Municipal News & Jobs

Emily Roush is all too familiar with the struggles facing rural grocery stores. Emily, an Iola native, and husband Kaden have stressed creativity and flexibility in keeping their own small grocery afloat in a community of 180 in rural Smith County. It’s why customers hungry for high-quality, locally produced meat, (and now a wide selection of gluten-free products) will travel from miles around to Main Street Mercantile, which aside from a local co-op station, is Lebanon’s sole business. The Roushes also have taken a novel approach to other issues most folks don’t think about, such as ensuring grocery orders are large enough to keep suppliers happy, but not too large for such a small population base. Others have taken notice.
Read more: The Iola Register

Galena residents say foul odors and smoke from a nearby landfill are harming their quality of life and raising health concerns. Residents of Galena, Kansas, are complaining about a smelly construction and demolition landfill outside of the city that they say is impacting their quality of life and could affect their health. They’ve been complaining about two odors — a rotten-egg smell that the Kansas Department of Health and Environment identified as hydrogen sulfide gas (H2S). The second odor is a smoky smell from a smoldering fire that started last year The smells are coming from different sides of the landfill, but the Kansas Department of Health and Environment believes the smoldering side is exacerbating the hydrogen sulfide gas emission. THE LANDFILL is operated by Jordan Disposal and started as an emergency dumping ground for debris from the devastating 2011 Joplin tornado.
Read more: The Iola Register

The first council meeting of June came with a wide variety of agenda items. The meeting began with the council approving previous meeting minutes and agendas, as well as approving a financial audit presented from the Loyd Group. The meeting continued with Haven resident Nikolas White, who requested a hearing after receiving a citation in regard to the length of his lawn. White told the council he had plans of growing a pollinator-friendly yard. “The idea is to turn the entire lawn into a pollinator-friendly ecosystem with a mix of vegetables, flowers and grasses all working together in a symbiotic relationship,” White said to the council. Mayor Adam Wright showed initial concern, as White’s house is a corner lot, and for safety reasons, the lawn should stay trimmed. Wright initially stated White could turn his fenced-in backyard into a pollinator friendly yard, but Council Member Sherri Schneider raised concern. “Anybody with a fence in their backyard that won’t mow their yard, they’re just a habitat for snakes and rats and all the things that we’re trying to keep out,” she said.
Read more: The Hutchinson Tribune

Public commenters urged the Lawrence City Commission to adopt a temporary moratorium on data center development while the city studies the issue and creates permanent regulations. About 50 people attended Tuesday’s public comment period, with some overflowing into the City Hall lobby. Several speakers said a moratorium would protect residents from unwanted developments near neighborhoods and farmland. Some expressed concern that large-scale data centers could strain water and electricity supplies, increase noise and light pollution and alter the character of surrounding land. 
Read more: The Lawrence Times

Lawrence city commissioners on Tuesday selected Majed Al-Ghafry to serve as the next city manager following contract negotiations led by city staff. Mayor Brad Finkeldei said Al-Ghafry’s background and experience fit the bill for Lawrence’s city manager position. “Beyond his education, his experiences in public works, economic development and management of large and complex projects in multiple cities will serve Lawrence well in the coming years as we move into what I call the execution phase of our planned growth,” Finkeldei said. Vice Mayor Mike Courtney echoed Finkeldei’s sentiments.
Read more: The Lawrence Times

City commissioners approved changes to the city’s dog ordinance in a 4-1 vote, replacing breed-specific regulations with a behavior-based framework. All commissioners were present for the vote and Mike Skidmore cast the opposing vote. Ottawa City Attorney Blaine Finch presented the proposed changes, outlining both the reasoning behind the updates and the structure of the revised ordinance.
Read more: The Ottawa Herald

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.

U.S. Rep. Derek Schmidt provided three tips at a townhall. Schmidt advises communities that data center developers should not require tax abatements. Data centers should source their power from new or supplemental sources to avoid raising local utility costs. Modern data centers can be designed as closed systems that do not consume large amounts of water.
Read more: CJonline

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.

Tornado Alley since the early 1950s has dissected the central Great Plains, including the states of Nebraska, central Oklahoma, northwestern Texas and Kansas.
Read more: CJonline

To count the acreage in a unit of real property held by tenants in common towards a zoning protest petition under K.S.A. 12-757(f)(1), all tenants in common must sign the petition.
Read the opinion: Prairiewood Holdings, LLC v. Board Of Riley County Commissioners

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.

Nearly 400 cyclists will travel 550 miles across Kansas over eight days, starting Saturday.
Read more: View the Biking Across Kansas Map

The farm would generate enough energy to power more than 30,000 homes, according to the developer.
Read more: KSN-TV

Beltline Energy representative Ryan Sanders told the crowd that because of regulations the company would not use local aquifers for their main source of water. Beltline is trying to secure land and gain local government approval in Pottawatomie County for a large-scale data center that would represent a $15 billion investment for the region. One of the options for water use Beltline is exploring is the use of trucks to both truck water into the facility and take water waste out.
Read more: themercury.com

The new city rules, if approved, include a long list of requirements for the residential-design modular homes, making them comply with similar rules for homes built on-site. They would be required to have exterior finishes similar to site-built homes and they would be subject to city inspections.
Read more: AV News

For decades, Lawrence’s mayor has been elected by the five members of the Lawrence City Commission. Some community leaders are questioning whether simply allowing Lawrence residents to vote for a mayor – perhaps once every four years – might be a better way.
Read more: LJWorld

The city of Derby says it is aware of some of the social media posts about people going down really fast. They are looking at what they can do, but there’s one thing they can’t control.
Read more: KWCH

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.