Municipal News & Jobs

The Girard City Council is soon expected to make a decision on which burning ordinance to move forward with. The council mulled over three ordinances during Monday’s regular meeting. City administrator Johanna O’Brien presented three ordinances. Two were very similar while the third differed. O’Brien noted that the Girard Fire Chief Jeff Turner expressed his support for the third ordinance, which included a permit for open burning.
Read more: – Latest Stories

Brent Clark, City Administrator for the City of Valley Center, has announced his resignation effective October 24th, 2025. Clark has accepted a position with SEH, Inc. to serve as the Civil Client Service Manager. Clark has served as City Administrator since July 2019, leading Valley Center through a period of significant growth and progress.
Source: City of Valley Center

Today, in remembrance of Charlie Kirk, Minnesota Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman, and all victims and survivors of political violence, Governor Laura Kelly, in accordance with Executive Order #20-30, directed flags throughout the State of Kansas to be lowered to half-staff effective immediately Friday, September 12, 2025 until sundown on Sunday, September 14, 2025.
Read more: Kansas Governor

This panel is unanimous in our opinion of potholes: they are abysmal. But, in Kansas, making a successful claim against a city for damages resulting from a driver hitting a pothole is a different subject that requires compliance with the law. When we apply two legal principles to this case—the public duty doctrine and discretionary function immunity—it means any recovery is barred by law on this claim.
Source: Court of Appeals: Martin vs. City of Topeka

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 Wichita City Council has added five municipal crimes that city prosecutors can use to ban what police call “problem people” from the Old Town Entertainment District. The city can now ban from Old Town anyone caught in public — specifically, in Old Town — urinating, defecating, being nude, having sex or engaging in other sex acts, or exposing themselves without consent. The change imposes a $500 mandatory minimum fine for any of those crimes, if committed in Old Town. In addition, anyone caught in Old Town after being banned “shall be punished” by a maximum fine of $1,000 or by imprisonment up to one year, or both, according to the ordinance approved by the council Tuesday.
Read more: Wichita Eagle

The Halstead school Board approved spending about $30,000 for the installation and implementation of the school safety alert system known as Centegix. With the continued concern for incidents like school shootings, school districts are starting to look for solutions that can help keep them safer. Superintendent Ron Barry said that after the board asked him to look into an alert system for the district, he considered several options before deciding on Centegix as his recommendation.
Read more: Harvey County Now

On the edge of town next to the railroad tracks, the sound of pads crunch and whistles echo. A train chugs by toward the grain elevator that backdrops the football field that features only a handful of players. But it’s getting harder to field a football team year after year. More towns across western Kansas are adopting six-man football, a version of football with smaller teams to help keep the sport alive.
Read more: Hays Daily News

In addition to helping private landowners conserve and protect natural havens for the public’s benefit, a Douglas County program could potentially branch into protecting some urban agricultural land in perpetuity. The pilot Douglas County Land Protection Program is the result of a partnership between the county and nonprofit organization Kansas Land Trust aimed at protecting biodiversity, supporting local farming and more.
Read more: The Lawrence Times

Lawrence city commissioners directed the police chief Tuesday to work with community members to implement safeguards with the use of advanced surveillance camera integration and technology.  Commissioners heard from 42 people about the Axon Fusus program Tuesday evening, and 38 of them directly asked the commission to pause further integration of cameras around the city with police technology. The discussion lasted more than four hours. Dozens of residents have spoken out during public comment and in writing to the commission asking that the rollout of the program be paused so the public can discuss concerns.
Read more: The Lawrence Times

The city of Wichita has launched a survey to get feedback from residents on priorities for the next city manager. It’s the first opportunity residents have to engage in the search process after the current manager, Robert Layton, announced his retirement earlier this year. “The survey will provide another qualitative snapshot into what residents’ priorities are for the next City Manager,” a release by the city said.
Read more: Wichita Eagle

