Kansas Municipal News
Victoria to allow two days a week watering
At the Feb. 19, 2024 City of Victoria Council regular session meeting, [members] discussed allowing residents to water two days a week versus just one. The days would include one day on the weekend and one day during the week for north and south of 10th Street. City Attorney Don Hoffman will draft the resident watering days allowance resolution for the Council to formally adopt.
Source: Hays Daily News
Housing key to local economic growth in Hays
Grow Hays Executive Director Doug Williams focused on Hays’ housing needs as he addressed the local business owners, bankers, lawyers, educators, City Commissioners and City staff gathered on Mar. 5, 2024 at BriefSpace for the nonprofit organization’s quarterly luncheon. Executive Director Williams opened his remarks with a reminder of the crucial role housing plays in rural communities’ attempts to recruit and retain a workforce. “Without housing, we can’t do that [hire and keep workers], so housing is very important to us, And so we wanted to give you all a little bit of an update on what happened in 2023, where we see 2024 going and an update on a few of our projects,” said Executive Director Williams.
Source: Hays Daily News
Municipal Bond Trends for March 28, 2024
The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of MBIS “investment grade” yields. 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.
Municipal Bond Trends for March 27, 2024
The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of MBIS “investment grade” yields. 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.
Kansas Office of Broadband Development (KOBD) has information and training for local governments across Kansas
- Regional Planning Workshops – Join KOBD for engagement and training on using your voice to engage with providers across the state.
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- Resources and toolkits on the website.
- View maps of eligible locations and dates/registrations for Workshops.
- Permitting Workshop in Salina on April 25 (full day)
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- Who: ISPs, local governments, state and federal agencies, ROW owners, co-ops, permitting contractors, and other stakeholders interested in broadband deployment
- Informational Webinar for the open-access non-discriminatory Freestate Middle Mile Network on April 19 at 2 p.m.
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- Anyone interested in learning more!
Great Bend’s ROW rules updated
The space available in city utility right of ways is limited. Because more utility providers are requiring space in city right of ways, a new ordinance to manage that space was adopted by the Great Bend City Council on March 18. The city’s utility ROWs are becoming occupied by more utility providers and the space is becoming more crowded…
Source: Great Bend Tribune
New tourism coordinator in Newton looks forward to highlighting the town
Newton’s new CVB/Main Street coordinator, Jen Lehman, would like to hear from people about what they want to see in the community. Since she’s still getting her feet wet, Lehman doesn’t have a lot of new plans yet. “I’m trying to come up with things I’d enjoy seeing here in Newton,” she said. That might include things she’s seen in other counties and would like to implement for Newton.
Source: Harvey County Now
Weeks after Lawrence enacts plastic bag ban, Kansas Senate advances bill to block it
Just weeks after Lawrence enacted a ban on single-use, disposable plastic bags, the Kansas Senate advanced a bill that would prohibit cities and counties from regulating the sale of single-use plastic containers. The measure passed 24-16 Wednesday. The bill would prevent cities from regulating the sale of plastic containers such as straws, bags and other single-use plastic containers.
Source: KC Star Local News
After Bird abruptly left, Overland Park to tap scooter rival Lime for new pilot
Overland Park is preparing to tap Lime Micromobility for a new pilot for electric scooters and bikes after another vendor, Bird, left the city abruptly last summer. On Wednesday, the Overland Park City Council Public Works Committee will get a first look at the new pilot agreement during their regularly scheduled meeting.
Source: Johnson County Post
Marysville hires new administrator
Joshua Haverkamp, Marysville’s new city administrator, has been eager to move back to rural Kansas. Professionally, he said, he wants to take the next step to develop his skills as an administrator. “The Marysville position was the best of both worlds for us as a family,” Haverkamp said.
Source: The Marysville Advocate
Shawnee hires veteran KC area official as new city manager
The Shawnee City Council on Monday cleared the way for a veteran Kansas City area municipal official and Johnson County native to become the city’s next permanent city manager. During the city council meeting on Monday night, Mayor Mickey Sandifer formally introduced Paul Kramer as the new city manager. Kramer is currently the city manager in Leavenworth, Kansas, a position he has held for nearly a decade. The Shawnee City Council voted unanimously 8-0 to approve a negotiated contract between the city and Kramer. “Paul is a very qualified individual to come out and hit the ground running with our city,” Sandifer said. “This is what we need at this period in time.” For the past nine years, Kramer has served as the city manager for Leavenworth. According to the Leavenworth city website, before becoming the city manager in Leavenworth, he also served as the assistant city manager and executive director of the Leavenworth Housing Authority. Sandifer said Kramer’s experience made him stand out from the other candidates. “He’s been involved with every facet of the city [of Leavenworth],” he said. “(That’s) very useful for our city.”
