Municipal News & Jobs

The closure of a recycling plant in Wichita is now affecting neighboring communities. The City of Wellington announced it will temporarily shut down its recycling center after losing access to its main processing partner. The change comes as International Paper prepares to close its Wichita recycling facility. Although the official shutdown is scheduled for the end of the month, Friday is the last day the plant will accept recyclable materials.
Source: KSN-TV

When Wichita rolled out its new ID program on June 30, Donna Castillo-Garcia and other advocates for the unhoused were some of the first in line, helping their clients obtain municipal ID cards. Thursday, Castillo-Garcia was back at city hall helping another man get his ID so he could gain access to a food bank. It’s slowly becoming a routine for the Grassroots Bridge Builders executive director as the city rolls out a new I-9 compliant ID card that community leaders like Castillo-Garcia hope will ease limitations for Wichitans who lack the standard documentation for a state-issued ID, especially those experiencing homelessness.
Source: Wichita Kansas Local News, Crime & More |

Wichita has agreed to pay $195,000 to settle a lawsuit over an accident involving a police vehicle in July 2023. Police officer Whitney Berry, in her patrol car, attempted to make a left-hand turn from a private drive and struck a vehicle driven northbound on Hydraulic Avenue near MacArthur Road on July 20, 2023, court records show. That vehicle was driven by Raymond Sipult, a Wichita resident.
Source: Wichita Kansas Local News, Crime & More |

The City of Lawrence is taking applications for funding to help financially stressed property owners rehabilitate their homes, bring properties into compliance with codes and improve energy efficiency. The city’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Homeowner Housing Rehabilitation Program is offering property owners two types of loans. Both types are no-interest and no-payment loans, according to a news release from the city.
Source: The Lawrence Times

Riley County commissioners on Thursday said meetings with the city are pointless if county commissioners are not allowed to ask questions or participate in discussions. Commission member John Ford said he disagrees with the structure of the joint county and city meetings, calling the current system for updates “pointless.”
Source: themercury.com – RSS Results in news of type article

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.

Planning Commission Director Karen Rothe requested the moratorium, because she has been approached by several people about BESS and stated that some of the county’s regulations are unclear.
Source: Harvey County Now

As the one-man Department of Public Works Haviland, Wes Adams has a lengthy and varied to-do list every day for the city of 650 in southwest Kansas.
Source: TPO Mag via KMU

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.

Buns and Badges was such a success Wednesday evening that the Halstead Police Department had to run to the store to buy more hot dogs. Turnout was estimated at close to 200 people for HPD’s Buns and Badges free swim and hot dog feed on Wednesday night. HPD started with 150 hot dogs. Chief Josh Orem estimated the turnout was between 180 and 200 people. He said they cooked 250 hot dogs and only had 10 or 15 left over.
Source: Harvey County Now

Overland Park is taking steps to acquire a seven-story office building near College Boulevard and Metcalf Avenue for $22.5 million that will serve as a future city hall. The nearly 155,000-square-foot building at 6201 College Blvd. is currently home to a variety of office tenants. County land records say that College-Lamar LP, an affiliate of Kansas City-based real estate firm Copaken Brooks, owns it.
Source: Johnson County Post

The city of Prairie Village has asked the Johnson County District Court to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a resident challenging the city’s recently approved $30 million municipal complex project. The city is also asking a judge to hold an expedited hearing, arguing that the lawsuit is preventing the city from issuing bonds for the project ahead of another key vote by the city council.
Source: Johnson County Post

If there is a need to prove what the new Lenexa Old Town Activity Center means to the community, the proof, says Logan Wagler, is in the faces of 60 happy summer campers. Wagler, director of Lenexa’s Park & Recreation, said those kids would not have summer camp without the new facility. In the past, the popular summer camp was only possible at the Lenexa Rec Center, which could provide summer camp to only 100 kids each week. “The registration filled up within minutes,” Wagler said. The Lenexa Old Town Activity Center features a new look and added amenities for patrons. Chris Ochsner cochsner@kcstar.com Now, there are an additional 60 kids who are at summer camp at the new facility.
Source: Local Kansas City Missouri & Kansas News |

After residents raised alarms over the ways development and redevelopment can compromise a neighborhood’s character and drive up property taxes, the Prairie Village City Council will discuss if they want to explore potential residential development restrictions. The concern is around teardown-rebuilds in particular, which occur when someone buys a property, demolishes the existing structure and builds a new house in its place. The trend has been a source of tension among Prairie Village residents for years as more modest homes are replaced and almost double in value.
Source: Local Kansas City Missouri & Kansas News |

Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, staff will likely pitch up to 2% in increases to local tourism taxes to help finance expenses for the rapidly approaching 2026 FIFA World Cup, the county administrator’s office told commissioners during a meeting last week.
Source: Local Kansas City Missouri & Kansas News |

The new slate gray ranch houses stand side by side in Neodesha, windows sparkling, driveways gleaming, lawns still green under an autumn sun. They’re simply waiting for someone to move in. And waiting. And waiting … The unsold houses on North Second Street, along with two more new houses around the corner on McCartney Lane, reflect the challenge southeast Kansas faces even as demand for housing skyrockets in the region – and, indeed, just about everywhere in the Sunflower State. Despite multiple incentives in place to bring down the price of the homes, folks in the area are unable – or unwilling – to buy them.
Source: KLC Journal

On Monday, July 7, the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners received a presentation on the proposed economic impact of the proposed Rainbow Springs Solar project. Craig Compton, Principal Investigator with the Center for Economic Development and Business Research (CEDBR) at Wichita State University’s Barton School of Business, presented the findings of the Economic Impact Analysis during the commission’s regular meeting. He was joined by representatives from Clearway Energy, the company developing the solar project.
Source: www.koamnewsnow.com – RSS Results in news/local-news of type article

The City and Fire Dept celebrate the opening of a new fire station. Saturday morning the final siren was sounded at the former station, 121 West 11th St, and the fire trucks and apparatus then paraded to the new fire station at 1709 Military Ave along Route 66. The former station served the city 99 years.
Source: www.koamnewsnow.com – RSS Results in news/local-news of type article

The City of Derby voted unanimously to pass an ordinance limiting the sale of fireworks. This comes after the state updated laws earlier this year to allow for year-round sales. City officials argued that year-round sales increase fire risk, threaten the welfare of pets and certain community members, such as veterans, and make enforcement nearly impossible.
Source: KSN-TV

Fifteen years ago, the Cottonwood Falls Grade School closed its doors, and its future went up in the air as it went up for auction. However, the 120-year-old building is now open again, with a new look and purpose. After years of flux, the schoolhouse itself now offers affordable housing after a partnership with Frontier Development out of Alva. “They work a lot out of Manhattan,” Coster added. “They proved to be the best partners that we could have found. We sold this property to them, and then they went into the work of turning it into apartments.” The expanded portion of the building, constructed in the 1960s, has been converted into a community center.
Source: KSN-TV