Municipal News & Jobs

Delivery drones for Amazon will soon be taking to the skies in parts of Shawnee as part of a program launching across the U.S. On Monday, Shawnee city staff alerted the Shawnee City Council to Amazon’s plans to deploy Prime Air drones in the area in next few weeks. The MK30 drones will deliver packages weighing less than 5 pounds out of two Amazon locations nearby. They will cover about two-thirds of Shawnee, according to city documents. The discussion was for informational purposes only, to raise awareness about the program and answer any questions the city council had.
Read more: Johnson County Post

An empty lot sits on the southeast corner of Central and Oliver. There, developers have placed a sign describing their proposed development and site plan for the property. The architectural rendering suggests that there would be a restaurant, two drive-thrus, 13,500 square feet of commercial space and almost 7,000 square feet in retail space. Half of the land is devoted to parking. Nothing about the proposed site plan looks out of place for Wichita.  Except very little about this plan resembles what developers told members of the District 1 Advisory Board, commonly known as a DAB. All six Wichita city council districts have DABs to provide advice and recommendations to their respective council members. They generally meet monthly, in the evenings, to hear reports from city departments and staff. They also advise on zoning cases. At these meetings, the city’s planning staff present a case and offer their recommendations. The public can weigh in on the proposed change. Board members, who represent the concerns and interests of the community, can ask developers clarifying questions. Then, relying on the information presented, they vote on whether or not to give their support to the plan. 
Read more: KLC Journal

Several individuals gathered in northern Lyon County Saturday morning to unveil new signage detailing the significant history that runs through that portion of our area. Residents and organizers gathered in Old Allen Saturday to unveil a new Santa Fe Trail sign, which includes detailed information about the significance of the community and the historic trail that runs through it, a fact that organizer Janice Huston says many people are not aware of. The sign is also meant to help educate residents on Charles H. Withington, the first settler in the area, who founded the community of Allen.
Read more: KVOE

Plans are in the works to construct a 3-megawatt data center in Iola, which will mean greater utility sales for the city. Construction of a new data center in Iola will mean more electricity sales for the city. In August, the city sold 10 acres of property north of Russell Stover Chocolates to Vine Energy LLC of Overland Park.  The company plans to put a data center on the property, with an option to purchase another 10 acres from the city within the next year. Data centers are specialized facilities that manage, process and share large amounts of electronic information. 
Read more: The Iola Register

After some cities in Johnson County experienced trash pickup unreliability in the past couple of years, Overland Park is studying the status of waste hauling across its city. Currently, Overland Park lets organized neighborhoods and individual residents handle their solid waste management — which includes recycling, trash, yard waste, etc. — by contracting out to private haulers. That means many different types of haulers remove trash and recycling in the city. With the study, the city is looking to get a better understanding of “the big picture” when it comes to the status of those services and ways to potentially improve the approach for residents when it comes to things like cost and sustainability, said Lara Isch, the city’s sustainability manager.
Read more: Johnson County Post

A Unified Government committee delayed action Monday on proposed changes to Wyandotte County’s employee residency rules. The Administration and Human Services Standing Committee voted to table the item until Jan. 26, 2026, marking the second postponement in three weeks. Commissioner Mike Kane made the motion, saying incoming UG leadership should have an opportunity to weigh in before any decision is made.
Read more: KMBC

Those traveling for the World Cup now have more transit options in Johnson County, Kansas to help make travel a bit easier. Beginning in 2026, both Lenexa and Overland Park will have transit services running between the two cities to the Kansas City International Airport (KCI). On Monday, Overland Park City Council members approved nine months of transit service between both cities and the airport to help support the influx of visitors during the 2026 World Cup.
Read more: FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV

A Great Bend school resource officer was awarded for his actions during a shooting this summer outside Wichita’s Towne East Square. On Aug. 8, officer Paul Millard was leaving the mall with his wife when gunshots were fired in the parking lot. Millard quickly responded and restrained the suspect until the Wichita Police Department arrived. At Monday night’s Great Bend City Council meeting, Millard was awarded a Bronze Wreath of Valor by the WPD. The honor is the third-highest given by the WPD.
Read more: KSN-TV

Harvey County 911 Emergency Communications has a new tool that will help first responders find people in an emergency. What3Words is a tool that helps dispatchers pinpoint your location to within a few feet. The app works by dividing the world into 3-meter squares, each with three assigned words.
Read more: KSN-TV

At the August 27, 2025 Hays Commission / Russel Council Joint Meeting, Hays City Manager Toby Dougherty stated that, despite legal objections raised, the state’s Water Hearing Panel is waiting on the Supreme Court ruling before it holds a statutorily required hearing on the R9’s approved water use change and transfer application. Per the Kansas Water Transfer Act (KWTA), the application to transfer more than 2,000 acre-feet of water over 35 miles is a multi-step process. The R9 process resulted in a 2019 50 page Master Order, including 32 separate orders giving contingent approval of the transfer and contingent approval for Hays/Russell to move forward with the R9 project. The upcoming KS Supreme Court ruling in the case by the Water Protection Association of Central Kansas (Water PACK) will determine if the R9 Water Transfer Master Order is upheld. At 9 a.m., December 15th, the Kanas Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the R9 water transfer case.
Read more: Hays Daily News