Source: Shawnee Mission Post
‘Short Term Rentals’ top of mind for College Hills residents as they discuss improvements to neighborhood
College Hill residents held their first open house meeting Monday night to discuss a plan to improve the lives of its residents. One of the issues top of mind is how the city deals with short-term rentals, through companies like Airbnb. “Short-term rentals have been a concern,’ says city council member Brandon Johnson. “Not because of how great they are access-wise for people. But many of our short-term rentals have been rented out for parties, especially recently, some parents will rent those out for their kids, which shouldn’t be happening.” Some of those parties have ended in violence. Johnson said that a shooting recently near College Hill is proof of problems. And in 2021, at Douglas and Oliver, one person was killed and three others were injured in a shooting at a party at an Airbnb. Because of that violence, the city is cracking down. It’s requiring licenses and rezoning to run a short term rental. “We have to be safer with our young people,” Johnson said. “Today is a different day and age, access to guns is a lot higher than when we were younger. So we’re going to look at that as a council, but definitely always want community input on that.” Johnson said that he expects the council to continue working on short-term rental policy. However, there are already some hoops to jump through to get up and running.
Source: KAKE – News
Douglass fire adds new truck to their fleet
Butler County Fire District #8, (Douglass), has recently got a new truck to add to their fleet. The fire department now has a total of nine apparatus: two engines, three grass trucks, one tanker, one rescue and water rescue, and two support trucks. The biggest obstacle is water,” said Fire Chief Aaron Guyot. That shouldn’t be an obstacle anymore with the new beast of a tanker the fire department received in late January. This truck is made by Fouts Bros out of Georgia with a 515 Horsepower engine and a 4,000 gallon tank that can pump 1,500 gallons per minute. The powerful motor will help add to faster response times for the team. This truck is only suited to hold two firefighters. This truck was not purchased through grants; the department took out a lease and made a down payment using the station’s budget. This truck comes with a price tag of $489,000. The new tanker was ordered on January 5th and was picked up January 31st. When purchasing this truck, the Douglass Fire Department had to retire tank 83, which was sold to Andale Construction. Douglass Fire Department has a crew of 27 volunteers. The team has welcomed 17 new volunteers since the month of December. The current station, located at 108 S Forrest St, was built in 1997.
Source: Andover American
Lawrence school district looks to staffing incentives, other cost-saving ideas as enrollment declines
As enrollment keeps trending downward, Lawrence school board members on Monday heard some additional details about possible ways to cut costs, including hiring specialized positions rather than going through contractors. Executive Director of Finance Cynde Frick gave the board a budget update on Monday, which included data from the district’s annual enrollment headcount, taken every Sept. 20. The district counted 9,820 students enrolled for the 2023-24 year, down 135 from the 9,955 total for 2022-23, according to the presentation. Frick said the district could consider incentives to hire speech language pathologists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, plumbers, carpenters and other professionals as district employees rather than filling those positions through contractors. She said although those positions are already established on salary matrices, the district has struggled to fill them in-house because it doesn’t offer competitive wages, but that it would cost less than using contractors. “We haven’t quantified the trades section of that yet, but I’m expecting it will be millions of dollars,” Frick said. “And so the question is how to make it happen. We will need support and cooperation from our unions to figure this out. But there is money there to be saved.” Enrollment is projected to continue decreasing each year through 2027-28. State funding to schools is on a per-pupil basis, so even as the amount of funding per student increases, the increase could be offset by continuing enrollment declines.
Source: The Lawrence Times
City officials seek community input regarding “Pittsburg 150”
Pittsburg is preparing for its 150th birthday and the community has to opportunity to help plan the celebration. According to a press release from the city of Pittsburg, the celebration “Pittsburg 150” is a year-long celebration honoring the community’s past and highlighting its resilience and progress. “Celebrate Pittsburg is a group representing organizations across the community that is working with the City of Pittsburg to create a structure for a year-long, community-wide celebration,” says City of Pittsburg Community Development Specialist Sarah Runyon. “We want businesses, civic groups, churches, schools, individuals, and anyone else to feel ownership in this milestone.” City officials say participants of any age will be able to stop in and jot down any ideas or memories. The planning meeting is set for Thursday, March 28 from 5:30 P.M. to 7 P.M. at Root Coffeehouse and Block 22 Co-Work Space in Pittsburg.
