Municipal News & Jobs

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

The Wichita City Council approved two ordinances Tuesday aimed at addressing crime in Old Town and prostitution activity along Broadway. One ordinance sets a $500 mandatory fine for crimes in Old Town, including assault, drug offenses, trespassing and public nuisance violations. Judges can also bar offenders from the district during probation or diversion, with violations carrying up to $1,000 in fines or a year in jail. The second ordinance updates prostitution-mapping rules first created in 1995 for the Broadway corridor, identified decades ago as a hotspot for prostitution. Courts can now ban offenders from the area not only after convictions but also in diversion cases. Violations could bring fines up to $2,500 and jail time.
Read more: KSN-TV

County commissioners decided Monday to restrict wakeboarding boats on the county lake and to draft a policy on blasting after Orsted blasted a blade off a wind turbine a week and a half ago.
Lake residents often complain about the potential for damage to docks and tied boats because of the large waves wakeboarding boats produce. “Nobody likes them unless they have one,” lake superintendent Isaac Hett said.
Read more: Marion County RECORD

After almost six months on the job, Robert Reece has resigned from his position as Nemaha County Administrator effective Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. This announcement was made during the Monday, Aug. 25, Nemaha County Commissioners meeting. Reece was hired during the Jan. 7, 2025, Nemaha County Commissioners meeting by the former board of commissioners, which included Ben Glace, Dylan Keim and Jason Koch. Reece was hired on a 2-1 vote, with Koch voting nay.
Read more: The Sabetha Herald

The Hutchinson Planning Commission voted unanimously to rezone the property at 714 Cloverdale Drive to allow for goats on the property. The 9.26-acre property was rezoned from R-4 Residential Neighborhood Conservation District to R-1 Suburban Residential District. The property owner, Tammy Depperschmidt, was issued a zoning violation on July 24, 2025, as a result of having goats on the property. Under new R-1 zoning, she could theoretically host a total of 45 goats; however, a protective overlay was put in place to limit that number to ten. “By all means, I do not want 45 goats,” Depperschmidt said.
Read more: The Hutchinson Tribune

With two absences Monday night and a supermajority required to pass a charter ordinance, South Hutchinson City Council needed a 4-0 vote to reduce the size of the council from six to five members. Instead, the measure failed, 3-1, with Kyle Cokely voting against it and Matt Nisly, Valerie Griffin, and Matthew Elliott voting for it, City Administrator Jeff Schenk said Tuesday. Schenk said the change in council structure would have made the mayor a voting member. Currently, the council elects one of its members to serve as a non-voting mayor, he said.
Read more: The Hutchinson Tribune

The sun-faded sign with missing letters of Camptown will soon have a flashy new look, much like the building’s interior. After decades of sitting empty and unused, the former dog track at 313 U.S. 69 Highway is being revitalized as Camptown Event Center.
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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.

Three miles outside of Newton sits the third busiest airport in Kansas, according to the number of operations, according to airport director Brian Palmer. Palmer and the other seven airport employees work for the city of Newton, but the city and county co-own the airport, each contributing $90,000, which makes up eight to nine percent of the airport’s annual revenue. Palmer said that according to the Kansas Department of Transportation, the airport provides about $187 million in economic impact to the city and the county on an annual basis. The airport doesn’t have any commercial traffic, but has 90 T-hangars and around 30 corporate planes based at it. They contain 14 employers in the field, accounting for a little over 500 employees.
Read more: Harvey County Now

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.

Water Smart Hays, the water resources department for the city, took to social media to share the message that the wipes labeled as “flushable” often aren’t. While these products often point to features like being biodegradable, that doesn’t mean they can’t clog your pipes or create backups in sewer systems.
Read more: KSN-TV

The applicant hopes to establish the facility on his property in Danville. He has already invested in kennels and wants approval to house dogs specifically for blood donation, with plans to sell the blood to veterinary clinics.
Read more: KSN-TV

Adding esports could cost the district between about $8,000 and $10,400 per building the first year of implementation and $314 each of the following two years… Purchases will include Nintendo Switch consoles, team uniforms, an annual participation fee and other smaller gaming equipment and platforms.
Read more: The Lawrence Times

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.

While touting housing development accomplishments, Hays City Commissioners on Aug. 28th also all recognized that a solution is yet to be found for the low income housing shortage in the community. “We are more than interested in any conversation if anyone has ideas about how we should move forward to accomplish that [low income housing] in this community. It’s just not an easy situation. We continue to listen and search for ways to get it done,” said Mayor Sandy Jacobs. She commented that the low income housing problem has been “wracking” her for the last six months, despite the Commissioners’ many discussions of the topic. “It’s just a no-win situation at this point. I’m not saying we can’t figure it out,” Mayor Jacobs said. She called for anyone with ideas to “step up,” and speak to the Commission or contact City Manager Toby Dougherty.
Read more: Hays Daily News

Plans for a proposed chicken farm in Cowley County were brought up at Tuesday’s county commission meeting, with one person questioning how it could affect air and water quality in the area. Officials said all rules are being followed for setting up the business. The proposed poultry farm, owned by Lacy Shields, would have up to 40,000 birds and a 60,000 foot building on about 160 acres off of 122nd Road, near New Salem.
Read more: www.ctnewsonline.com – RSS Results

The City of Winfield is moving forward with the installation of a new community wayfinding signage system designed to help visitors more easily locate local land- marks and public points of interest. The project reduces the clutter of various directional signs throughout the community by consolidating them into one sign at each location. Signs are expected to be installed the last week of August and first week of September.
Read more: www.ctnewsonline.com – RSS Results