Municipal News & Jobs

Earlier this summer Stafford County Economic Development (EcoDevo) was awarded $25,000 for an implementation grant as part of the Office of Rural Prosperity Rural Champions grant program announced last year in collaboration with the Patterson Family Foundation for Macksville. The current Rural Champions is addressing childcare challenges in Macksville and this funding will support the implementation of the day care project.
Read more: Ad Astra Radio | Your Hometown Radio Stations & Local News Source

McPherson County voters will see a proposal on the November 4 ballot for a ½ cent (0.5%) county-wide sales tax dedicated to funding Emergency Medical Services (EMS). If approved, the tax would begin April 1, 2026. The measure seeks to shift EMS funding from property taxes to a dedicated sales tax, creating the opportunity for county and city officials to reduce property taxes beginning in 2027.​
Read more: Butler County Times-Gazette

The Crawford County Commission met with a full house on Friday in response to Mulberry’s vote to annex land slated for solar development. A couple of the frequent attendees were present — Becky Williard and Judy Prince — raising familiar concerns over toxic fumes from battery fires and leaching poisons into the ground and water table. Landowners who live next to the proposed development offered some new concerns for the commission to consider.
Read more: – Morning Sun

Prairie Cottage Homes, operated by Devin Holloway, is on the verge of listing their first three homes in Americus next week. With the help of Paul Pinick, the new venture aims to bring affordable homes to local smaller towns, and eventually Emporia. The three homes began construction in April and will be listed next week. One is three bedrooms, 1,311 square feet, while the two measure in at 1,611 square feet and fit in four bedrooms. The buildings are designed to last and stand the test of time.
Read more: www.emporiagazette.com

Bourbon County Commissioners on Monday discussed concerns such as setting precedence and the potential for litigation regarding a moratorium on the mining of cryptocurrency. The commission later approved the 12-month moratorium, which takes effect after its publication in the Tribune and only applies to new mining activity in the county. County Counselor Bob Johnson said the moratorium would stop future expansion of mining operations until the commission can adopt regulations.
Read more: Fort Scott Tribune Headlines

Sedgwick City Council asked Jimmy Sharbutt of Sharbutt Homes to pay a $5,000 obligation for not building five homes within sixty months of the city selling Sharbutt property just north of the industrial park. The obligation was stipulated in the original contract.
Read more: Harvey County Now

A squirrel is responsible for the power issues happening in town Friday morning. City Manager Zack Daniel said crews walked power lines and discovered a fried squirrel in the Ninth and Acorn area that is believed to be responsible for the blip.
Read more: The Eudora Times

Iola City Council members discussed this week a recent edict that the city must test more often for signs of lead in its water system. Toby Ross, Iola’s water plant superintendent, updated Iola Council members Tuesday evening on water sampling efforts to detect lead levels. A recent KDHE notification directed the city to ramp up its testing after three homes tested above the EPA threshold of lead in their drinking water.
Read more: The Iola Register

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 $539 million project on 180 acres, to be developed by Epic Resort Destinations, is expected to begin construction by October 2027 and open by May 2031.
Read more: KC Star

For about five years, the local government has offered incentives for developers – local and large alike – to build on and revitalize its vacant properties at a discounted rate. In that time, developers have built about 150 homes on those lots, according to government staff.
Read more: KC Star

The proposed ordinances outline a number of changes, including adopting a property maintenance code that requires sanitary conditions in rental units, prohibiting landlords from refusing applicants with Section 8 vouchers and requiring landlords with repeat offenses to register with the city.
Read more: Wichita Eagle

All seven candidates on the November ballot in Wichita City Council races have failed to follow the city’s campaign finance ordinance that was supposed to add transparency to elections, specifically about donations from business owners who “stack” contributions by giving the maximum amount to candidates multiple times using different limited liability companies, or LLCs.
Read more: Wichita Eagle

“Humboldt, you bring the fun to Allen County,” Camille Lavon told Humboldt Council members Monday night. At least that’s the impression Lavon has gained since her three months as Thrive Allen County’s new economic development director. Lavon described herself as a “boomerang” Kansan, who has returned to her native state after most recently living in Colorado as well as other states and countries.
Read more: The Iola Register

The commission authorized up to $125,000 via a reimbursement program, meaning Hoisington must do the work before receiving the money. This project is expected to bring 12 new homes to northern Barton County.
Read more: GB Tribune

Jerome H. Powell, chair of the Federal Reserve, still sees labor market risks outweighing those posed by higher inflation tied to President Trump’s tariffs.
Read more: NYT > Business

Nearly two decades ago, a devastating tornado all but wiped out a town in eastern Kansas. But now, Greensburg has new life.
Read more: CBSNews.com

The Regional Development Association (RDA) has endorsed a Letter of Support to officially offer Lyon County as a potential site for a Natrium Reactor. Rep. Mark Schreiber said that he was motivated to list Lyon County among potential sites due to its possible economic benefit for the community.
Read more: www.emporiagazette.com

Automated External Defibrillators, or AEDs, are used by ordinary people to perform an extraordinary task: bringing life-saving equipment to the side of a person whose heart has stopped beating. Beginning September 24, 2025, Reno County EMS staff are out in the community, ensuring local business, schools, churches, and the like, are prepared with public access AEDs. “As of July first,” says Connor Bounds, Education Coordinator for Reno County EMS, “state law requires registration of AEDs through the PulsePoint app. This allows EMS to ensure there are correct locations for community-based AEDs, all batteries and other critical equipment are not-expired and opens to the door for us to provide public education in CPR and first aid. We have already encountered some locations that have added other AEDs, and some that have expired supplies. And we have also had community members express interest in bystander CPR training.” Discussing the importance of bystander CPR and AED use, Bounds shared some shocking statistics, “For every one minute a person in cardiac arrest doesn’t get CPR and doesn’t get the AED applied and used, survivability drops by 10%. There are over 350,000 cardiac arrests outside of the hospital every year, and less than 10% of those survive. Getting this equipment and training out into the community can save lives.”
Read more: Ad Astra Radio | Your Hometown Radio Stations & Local News Source

Some neighborhoods will be seeing a bit more train traffic in the coming years. At its Tuesday meeting, the City of Newton approved a $3.7 million rail spur project. The project connects a stretch of the K&O railroad that ends at the Standridge Color Plant to the under-construction GAF Materials Facility. While the spur would be built southeast of Newton at the Kansas Logistics Park, the resulting train traffic would put into regular use a section of rail where trains are a rarity. Harvey County Now inquired with city staff, as well as Commissioner Rod Kreie on how many more trains the track would see once GAF is up and running. Kreie said, according to recent conversations with GAF they’d expect about 15 trains a day to initially service the facility.
Read more: Harvey County Now