Source: KOAM News
Citizens talk pros, cons of proposed lake project
Concerns about state legislation that would create a lake and other developments in the northwest part of Bourbon County drew a crowd of more than 100 people to a community meeting on the subject Friday evening in Mapleton. The meeting, which was led by Joe Bisogno, owner of Timber Hills Lake Ranch in Mapleton, provided a forum for county residents and others to voice questions about Kansas Senate Bill 497, which according to Kansas District 13 Sen. Tim Shallenburger, who introduced the bill, has been removed from a legislative committee after hearing concerns from the public.
Source: Fort Scott Tribune
FSCC to switch to 4-day class week starting fall of 2024
A few schools across the 4-States are testing 4-day class weeks and FCCC is also giving it a shot. Fort Scott Community College announces the plan to move to a 4-day class week on a Facebook post. According to the post, the school is making the change in hopes students will have more study time and relaxation. The move to 4-day class weeks is expected to begin the fall semester of 2024.
Source: KOAM News
Pittsburg Installs 14 Cameras: Deputy Chief of Police Clarifies Purpose
Some Pittsburg residents have noticed the 14 cameras installed around the city, raising concerns about privacy and surveillance. Speculations ran rampant on social media platforms. “I hope it’s not so they can start charging us for driving on the highways,” expressed one resident, while another voiced, “They want to track our every move.” Others labeled the initiative as “unconstitutional” and compared it to “Big Brother.” In an attempt to answer these concerns, KOAM reached out to the Pittsburg Deputy Chief of Police for clarification on the purpose and function of the cameras. “One of the speculations that we’ve heard is privacy concerns, which are a big deal. But this going to be more of a societal question than it is our question to ask right now,” said Pittsburg Deputy Chief of Police Ben Henderson. “The cameras are available as a technology and they’ve been shown to actually help detect and reduce crime. So while they’re available, I think we should make the best opportunity we have to utilize these to help the citizens of our community.” According to the Pittsburg Deputy Chief of Police, the cameras capture a one-time snapshot of vehicles and retain the images for 30 days. These images are then checked against the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database for associations with wanted persons, stolen vehicles, or missing persons alerts.
Source: KOAM News
Rural area EMS departments in Kansas facing staffing shortage, potential closures
A southern Kansas county is in danger of losing one of its EMS departments as rural area EMS departments are being stretched thin. Barber County EMS coverage consists of two departments: one in Kiowa and one at the hospital in Medicine Lodge. Both are made up of volunteers. With many of them now at retirement age and the inability to recruit younger people for a position that is not full-time pay, EMS and County leaders say they are looking for solutions. Barber County Commissioner Michael Roe says this is an issue faced statewide. “Out of 105 counties, I’d say half of them are concerned or very concerned about their EMS and their volunteer services,” said Roe. Barber County Emergency Manager Mike Loreg says several volunteers in both departments are nearing retirement. Losing qualified replacements to areas that will pay full-time positions has become a serious concern. “We seem to be a training ground for the bigger services; it takes two jobs for people to make ends meet, a lot of these folks are going to urban areas or moving to the urban areas or they’re commuting to the urban areas, which leaves them less time to volunteer,” said Loreg. He says fewer volunteers are able to be on standby and still work to make ends meet. “Our local employers, that used to allow these folks to go on calls, they’re needing them at their employment and they’re not wanting their folks to leave for 4-5 hours at a time,” said Loreg. Barber County sent residents a survey to see what they think of the service being provided.
Source: KSN-TV
Garden City cleaning up tornado damage despite blizzard-like conditions
Cleanup continues despite blizzard-like conditions after a tornado caused damage in Garden City. A National Weather Service team surveyed the damage Monday morning. They say the tornado was an EF1 with winds of 90 miles per hour. It started around 3:30 p.m. on Sunday. The path was 2.5 miles long and 50 yards wide. The NWS did not issue a tornado warning for the storm. According to KSN Storm Track 3 Meteorologist Jack Maney, Garden City saw a 30-degree difference in temperatures. Cleanup crews have been out since 9 a.m. working on cleaning up some of the mess caused by this tornado. This is some of the worst of the damage in this residential neighborhood just east of U.S. Highway 83. In the video above, you can see fences that have been knocked over; nothing is left but metal supports. You might wonder where all the knocked-down wood is. Crews were in the alleyway earlier in the day, using heavy machinery to pick up pieces of broken fence. Homeowners in the area were already told earlier today to bring other debris to the curb to be disposed of. Garden City Public Works & Utilities Director Mike Muirhead says the City was on high alert leading up to the tornado with people on call from every department.
Source: KSN-TV