly excited to work alongside our Paving the Way communities, whether they are just beginning their trail journeys or taking the next step in implementing the Trail Town model,” Kelli Mark, the foundation’s director of healthy communities, said in a news release.
Read more: KSN-TV

The two biggest wildfires in southwest Kansas are mostly contained. According to the Meade Fire Department, the Meade Lake Complex wildfire is now 100% contained as of Thursday morning. The Kansas Forest Service reported Wednesday that the Herman Ranch Complex wildfire is now 80% contained. “While there has been no true end to the fire season in southwest Kansas, this battle is finally coming to a close,” KFS said on Facebook.
Read more: KSN-TV

Sedgwick County commissioners voted Wednesday to terminate aid agreements with several small-town fire departments. Cheney, Clearwater, Mount Hope and Valley Center will have 90 days to work with commissioners to make new automatic and mutual aid agreements. Commissioner Jim Howell said a lot has changed since the agreements were established, adding that they no longer reflect the current state of operations.
Read more: KSN-TV

A police chief said a large influx of storm chasers into the Blue Rapids area could have created a dangerous situation for emergency workers and others on Monday. Multiple tornadoes touched down in north-central and northeast Kansas, drawing in large numbers of people to the region. Many vehicles belonging to locals, storm spotters and chasers were caught up in traffic near the community of Blue Rapids. The Blue Rapids Police Department estimated that as many as 500 vehicles were in the area when a tornado touched down just east of the town.
Read more: KSN-TV

Hours of public comment hold back a solar project proposal in Sedgwick County. The Branch Line Project, submitted by the energy system developer TED Renewables, is one of several projects being considered in Sedgwick County. It would take over nearly 1,400 acres of land north and northeast of Clearwater for solar farms.
Read more: KSN-TV

Weaker winds and cooler temperatures proved to be a blessing for firefighters Tuesday as they started to get flames in Meade and Clark Counties under control. Though the fires are a long way from being out, progress has been hard to come by in previous days. “Our guys are hungry, and they are tired, and they are worn out,” said Valerie Heston, an Ashland resident helping in the recovery efforts. As firefighters man the frontlines, numerous volunteers in rural communities have been giving them the support they need to keep going, cooking meals and taking donations for first responders.
Read more: KSN-TV

Hays will soon implement its annual restrictions on summer water use. On Tuesday, the Kansas Department of Agriculture issued an order requested by the city that prohibits residents with private wells from watering their lawns or other vegetation between noon and 7 p.m. from June 1 to Sept. 30. Other residents are already prohibited from outdoor water use during that time under city ordinance. The city has had the same summer water restrictions since the early 1990s.
Read more: KSN-TV

The Environmental Protection Agency announced Tuesday that Kansas is receiving funding to help address “forever chemicals” in drinking water. More than $9.4 million in grant funding is now available to eligible communities Kansas to reduce PFAS and other chemical contaminants that are linked to cancers. PFAS stands for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances. They are found in a variety of household products and are also used in some manufacturing processes.
Read more: KSN-TV