The Newton City Commission has adopted updates to the City’s building codes to bring them up-to-date and more closely match the City of Wichita, where most Newton contractors also do business. The updates included the 2024 editions of the International Building Code, the International Mechanical Code, and the International Existing Building Code, and the 2018 edition of the International Residential Code. The new code adoption followed multiple work sessions to solicit feedback from local contractors and building owners. It also followed adoption of the new International Fire Code earlier this year.
Read more: Ad Astra Radio | Your Hometown Radio Stations & Local News Source

On the heels of a particularly rainy week in early September, water conservation was a focal point of the Derby City Council’s Sept. 9 meeting. Following recent action taken by the city of Wichita — Derby’s water supplier — to impose permanent watering restrictions, the council was left to follow suit, adopting an ordinance enacting similar restrictions throughout Derby as of Sept. 15.
Read more: www.derbyinformer.com – RSS Results in news,news/* of type article

The City of Lawrence is raising the tax it charges for hotel rooms and short term rentals. The Transient Guest Tax (TGT), now set at 6% and going up to 8%, could be a money maker next summer with hundreds of thousands of fans expected in the Kansas City-area for the World Cup. Lawrence plans to use money raised by the tax to fund events and improvements the city wants to make for the World Cup.
Read more: FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports

While being formally introduced to the Barton County Commissioners Tuesday morning by Administrator Matt Patzner, one adjective was used on several occasions to describe the new Assistant County Administrator / Human Resources Director Casey Hubbard. That word was “professional.” Hubbard officially took over his new role with the County on Monday, Sept. 8.
Read more: Great Bend Tribune

Governor Laura Kelly has ordered flags across Kansas to be flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Thursday, September 11, 2025, under Executive Order #20-30. The tribute honors the lives lost in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. “We will never forget the horrific tragedy that occurred 24 years ago, taking the lives of nearly 3,000 Americans and injuring thousands more,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “In the face of a terrorist attack, we reflect on the valor and bravery demonstrated that day by our nation’s first responders, who saved the lives of many despite losing more than 400 of their own. We owe them a debt of gratitude for their selfless service and sacrifice.”
Read more: KCLY Radio

It’s a Monday morning at the Wilson County Citizen, and the paper’s staff is chasing breaking news: The annual Fall River barbecue won’t be held this year. Staff might be an overstatement. The family-owned paper in Fredonia is run by Meredith Odell, with help from her sister, Ginger, and Ginger’s two dogs, Biscuit and Pepper. Meredith Odell has worked at the paper since she was 4, more than 50 years ago. The Wilson County Citizen is one of four papers listed for sale on the Kansas Press Association’s website. And KPA director Emily Bradbury said all of them share a common thread: The owners are aging and want to retire.
Read more: News

A stolen vehicle alert from the Parsons Police Department’s Flock Safety license plate recognition system led to the arrest of a Texas man on multiple felony charges Sunday evening.
Read more: www.koamnewsnow.com – RSS Results in news/local-news of type article

Two log jams are clogging rivers in north central Kansas, one just south of Tescott in Ottawa County and another still in Salina in Saline County. James Peterson, Tescott’s head of maintenance, says the log jam formed during Monday’s rain and contributed to widespread flooding. But for residents, it’s not the top concern. “Everything I’ve been dealing with and hearing is people taking care of their own house and own property, and their neighbors and anybody else that needs something. Most of them don’t care about a log jam in the river,” he said. Peterson says similar log jams have formed in that spot before. Ottawa County commissioners, however, are taking it seriously and plan to discuss solutions at their next meeting on Monday.
Read more: KSN-TV

Wichita residents are being asked to share their priorities for the city’s next manager as the search to replace longtime City Manager Robert Layton continues. The City Manager Selection Advisory Committee, working with CPS HR Consulting, has launched a community survey to gather feedback on what qualities and goals residents want in the city’s next chief executive. Layton announced earlier this year that he plans to retire on Dec. 31 after serving as city manager since 2009.
Read more: KSN-TV