Sedgwick County has a new four-legged partner helping investigate fires. Latitude, also known as Laddy, is an 18-month-old black lab who recently graduated from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) training center in Virginia. He joins the Sedgwick County Fire District 1 Fire Investigation Unit as an “ATF accelerant detection canine,” trained to sniff out signs of arson.
Read more: KSN-TV

Approximately 30 volunteers gathered on Saturday, Nov. 15, at Pittsburg City Hall where they were divided into teams and sent out into the city to do some community clean up.
Read more: – Morning Sun

According to Adam Harrison, the human resources and finance officer for the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office, recruitment and retention of correctional officers (COs) is an “uphill battle.” “Working 12-hour shifts with violent offenders,” Harrison told the county commission, “our application pool is practically non-existent.” Harrison added that 70 percent of the applicants the department does receive are disqualified because they fail the urinalysis, polygraph, or background checks. To increase interest, Harrison proposed an increase in starting pay from $16.67 an hour to $18 an hour, a raise of $1.33 per hour. Officers typically work 2080 regular and overtime hours per year, and the proposed raise would increase payroll by $7,800 each month.
Read more: -Morning Sun

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.

McPherson USD 418 has opened an online survey to provide additional feedback on facility planning for the district. This follows up on the work of a facility study committee, open houses held in October, and a phone survey commissioned by the district. The survey, which is being managed by ExcellenceK12, a company which works with school districts on community research, and should take about 3-5 minutes to complete.
Read more: Ad Astra Radio | Your Hometown Radio Stations & Local News Source

Halstead City Council authorized city staff to sign paperwork and send $136,000 to the Kansas Department of Transportation for the city’s portion of the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) improvement project. The amount represents the city’s 20 percent match for the grant originally awarded by KDOT in July 2022. Anticipated costs for construction engineering, construction, and inspection costs per the accepted bids on the project are $678,227. City Manager Ethan Reimer said the next step will be to meet with the contractor and get anticipated construction dates. He said it will mostly be five-foot-wide sidewalks running on the north side of Sixth Street from Spruce to West and on Chestnut from the United Methodist Church south to Tenth Street. Also included in the project is changing Sixth Street from four lanes to two dedicated bike lanes, a middle turn lane, and two driving lanes. Crosswalks will be updated with signage. The crosswalks in front of the high school will be moved to Santa Fe, based on the traffic patterns of kids, according to Reimer.
Read more: Harvey County Now

Texas businessman Brad Heppner’s insistence on construction of a grandiose $20 million grocery store in Hesston proved too complicated for the project to get off the ground before the unsealing of an indictment alleging he orchestrated a $150 million financial fraud. Federal charges against Heppner, who was CEO of the Beneficient company in Dallas and a founder of the Beneficient Heartland Foundation in Hesston, were revealed days before an interim committee of the Kansas Legislature convened to review activities tied to Beneficient. The Legislature several years ago ordered state regulators to issue a unique bank charter to fuel Beneficient’s business catering to wealthy investors trying to unload illiquid assets. In exchange, Heppner promised to fund rural economic development in Kansas. The House-Senate oversight committee was keen to hear from Beneficient executives after Heppner’s indictment for purportedly pilfering $150 million from a now-defunct company. Officials say the cash was funneled through Beneficient into other business entities for Heppner’s personal use. The U.S. Department of Justice gave no indication the alleged malfeasance involved the Heartland Foundation. The bipartisan legislative committee also was eager for an update on the effort to deliver on Heppner’s 2022 promise to build a grocery store in Hesston, where he grew up. Hesston has 3,400 residents and has been without a grocery store since 2018. Financing for the downtown grocery store would be derived from the Heartland Foundation. It was established with an initial donation of about $6.5 million from Heppner and his wife, Aurelia. Cash or stock generated by Beneficient’s asset-management business would be sent to the foundation. Denise Goevert, chair of the board of directors of Beneficient Heartland Foundation, told state legislators that Heppner’s absence from the grocery store conversation in Hesston would allow community members to take the lead. It should clear the path for a more basic store costing less than $10 million, she said.
Read more: Kansas Reflector

North Newton now will have a parks and recreation committee. That’s after the North Newton City Council voted 4-0 in favor of establishing the group at its regular monthly meeting on Monday night. “The creation of a parks and recreation committee, which focuses on advising the city council on how to best utilize and improve the city’s parks, trails and open spaces, was identified as a productive way to fulfill some of the outcomes in our strategic plan,” City Administrator Brad Harris said at the meeting. “This ordinance will establish a group of four residents, selected by the mayor, and a council liaison member to engage in this work. The committee will meet regularly and serve in an advisory role, and its recommendations and findings will be presented to the city council for consideration.”
Read more: Harvey County Now

The room was packed and hot, both in temperature and in palpable anger. It was just a regular meeting of the Olathe Planning Commission in late 2024. But on this agenda, a Michigan-based developer called Magnus Capital Partners LLC wanted to rezone a 14-acre property west of 161st Street and Mur-Len Road for mixed-use development featuring what was referred to as “workforce housing.” The developer said the project, called HōM Flats, would be geared toward the young professional making between $50,000 and $85,000 annually, with 200 or so apartments proposed in all. Roughly a dozen neighbors spoke in opposition to the project during the public hearing. The reasons they gave ran the gamut: Fears about traffic, crime, property values, the degradation of the views from their property, etc. There was one common thread, though: HōM Flats wouldn’t be the right fit for the existing character of the neighborhood, one of the eight Golden Criteria based on a 1978 Kansas Supreme Court ruling.
Read more: Johnson County Post