Municipal News & Jobs

Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland today announced that nearly $600,000 has been awarded in the latest round of Tourism Attraction Development Grant funding, bringing the total awarded this fiscal year to more than $1 million. The new grants will support 32 communities through 21 projects aimed at developing new or enhancing existing tourism attractions across the state.
Source: Kansas Department of Commerce

Iola City Council members will decide soon whether to allow extended fireworks sales now that they’re allowed by the state. The Iola City Council will decide at its June 9 meeting whether to allow extended fireworks sales, although prospects look iffy. Currently, fireworks sales are allowed in Iola from outside the current eight-day window, from June 27 through July 5. State lawmakers extended the sales dates from June 20 through July 7 from temporary facilities, or year-round sales from permanent structures.
Source: The Iola Register

The City of Garden City is thrilled to announce the grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony for Bob Halloran Community Park, a new recreational space designed to promote inclusivity and community engagement.
Source: Garden City, KS – News Flash

Recent rainy weather has led to water levels at Cheney Reservoir rising more than a foot since a low point in mid-May, but more precipitation is needed to ease drought restrictions in Wichita heading into summer. Even with the U.S. Drought Monitor removing Wichita from its drought distinction, the watering restrictions in the city will remain in place for the foreseeable future due to still-low levels at the reservoir, which is the source of Wichita’s water.
Source: Wichita Kansas Local News, Crime & More |

Cheery chatbots offering help with property valuation appeals or tax bills won’t be popping up on the Johnson County website any time soon. But artificial intelligence is beginning to seep into the county’s administration in various other ways — enough so that commissioners and county technology experts recently began crafting a policy for how it will be used and overseen.
Source: Johnson County Post

A pilot program intended to make it easier to build homes in Overland Park from a group of pre-selected designs is nearly ready to launch. Earlier this month, city staff told the Overland Park City Council Community Development Committee that preparations for the pilot program were wrapping up and that it could be available in June or July.
Source: Johnson County Post

Over the next few weeks, Wyandotte County commissioners will need to decide whether to freeze property tax revenues for a second consecutive year. And at least one local official said it’s time for the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, to stop playing games with taxpayers over the matter.
Source: Local Kansas City Missouri & Kansas News |

Cheney Lake is now up over a foot since the beginning of May thanks to the abundance of rain. According to the latest data from the National Water Prediction Service, that lake is at 1,414.85 feet as of 7 a.m. Thursday. At the beginning of the month, the lake was at 1413.7 feet. The lake is measuring at 6.75 feet below normal. The City of Wichita remains in Stage 2 of its drought plan. The conservation pool is just around 62.75%. The next drought trigger is when the conservation pool drops to 50% of its capacity.
Source: KSN-TV

It’s been ten days since a tornado tore through the town of Plevna in Reno County. The EF-3 storm left a path of destruction, but the damage does not meet the threshold required for state or federal disaster aid. According to Adam Weishaar, director of Reno County Emergency Management, nine homes were destroyed and about 20 others sustained damage on May 18. Roughly half of the affected homes were uninsured. Despite the devastation, the extent of the damage still falls short of qualifying for assistance.
Source: KSN-TV

The City of Emporia is topping off its new state-of-the-art fire station. The final beam was installed on Wednesday for the new Emporia fire station. Work on this facility has been ongoing for several years, and is a huge upgrade for the city’s fire department. The Emporia Fire Department worked out of the Civic Auditorium basement for the past 85 years. A city commissioner said the long-awaited upgrade will benefit fire crews and Emporia locals alike.
Source: KSNT 27 News

Bikers from around the world are gathering in Emporia for this year’s annual Unbound Gravel race. The Unbound Gravel race officially kicks off on Thursday, May 29 and lasts through to Sunday, June 1. Around 5,000 riders are expected to participate in the various races offered through Unbound, including the 350-mile race.
Source: KSNT 27 News

State transportation officials say an upcoming railroad crossing repair project in Wamego will result in traffic disruptions at the local level and a big detour for some. The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) announced on KanDrive that work crews are getting ready to start the repair project at 6 a.m. on Saturday, May 31 and wrap it up by 6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 3. Workers will be repairing a railroad crossing that sits between U.S. Highway 40 and the Wabaunsee/Pottawatomie County line.
Source: KSNT 27 News

Iola City Council members will decide soon whether to establish a land bank to allow the city to take in properties for future development projects. City Administrator Matt Rehder told City Council members Monday he plans on bringing a formal proposal to their June 9 meeting. A land bank is a community-owned entity established to acquire, manage, and repurpose vacant, abandoned, or foreclosed properties. In essence, the land bank would serve as a means to take neglected land and put it back into productive use within the City of Iola.
Source: 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 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.

Drivers in part of central Kansas will have to deal with a lengthy detour route this summer for a highway project that is set to last for months. The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) released its plans to shut down part of K-177 Highway on KanDrive earlier this month. The closure runs from Council Grove south to Strong City in Morris and Chase Counties. KDOT workers will close K-177 between these two cities starting at 8 a.m. on Monday, June 16, according to KanDrive. The closure is projected to end on Friday, Nov. 14.
Source: KSN-TV

In the wake of the destruction, donations of all kinds, from food and water to clothes, have flooded into Grinnell after an EF-3 tornado passed through the town. While residents are grateful, physical donations are not always the best way to help. The Hometown Grocery Store has not been a grocery store since the tornado; it has been converted into a makeshift clothing bank. The generosity of people donating clothes, food and water has been overwhelming in both good and bad senses of the word.
Source: KSN-TV

A local company is introducing 3D printed homes to help keep up with the high demand for affordable housing in Topeka and other parts of the state. Trident Homes hosted an open house at Stone & Story Real Estate on Wednesday, May 21. While browsing today, one visitor says she sees the appeal. “It’s been great to see scaled models of the homes,” said Ashley Beason. “I’m definitely looking for energy efficiency, affordability, also I love the design, they seem to bring in a lot of natural light.” Interested buyers can sit down with Trident to lay out their home’s vision. The company will take care of the rest.
Source: KSNT 27 News

The City of Emporia is currently considering a new fee that would be used to help with needed stormwater improvements across the community. During the Emporia City Commission regular study meeting Wednesday morning City Engineer Jim Ubert proposed an Equivalent Residential Unit (ERU) structure that would be tailored to Emporia as a “fair way to pay for future stormwater improvements.” According to Ubert the city has a significant backlog of said projects which totals roughly $18 million. He says the new structure would allow the city to fully address these issues over time rather than simply taking a “band-aid” approach, which it has had to do in recent years, given that there is no dedicated revenue stream for said projects. Ubert explained how the structure would work during an interview with KVOE News.
Source: d2430

Drought-stricken governments in west-central Kansas have escalated their fight for water rights from state to federal court, which could impact how cities across the state handle future disputes. The cities of Hays and Russell, located in neighboring counties just off of Interstate 70 near the middle of the state, sued the nearby Edwards County in 2024 for blocking a planned water transfer. The cities do not have enough water to supply future residents. They concocted a plan beginning in 1995 with the purchase of the 7,000-acre R9 Ranch in Edwards County. The ranch contains 32 water rights the cities wanted to use for their public water supply. The cities say the county has been opposed to the project since before the property was purchased, but county officials have cited concerns over a large amount of water being transferred out of a prominent agricultural community.
Source: Kansas Reflector